Benzos Long-term diazepam user, looking for advice

[Pickledlemons]

Have you ever found a reasonable dose of any benzo effective?

Well, even 20mg of diazepam relieves the worst effect of withdrawal for me, chest pain. So idk if thats what you meant

Surely didn’t start on such a high dose of Xanax

True, it gradually increased.

Doses above 60mg do nothing but sedate me, and I’ve only taken that much a couple of times as usually 20mg is more than adequate. Unless you have very unusual brain chemistry and/or metabolism, it’s unlikely that you couldn’t get the same benefits on a much lower dose.

Hmm yeah idk I've never taken over 60mg. 115mg for the whole day does not leave me much space to do so. And even when I take more than I should, its more frequent dosing rather than higher doses. And yeah those extra doses really help with anxiety, which has become more a problem this year, for personal reasons.

And the higher dose you take for longer than more you’re just downgrading your receptors and making the drug less effective.

Yeah, I know how it works, thanks, its been 2 days out of 6 months at this point cut me some slack.

I’d try to avoid binging as much as possible and cut back on your dose whenever you can. I understand you’ll have rough days but make sure you cut your dose on your good days.

I don't know how I'd have such a huge surplus if I wasn't already doing that.

 

[fairnymph]

Well, even 20mg of diazepam relieves the worst effect of withdrawal for me, chest pain. So idk if thats what you meant


True, it gradually increased.



Hmm yeah idk I've never taken over 60mg. 115mg for the whole day does not leave me much space to do so. And even when I take more than I should, its more frequent dosing rather than higher doses. And yeah those extra doses really help with anxiety, which has become more a problem this year, for personal reasons.



Yeah, I know how it works, thanks, its been 2 days out of 6 months at this point cut me some slack.



I don't know how I'd have such a huge surplus if I wasn't already doing that.

Ah okay 20mg is much more reasonable but still a bit high I’d say. Probably that’s just tolerance though. I don’t like to take that much because while it is more effective, it means that it will cease to be effective so much faster. I can usually get by on less. And I really need to spend as a little time as possible off it entirely because without it, I’m not very functional given it’s the only thing that treats my muscle tension. Maybe the anxiolytic effect doesn’t go away as quickly as the muscle relaxant effect?

I’ve never heard of someone redosing diazepam so often. It’s quite long lasting so you shouldn’t need to. That will drive your tolerance up even faster than taking it once a day. Do you have a fast metabolism? I’m wondering if there’s a specific reason that you need to redose more frequently. Most drugs don’t last as long as they should for me but it’s sounds like you might be even more unusual at least with regards to this drug.

Not trying to be hard on you - it’s great that you’re able to stockpile. I’m just trying to understand why our experiences are so different.

 

[Pickledlemons]

Ah okay 20mg is much more reasonable but still a bit high I’d say. Probably that’s just tolerance though. I don’t like to take that much because while it is more effective, it means that it will cease to be effective so much faster. I can usually get by on less. And I really need to spend as a little time as possible off it entirely because without it, I’m not very functional given it’s the only thing that treats my muscle tension. Maybe the anxiolytic effect doesn’t go away as quickly as the muscle relaxant effect?

I’ve never heard of someone redosing diazepam so often. It’s quite long lasting so you shouldn’t need to. That will drive your tolerance up even faster than taking it once a day. Do you have a fast metabolism? I’m wondering if there’s a specific reason that you need to redose more frequently. Most drugs don’t last as long as they should for me but it’s sounds like you might be even more unusual at least with regards to this drug.

Not trying to be hard on you - it’s great that you’re able to stockpile. I’m just trying to understand why our experiences are so different.

Everyone experiences drugs different. Our metabolism and our brains are all different, so much so that drug x can have completely opposite effects depending on the person. I also need to drink coffee to counteract the drowsiness from diazepam sometimes, but I mean... most people... drink coffee.

Yeah 10 - 40mg is generally the range of my doses. I think I took 50mg once. But yeah like I said, sometimes they are quite frequent, but 99% of the time the total for the day comes to 100 - 115mg. I usually take them when I wake up, right before bed, when I take my suboxone (8mg twice a day) but it varies a lot, just based on how I feel and whether or not I have any responsibilities I need to tend to.... its easier to take less when I'm at home alone than interacting with other people.

Oh and it was actually my doctor that said it would be best to take low doses frequently over high doses infrequently.

