Benzos that cause depression

[Vaya]

I've tried at least eight benzos in my life, but am currently prescribed two: Xanax and Restoril (temazepam). I've been going through a really rough spell in my life due to mood disorders and, I believe, have been mistaking my feelings of malaise for anxiety which I try to quell with benzodiazepines. In small doses, subtherapeutic for me given my tolerance, alprazolam does not cause much depression; in higher doses, though, it can set off a rollercoaster of emotions.

However, I've noticed that when I take temazepam during the day, at any dose, it's almost as if it were 'depression-in-a-pill,' even though it used to be my favorite benzo (as recently as two weeks ago).

My question, thus, is: Has anyone else had similar experiences, and, if so, which benzodiazepines had the worst depressive side effects? Did i hit the 'depressive jackpot' with temazepam, or is it all subjective?

Thanks in advance,

~ vaya

 

[Jamshyd]

In my experience (12+ different benzos), they all cause depression when used chronically.

That said, the worst offender for me is Bromazepam.

It isn't really that subjective since depression (and paradoxical anxiety) are recorded side-effect of chronic benzo use.

 

[HdoubleODeezy]

i get depressed off my favorite benzo.. weird right?
clonazepam.

well depressed when its wearing off.. than i take more.

 

[Vaya]

i get depressed off my favorite benzo.. weird right?
clonazepam.

well depressed when its wearing off.. than i take more.

I hear that. Klonopin ALWAYS throws me off, causes these weird states of mind and is generally unpleasant.

Never had the pleasure of trying Bromazepam, Jamshyd, but thankyou so much for your input. I am aware that chronic benzo use can cause depression, but IME, some far more than others. On top of that, my recent bouts of benzo-related depression seemed to come out of nowhere. Lyrica usually resolves it, but I can't rely on one medication to counter the negative side effects of another effective medication! Or can I...


~ vaya

 

[Cane2theLeft]

I don't think its a pharmacological side effect of benzos causing your depression but something psychological that perhaps the benzos are bringing out via disinhibition.

I think this might do better in The Dark Side but TDS mods if you'll think its more suited for OD, feel free to send it back this way.

I'm really sorry to hear you're going through a tough time, vaya!

Take care

 

[Jamshyd]

^ I'm pretty sure it is pharmacological, and it is even theorized that it has to do with downregulation of Dopamine receptors through an endocrine pathway.

"Depression" (not to be confused with CNS depression) is listed as a side effect in the monographs of all benzos as far as I know.

 

[prayersfor.rain]

Is it depression with high dosage/regular usage of benzos?
I take a low dose of xanax (0.25mg) and it does help me with my anxiety. Does chronic use include
'every couple of days'? And is that enough mg to even count as chronic? My boyfriend used to do them for fun and his pills were 4x the amount I take.

I've kinda been down this week and I'm not sure if it's my bipolar or something else. Just started xanax a few weeks ago. I'm on wellbutrin too though so technically I should be feeling fine right?

Sorry if my questions sound stupid or if I shoulda made a new thread. I don't mean to hijack anything? I feel like I'm at least kinda on topic.

 

[monstanoodle]

Personally I find that it's longer-acting ones that exacerbate my Depression and that it's usually at the tail end of their duration.
With Temazepam for example, I can't remember (haw haw) experiencing such emotions.

I suppose it's different with everyone though, and I would agree with Jamshyd that long-term use is more likely to give such effects.

 

[unsettled]

For me the most depression invoking benzo was ironically enough xanax, that was mainly because I was dependent on it and it was a constant cycle of feeling withdrawal symptoms then taking another one and feeling fine but then the withdrawal symptoms kept coming back quicker each time. My tolerance skyrocketed, I ran out too quick one month and called in an early refill, my doctor called it in but the pharmacy didn't want to refill it and it took three days to get it refilled by which time I had a seizure while driving due to xanax withdrawal.

Now I'm on Klonopin and it's still a problem even though it's longer acting, after awhile my tolerance just builds too fast. Best bet is to get off them altogether with a long slow taper, I'm going to ask my psychiatrist about this at my next appointment.

After awhile just the anxiety that comes along with being dependent on benzos and being terrified of not being able to get a refill in time can be it's own cause of depression.

 

[debaser]

That said, the worst offender for me is Bromazepam.

Quote for truth. I've tried a lot of benzos and the only one that threw me in instant massive depression was bromazepam (Lexomil, Lexotan).

 

[theseeker]

my Dr won't write me for Benzos b/c I have chronic depression and he said they would make it worse. I thought he was BSing- I guess he wasn't........

 

[Vaya]

I don't think its a pharmacological side effect of benzos causing your depression but something psychological that perhaps the benzos are bringing out via disinhibition.

I think this might do better in The Dark Side but TDS mods if you'll think its more suited for OD, feel free to send it back this way.

I'm really sorry to hear you're going through a tough time, vaya!

Take care

Thanks, Cane

It is pharmacological; it's a well-known fact that Alprazolam can cause depression (as someone else mentioned, not CNS depression [although that, too, to an extent])

The proof is in the pudding: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8262892

Is it depression with high dosage/regular usage of benzos?

Yep, exactly.

I take a low dose of xanax (0.25mg) and it does help me with my anxiety. Does chronic use include
'every couple of days'? And is that enough mg to even count as chronic?

