Harm Reduction How do you deal with travelling abroad when dependent on a controlled substance?

[DreamofWinter]

If the thing you take is illegal, how do you deal with that? Or if you are taking prescription pills that are illegal in the country you're going to, and don't have any proof of prescription, etc. How do you deal with that?

edit: not talking about taking something illegally into a country, but rather dealing without or dealing with difficult getting it. Context: I'm at the very end of a xanax taper (short-term use, currently down to the last couple of days at 0.25mg, down from up to 2mg a day) and should be, according to my doctor, fine to stop in the next couple of days. I wanted to keep my last couple of 0.5mg pills with me in my wallet all the time as a kind of safety net, generally, in case of any panic attack or whatever, but I'm travelling to a very strict country. I am not able to get a letter confirming my need for the medication in time for the trip.

 

[TheUltimateFixx]

I don't deal with that. Not worth the risk. Police in many countries, particularly LatAm and most parts of Asia, are absolutely not messing about when it comes to drugs. So I'd come off before travelling.

 

[DreamofWinter]

I don't deal with that. Not worth the risk. Police in many countries, particularly LatAm and most parts of Asia, are absolutely not messing about when it comes to drugs. So I'd come off before travelling.

not talking about taking something illegally into a country, but rather dealing without or dealing with difficult getting it. Context: I'm at the very end of a xanax taper (short-term use, currently down to the last couple of days at 0.25mg, down from up to 2mg a day) and should be, according to my doctor, fine to stop in the next couple of days. I wanted to keep my last couple of 0.5mg pills with me in my wallet all the time as a kind of safety net, generally, in case of any panic attack or whatever, but I'm travelling to a very strict country. I am not able to get a letter confirming my need for the medication in time for the trip

 

[TheUltimateFixx]

If it's an extra strict country and you're basically off it, I'd seriously go without if you cannot get an official letter. You don't wanna end up jailed for a couple xanax tabs.

 

[DreamofWinter]

If it's an extra strict country and you're basically off it, I'd seriously go without if you cannot get an official letter. You don't wanna end up jailed for a couple xanax tabs.

That's my thinking. I've been down to 0.5mg for around a week, with no symptoms at all, apart from mild anxiety, which I put down to having spent far, far too much time reading horror stories about people coming off this, so am kind of worried about not having a dose with me just in case.

 

[l41n]

is getting gabapentin an option? i think you would be fine doing something like that and coming off 0.5mg

and if not something prescription, look into gaba promoting supplements such as

-lithium orotate
-magnesium
-taurine
- l-theanine

take the right dosage of all 4 of those and you will be chill.

 

[DreamofWinter]

is getting gabapentin an option? i think you would be fine doing something like that and coming off 0.5mg

and if not something prescription, look into gaba promoting supplements such as

-lithium orotate
-magnesium
-taurine
- l-theanine

take the right dosage of all 4 of those and you will be chill.

I don't have access to medical care, because I'm uninsured at the moment. I've been under the care of a friend who is a doctor and they live roughly 500 miles away from me. No chance to get to them for any prescription medicines before I travel. Thanks for suggesting those supplements, I'll have a look into them.

Any experience with this yourself? I found getting down from 2mg a day to 0.75mg a day to be like nothing. It's this last 0.5mg a day that I'm starting to feel anxious on. No other symptoms at all, though, so thinking that the anxiety part might just be me overthinking the whole thing

 

[l41n]

I don't have access to medical care, because I'm uninsured at the moment. I've been under the care of a friend who is a doctor and they live roughly 500 miles away from me. No chance to get to them for any prescription medicines before I travel. Thanks for suggesting those supplements, I'll have a look into them.

Any experience with this yourself? I found getting down from 2mg a day to 0.75mg a day to be like nothing. It's this last 0.5mg a day that I'm starting to feel anxious on. No other symptoms at all, though, so thinking that the anxiety part might just be me overthinking the whole thing

just have a lot of anxiety in my life generally.

and hearing other people's stories of tolerating coming off xanax at 1mg or lower, where they tolerated it okay.

i think there would be a small subsection of the population that would have a hard time of it, if they were on it for ages.

but there's still things you can do to increase gaba

like cbd is a great anxiolytic too, just a bit pricy

i should mention valerian root extract, that is a pretty strong gabaergic

if you take multiple supplements at double doses which are anxiolytic, it can be pretty powerful in a gabaergic way

for like 6 hours maybe.

it sounds like you are tolerating the taper pretty good so far though.

 

[chippermonk]

One thought, if the country you are leaving isn't as strict, then save one last pill to take while you are flying so as to get your last dose as late as possible. But isn't 0.5 mg about as low a dose as possible? Seems like you wouldn't get very sick by this point

 

[DreamofWinter]

One thought, if the country you are leaving isn't as strict, then save one last pill to take while you are flying so as to get your last dose as late as possible. But isn't 0.5 mg about as low a dose as possible? Seems like you wouldn't get very sick by this point

I'm leaving from Germany, but going to a country which requires me to have a doctor's note and the medication in packaging with my name on it. I have neither. Was on roughly 1.5mg a day for 7 weeks, prescribed after a breakdown, and for roughly ten days I have gotten down each day a bit, and then spent 5 days at 0.5mg. Yeah, I think I spent too much time here and other places reading horror stories, tbh. Heart rate is fine. Sleep is fine. Everything is fine. Just spent too much time reading posts on here and worrying. I'm thinking 3 more days, 0.25 a day, which is the lowest therapeutic dose, as far as I know