 

[Chickens]

I agree with most of the above posters. You are on what many people, myself included, consider to be a high dose of benzos. I've been there too though, I was getting clonozolam back when it was "legal" and managed to work up to about 100mg per day. The only way I found I enjoyed benzos at all again was to take a break. SLOWLY taper down, if you've got a script, it's a little easier because the pills are dosed well. It took me months to get my dose down much at all, but stick with it and it can be done. I find I tend to forget how much benzos affect me until I stop taking them.

 

[fairnymph]

Everyone experiences drugs different. Our metabolism and our brains are all different, so much so that drug x can have completely opposite effects depending on the person. I also need to drink coffee to counteract the drowsiness from diazepam sometimes, but I mean... most people... drink coffee.

Yeah 10 - 40mg is generally the range of my doses. I think I took 50mg once. But yeah like I said, sometimes they are quite frequent, but 99% of the time the total for the day comes to 100 - 115mg. I usually take them when I wake up, right before bed, when I take my suboxone (8mg twice a day) but it varies a lot, just based on how I feel and whether or not I have any responsibilities I need to tend to.... its easier to take less when I'm at home alone than interacting with other people.

Oh and it was actually my doctor that said it would be best to take low doses frequently over high doses infrequently.

Indeed! That’s why all this information is so helpful.

Thanks for sharing more details. I assume that you have tried taking diazepam once daily and found that isn’t sufficient for you? I can’t imagine taking diazepam right on waking, but again I’m using it for a different purpose. And one of the things I like about being on the dose that I am, and taking it at night, is that I don’t get any drowsiness at all the next day. In fact, I am extra alert.

 

[silver_lining]

I've been taking Tapentadol the last 8 months, between 200-400mg per day. I'm finding it hard to stop. I also have been taking 30-40mg Diazepam daily for a solid year, and also Soma most days, usually small 100mg doses to potentiate the others, but some evenings I'll eat 1,000 mg, probably 2-3 times per week. I keep bouncing around my dosage intake on all 3, trying to get clean but always seem to get back up to my ceiling on all 3. I've decided to get serious about it and stop 1 at a time. The Soma is the first to go, as it doesn't have much withdrawal and also the tolerance builds so fast it's not really good daily. I'm tackling the Tapentadol next, it's such a strange opiate, i usually take my doses upon waking up and within the first 4 hours of the day, then don't touch it till the next morning. It has a very stimulating effect along with the pain relief. But now I switched doctors and he prescribed me gabapentin which i am very familiar with. I'll use it for a few weeks off and on along with my diazepam until i feel comfortable that i will only take my daily diazepam. Then i can begin my Taper of the benzo, which as we all know is not the best couple of weeks/months. But i've done it before and i am ready to do it again. I am prescribed diazepam but only 10mg per week, which isn't nearly enough at this point of my tolerance of 30-40mg per day so i get it from a non prescription source. Just where i'm at, today i feel pretty good with just the gaba and valium. I also have zopiclone for sleep if i can't get to sleep, but i use it very sparingly as it causes serious depression the following day. But wowza does it work for sleep, as long as it's only once a week or so.

 

[Dextro .45]

Low dose Diazepam 5mg then 2mg scored tablets 1mg Valium even
Pregabalin 150 X 2 daily…..then 75……50
Clonidine 0.1mg tablet (half in morning, other night)

Comfort meds used properly will wean you

I have Diclazepam (2-Chloro-Diazepam) which metabolizes into 3 genuine pharmaceutical benzodiazepine meds….2 most significant are Delorazepam (loooong acting anxiolytic benzo) then finally into Lorazepam (Ativan) I had 2,000mg of Diclazepam……should’ve bought more ,fuck

Still have a bit plus Avizafone (Pro-Diazepam)

 

[Coffeeshroom]

This is something slightly of subject but still very interesting. for the last week I swap from 15mg diazepam a day to clonazepam 1.5mg a day. And after 2 days I started feeling shit and only today after restocking my diazepam, after taking 15mg, 30 min later I felt so much better. So clearly for me personally, diazepam is fixing me something that clonazepam doesn't and in away it causing wd like symptoms even though just light.

Just for interest sake.

