Benzos Dependency development of lyrica vs low dose Diazepam

[LucidSDreamr]

So this is comparison question between the two drugs.

I guess to truly answer it you would have to have gotten dependent on lyrica and diazepam at totally separate times in your life.

I took lyrica at 100 to 500 mg per day every single day for over a year straight…maybe even 2 years. Zero withdrawal.

Fast forward like 8 years off lyrica.

I now take diazepam 2 to 4 times per week at 10 to 20 mg dosage. Sometimes I take week long breaks.

Basically I seemed to have a good resistance to lyrica dependency…I am still not dependent on diazepam but worry about it obssively and am terrified of the drug but it is extremely effective for my breakthrough pain sometimes moreso than a high opioid dose.

Can you compare to two drug with respect to their ability to hook one physically? This question excludes one being more prone to abuse or overruse. This is simply if I follow the rules and take as i described above

 

[Jabberwocky]

I'm sorry, but you are physically dependent on Diazepam. If you take it 2-4 Times a week, it will stay on your system very long, Diazepam has long half-life and Even you do not take it every day it is in your system all the time. Withdrawals (maybe not so severe but indeed noticeable and quite few weeks)

Pregabalin is way different drug. Some people don't get withdrawals from it but others get them pretty severe, but short term.

 

[somnilicious]

I'm sure you didn't go through any phases you'd be embarrassed of now right?

I've had withdrawal from both. Benzos were a lot more intense and protracted. I got withdrawal from Lyrica this last time when I took it for 2 weeks at doses of 750-1200mgs but there are other mitigating factors though because I've withdrawn from gabapentin several times before which probably influenced the Lyrica wds. It was fairly intense for a few days but I was also on the tail end of methadone wds so they both played on each other. Not only that but I was in airports and flying all day, which was hell in and of itself.

 

[Señor Moreno]

I am prescribed both meds for muscular tension and nerve pain. I use Lyrica daily, low dose, and diazepam as needed, but have used it daily also.
My experience is that when I want to quit diazepam I do a taper and then stop it. I have problems sleeping for a while and sometimes kind of mini panic acceses, nothing resembling a serious gaba wd
On the other hand, last time I quit Lyrica was pretty bad. It was only 150 mgs day for less than a year. Bad wds, high bp, minor but noticeable tremors, solid 100% insomnia for like two weeks and no rest from a terrible, chest opressing anxiety.
That's only my experience, but if after 8 years of Lyrica use you can quit it no problem, you are indeed lucky, but we can't bet for that luck of yours being the rule when it comes to diazepam . In my opinion you do very well not wanting to get yourself in trouble with benzos and being cautious about them.

In any case, if you want to stop diazepam, taper slowly and after cesation you can use hydroxyzine and a med called sulpiride (light antipsychotic and anti vertigo med) for a while to help you sleep and be fine.

 

[LucidSDreamr]

I'm sorry, but you are physically dependent on Diazepam. If you take it 2-4 Times a week, it will stay on your system very long, Diazepam has long half-life and Even you do not take it every day it is in your system all the time. Withdrawals (maybe not so severe but indeed noticeable and quite few weeks)

Pregabalin is way different drug. Some people don't get withdrawals from it but others get them pretty severe, but short term.

Ive stopped for two weeks with zero withdrawal. Even one month a year ago during a methadone kick and no benzo aspect was detected during that kick.

Stop for one week on a regular basis with zero withdrawal.

If I’m taking only 10 mg 2 or 3x a week then feel zero withdrawal 7 days later I really don’t see how I’m dependent.

I understand it is still in my system for days after but it’s trace amounts at the dose I’m taking.

I waited 2 weeks like 6 months ago and still got zero withdrawal. A year ago I stopped methadone and benzos for one month and had only the opioid withdrawal and it was same as always and nothing harsh.

Do you not beleieve that I’m telling the truth about the above or are you saying 1 or 2 weeks of abstinence is not enough for a withdrawal to start happening?

There’s a user on this board that shoots morphine every other day at 60 mg for years and swears to god he doesn’t get withdrawal when stopping for a few weeks. I can’t beleieve it at all because If I use opioids 2x a week I’m hooked bad. But this guy has zero reason to lie so I am beleieving him even though it seems impossible to me.

Does what I’m describing seem impossible like I’m lying?

I am on methadone so that might be covering up symptoms but I don’t feel any different if I miss one week of dosing the benzo

 

[Señor Moreno]

Ive stopped for two weeks with zero withdrawal

Yes, I 100% believe you. Diazepam is much more forgiving than other benzos. Not a reason to despise its addiction potential

are you saying 1 or 2 weeks of abstinence is not enough for a withdrawal to start happening?

