Mental Health Is daily benzo use at therapeutic doses dangerous?

[Robi]

was wanting to pop so badly, ive been taking a few low does every other day it seems this hard core week, so off to benzobuddies to get skert shitless off them, and thats ok by me, im just tired, i dont need em~says it like a mantra, want to try kava, but any money (extra) i get is going to my darn dog, but some day!

 

[JackARoe]

I have a habit of trying to make people feel better and tend to give some of the possitive things I see. I never want anyone on benzos to think they are screwed. But the facts are as @cdin says and the taking benzos everyday leads to addiction that is life threatening and not pleasant. We seem to compare to opiate addiction but the brain has a logical sequence to balance out after opiates are stopped. Benzo withdrawal has all kinds of nasty lingering effects that at this point would break me if I got addictied. I would have to go to the grave on them. Too old to spend 2 years or more battling withdrawal. But I like commenting on this because like you all benos are a reach away from me. But reading posts at BL I hardly take them and save them for when needed. 20 alprazolam pills can last me a year or more. But sometimes I almost would think of taking one every night before bed. But not a chance after reading posts. I can count on one hand how many times I took them 2 days in a row. And honestly cannabis helps me sleep quick. I am lights out a minute after hitting the pillow anyway.

So my research at BL keeps me healthy. I think I went from 1989-2012 without even coming across a benzo. But once etizolam came and some access to alprazolam in 2012 of course I read things here at BL and it shaped my control. But other than sleep I dislike benzos. They dull everything for me and there are only a few times in life I want to be dulled. lol

 

[Jen X]

One thing I forgot to add. Even after 15 years I can skip days and don't feel withdrawal. Just more prone to panic. So maybe I'm a unicorn with benzos. Unfortunately not with opiates though.

I also take mirtazipine and usually Ad's give me bad side effects .15mg of mirtazipine works very well for my anxiety and sleep.

The benefits outweigh the risk in my situation so I don't want people reading my post and think controlling it is easy . I just got lucky.

I would try a low dose of mirtazipine (7.5-15mg) also.

 

[menidiatis]

nope, the recommendation has changed completely from doctors (in the U.S.), even standard doses are not recommended by the medical community for longer than a two week period. we are finally really learning what they do to the GABA system. it's not AS rough as barbiturates, but it is not good. imo/ime daily use of benzos for anxiety control period is not a safe direction to go. (I had to wd from 10mg diazepam, for context, and it was absolute hell. I do have a history of abusing other GABA drugs, but there are plenty of people that don't that are equally screwed as I was coming off of them). like any wd syndrome, genetics plays a part and there will be the rare person that can take benzos daily for an extended period without too much problem, much like there are people that can drink a few bottles of wine a night for years and not have much wd. FWIW - every single person I have ever seen go down the long term bzd treatment route either has experienced life changing withdrawals, or is still medicated. as always -- do what thou wilt/YMMV.

Sounds scary as fuck, but for me, after 2 years of daily 5+ liters of beer, not drinking has 0 WD (actually I dont remember when I drank last time, I have stopped now that I use heroin and benzos) and yesterday night I did not take temazepam, so it is 1.5 days since my last dose and I don't have any problem, somehow I don't even feel panic today

One thing I forgot to add. Even after 15 years I can skip days and don't feel withdrawal. Just more prone to panic. So maybe I'm a unicorn with benzos. Unfortunately not with opiates though.

I also take mirtazipine and usually Ad's give me bad side effects .15mg of mirtazipine works very well for my anxiety and sleep.

The benefits outweigh the risk in my situation so I don't want people reading my post and think controlling it is easy . I just got lucky.

I would try a low dose of mirtazipine (7.5-15mg) also.

And this brings me some relief as well. Mirtazapine has worked well in the past and I will probably get on it again.

 

[F.U.B.A.R.]

Mirtazapine has worked well in the past and I will probably get on it again.

Have you ever tried amitriptyline? It's a tricyclic antidepressant whereas mirtazapine is a tetracyclic antidepressant.

I find mirtazapine to be too heavy with a hangover that feels like you've been twatted around the head with a paving slab.

