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Heres benzo withdrawl

I think I might have over done the Valium this last month, and am concerned that I may now suffer withdrawal.

I was in Thailand, where you can get it over the counter at any pharmacy, and hence the temptation was always there. I dodn't do it everyday, more like 4 days in a row, then 4 days off.

I regularly did 50mg if I was doing it, mixed with alcohol. Towards the end I did it a bit more frequently, but much lower doses, like 5-15mg used more as a sleep aid.

I think I might have quite a naturally high tolerance to it anyway, since when I first started 20mg didn't really seem to do that much.

Do you have to have been doing it everyday to suffer withdrawal, or can this sort of regular recreational use cause withdrawal?
 
Hmm I dont see anything recreational with benzos but thats just me. Im on my 10th day and 9th night without xanax, wd is getting better but still lingers. Still not as bad as before. Im hoping in another week or so I can start getting my life back together. Good luck to the rest of you.
 
I dont feel so alone after reading all these replies. Im on my fourth week. As my user name would indicate I used to love Benzos. I fucken hate them now. Jesus I've put on a ton of weight and it aint pretty. I look really well in the face but putrid around the midrift!
Emotionally I am not coping so well. The physical side seemed to be ok after about a week and a half but nearly a month down the track I am considering anti d's to combat my agoraphobia (spelling?) and the general unsettled feeling that I have.
One thing is for sure-Im not going back. Good luck everybody. Fight a good fight.
 
Benzo withdrawls are hell. Taper your dose by
.25mg every two weeks. That's if you are taking
xanax. 10mg valium is equal to 1mg xanax so you
would taper valium by 2.5mg every two weeks.
Don't ever cold turkey on benzos, it is very
dangerous. I did a three day taper from klonopin once and had a seizure.
 
I'd like some more info on gabapentin. People can build an enormous tolerance over time to benzos. Many a seasoned vet can go through 100mg of Valium easily in a day. Shit thats only 10 pills. If you are doing that everyday though... that is a lot.
 
Reading these posts has taken me back to my first few weeks out of detox -- I went in because of my large opiate habit -- I was taking dilaudid, oxycodone, vicodin, norco, morphine and methadose. I left opiate free but with a fuck of a benzo withdrawal syndrome that couldn't be cured in nine days.

Opiates are my drug of choice -- never bothered to think about the huge amounts of valium, xanax, and clonopin I was taking. So it was bizarre when I recognized that the withdrawal from the benzos was going to be so much worse than the opiate kick.

The opiate kick was done in nine days. Except perhaps for some insomnia -- but that's hard to blame on the opiates, given that insomnia is a large part of benzo withdrawal.

THREE MONTHS SOLID of insomnia, depersonalization, panic attacks, stomach problems, vision problems, cramps, muscle aches, and omnipresent anxiety. My doctor told me to go on disability, as he was pretty convinced I'd fried my brain to the point where I wouldn't be able to work for a long, long time...

It's eight months later, and I'm clean -- of everything. I still have insomnia from time to time, but it's nothing like it was. And I will do everything in my power to keep from taking those drugs ever again.

If you take any amount of benzos over any extended period of time, you're going to withdraw. You need to go through it in a hospital, or with a doctor's care and people around -- as everyone's mentioned, the danger of seizure is high. You're going to have to kick eventually -- so do it now...unless you intend on taking them for the rest of your life...The kick will only get worse.

See www.benzo.org.uk for more.
 
for benzo wd what most doctors do is transfer you to valium then reduce this by 2.5mg per week, rapid detox as others state will lead to seizures and u can die from them - not joking.

there is a table for conversion doses of benzos to diazepam on the net somewhere.
 
^^^^
http://www.benzo.org.uk/bzequiv.htm

Incidently, could anyone give me details about possible strokes
or brain damage from benzo wif'drawls...
(I've searched...)
...with links if possible...
...What exactly constitutes a seizure, as I have withdrawn from
*HIGH* doses of Xanax cold-turkey after extended use numerous times and havn't suffered a 'seizure'... thou the symptoms could be described
as HELL....