2 weeks is more than enough for wds to happen. In fact, if you were seriously addicted to it you would be feeling sick as hell in less than a week, the fact of diazepam's half life being so long only means that some metabolites can be found in your system, not that you will kept out of wds for the whole duration of the half life without taking new doses

 

[LucidSDreamr]

Yes, I 100% believe you. Diazepam is much more forgiving than other benzos. Not a reason to despise its addiction potential

2 weeks is more than enough for wds to happen. In fact, if you were seriously addicted to it you would be feeling sick as hell in less than a week, the fact of diazepam's half life being so long only means that some metabolites can be found in your system, not that you will kept out of wds for the whole duration of the half life without taking new doses

One of those metabolites is active oxazepam.

And off topic but I think it’s better than diazepam because I feel better the next day sometimes or many hours after dosing….I’d be curious to try straight up oxazepam and see how it feels to see if the afterglow I get from diazepam is due to oxaz

 

[Señor Moreno]

Yes, it is. But the times I have had oxazepam, in Serenal brand form, didn't enjoyed it at all, very weak. And same thing goes for ketazolam.
Clorazepate, on the other hand and despite it being metabolized into the same compound as ketazolam, it is so much better in mine and some other's experiences.

 

[PtahTek]

Comparison from my take:
Benzo WD seems more lunacy or stuck in a great anxiety attack of sorts.
Lyrica? Deep, loney and depressive.
My experience.

 

[4meSM]

I've noticed that some people don't seem to experience significant pregabalin/gabapentin WDs, while others experience hell on earth, not sure why.
I've never taken it on a regular basis so can't comment on that.

I've always tried to avoid diazepam as much as possible in favor of shorter acting benzos for occasional use. The half-life is just scary to me because it will definitely bioaccumulate if you take it a couple of times a week (+ the active metabolites). I've never had real WD from it but definitely experienced some nasty rebound anxiety after doing it on a regular basis (and at pretty low doses) for some time. You're probably lucky and not very prone to benzo dependency (some people take them everyday for months and stop without major issues), but I would still tread lightly.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Benzo dependency is Hell. I know, because i have been addicted heavily to benzos many times/many years and suffered wd many times. The last Time i started to plan how to kill myself, i had severe withdrawals and they lasted so long. Never again. I hope..

I have Been "addicted" to Lyrica and gabapentin many Times too, longest period was over 2 years with pregabalin, i took 150-900mg per Day, no withdrawals, only heavy sweating and minor insomnia with little bit pain with legs and spine for about 5 days. And that was it. I can take Lyrica and pregabalin for long periods of Time and never get very noticeable withdrawals.

 

[JackARoe]

I’ve always wondered if a person were to take diazepam or flubromazepam four times a month if eventually they would get withdrawals. I’m thinking it would take a really long time. But I’m not sure.

 

[emkee_reinvented]

So this is comparison question between the two drugs.

I guess to truly answer it you would have to have gotten dependent on lyrica and diazepam at totally separate times in your life.

I took lyrica at 100 to 500 mg per day every single day for over a year straight…maybe even 2 years. Zero withdrawal.

Fast forward like 8 years off lyrica.

I now take diazepam 2 to 4 times per week at 10 to 20 mg dosage. Sometimes I take week long breaks.

Basically I seemed to have a good resistance to lyrica dependency…I am still not dependent on diazepam but worry about it obssively and am terrified of the drug but it is extremely effective for my breakthrough pain sometimes moreso than a high opioid dose.

Can you compare to two drug with respect to their ability to hook one physically? This question excludes one being more prone to abuse or overruse. This is simply if I follow the rules and take as i described above

When I was on Pregabalin give or take 150 mg a day for over a year cessation gave me no WD's at all.
Benzodiazepine's are imo way more dangerous and a taper after one year use would be crucial.

But on the net you read the story's about Pregabalin WD that seem just as bad as those caused by Benzo's. But I cold turkeyed it and never noticed a thing. But at that time was also using Kratom and had Benzodiazepinen for occassioal use. Your dosage of Pregabin is probably higher then mine.

Diazepam is a difficult one to judge are you adicted to it or not? If you take it 5 day's straight, three days afterglow. Very long halflive hard to say.
i would treat one addiction at a time, just seems best to me.

 

[LucidSDreamr]

When I was on Pregabalin give or take 150 mg a day for over a year cessation gave me no WD's at all.
Benzodiazepine's are imo way more dangerous and a taper after one year use would be crucial.

But on the net you read the story's about Pregabalin WD that seem just as bad as those caused by Benzo's. But I cold turkeyed it and never noticed a thing. But at that time was also using Kratom and had Benzodiazepinen for occassioal use. Your dosage of Pregabin is probably higher then mine.

Diazepam is a difficult one to judge are you adicted to it or not? If you take it 5 day's straight, three days afterglow. Very long halflive hard to say.
i would treat one addiction at a time, just seems best to me.

You’ve confirmed my worst fears. That just because I had such a good resistance against lyrica dependency that I can’t expect the same with my Valium dosing regime being conservative as it is.

To clarify I am not on both lyrica and Valium and have never been on them at the same time.