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Benzodiazepine Potentiation

LaughinFit

Ex-Bluelighter
Joined
Feb 19, 2005
Messages
280
I have heard grapefruit juice (particularly the white variety w/ pulp) can significantly inhibit a major bio-pathway that breaks down alprazolam (only benzo I've seen the no-grapefruit label on.)

I have some 500mg organic grapefruit extract pills from a health store (expensive!) I recall taking two when I was on clonazepam 0.5mg four times a day and feeling MUCH more chilled out.

I have read quite a bit on grapefruit juice and the cytochrome p450 (?) pathway having mild to moderate antagonism from whatever is in grapefruits, and was curious as to other's experiences. Does it work for all benzo's? I also recall it being used to potentiate opiates, although I could be wrong.
 
I don't really think grapefruit juice is that effective...

pills maybe, I haven't tried those but I can tell you from experience that it doesn't do shit to me when I'm doing xanax, MDMA, and various tryptamines. It seems to potentiate 2C's but that's about it (I haven't tried it with opiates).

Cimetidine (Tagamet), however... I wouldn't TOUCH a benzo while taking that stuff.
 
I have read quite a bit on grapefruit juice and the cytochrome p450 (?) pathway having mild to moderate antagonism from whatever is in grapefruits, and was curious as to other's experiences. Does it work for all benzo's? I also recall it being used to potentiate opiates, although I could be wrong.

yes it does work for benzos and also opiates. As far as i know it does strain your liver (i think) so be careful. It is a well known potentiator though. I think cannabis is great for both benzos and opiates, and you will hear many people recommending diphenhydramine for potentiating opiates, specifically to make you nod harder (dph makes you "nod" by itself cuz its so sedating =p... but with opiates its a much more pleasant feeling. just dont take too much or you'll end up talking to dead relatives and having conversations with people who arent there... anticholinergic activity, similar to atropine. But it takes around 200mg to start tripping, typically. )
 
MagickalKat777 said:
pills maybe, I haven't tried those but I can tell you from experience that it doesn't do shit to me when I'm doing xanax, MDMA, and various tryptamines. It seems to potentiate 2C's but that's about it (I haven't tried it with opiates).

what do you mean by "pills"? I can't imagine using GFJ to potentiate 2ci or mdma, but it definitely works for xanax and other benzos. I havent heard anything about using it to potentiate psychedelic tryptamines or phenethylamines... besides stay away from unneccesary shit when doing RC's (although weed is always good, besides the fact that it will make the 2c-e you took and are feeling a bit spin you the fuck around :) )
 
FractalStructure, grapefruit juice is said to potentiate many things and that has never been my experience. I have had it with benzos and many other things (I love grapefruit juice, I drink it all the time instead of orange juice lol) and I've never noticed any potentiation on anything but 2C-C and 2C-E.

Different people, different reactions I guess.

Now cimetidine, on the other hand... I discovered completely on accident just how many things it potentiates (oftentimes dangerously so)
 
Grapefruitjuice does help the buzz with benzos.
dont buy ocean spray or some fake shit.
go 2 Trader Joe's or a health food store & get the 100% pure shit.
it works trust me.
I sware I can feel my face pulsating when I chug the shit on benzos.
It works:)

Actually , im sippin on some right-now
I hate the shit but I've been drinking it everyday
 
You seriously actually notice the effect?

Maybe I'm not drinking enough. How much are you drinking?

I've got .5mg Xanax and anything I can do to make them go further is great in my book!
 
definitely grapefruit juice / smoking some pot about 30min-1hr after you take them, also a beer will help quite a bit :P just don't overdo it.... I've had some horrible times on 2mg of xanax and lots of alcohol... i don't quite remember them, but ive been told about the stuff i did.
 
Interesting, such a wide variety of responses. I'm scripted 2mg xanax a day, and am trying to wean myself off hard alcohol down to 1-2 drinks a day.

Trader Joe's is actually where I got my grapefruit extract pills (500mg each.) I'm surprised you mentioned that warehousepunk! I am about to take two of them with 1mg xanax, 10mg lexapro and a glass of wine, and of course some dank indica as always :) I'll let you all know if I notice any potentiation.
 
^^ a fresh grapefruit sounds like the best possible way to get it. What exactly is "IT" in the grapefruit that causes this pronounced increase in effects? I also give props to MagicalKat for drinking bitter acidic grapefruit juice!

I don't think I could do that, even the Fiber Infused OJ I am drinking can make my stomach churn if I had too much to drink the night before! My favorite way to eat a grapefruit is to slice it in half, use that grapefruit "saw" to get the chunks free, and put tons of powdered sugar on top w/ a fork :D

It is T+ 30min since I took...