I've also seen a girlfriend withdraw from 20+mgs Xanax a day
(doctor-shopper with charm)
in a de-tox facility - she told them her dose - and they dropped her
straight to 5mg Valium twice a day...
maybe detox aint all that great in a facility...
(Rest in Peace Sammy)
 
My experience with self-detox - get yer hands on some longer acting benzos.. Xanax is such a bitch because of it's short half life ... still, lots of good advice in this thread ... but yeah, don't be afraid to get help as benzos can be one of the few drugs in which withdrawal can be fatal or can lead to REAL bad things (such as stroke or seizure) ... Valium and Klonopin are probably your best detox tools, opioids ease the pain but they are not really doing what needs to be done upstairs if you understand... but be serious about it .. take what you need to function, don't be tempted to get high when the idea is to actually use this "medicine" as "medicine" and not a "recreational substance" .... I know all about addiction to benzos among other drugs, so yes, I know the mental and physical hell you're going through, it will get easier but it will also take time - you didn't get into this overnight and you won't get out that quick either...

As another said, the biggest problem isn't getting off, it's staying clean!

Good luck!
 
The post is a bit depressing :) I've been unsuccessful with my taper plan. I've been taking them for 2 years, and the doses were getting rather large towards the end so I decided to stop. It didn't work out, I like Phreex's quote:
<QUOTE>
you didn't get into this overnight and you won't get out that quick either...
</QUOTE>
I'm now down to 4 mg clonazepam daily. What do you do when you can't sleep without benzos and you HAVE to go to work the next day? I can't be all impatient with my coworkers on my first job while in the throes of benzo withdrawal too.
There was a problem with my gf finding clonazepam tablets in my camera bag, and I don't think she'll be too happy if more turns out. Do we really need to follow the slow Ashton taper plan? I tried a really short one, but it was impossible, muscle twitches made me scared.
There really isn't any shortcuts is there?
 
Quitting benzos are the worst!I ve been on and off flunitrazepam for 2 years.It took me 5 months to get over the worst, but i still feel very dependt on it mentally.Phreex said that the hardest part is to stay clean , and he is absolutely right, it really is the hardest part.Buy some magnesium tabs and they will help your muscles and your cns to Releax a bit.It wont take all the pain away but it will help you.


Magnesium is often called the anti-stress mineral because it has a calming effect when taken. Its soothing properties induce restful sleep. It is very much needed by the person who has a hyperactive nervous system, or one who is hot-tempered, overly active, or agitated.

Magnesium is part of bones and cells, especially the smooth cells of arteries. It protects the arterial lining from stress caused by sudden blood pressure changes. Magnesium assists in the absorption of calcium and potassium.

Over 300 enzymes need magnesium to function properly. It has also been called the circulatory mineral because of its regulating effect on muscle contraction. Magnesium helps the body to utilize vitamins B6, C, and E. When combined with B6 it helps to reduce and dissolve calcium phosphate stones.

Magnesium is so important that the brain stores twice as much magnesium as other body tissues - this is a "safety supply" to have in the event of a drop in the magnesium reserves. Magnesium combats acids, toxins, gases, and impurities in the body. It makes tissues limber, elastic, youthful, and supple. It is a natural laxative for the bowels.

Good luck!
 
What about the Gabapentin? Anyone have info experiences with this related to benzo withdrawls? It should prevent any seizures but does it have any sedating effects to help with isomnia and anxiety?
 
Gabapentin helps some, but not a lot if you are going through bad withdrawl. I like the stuff a lot, gives me nice high feeling. not really sedating, mildly stimulating for me (mentally and physically, although i never heard of this with anyone else but myself).

I am down to 1mg ativan that i take sublingually in the evening or at nite.

my doc rx'd me ambien (expensive shit). 10 10mg pills. They work ok. I dont take them every nite. On just 10mg i saw my curtains moving as if there was wind in the room, but it was a visual. Some things would look 'bent' and the angles looked weird (on some things in my room). Kind of disturbing if you aren't expecting it. So, this stuff helps with the insomnia that has been apparent since tapering off benzos. I only take them if i have to get up early. The half-life might be 2 hrs but the effects can be felt 7-9 hours after. Can produce a mild hangover with slowed mental function. I never took more than 15mg, cause I think ambien feels sort of lousy.
 
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