Benzos Long term (15+ years) effects of benzo usage

[DeadElvis666]

So my girlfriend has been on pretty high doses of benzo's since she was 16 years old. She's 31 now, and I'd say she takes anywhere from 3-10 mgs of Xanax every day. It varies depending on stress. She has GAD. I've seen her taking as many as 10 mgs per day and as little as 3 mgs, but as an average I'd say she takes about 5 mgs of Xanax per day, and that's a pretty conservative estimate (probably more like 8mgs to be honest). She has been on klonopins as well, but she prefers Xanax since they work more quickly. I've talked to her about quitting because it worries me that she has been taking these relatively high doses of benzo's for 15 years, but she insists that given the severity of her GAD she will never stop taking benzos. What are the long term effects of taking benzos for your entire adult life? She has a number of both physical and mental health problems, so it would be difficult to determine if any of her health problems are related to such heavy benzo use, but I suspect there are some adverse effects of being dependent on benzo's for such a long period of time. It worries me when I talk to her about coming off benzo's and she tells me that she plans to be on them for the rest of her life. What happens to a person after 15 years of benzo dependency? And what will happen to her in the future?

 

[I have pizza]

I mean yeah it sucks that she has to take them and its kind to be worried about her. But in all honesty, she probably takes them for a reason. I had friends who took doses similar to that. Some people stress out more than others and those help them out. I don't think that the drugs will fry her brain or anything like that, but I do think that the dosage would change over time for sure. If she were to just quit taking them it would be likely she could have a really bad anxiety attack and that would not be good. If she gets anxiety attacks to begin with I would not recommend pressuring her to get off of the medication.

Not sure if that's what you were looking for. Hope it helps!

 

[RDP89]

Benzos are terrible for your brain to be on long term.

 

[DeadElvis666]

I want her to be happy and feel normal, but I just worry about the long term consequences

 

[RDP89]

Yeah, after that long, she might as well stay on them. Even with a slow taper, the PAWS could go on for years. I would suggest she at least stabilize her dose, and look into a longer acting benzo. She wants alprazolam over clonazepam because it's more euphoric, most likely. Yeah, Xanax kicks in faster, but if your using them everyday anyway, long acting like clonazepam is the way to go dose once or twice a day at most. With raising and lowering the dose though, she's doing herself no favors.

 

[speedballs_over]

Long term consequences have been documented, but imo, not proven. There's definitely people that have fried brains from benzos, but we don't know enough yet to make blanket statements. Did they abuse? Did they go on and off several times (very suspect as a means to fry the brain), etc...

For sure, being off is better than on if it's just those two issues, but throw in severe, treatment resistant anxiety and yeah, maybe lifelong is required.

To answer the OPs ?. Imo and ime, we don't know. Definitely could be an issue, one has to weigh risk vs. benefit, and we don't have enough data to do so in every case.

Edit: I agree that clonazepam (Klonopin) would be better for long term use. It's been shown in a few studies to continue to work indefinitely for anxiety but not epilepsy. Plus it isn't as reinforcing as Xanax, which will help her stay more "level"

 

[RDP89]

I mean yeah it sucks that she has to take them and its kind to be worried about her. But in all honesty, she probably takes them for a reason. I had friends who took doses similar to that. Some people stress out more than others and those help them out. I don't think that the drugs will fry her brain or anything like that, but I do think that the dosage would change over time for sure. If she were to just quit taking them it would be likely she could have a really bad anxiety attack and that would not be good. If she gets anxiety attacks to begin with I would not recommend pressuring her to get off of the medication.

Not sure if that's what you were looking for. Hope it helps!

If she were "to just quit taking them", it wouldn't be just an anxiety attack, it would be seizures that could possibly kill her. The only way with a benzo habit for that long at those doses is a SLOW taper.

 

[RDP89]

Long term consequences have been documented, but imo, not proven. There's definitely people that have fried brains from benzos, but we don't know enough yet to make blanket statements. Did they abuse? Did they go on and off several times (very suspect as a means to fry the brain), etc...

For sure, being off is better than on if it's just those two issues, but throw in severe, treatment resistant anxiety and yeah, maybe lifelong is required.

To answer the OPs ?. Imo and one, we don't know. Definitely could be an issue, one has to weigh risk vs. benefit, and we don't have enough data to do so in every case.

All very true.

 

[DeadElvis666]

She said she's never coming off them and she gets upset when I mention it. She say's benzos have given her a better life. And I get that. I don't want her to have crippling anxiety, but I also worry about the long term health implications. She has a plethora of different health problems, and I can't help wondering if all those years of benzos (and a multitude of different mood stablizers, anti-depressants etc) have contributed in some way to her ongoing health problems.

 

[alfredosauce]

i doubt the xanax is causing those health problems, maybe all the other meds mixed with it though. just dont mention it to her imo

 

[burn out]

being on benzos long term causes a plethora of different health problems mental and phyisical including but not limited to increased anxiety, phobias, neuroses, irritability, gastrointenstial problems, depression and many other health problems. unfortunately after being on them that long, getting off them is likely to be a major ordeal lasting years. no one should be forced to withdraw from benzo againt theri will, best you can do is encourage her to get on as low a dose as possble.

also people who think they need benzos for that length of time are usually in serious denial. over the long term, benzos create anxiety they dont relieve it. there are actually much better ways of relieving anxiety, like kava for example.

