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  • BDD Moderators: Keif’ Richards

Long term Benzo use side effects

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pillpopper187

pillpopper187

Bluelighter
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Nov 6, 2008
Messages
594
Location
Southwest of Albany, NY
i've been on benzos since march 08, was started on 40mg/day of valium for back issues. As of today, I'm on 3mg/Klonopin/day which started in febuary due to panic and aniexty issues.


For the past 3 weeks, about 10-15 times a day, i get the sensation of a bug crawing on my skin in random locations.

ON arms, under socks, on legs, etc

Could this be from long term benzo use?
 
pillpopper187 said:
i've been on benzos since march 08, was started on 40mg/day of valium for back issues. As of today, I'm on 3mg/Klonopin/day which started in febuary due to panic and aniexty issues.


For the past 3 weeks, about 10-15 times a day, i get the sensation of a bug crawing on my skin in random locations.

ON arms, under socks, on legs, etc

Could this be from long term benzo use?
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I've been on 2-3mg a day for over a year now for severe anxiety/agoraphobia and not noticed any real side effects besides obvious tolerance establishing.

The symptoms you describe about the bug sensations reminds me of other problems such as if you are a undiagnosed OCD case-- then this is a very common scenario regarding bugs crawling on your skin.

Another option could be other medication, are you taking anything else strong that could be causing a bad interaction.

I would definitely see a Dr. as soon as possible if I were you and figure out what's causing those feelings. Best of luck to you and let us know how it goes!
 
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Do you get any kind of tingling or numbness in your extremities? When you notice it does it go away, or persist? Does it feel clear, like, you can feel legs taking steps, or is it a kindof shuddery, scurrying feeling?
 
I've been on 4mg/day clonazepam since 2004 and ever since I can barely sleep besides anybody! If I sleep in the same bed with someone I will have on a good day spasms that will make the other person hard to sleep or on bad days I have full on body spasms that make the bed move (all these happening without me noticing), enough to make me sleep by myself.

I am worried more about liver, kidney damage and stuff like that however.
 
I don't get that as a long term affect but I get lots of others, mostly mental/emotional though. It's actually kind of amazing to me how few physical side effects I've experienced but mentally it's pretty awful. It could definitely be from long term benzo use though, not everyone gets the same side effects.
 
Ive been on clonazepam for over 3 years and i havent gotten any long term side effects from it. The stuff also still works well for my anxiety. Just as good as when i first started taking it.

But some people do get rebound withdrawals or whatever they are called when they are still on benzos. So i guess that could be it.
 
I have been taking 1mg 3x daily of KLONOPIN (Clonazepam), 10mg 3x daily of FOCALIN (Dexmethylphenidate), 50mg 1x daily of METHADONE LIQIUD (Clinic Daily, Now on 40mg and will switch to SUBETEX when I hit 30mg on the METHADONE which will happen soon.

I have been taking all those correctly for over 1 year now and I have not Had anything but benefits from these medications so I do not think there are any long term effects, even if there is who cares I rather have my grave say I decided to fucking have a good life and take some fucking meds..

Just stoned sorry lol

Peace

G.
 
i've been on klonopin 6mg/day and xanax 2mg/day for three years now and i don't get that sensation unless i take my suboxone, which makes me think it's that. but i do get random feelings like somethings biting me.. i don't know what that's all about. it's not something that is really bothersome like effecting my life, it's just there.

i know one negative thing (it's not as bad now as it was when i was eating bars like king sized bags of m&m's "blacking out") is: my memory is bad.
 
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Farmacist said:
I have been taking 1mg 3x daily of KLONOPIN (Clonazepam), 10mg 3x daily of FOCALIN (Dexmethylphenidate), 50mg 1x daily of METHADONE LIQIUD (Clinic Daily, Now on 40mg and will switch to SUBETEX when I hit 30mg on the METHADONE which will happen soon.

I have been taking all those correctly for over 1 year now and I have not Had anything but benefits from these medications so I do not think there are any long term effects, even if there is who cares I rather have my grave say I decided to fucking have a good life and take some fucking meds..