 

[lost weekend]

Hi, I'm a long-term user of diazepam. Right now I get 60 0.5 mg tabs of Clonezepam/Kolonopin a month. I have been on various diazpems over the past 10+ years. Initially I liked the buzz, then the relaxation, then the way they helped me sleep. But after years of use (and misuse), I'm having trouble getting much out of them. I utilize tagamet and white grape fruit juice 30 minutes before taking the pils, and am pretty meticulous when it comes to timing, taking on an empty stomach, etc. But at this point I'm lucky if I get a light buzz and a little sleepy after taking 10 mg of Clonazepam.

Two questions/thoughts:

First, I divide my dosage up. I'll take some tagamet and grapefruit juice 30 minutes before the Clonazepam, then take 10 0.5 mg tablets. I'll then wait 60-90 minutes before taking more tagamet/juice, wait 30 minutes, then take the final 10 Clonazepam. The reason being, I don't want to be knocked out - I want to enjoy the buzz and relaxation without pass out. But at this point, I'm thinking I could take all 10 mg of Clonazepam at once and not risk that.

Second, I also have Carisprodol (350 mg) which I know potentiates diazepam. I tried to take Carisprodol before a few Diazepam years ago, and was just knocked out entirely. I don't recall the dosage, but it wasn't much for my tolerance at the time and I had/have a high tolerance for both Diazepam and Soma. Anyone have any advice on how to chase these together and get good results, without passing out?

Many thanks!

I was taking 6mg of clonozopam a day for 4 years non stop.went on holiday for 2 weeks abroad cold turkey and bam 5 th day in I was a wreck.thought I was going to seizure, was swimming as well.never slept for 4 days solid .went to chemist and asked for sleep aid and they gave me gabapentin, was a life saver was taking 120mg a day and could get some broken sleep.my advice is taper with diazapam as it has a much longer half life.i belive if I had been taking 40mg of valium upto holiday I may have lasted the 2 weeks albeit in severe discomfort but not life threatening

 

[marcoman]

I'm 67 yrs old, old hippie, longtime ice hockey player with a body beat to shit. So my meds are legit and used for pain relief, relaxation and to be honest ; recreational as well. Who doesnlt want to be pain free and happy at the same time? I'm a long time k pin user. I have to wean off and take breaks once or twice a year , then go back. I take .5 at 3x a day and works just fine..along with my 10 mg oxys, 3x a day. I found a cool doc, yeah. With the wean period and stopping is about 4 weeks. Everyones different but that works for me. I don't want to keep having to take higher dosages. Once a drug no longer works I wean off and take a break. Of course I don't tell my doc I do this.

 

[silver_lining]

my body hurts. i am fully physically dependent on tapentadol, i wake up every morning with the shits and runny nose along with painful arthritis. Only thing that seems to help is tapentadol, like 50mg every 3hrs or so. I usually stop in the afternoon, been taking valium and soma for sleep. So it's at that 12hr window without tapentadol that all these withdrawal symptoms emerge. I"m at like 50mg valium daily and 2 grams Soma daily along with the 200-300mg tapentadol. I want to stop, i know i need to tackle one at a time, i'm working so hard and 5 days a week i just can't break the cycle. I have gabapentin, trying it this morning instead of tapentadol and just gonna curl up and reflect on how i let this happen,. It's been well over a year now

 

[XmrXdisasterX]

Look into something called Avizafone and wean yourself off of these things. I’ve gone through some horrific benzo withdrawal in my life and I wouldn’t recommend them to anyone. I have a love hate relationship with benzos but the love has been completely outweighed by the hate. Good luck and if you need any advice, feel free to reach out. I’ve been a benzo and opiate addict for 23 years and know every trick in the book.

 

[OcCo]

my body hurts. i am fully physically dependent on tapentadol, i wake up every morning with the shits and runny nose along with painful arthritis. Only thing that seems to help is tapentadol, like 50mg every 3hrs or so. I usually stop in the afternoon, been taking valium and soma for sleep. So it's at that 12hr window without tapentadol that all these withdrawal symptoms emerge. I"m at like 50mg valium daily and 2 grams Soma daily along with the 200-300mg tapentadol. I want to stop, i know i need to tackle one at a time, i'm working so hard and 5 days a week i just can't break the cycle. I have gabapentin, trying it this morning instead of tapentadol and just gonna curl up and reflect on how i let this happen,. It's been well over a year now

Try tackling the opiate 1st, maybe you'd be better swapping for a week of buprenorphine then withdrawing from that as the withdrawals from subs are piss compared to other opiates. Only took tapentadol once found it felt dirty similar to tramadol more than likely to its SNRI activity, so am not sure what the withdrawals would be like on that side of things probably a lot of brain zaps and nasty sides but if you have to go to work I'd advise Buprenorphine you might find you dont need that much see if 4mg's helps then down to 2mg then 1mg then just buy a shitload of loperamide which helps me with all the w/d symptoms possibly due to being and opiate that just doesnt cross the BBB. Ive went straight from 8mg sub to nothing but 4 loperamide evert 4 hours with minimal withdrawals.

