Long use benzo....Please help for withdrawal as its terrible.

[Mighty-oak]

Very interesting questions.....

I read that long term benzo use causes anxiety so I thought if I can get off them then I maybe anxiety free? I have very little knowledge on benzo tapers. I counted earlier.....I have 211 x 0.25mg Clonazepam tabs and the Dr wont prescribe me anymore, so I have 211 days to get off 0.25mg which should be easy enough especially as going to try swapping to 5mg of Diazepam and seeing how that feels. At present it is very embarrassing as I am agoraphobic so missing out on so much of life. I have a girlfriend and 2 daughters and cant take any of them out, not even down the road for something to eat. I missed out on going out for my eldest daughters 18th birthday a few months ago, that really got me down......I would do anything to be anxiety free.

 

[Jabberwocky]

To be frank, you will have a lot of work to do to get to a point where anxiety isn't dragging you down so much. And the work starts before you get off benzos, as it would be really difficult to make a successful transition of any kind of medication like that (or like it is to get off methadone after using it to manage opioid addiction) without learning a strong set of core skills you can rely on in place of taking a medication to manage your mood.

I find meditation and activities outside in nature, like hiking, going to the beach, biking, etc., to be very helpful in managing stress. The more I have incorporated these kinds of tools into my every day life, the less I have had to rely on substances to manage my mood, prescription or otherwise.

Of course, a huge part of learning to successfully manage one's mood is to also start cultivating healthy adult relationships with people. Spending time one on one with another person, doing things with them, talking, eating, whatever, in order to co-regulate your moods is probably the most effective way of managing stress. That isn't always possible, which is why doing things that rely on activities like hobbies, exercise, anything other than behaviors/substances that cause you harm (those you are attempting to avoid engaging in) is key.

I'd do anything to be anxiety free too my friend, but I feel like life is inherently stressful. I'm infinitely better at managing it today than I have been before, and it is easier to manage it without limiting myself to relying on only substances to do so. But I feel like the day I have no more anxieties in life is the day I die. And I'm not ready to die yet. So bring on the anxiety!

I'm so sorry to hear about your missing out on your daughters birthday. I can only imagine that would feel pretty soul crushing. By taking care of yourself in small ways now, any ways that are most accessible to you to start doing so, is probably the best way you could make it up to her though. Get yourself to a place where you can be there for her next birthday.

The better you are at being kind and loving yourself, the more capable you will be of being good to and loving your children.

 

[GoShredAK]

Regarding codeine or any other opiate.

Generally speaking it is ill-advised, and immediately dismissed as a terrible idea. Rightfully so, as many have died taking too much or by combining with benzos. Then there is the fact that opiates are the most powerfully addicting substances in existence.

However, opiates do have their value. If someone is in extreme pain they are prescribed opiates for a temporary as needed basis. When a person uses them for legitimate pain and stops taking them when they are no longer needed then there was no harm, and the opiate was a positive thing.

For a person with benzo dependency, who is in a perpetual state of withdrawal because they are tapering. Especially someone who go hooked on benzos genuinely attempting to treat anxiety and not through recreational use. Opiates can be a godsend and an effective tool In managing the process of getting the brain through benzo withdrawal.

Depending on the situation and the severity of the withdrawal symptoms, when you determine the pros and cons of using opiates, generally the benefit will outweigh the risk.

The perpetual agony of benzo withdrawals can persist for days, weeks, months on end with no breaks. This can wear on a person to the point where the think all is hopeless. It is such torture to be stuck In a never ending state of physical discomfort and mental anguish, anyone going through that deserves to feel better. A dose of an opiate may be just what it takes to lift someone's spirits and give them a much needed rest.

Expecting someone to manage through a year or more of withdrawal without ever getting a mental break is just unrealistic and completely unfair. Especially considering most of these people just wanted to not feel anxious, and they were unaware of the addictive nature of benzos.

When we look at the big picture, even in the worst case scenario where someone quits benzos only to develop an opiate addiction, they have still improved. Opiate dependency causes less brain damage, it is easier to treat, and the withdrawals much shorter-lived, not lethal and easier to manage

It is for this reason that I believe opiates should be utilized in treating benzo withdrawals.

When I was going through them I was able to try this and it relieved the symptoms like nothing else possibly can, and without negative consequences, or hindering the healing process.

Opiates are derived from a natural god given plant that has many Medicinal and therapeutic uses. It is actually very easy on the body.

Physical dependency, addiction, and overdose are the only negative aspects attributed.

These can be avoided with education, and no more prohibition. Imagine all the suicides could have been prevented. Or relapses due to pain and hopelessness.

I have been addicted to both and I can say without a doubt I would rather deal with and opiate dependency over a benzo dependency 1000 times. They just don't compare. Not only that but people with benzo addiction are not taken seriously so there is no help available. We are told it can't be so bad, or to just deal with it.

With a good doctor a person can be babied through opiate addiction.