Just stoned sorry lol

Peace

G.
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One year really isn't all that long. Sometimes it can take several years for the negative affects to appear and then you're really screwed cause you've been on them for so long.
 
i took 1mg klonopin 3times a day for 1 year along with abusing xanax and i have never experienced a side effect physical wise, but as for the mental, it was tortuous
 
i remember i used to be forgetful and act retarded with my tongue hanging out driving and shit when i took alot of xanax. I took a heavy dose for a year and a light dose the follow 3 years. With the light dose, Im fine and have no side effects. Plus i had a opiate addiction, crack, and dissociative problem, but those are all pretty much past me, just occassional use.

OP sounds like what u are going through may be a type of anxiety. Maybe switch meds but stay in the same family and consider lowering ur dose- talk to ur doctor. maybe clonidine or something else can help make the taper or transition more comfortable.

Its my belief that if a drug chills u out, then withdrawal or habitualization will bring upon the opposite effects. I could be totally wrong.
 
See your doctor.

pillpopper187 said:
i've been on benzos since march 08, was started on 40mg/day of valium for back issues. As of today, I'm on 3mg/Klonopin/day which started in febuary due to panic and aniexty issues.


For the past 3 weeks, about 10-15 times a day, i get the sensation of a bug crawing on my skin in random locations.

ON arms, under socks, on legs, etc

Could this be from long term benzo use?
Click to expand...

Possibly, but there's no way to tell. Clonazepam is sort of infamous for causing strange reactions in some people, or, it could be another issue that's completely unrelated to your use of benzodiazepines.

Either way, you should see your doctor sooner rather than later....

Its my belief that if a drug chills u out, then withdrawal or habitualization will bring upon the opposite effects. I could be totally wrong.
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This is usually the case, it is certainly the case with benzodiazepines and withdrawal. Some people experience withdrawal symptoms after maintaining on a certain dose for a long period of time because their body has become tolerant to the dose and requires a higher dose.
 
Why wait?

If any of my medication was causing me to feel like I had bugs crawling under my skin and often throughout the day, then I would be straight down to see my Doctor.
Feeling like bugs are under yr skin can't be pleasant and it certainly isn't normal, get it seen to lad.
 
Go here for an excellent write up on long term effects of benzos.

Even brain damage is possible. At least with some benzos (especially hypnotics). Here's an exerpt from the above link:

The study concluded that, when cerebral disorder is diagnosed in sedative hypnotic benzodiazepine abusers, it is often permanent. An earlier study by Borg et al. found evidence of cerebral disorder in those that exclusively abused benzodiazepines, suggesting that cerebral disorder was not the result of other substances of abuse. Withdrawal from high dose abuse of temazepam have caused severe hypoperfusion of the whole brain with diffuse slow activity on EEG. After withdrawal, abnormalities in hypofrontal brain wave patterns persist beyond the withdrawal syndrome which suggested organic brain damage occurs from chronic high dose abuse of temazepam.
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I was on Klonopin -or- Xanax -or- Valium -or- Ativan with Temazepam -or- Triazolam -or- Estazolam -or- Flunitrazepam for over 11 years and the one thing I have noticed from long term use is memory loss. Short and long term. My life feels like one big blackout. People say "remember when we did this and you did that..." I'll be like, what? I don't remember that. I forget things very easily. Things I was reminded to do 10 minutes ago. I may be experiencing PAWS (as benzo withdrawals can last up to 18 months after long term use) but my hands shake and I get spasms in my legs and body. Also my legs go a mile a minute when I sit down. But memory loss is the biggest problem.
 
pillpopper187 said:
i've been on benzos since march 08, was started on 40mg/day of valium for back issues. As of today, I'm on 3mg/Klonopin/day which started in febuary due to panic and aniexty issues.


For the past 3 weeks, about 10-15 times a day, i get the sensation of a bug crawing on my skin in random locations

ON arms, under socks, on legs, etc

Could this be from long term benzo use?
Click to expand...


I get this feeling as well and have been on and off benzo's for 8+ years, high doses for many years as wells. And am currently doing a third Benzo detox. Benzo withdrawal symptoms vary quite a bit and I believe these are called 'tactile sensations'. I've had all sorts of blood work done to try and determine if some other factor was at play here with that sensation of 'bugs crawling on skin' but nothing yet. Pretty sure its Benzo withdrawal and takes awhile to resolve.
 
Yeah, tactile sensation or even tactile hallucination would be the correct term..

I'm sorry to hear you are having a tough time and going through your third detox. Good luck!

This is quite an old thread, so am going to close it, but if you have a specific question feel free to start a new one. Any queries, shoot me a pm :)
 
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