Benzo's and Soma will be the hardest I'm were you are left myself in a mess now that all the benzo's about are crap and was sometimes taking 100mg+ Diazepam or 20mg Clonazepam daily when they were legit but I had an opiate habit due to numbing my anxiety with herion or oxys when unable to get legit benzos, so decided to chip away at whats easiest 1st went from 300mg oxy daily or half a g of gear to 8mg Bupe for a couple of weeks then cut that out with loperamide.
Now I need to find a suitable benzo I can obtain readily, easily and equipotent to 60mg of diaz daily just need one that is effective for anxiety possibly one of these new benzo pro-drugs like Avizafone as the previous comment mentioned.

I'd be more concerned with your Soma use isnt it basically a barbiturate which the withdrawals are known to be deadly from? I'd try tackling that next as I can see the withdrawals possibly being really bad atleast having the GABAergic effect from your diaz should help with Siezures or other possible sides, then tackle them last.

 

[Dextro .45]

Avizafone (Pro-Diazepam) water soluble Valium & Emylcamate (Anxiolytic, sedative, muscle relaxant) are two amazing compounds that aren’t scheduled per say, in grey area, and fully available in certain regions

I have ordered and used roughly 7 packages of Avizafone (Pro-Diazepam) 1,000 mg ….administered via IM injection in shoulder muscle 50-70mg Avizafone per shot (30-40mg of Valium) but is a rapid acting water soluble prodrug metabolizing into Valium in 8min reaching peak serum levels in 0.5 - 0.7min

These 2 compounds are invaluable and are VERY effective & potent anxiolytic compounds

 

[lost weekend]

Avizafone (Pro-Diazepam) water soluble Valium & Emylcamate (Anxiolytic, sedative, muscle relaxant) are two amazing compounds that aren’t scheduled per say, in grey area, and fully available in certain regions

I have ordered and used roughly 7 packages of Avizafone (Pro-Diazepam) 1,000 mg ….administered via IM injection in shoulder muscle 50-70mg Avizafone per shot (30-40mg of Valium) but is a rapid acting water soluble prodrug metabolizing into Valium in 8min reaching peak serum levels in 0.5 - 0.7min

These 2 compounds are invaluable and are VERY effective & potent anxiolytic compounds

I'm a bit ignorant /stupidwhen it comes to the workings of drugs and how the body processes them.do you mean you would still feel valium effects

 

[silver_lining]

I am slowly breaking the cycle. With continued tapering, I am now down to 20mg Valium per day, planning to drop 5 every week if not faster.
I also am on day 4 without taking any tapentadol! I replaced it with gabapentin for the first few days which helped, but this morning feel like I won't even do that. Been just drinking coffee, eating, watching TV & had the last week off work really helped downsize my usage & stop the opioid use. Body aches and runny nose are really the brunt of my withdrawal so not really end of the world. Going much slower with the Diazepam as I never really get high on it but have built up a physical dependency for the last year & know better than to cold turkey a benzo, i suffer from extreme anxiety so it's a very patient taper so I don't freak the fuck out and have a major rebound of anxiety. But going from a year of 50+mg per day down to 20mg feels like I'm going to get to the finish line if I play the game right. I have still been taking Soma once per day, like 1500mg just for a nice escape and it does feel good, keeps anxiety at bay and allows me to not reach for any more Tapentadol or extra Valium. Soma is one that I can just stop all together one day soon, it's just a nice comfort med for now. I feel i've had enough experience with all these that I know Valium is the real bitch of the bunch. I also have Zopiclone for sleep, that has been nice knowing i can taper and withdrawal yet still not have to stay up all night. Those days will come but not now, i don't want to relapse and increase any usage of any of these things, just taper down. And i'm doing it, thank you for your support fellow BL's. Hopefully my Ambien shows up one of these days, it left overseas a month ago when the tarrifs hit, and seems to be circling the globe lol. Maybe so, maybe not, is it for this my life i sought?

