Benzos Benzo Withdrawal?

[tyler5]

yes i probably have, didnt notice anything dramatic. didnt notice anything anxietyless either.

anyway, thats not my concern. i want help/support/ideas on how to taper/detox/come off the benz'es.

with diazepam (valium) of course.

so, how much tablets/time does a "standard routine" detox take? :D
is that too much of a ridiculous question to ask from someone who's seen America only on tv (im from euro)? :D

 

[Z Y G G Y]

y
anyway, thats not my concern.

So what is your concern. I just said that u don't really need to taper from the amount and duration of your use. u can just stop w/o tapering. Just stop taking them and then when the w/d came on that are bad then take a small amount, wait until more w/d come on then take another small amount, on and on. And then ride out the remaining w/d.

it's people that are epileptic that have to worry about tapering off of benzos. Are u epileptic. if not then the amount and length u have been using doesn't really need a taper.

But if u r really set on tapering then just decrease the dose u take by a certain amount. How much do u have left for the taper? that way I can help u make up a taper plan.


It's difficult to tell u how much u need for a taper cuz some people can be ok with a fast taper and some can't. even with a devised taper plan u might feel bad and need more than your taper tells u.

For example I had a taper plan for a different substance and I just couldn't stick to it cuz I felt bad and needed more.

there is not magic taper plan that works for every person, each person knows theri own body and knows best how much they can decrease each time they take a dose.

Hope that helps

 

[TheMatador]

Z Y G G Y is right, you shouldn't need a taper....
if you want to stop taking benzos, all you need to do is....stop taking them.

 

[Eight0Eight]

Is benzo WD really as bad as smack WD?

I know there is a risk of seizure, but is the actual cluck just as bad - like the sweats,kicks,shivers etc etc.. ?

 

[Cface]

worse IMO. it lasts for weeks depending on length of habit. Plus its much more dangerous for your health.

edit: here's a snippet from wiki:

The following symptoms may emerge during gradual dosage reduction but can usually be reduced in intensity or eliminated altogether by reducing the rate of reduction:

* Anxiety, possible terror and panic attacks[29][32]
* Agitation and restlessness[29]
* Hypochondriasis[29]
* Impaired concentration[32]
* Nightmares[33]
* Insomnia[33]
* Muscular spasms, cramps or fasciculations[34]
* Electric shock sensations[10][35]
* Blurred vision[29]
* Dizziness[29]
* Dry mouth[29]
* Aches and pains[29]
* Hearing disturbances[29]
* Taste and smell disturbances[29]
* Chest pain[29]
* Flu like symptoms[29]
* Impaired memory and concentration[29]
* Increased sensitivity to sound[29]
* Increased urinary frequency[29]
* Numbness and tingling[29]
* Hot and cold flushes[29]
* Headache[32]
* Rebound REM sleep[36]
* Stiffness[29]
* Fatigue and weakness[29]
* Hyperosmia[37]
* Restless legs syndrome[6]
* Metallic taste[37]
* Photophobia[37]
* Paranoia[37]
* Hypnagogia-hallucinations[38]
* Nausea and vomiting[33]
* Elevation in blood pressure[39]
* Tachycardia[40]
* Hypertension[41]
* Postural hypotension[33]
* Depression (can be severe),[42][43] possible suicidal ideation
* Tremor[44][45]
* Perspiration[32]
* Loss of appetite and weight loss[46]
* Dysphoria[47][48]
* Depersonalization[49][50]
* Derealisation (Feelings of unreality)[51]
* Obsessive compulsive disorder[52][53]
* Tinnitus[54]
* Paraesthesia[37][50]
* Visual disturbances[50]
* Mood swings[29]
* Indecision[29]
* Gastrointestinal problems (Irritable bowel syndrome)[55][56][57]

An abrupt or over-rapid discontinuation of benzodiazepines may result in a more serious and very unpleasant withdrawal syndrome that may additionally result in:

* Convulsions, which may result in death[58][59]
* Catatonia, which may result in death[60][61][62]
* Coma[63] (rare)
* Suicide[64][65]
* Attempted suicide[50]
* Suicidal ideation[66]
* Self harm[50]
* Hyperthermia[33]
* Delusions[67]
* Homicidal ideation[68]
* Urges to shout, throw, break things or to harm someone[29]
* Violence[69]
* Post Traumatic Stress Disorder[6]
* Organic brain syndrome[70]
* Psychosis[71][72]
* Confusion[73]
* Mania[74][75]
* Neuroleptic malignant syndrome like event[76] (rare)
* delirium tremens[77][78][79]

Needless to say i will never take benzos for more than a couple days at a time again.