Amitriptyline is quite sedating in sufficient dosage and provides a good quality sleep with a hangover effect more akin to a hefty dose of weed.

I've no idea as to the implications of long term use of Amitriptyline, but it doesn't fuck with your GABA system and I've recently found it to be a magic bullet for alcohol withdrawal.


Disclaimer: I'm not a medical professional and I can only speak from my somewhat limited experience,

 

[menidiatis]

Have you ever tried amitriptyline? It's a tricyclic antidepressant whereas mirtazapine is a tetracyclic antidepressant.

I find mirtazapine to be too heavy with a hangover that feels like you've been twatted around the head with a paving slab.

Amitriptyline is quite sedating in sufficient dosage and provides a good quality sleep with a hangover effect more akin to a hefty dose of weed.

I've no idea as to the implications of long term use of Amitriptyline, but it doesn't fuck with your GABA system and I've recently found it to be a magic bullet for alcohol withdrawal.


Disclaimer: I'm not a medical professional and I can only speak from my somewhat limited experience,

mirtazapine worked perfect for me, I had no hangover whatsoever or any side effects, except it made me eat like a pig which is why I stopped it

I have never used a tricyclic antidepressant because I read on the internet that they are heavy medicines? Like tricyclics are to modern antidepressants what barbiturates are to modern benzos? or is that bs?

 

[Cream Gravy?]

I have never used a tricyclic antidepressant because I read on the internet that they are heavy medicines? Like tricyclics are to modern antidepressants what barbiturates are to modern benzos? or is that bs?

Not BS. I've taken something from every class under the sun, TCAs are easily the 'hardest' drug I've had. As in, they give extreme side effects without any pleasurable returns.

 

[Jen X]

Sounds scary as fuck, but for me, after 2 years of daily 5+ liters of beer, not drinking has 0 WD (actually I dont remember when I drank last time, I have stopped now that I use heroin and benzos) and yesterday night I did not take temazepam, so it is 1.5 days since my last dose and I don't have any problem, somehow I don't even feel panic today


And this brings me some relief as well. Mirtazapine has worked well in the past and I will probably get on it again.

I find mirtazipine works better than benzos for sleep. I truly hope you get relief. I tried to detox last summer and the insomnia was so bad I went on methadone. Until people experience anxiety and insomnia they will never understand just how debilitating they are.

 

[menidiatis]

I find mirtazipine works better than benzos for sleep. I truly hope you get relief. I tried to detox last summer and the insomnia was so bad I went on methadone. Until people experience anxiety and insomnia they will never understand just how debilitating they are.

In ur experience is using mirtazapine while on heroin as dangerous as using benzos, or it is a safer option for me to sleep?

 

[Jen X]

In ur experience is using mirtazapine while on heroin as dangerous as using benzos, or it is a safer option for me to sleep?

It's safer than benzos .

 

[Xorkoth]

I don't believe mirtazepine has any interaction with opiates.

 

[menidiatis]

I don't believe mirtazepine has any interaction with opiates.

Since it is an antihistamine won't it increase respiratory depression? And sedation?

 

[cdin]

One thing I forgot to add. Even after 15 years I can skip days and don't feel withdrawal. Just more prone to panic. So maybe I'm a unicorn with benzos. Unfortunately not with opiates though.

I also take mirtazipine and usually Ad's give me bad side effects .15mg of mirtazipine works very well for my anxiety and sleep.

The benefits outweigh the risk in my situation so I don't want people reading my post and think controlling it is easy . I just got lucky.

I would try a low dose of mirtazipine (7.5-15mg) also.

also really depends on the benzo -- a lot of people skip days on clonazepam for example and think "oh, I'm good" .... the half life of diazepam and clonazepam 140 and 40 hours respectively - so unless you make it significantly past the half life, you really don't know if you are good or not.

