Hello

[AngelWillie]

I am a chronic pain patient on hydrocodone 10/325, eight a day, along with 3 10 mg oxycontins. I recently weaned off a few years of xanax and valium. Have been off 6 months and have deep depression. I suppose this is due to GABA problems. Will my being on my pain meds effect my recovery from the benzo withdrawal? I cannot stop my pain meds, but am scared of this benzo withdrawal never being over since I am on pain meds. Does being on one screw up the recovery from the other? I can't seem to find any info on this. My main symptoms from the benzo withdrawal is depression, not sleeping, waking in a sweat and twinges of various body parts. When I take my dose of pain killers it seems to help with the benzo depression, but every four hours or so I go into withdrawal from the hydro and even though I had this before the benzo withdrawals, it seems worse now. The vicodin still works, but not as good as before I stopped the benzos. Any advise on withdrawing from benzos while on opiods would be greatly appreciated. I have to be on the vicodin for now because of the chronic pain issues and I think trying to wean off both at once, even if I could, would just increase the depression since going off the opiods causes that symptom, too, along with the not sleeping. Thanks for any advise.

 

[Tannerman187]

Taking opioid/opiates will not affect your benzo withdrawal. If anything they will make the withdrawal a little more bearable. Although you shouldn't be withdrawaling from benzos after 6 months, that has me a little confused. Regardless. Welcome to the forum and best wishes!

 

[AngelWillie]

Taking opioid/opiates will not affect your benzo withdrawal. If anything they will make the withdrawal a little more bearable. Although you shouldn't be withdrawaling from benzos after 6 months, that has me a little confused. Regardless. Welcome to the forum and best wishes!

Thanks for your reply. If you google the Ashton Manual, which is the bible on benzo withdrawal, or go to the website benzowithdrawalhelp.com you will see that benzo withdrawal is worse than heroin and that it can take anywhere from 6 months to multiple years for some people with long term use to be free of the horrid symptoms. You can also just google "benzo hell" and read many, many horror stories. The depression and sleeplessness and many other symptoms are so awful many commit suicide from this withdrawal and many just cannot get off the drugs and go back on because they cannot deal with the drawn out symptoms. You are right about the opiates making it easier. I feel suicidal before I take them in the morning and it is only taking them that allows me to function through my day. I can only pray this gets better down the road. I would love to be off my opiates also because it is so tiring going into withdrawal every four hours your whole life, but since I have such bad neck/back pain it is difficult finding something else to take since over the counter pills makes my stomach burn and surgery is not indicated for me. It is a catch 22, wanting off of the drugs so badly, but not being able to function with the pain without them. Hearing from long term chronic pain patients and how they deal with this issue would also be nice. Thanks for the welcome and the info on opiates and benzos. Makes me feel a bit better knowing it won't impede my recovery.