 

[Gormur]

small amounts of wine, like a small glass every day helped me wean off alprazolam n diazepam. it sort of smoothened out the benzo wd

opiates are preferable imo - my benzo+opiate wds have been more pleasant than either alone tho. i think partly cause benzos can ease dope sickness

 

[stray cat]

like someone else said already i think, it's usually the people that have been on them for like a year or more that really need to worry about the life-threatening side effects. to the OP, i do not know if the same logic would apply to your situation bc of the very high doses that you have been taking regularly. to be safe, u might want to either consult your physician or develop a taper plan based on one of the sites mentioned by other posters. then again, bc u have only been doing this for 3 months (if i read correctly- i apologize if not), u might want to take a few days off and see if the side effects are anything more than agitation, irritability, insomnia and the like.

as others have probably posted, benzo withdrawal can be extremely dangerous. that and long-term alcoholic withdrawal are the only types of withdrawal i know of that can result in death. also, in my experience, benzo w/drawal is much longer-lasting and overall sucky than opiate. opiate can have those immediate drastic symptoms that definitely blow, but in my experience, stopping long-term benzo use is much much worse

 

[bignbrown]

check out my thread mate, this sort of rapid taper combined with either grapegruit juice or propononal (both makes diaz stay in your system longer) can have u off it pretty quick, well ill let others no how it goes

 

[tra1nspotter]

my b-b-b-benzo w-w-withdrawal

I detoxed off of opiates and benzos at the same time recently and it was the worst feeling of my life. By the 5th day I was pretty sure I knew what dying felt like.
I went back on benzos because I couldn't take the withdrawal and after a while went off the benzos again (psych didn't want to treat me anymore), so again I had to withdrawal. My cycles of going off of benzo's and not being able to take the withdrawal so I go back on the benzo's just to get off of them again is too exhausting.
I decided to stay off the benzo's and find another way to deal with my panic/anxiety/phobias etc. So my new Dr put me on Depakote which seems to be working, however this last time getting off the klonopin was so bad that I went to the ER several times for violent joint pain, eventually one of the hospitals kept me in their psych unit for 4 days to withdrawal (they thought 4 days was enough). They gave me nothing to ease the horror and it just felt like I was in jail through a horrid sickness. I thank my lucky stars that now I'm only coming off of Gabapentin and not Benzo's. But still the effect is very similar but I'm having real bad panic attacks like I've never had before and I cannot rely on benzo's anymore to save me from them. So what do I do when I can no longer take the meds for the panic attacks?

 

[Roger&Me]

Is benzo WD really as bad as smack WD?

I wish benzo withdrawal was *only* as bad as heroin withdrawal. It is about 100 times worse. Plus it can last an incredibly long time: I've been off of benzos for a couple months now, and I still have tremors. When I kicked heroin/OC, I felt decent a few weeks later.

 

[HighOnOpiates]

you know, if the cops really want to arrest you they could trace your ip adress even if your "anonymous guest" so dont make a count out of you and make a freaking account -_-

 

[Regenesis2]

I used for a while in response to some stressful events and got terrible wd's. Has anyone heard of the "kindling syndrome" i.e. repeated wd's and reinstatements cause subsequently worsened wd's? I think I screwed up by getting hooked then using on an off/on basis and started having paradoxical reactions and had to quit abruptly. My paradoxical reaction was the worse trauma I ever went through. It was a real nightmare. It was like being possesed by a demon. I was not myself. I never knew how much chemicals in your brain can mess with you.
I proceeded to have about 2 months of really shitty wd's that lightened up into this low grade wd that is still with me almost a year later. Always taper and do so slowly to avoid bad wd's and never stop and start again multiple times. Learn what this stuff is and how to get off of it properly and stick to it.
As to "how much use it takes to get addicted," it truly depends, but I understand that changes to your nerve receptors occur at your first dose through either "uncoupling" or "down-regulation " of GABA receptors in addition to "up-regulated" stimulation in the brain. Creepy drug isn't it?

 

[revned04]

Valium, awesome post, when I went through benzo wd at a rehab they gave me tegretol (carbamazapine) and although I wasn't taking THAT much, they wanted to be safe. It seemed to do the trick and docs are really willing to prescribe it for things like depression or bipolar. Just an option because isn't phenobarbitol equally addicting as benzos?

 

[DaftPunkFan]

I used for a while in response to some stressful events and got terrible wd's. Has anyone heard of the "kindling syndrome" i.e. repeated wd's and reinstatements cause subsequently worsened wd's? I think I screwed up by getting hooked then using on an off/on basis and started having paradoxical reactions and had to quit abruptly. My paradoxical reaction was the worse trauma I ever went through. It was a real nightmare. It was like being possesed by a demon. I was not myself. I never knew how much chemicals in your brain can mess with you.
I proceeded to have about 2 months of really shitty wd's that lightened up into this low grade wd that is still with me almost a year later. Always taper and do so slowly to avoid bad wd's and never stop and start again multiple times. Learn what this stuff is and how to get off of it properly and stick to it.
As to "how much use it takes to get addicted," it truly depends, but I understand that changes to your nerve receptors occur at your first dose through either "uncoupling" or "down-regulation " of GABA receptors in addition to "up-regulated" stimulation in the brain. Creepy drug isn't it?

Yes benzos are terrible, I'm trying to get off them right now. Could someone please set up a basic taper plan for me to follow? I'd really appreciate it.
I've been on pretty low doses of Xanax and/or Klonopin, compared to what some people are taking, but I've been on them for around 2 years.

I've tried just stopping because of the dose that I'm at and it is unbearable. I've been on 1-1.5mg Xanax a day, and/or 1-1.5mg klonopin. Sometimes I just can't handle it and take some Ativan or Valium too, but for th most part that's been it. I tried to get my doc to swich to Valium for a taper, but he's a moron and told me I just have to keep taking the Xanax

I feel like I'm ready to finally do this, so how should I go about it? Should I taper with maybe just the klonopin since it lasts longer? And if so, how long is it going to take to taper down? I would really appreciate any help.
Thanks!