 

[cdin]

I have a habit of trying to make people feel better and tend to give some of the possitive things I see. I never want anyone on benzos to think they are screwed. But the facts are as @cdin says and the taking benzos everyday leads to addiction that is life threatening and not pleasant. We seem to compare to opiate addiction but the brain has a logical sequence to balance out after opiates are stopped. Benzo withdrawal has all kinds of nasty lingering effects that at this point would break me if I got addictied. I would have to go to the grave on them. Too old to spend 2 years or more battling withdrawal. But I like commenting on this because like you all benos are a reach away from me. But reading posts at BL I hardly take them and save them for when needed. 20 alprazolam pills can last me a year or more. But sometimes I almost would think of taking one every night before bed. But not a chance after reading posts. I can count on one hand how many times I took them 2 days in a row. And honestly cannabis helps me sleep quick. I am lights out a minute after hitting the pillow anyway.

So my research at BL keeps me healthy. I think I went from 1989-2012 without even coming across a benzo. But once etizolam came and some access to alprazolam in 2012 of course I read things here at BL and it shaped my control. But other than sleep I dislike benzos. They dull everything for me and there are only a few times in life I want to be dulled. lol

I can see this logic, however, - if i had kept on rosy tinted glasses the hole i was in would only have gotten worse and worse. It's important to explore these issues truthfully so people can make informed harm reduction decisions.

 

[Jen X]

also really depends on the benzo -- a lot of people skip days on clonazepam for example and think "oh, I'm good" .... the half life of diazepam and clonazepam 140 and 40 hours respectively - so unless you make it significantly past the half life, you really don't know if you are good or not.

Over a month so i know.
Why do some people assume that everyone taking a benzo is addicted or abusing them? Not everyone gets addicted and they are useful for anxiety . Not everyone abuses them either. I don't even see how they can be fun, no high just relaxed and sleepy. I also am taking 2mg less a day then i was 10 years ago by MY choice. i never did that with opiates.

 

[Jen X]

Since it is an antihistamine won't it increase respiratory depression? And sedation?

Not enough to be dangerous or my methadone doctor would say something.

 

[menidiatis]

Not enough to be dangerous or my methadone doctor would say something.

That's great mirtazapine worked amazing to put me to sleep, it is extremely relieving to know I can use it without worrying every minute if it is my last one because of mixing H with benzos

 

[Coffeeshroom]

Hey there

Maybe i missed it somewhere but in your first post you said you not drinking anymore but using H. So are you using H daily and if so I would personally address that first.

 

[menidiatis]

Hey there

Maybe i missed it somewhere but in your first post you said you not drinking anymore but using H. So are you using H daily and if so I would personally address that first.

If this goes to me then yes I don't drink anymore daily (used to drink 5l beer at least) but I smoke H daily

I don't see me quitting soon despite what I was hoping, but I still need to sleep, and benzos are not a good idea so Mirtazapine might save my ass

 

[Jen X]

Short report (makes me a poet lol)

Sunday- 3.3 mg's Etiz.
Monday- 6.6.
Tues- 10
Wed- 6.6
Today, 6.3.

By conscious decision, and applying those exact doses this way, aiming for two even split 3,3 mg's.

With other stuff, i.e. ml good CBD oil, strong coffee, I love a big homemade cannabis edible dose too, daily, can keep my mood and relief level high for hours with a benzo dose.

Then kava, is my ally for when anxiety and unrest slips in.

Because whatever happens next week, to me, that is impressive from 13 mg's avergae minimum long time.

I could so easily have taken a third dose today because I took my two split doses spread out and they worked very well but then I was getting anxious just now and I did a quick 3rd wash of the day's kava, worked.

It quelled that unease, edgyness where normally, I've been doping myself up heavily on benzos.

I also suspect that I may have a second case of Covid I have one terrible virus so does my mum and I do believe it is that one but it's nothing immediately severe just another thing in my life I still have long Covid in my nerves from September 2020 so I'll be watching this one now as well as that one and seeing what I can learn about overlapping infections this will be interesting because I have a very Difference alternative avenue for diagnosis very precise and pinpoint location wise and more for these specific things except I need to wait until January for that.

I'm interested in trying Kava. This time of year is especially hard emotionally and I don't want to increase benzos.
I saw kava on Amazon, is the tea ok or would the powder be better?
They have 1 tea there that's kava, valerian root, chamomile and lavender. Sounds relaxing.