 

[DreamofWinter]

I say roughly because for the first week I was scared to take it, and often had just 0.25, and one a couple of days (talking 3 weeks ago now) I took 2mg a day

 

[DreamofWinter]

just have a lot of anxiety in my life generally.

and hearing other people's stories of tolerating coming off xanax at 1mg or lower, where they tolerated it okay.

i think there would be a small subsection of the population that would have a hard time of it, if they were on it for ages.

but there's still things you can do to increase gaba

like cbd is a great anxiolytic too, just a bit pricy

i should mention valerian root extract, that is a pretty strong gabaergic

if you take multiple supplements at double doses which are anxiolytic, it can be pretty powerful in a gabaergic way

for like 6 hours maybe.

it sounds like you are tolerating the taper pretty good so far though.

Seem to be tolerating it well, but I've never had experience with it. got down to 0.5mg within 5 days, and now been sitting on 0.5mg for five days, and it was absolutely fine. Was meant to take 0.25 today but have another dose in the afternoon because I got panic attack. Likely from just overthinking this whole thing

 

[gordonliddy]

Seem to be tolerating it well, but I've never had experience with it. got down to 0.5mg within 5 days, and now been sitting on 0.5mg for five days, and it was absolutely fine. Was meant to take 0.25 today but have another dose in the afternoon because I got panic attack. Likely from just overthinking this whole thing

You're fine. You're basically there. Your next mission is to learn how to ride the panic attacks out. After that you'll stop getting them for a while.

 

[DreamofWinter]

You're fine. You're basically there. Your next mission is to learn how to ride the panic attacks out. After that you'll stop getting them for a while.

Thanks, I appreciate that. Still dealing with a life situation that caused the breakdown, and was quite happy for a few weeks there not giving a fuck about it. Now back to learning how to actually deal with it. Any experience with xanax yourself? I guess all of the difficult withdrawals are much higher doses that I've been taking, and for longer, but still can't help but worry

 

[mauve]

Seem to be tolerating it well, but I've never had experience with it. got down to 0.5mg within 5 days, and now been sitting on 0.5mg for five days, and it was absolutely fine. Was meant to take 0.25 today but have another dose in the afternoon because I got panic attack. Likely from just overthinking this whole thing

Sounds like to me that you're not really experiencing withdrawal symptoms with the taper your doing. Consider yourself extremely lucky, IMO from personal experience Benzos should only be used in emergencies as a one off or with extreme caution occasionally say max once a month.

 

[DreamofWinter]

Sounds like to me that you're not really experiencing withdrawal symptoms with the taper your doing. Consider yourself extremely lucky, IMO from personal experience Benzos should only be used in emergencies as a one off or with extreme caution occasionally say max once a month.

Yeah I do consider myself lucky. Was planning on tapering weeks ago, and just continued as normal. Then finally about 10 days ago I dropped 0.25 a day, without feeling any difference, and got down to 0.5 just listening to my body. Five days on that now, and it's alright. It's having these last couple of doses in front of me, as well as going abroad without the possibility of taking a 'just in case' dose with me, that's getting me, too. But yeah, no symptoms. Mild headache, but nothing that needs a painkiller. I'd put that down to being tense about coming off these last couple of taper doses

 

[gordonliddy]

. Any experience with xanax yourself?

Yes. In fact I was something of an early adopter of xanax. I was taking quite a few back in like 1998. Because they helped all of the other pills I was on to kick in faster! I guess I was kind of dumb.

So anyways, when I got arrested and my stash seized, I was hit with a surprise mandatory opportunity to quit.

Honestly? Nothing happened.

One doesn't really get withdrawal from xanax, one gets seizures. But there's like a 0% chance you'll get a seizure going from your current dosage down to zero. Your doctor would not have put you in a position for this. If we thought you were in danger, people here would be telling you to check into a hospital or something.

But you won't be checking into a hospital, you're about to go on the trip of a lifetime!

Just remember that you'll probably get anxiety attacks...but they wear off after a few moments. And then after a while you stop getting them.

What makes them go away for me entirely is if I can do some sewing in the evening. If I can go for a walk every day (not sure if you live someplace safe) and I have time to sew for an hour in the evening (usually I put a cowboy movie on), then I don't get them at all.

Party safely friend! Let us know how your trip goes. You won't get withdrawal because that's not a thing for xanax.

 

[DreamofWinter]

You won't get withdrawal because that's not a thing for xanax.

I thought it was very much a thing. What level did you go CT on back in 1998?

Anyway, I really appreciate your positivity! Thanks a lot :D

I do live some place safe and walk for an hour or two each day, at least. It helps me too.

 

[AngelsandFairiesarereal]

Some ways to help panic attacks naturally … you can do different breathing exercises. Deep slow breaths literally help your body calm down which can help the mind follow. Look up different breathing exercises (there’s different ones & sometimes different ones help different people) … taking a nice deep slow breath in … holding it in for a couple seconds & then slowly letting it out will calm your body.

Also taking a cold water bottle & placing it on your neck & holding it there will also automatically calm your body down a bit as well
Good luck, I hope everything goes well

 

[AngelsandFairiesarereal]

Also I saw that you wrote that you did a taper, but if you are worried or don’t feel right is there a hospital or medical center you can go to? I mean maybe just knowing that that is an option can help you in the back of your mind (like as a back up in the same way as if you would have had a couple in the back of your wallet)