 

[lost weekend]

Well done sounds like your on top of things I've never had soma what effects does it have

 

[silver_lining]

Well done sounds like your on top of things I've never had soma what effects does it have

Soma is very nice, just got to find the right timing with dosing. I always took it with an empty stomach, later in the day or evening. It basically makes you feel drunk; expect slurred speech and stumbling around, not something to take at work or around anyone for the matter lol.

I've been 10 days with zero Valium today! Over a month without any Opiates and no Soma for over 2 months. Gabapentin has been a lifesaver, helps with the rebound anxiety and sleep. I have a prescription for an obscene amount of it, i find 3 grams split into 6, staggering every 1/2 hour in the evening is the best for me.

Started smoking weed again after a year break, that helps keep my diet benzo/opiate free. I like having them for emergencies but dependency is such a sneaky bitch, it's all about only taking ONE dose a month or so, if that. Valium is the best and worst. Honestly Xanax is better for the once a month, and Valium can fuck off with it's metabolites and lonnnnnng half life.

 

[Dextro .45]

Long term Diazepam (Valium) is great for a dradual dose reduction weekly…..10, 5, and 2mg scored tablets so you can take even 1mg of oral Diazepam

Clonidine 0.1mg scored tablets are EXTREMELY effective & potent Anxiolytic with mild sedative effects…..they reduce elevated levels of HR & BP, reducing Norepinephrine in the CNS. Clonidine 0.1mg tablets are absolutely ESSENTIAL in a slow gradual taper of benzodiazepines & opioids etc

Pregabalin 150-300mg or Gabapentin 300mg X 3 are also an effective add on drug to help with Diazepam reduction in bloodstream & CNS ….,Pregabalin 150-300mg is a VERY robust Anxiolytic with anticonvulsant properties….also possesses moderate mood-boosting properties

Soooo….if your doctor is understanding and cool…..they could prescribe you very low dose therapeutic medications used to effectively & safely relieve the uncomfortable symptoms of benzodiazepine withdrawal/gradual dose reduction

Diazepam (Valium) 5mg scored tablets X 3-4 daily (to be gradually reduced)
Pregabalin 75mg / 150mg - Potent Anxiolytic & Anticonvulsants
Clonidine 0.1mg - Anxiolytic & mild sedative (an hour prior to bedtime)

NOTE: Pregabalin (Lyrica) 150mg capsules should be taken on a fasted state (empty stomach) 1h approximately to C-Max (peak serum levels in bloodstream) also oral bioavailability is amazing 90% …..if full meal…..onset & C-Max is 4 hours compared to just a single hour empty stomach

Clonidine 0.1mg scored tablets are very effective. I am 240 lbs / 6’ tolerant Male and even HALF of a scored 0.1mg tablet before bed has me feeling relaxed, reduced anxiety, reduced BP & HR perfect for relaxing and sleep

Diazepam (Valium) is a VERY loooong benzodiazepine with 3 active metabolites 200h+ and is the GOLD STANDARD of TRUE Anxiolytic + Muscle Relaxant properties……10mg / 5mg / 2mg scored tablets

However…..there is ONE TRUE COMPOUND UNLIKE NO OTHER

Synthesized by the same chemist who made Diazepam (Valium) and Clonazepam (Klonopin) …..this AMAZING compound called DICLAZEPAM (2-Chloro Diazepam) which is also a “pro-drug” and metabolizes into 3 legit legally licensed benzodiazepine drugs around the world

Diclazepam (2-Chloro Diazepam) > Delorazepam 78h >> Lorazepam (Ativan) 12h 200h+ this is basically the METHADONE of the Benzodiazepine world ……a single 1mg dose is equal to Diazepam 10mg or Alprazolam 0.5mg

My usual dose of Diclazepam was 3mg orally which in 24- 48hours would have FULLY metabolized into Delorazepam (licensed in Italy) a Potent loooong acting Anxiolytic vastly superior to Lorazepam (Ativan) 12h+ ….which Delorazepam eventually metabolizes into anyway after 78h half life

You can read many genuine medical journal about Delorazepam vs Lorazepam as effective Anxiolytic medicine
Delorazepam is VASTLY SUPERIOR……..which lucky I had 2,000mg of Pharmaceutical grade Diclazepam (2-Chloro Diazepam)