1mg alprazolam

0.25mg clonazepam (I'm tapering off it, sense I used to be scripted it but have extras.)

10mg escitalopram

*500mg organic grapefruit extract

1 medium glass of white merlot

1/2 bowl of very nice indica

2mg loperamide (I get very bad runs, and I know it's from the alcohol or lexapro. Every day. :(


I already feel a moderate increase in sedation and euphoria, and it's not from either the merlot or the herbal. BTW I also
 
Well I'm not exactly sure, but I think it's T+ 1hr. I am ABSOLUTELY getting a two fold increase in effects with the benzo's. I am alread tollerant to all of the precursor medications, so I can rule placebo out of the equation. I almost find the cannabinoids to have a positive antagonism due to the G.F.J.C.
 
Grapefruit juice (the white kind-not the red/pink, or blends...I've noticed that the cheapest, white grapefruit juice concentrate at the grocery works the best for me YMMV) does indeed increase the effects of Xanax, especially (through the hepatic, cytochrome P-450, 3A4 metabolic pathway) well.

Mix it stronger than it says on the can (I use approx. 1.5 cans of water), and drink a nice big glass (or 2) about 45min.-1hr. before you take your Xanax. I also use Cimetidine at the same time when I'm looking to get extra relaxed (but that's me, definitely know all about Xanax, and don't combine it with too much of any other CNS depressants, while trying this for the first time. Definitely feel this one out...I've seen people fall-out from combining cimetidine and benzos before who have pretty decent sized benzo tolerances.

Just remember that cimetidine is a potent inhibitor of almost all of the CYP-450 enzymes, while grapefruit juice exerts most of its effects at CYP-450 (3A4)... :\
 
enoughorangejuice? said:
grapefruit juice
gabapentin
opiates
cannabis
muscle relaxants

I agree 100%.
The best benzo potentiators are:

# Muscle-relaxants (especially Carisoprodol, Methoctabamol and Baclofen)

# Cannabis

# GABAergic antiepileptics (Neurontin/Gabapentin, Gabitril/Tiagabine, Lyrica/Prgabalin and Sabril/Vigabatrin)

# Grapefruit juice and Cimetidine/Tagamet
 
MagickalKat777 said:
You seriously actually notice the effect?

Maybe I'm not drinking enough. How much are you drinking?

I've got .5mg Xanax and anything I can do to make them go further is great in my book!
Im not sure how much i drink , i just buy a jug & start slammin it. it usualy lasts like 2.5 or 3 days
 
soundphaRm,
Thanks for all the info! I'll definitely try the white grapefruit, not the pink that you see everywhere.As you said, it is potentiated through the hepatic cytochrome P-450 3A4 metabolic breakdown system. As suggested before, do you believe that it can cause liver problems?

Here's the scoop. I think it was around 8:15am when I dropped the 500mg organic GFJ concentrate pill, 1mg xanax, lexapro, white merlot wine and a bowl of weed.

This seems to be my routine lately when I want to calm my anxiety and get recreational benefits at the same time. I had an entire day w/o my wonderful girlfriend (who I miss, even though she's been gone 2 days for work.)

I was certainly getting increased visual distortions (eyes taking longer to focus outside or when I turn my head quickly), radiant euphoria, almost too much sedation as I have felt with muscle relaxants in the past (and this never happens to me, I am on the same dose as I have for years) and unfortunately marked tiredness and lack of motivation to do anything but watch Wayne's World. I later got the munchies, and have had 2 meals and snacks inbetween thankfully.

After half the movie, I couldn't help but let the overwhelming urge to take a nap. I fell asleep at 1pm, still on the xanax which usually doesn't last this long. I wake at 3:30, still groggy but not euphoric. I almost felt depressed mentally, but I soon realized that I just need to keep moving and get some food in me. I went outside and watered my sunflowers and tomato plants in my backyard, and the sun invigorated me.

I was at about baseline at 4:45, and just got back from walking to the local winery to get a 1.5L bottle of the White Merlot my girlfriend bough (I finished the 750ml bottle myself over time and between meals.)

Just thought I should finish my current update. I don't think I'll try diphenhydamine to potentiate, it's too sedating and boring. 1,000mg of GFJE (2 pills) should really work if I was running out of benzo's.

Has anyone heard of using grapefruit juice to taper off alcohol or benzo's??? I am currently trying to get my alcohol intake down to 1-2 drinks per day, up to 4 on weekends.
 
Jasoncrest,
What is Tagamet prescribed for? I don't believe I've ever heard of it, although the chemical name sounds familiar. Is that what they use for exotic fish or something? Sorry if I sound like an idiot, I recall the name and that story for some reason.
 
ive tried white grapefruit juice. it makes the xanax last longer...but it has no effect with the klonopin ive been taking lately. is this normal?
 
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