I wouldnt call that chronic, but a doctor might. I consider chronic use to be daily, habitual use resulting in tolerance and dependence. But it doesnt sound like you've got either of those (as in, you're not needing to take 0.5mg a couple days after taking a 0.25mg pill to get the same effects).
Depression can be chronic and transient, too. I know chronic depression pretty well, although I've managed to distance myself from it the past few years. However, as my benzo use escalated, so, too, did my depressive symptoms - from feeling 'blagh' to not being able to get out of bed. Which is my situation now. I'm trying to apply for a difficult job at the moment and cannot compose myself through my tears (whose origins are STILL unknown to me).
In that vein, I REALLY appreciate all that's been written here for my sake. And no, you did not hijack my thread; quite the opposite

With Temazepam for example, I can't remember (haw haw) experiencing such emotions.

LOL... oh, temazepam...

I'm pretty sure it is pharmacological, and it is even theorized that it has to do with downregulation of Dopamine receptors through an endocrine pathway.

Interesting contribution there Jamshyd. Do you have any medical literature I could read that further theorizes on that possibility? I really enjoy knowing what's going on in my brain when I take a substance, right down to the synaptic level!

Once again, thank you all! Any more comments would be greatly appreciated. My situation hasn't changed, but posts like these make me see light at the end...

~ vaya

 

[brimz]

I have been using benzo's 4 14 years and i find that allot them can cause depression imho i think alot of this has to do with how you are feeling anyway .
I don't think any particular one has more depressive effect than any other. I find if you binge out on them then you will find yourself significantly more depressed about 3 daysafter . I've been their many times and all i can say is it passes.

 

[megawoof]

i find deffo when used chronically and binge out on benzos i feel horrible and very bad depression couple of days later i use to love im midazloam one 3ml amp =15mg use to be great fun but over a short period of time my tolerance sky rocketed so i was needing 45mg to get the same effect then blackout/binges occurred were id woken up then redosed again and again and gone threw 24 3 boxed amps in a couple of days really started to worry me because i couldnt trust myself to leave it alone when it was in the house

 

[Vaya]

^just to clarify, megawoof, I was not binging; I take them daily, as prescribed. However, my question stemmed from the fact that I've been experiencing progressively worse depression with no extrinsic cause; I hypothesized that the benzodiazepines were the culprits due to the proven link between depression and alprazolam. But, since I also take temazepam (for insomnia), I wondered if there were different magnitudes of benzodiazepine-induced depression based on which benzodiazepine were being used.

Another question to pose: Could it, perhaps, be the additive effects of both alprazolam and temazepam that is causing my (at this point, unbearable) depression? If so, I may need to titrate my dosages down. Perhaps replace them with Lyrica, since I've recently been prescribed it for GAD off-label and it renders my need for Xanax almost nill....

Peace and love,

~ vaya

 

[Armandfist]

Sounds like its a nightmare turned horror show. I've also noticed when I've taken benzos for any length of time that depression increases. So already having depression, the benzos never helped.

Anxiety disorders and mood disorders are different beasts. Benzos, as good as they are for anxiety and stress, wouldn't take the place of mood stabilizers.

By the way, you didn't say what kind of mood disorders you're dealing with.

Hope it gets straightened out soon.

 

[NotThatPhat]

Valium makes me feel depressed sometimes but usually only when I take up to 4 or 5 of them. I don't really get it from other benzo's.

 

[Vaya]

Me = Yikes! (Clinically Speaking)

Sounds like its a nightmare turned horror show. I've also noticed when I've taken benzos for any length of time that depression increases. So already having depression, the benzos never helped.

Anxiety disorders and mood disorders are different beasts. Benzos, as good as they are for anxiety and stress, wouldn't take the place of mood stabilizers.

By the way, you didn't say what kind of mood disorders you're dealing with.

Hope it gets straightened out soon.

Thanks for the well-wishings, Armandfist; to be honest, at this point in my life, I've been in therapy for fourteen years (thanks, mom! I was in fourth grade for chrissakes!) and have been diagnosed as unipolar AND bipolar depressive (separate diagnoses) as well as SAD (seasonal affective disorder), and (thought I believe this to be bullshit based on my psychological training) borderline personality disorder (there is no WAY I experience symptoms so severe and irreversible as that; BPD is one of, if not the, most debilitating personality disorder in the DSM-IV-TR and I find it a crock that anyone would wistfully toss such a diagnosis towards someone who can clearly function in society such that they have found sufficient employment, are close to engagement, have graduated college and whose prospects include clinical psychological training in grad school!).

To dumb it down, and to answer the question as to what type of mood disorders I'm dealing with, I'd pin myself as a rather transient unipolar depressive with definite symptoms of SADS and certain Generalized Anxiety Disorder with accompanying social phobia.

~ vaya

 

[Vaya]

Valium makes me feel depressed sometimes but usually only when I take up to 4 or 5 of them. I don't really get it from other benzo's.

YES. Diazepam is one of the worst culprits, perhaps moreso than alprazolam, for instigating depression for me. I love it to death, but had to accept the unfortunate truism that I may not be physiologically suited to take it due to its psychiatric side-effects

That, and it leaves me groggy as shit. Benzo hangover + depressive symptoms = a pretty awful day until around 6 pm!

~ vaya

 

[Vaya]

Does anyone have any information regarding which BZD alpha-delta subreceptors Bromazepam (as well as diazepam and alprazolam) work primarily on? I'm attempting to establish some sort of solid link between the three main culprits - that is, if all three have primarily affinity for the a2 receptor, for example, then I would be better off choosing a benzo with least affinity for a2 and moreso for, say, a1, 3 and 5.

~ vaya