 

[DeadElvis666]

I agree. I do wish she would at least reduce to a lower dose, but as someone mentioned, it's her choice and there's not much I can do about it. And I do believe that at this point much of her anxiety is a result of the 15+ years of benzos rather than the GAD she was diagnosed with when she was 16 years old. But as was mentioned earlier, at this point getting off benzos would take years and cause so much stress and anxiety that it's probably just easier for her to stay on them forever. It almost seems like there's a point with benzos where there's no turning back and you're committed to staying on them for the rest of your life because trying to get off them would be horrific. And psychologically, the person thinks they need them to feel normal. Coming off the benzos causes anxiety, so the person assumes they have GAD and need benzos to feel better, when in reality it's just the benzo addiction giving them anxiety. Similar to the "pain" you feel coming off painkillers. It's a viscous cycle.

 

[pbuilder]

being on benzos long term causes a plethora of different health problems mental and phyisical including but not limited to increased anxiety, phobias, neuroses, irritability, gastrointenstial problems, depression and many other health problems. unfortunately after being on them that long, getting off them is likely to be a major ordeal lasting years. no one should be forced to withdraw from benzo againt theri will, best you can do is encourage her to get on as low a dose as possble.

also people who think they need benzos for that length of time are usually in serious denial. over the long term, benzos create anxiety they dont relieve it. there are actually much better ways of relieving anxiety, like kava for example.

Ya i agree, benzo usage eventually leads to much more severe anxiety and panic attacks when a dose is missed or from interdose withdrawal, especially with xanax. They completely numb you out, lead to severe depression, and make you cognitively stupider then a young child at high doses. Long term use is believed to permanently damage the brains gaba system leading to basically life long side effects even if one does eventually slowly taper off them.

There is a reason they are supposed to be prescribed for a maximim of 2-4 weeks, or in the case of severe panic attacks, on a PRN basis. And even then, a person shouldn't deal with stress, anxiety and panic by always popping a benzo. They should be reserved for only the most severe panic and anxiety attacks and never taken daily for a period longer then a month.

Benzo dependence is one of the hardest to taper and withdrawal from. I feel terrible for people who were scripted them years ago when they were being handed out like candy without being aware of the quick and severe dependence they cause.

 

[DeadElvis666]

She has a really hard time remembering things. And she loses things really easily. Like her phone. She sets it down in bed next to her and can't find it. This happens about 10-20 times every night. I see her looking for it and just reach over and grab it without even looking. It's always in the same place. On her lap. And her memory is so bad, I've told her some stories like 5 times and she's always surprised at the ending. And we've only been together for 9 months. I'm starting to worry that the benzos are giving her brain damage. And this is coming from someone who fried his brain into oblivion. But like I said, it's been 15+ years of heavy benzo use, so I don't even know if she could taper down without major problems. She gets severe anxiety without her benzos, and she has had seizures in the past...

 

[DeadElvis666]

But I really don't know what to do for her. I can urge her to taper down but she gets really upset and defensive if I try to tell her to ease off the pills. She says I have no idea what it's like having anxiety, and granted, I have no idea what it's like to have crippling anxiety. But at this point I'm afraid the benzos are as responsible for the anxiety as any preexisting condition...

 

[pbuilder]

But I really don't know what to do for her. I can urge her to taper down but she gets really upset and defensive if I try to tell her to ease off the pills. She says I have no idea what it's like having anxiety, and granted, I have no idea what it's like to have crippling anxiety. But at this point I'm afraid the benzos are as responsible for the anxiety as any preexisting condition...

For sure man, i also think the severity of her anxiety is primarily caused by the long term benzo usage. The reason she gets so defensive is likely because she is in denial about the severity of her addiction. All you can do is try to talk her into either some type of ashton manual based benzo rehab (if that exists), or convince her to at least see a psychiatrist with experience using the ashton manual and helping people get over the reinforced behavior and psychological addiction that comes with self regulating emotions with high dose benzos for over a decade.

She unfortunately really has dug herself into a deep deep hole, and i understand your worry for the cognitive damage she is likely doing to herself.

But if a person hasn't yet admit they have a problem and addiction, it is basically impossible to convince them to get help. Benzos are probably the single hardest drug to get off by yourself.

 

[manboychef]

I am tapering an 8mg...now 7mg a day xanax habit. I had abused opiates for 15yrs so I understand the abuse/dependence cycle very well. I have been taking benzos in one form or another for years to treat OCD and Panic Disorder. I also take temazepam for sleep because the OCD keeps me awake thinking which leads to panic attacks.

I do want to switch to a longer acting benzo like valium or clonazepam because I had started to notice the same use and abuse patterns that were making my life difficult....searching the floor for pills "I may have dropped" because I only allot myself a certain dose per day. Asking the person that dispenses them to me for more because I strongly feel I want (not need) more in order to successfully maintain my calm(er) state.

Does your wife see a therapist? I go every tuesday and it is working wonders on helping me mitigate the intrusive thoughts that cause my panic attacks. We start each session with guided meditation...then we work through something out of my anxiety book using CBT. This has lead to some breakthroughs for me and it may help your wife. The meditation puts you at ease and focuses your mind on the task of changing the cognitive cues that trigger anxiety. So instead of just opening my anxiety book and being freaked out at what I am reading I can choose something and we can work on the behaviors associated with it.

I know I am going to need benzodiazepines for life, but I now know that xanax is not the fit for me. My mental Diagnosis' have only gotten worse over the years because I self medicated and turned down help at every turn...now I am trying something different.

Mental disorders, including substance abuse disorder, need a three pronged attack meditation, medication, therapy. Family fits into the therapy part of that. You are going to need to learn more about her illness and her anxiety triggers to help her.

 

[bingey]

I think there is an increased risk of alzheimers also aren't beznzos on the UN- Cancer list thingy?

 

[Mmp85]

You mentioned other meds, what are they? I take certain antidepressants and mood stabilizers that, according to the warnings "affect mental clarity" making me forgetful or confused. They can also leave you with an overall foggy or drugged feeling.

 

[teological]

The benzos are the sole reason for that sort of memory loss.