(Natural) benzo tolerance?

[SayehMahtabi]

Hi all, this is my first post, so please redirect if this is the wrong location.

After horrible chronic insomnia (falling asleep around 5am regardless of how tired I was), I finally saw a psych and was prescribed sleep meds.

After some difficulty with Ambien (worked consistently, but side effects were too crazy), my doctor has been trying me on benzos. He started me on Ativan (1-2mg), which I couldn't feel at all - still took me about three hours to fall asleep. He recently switched me to Halcion 0.25, which is slightly better. I feel somewhat relaxed and I can fall asleep within 90 minutes if I *really* try. But I'm also on other sedating medication (Seroquel), and I feel like most people would be out like a light. Please note that I have never used benzos before in my life, so it isn't that I've built up a tolerance.

Is there any biological reason that I wouldn't feel the effects - neurotransmitter levels or something? This might seem like a weird question, but I'm also being treated for a mood disorder (unspecified, probably bipolar spectrum) and I'm just wondering if the two might be related somehow.

 

[Seattle_Stranger]

I am similar. Benzos seem to just not work on me unless it's an IV knock-out dose before oral surgery, and even so it doesn't feel good or euphoric. My friends are all obsessed with valium and xanax. My doctor tried me on valium, temazepam, clonazepam and ativan, none of which worked and I ended up just giving them all away to my buddies, and watched them have the best time. I don't get it. Could have to do with alcohol use from a very, very early age in my case. I can drink ungodly amounts of whiskey too.

Ambien though, that got me addicted! Had to kick it, the withdrawals and side effects were going to ruin my life.

 

[Lolie]

I'm another one who doesn't get the expected effects from benzos. It could be because I abused alcohol for years and my GABA receptors are screwed or it could just be one of those things, but it doesn't seem to be at all uncommon. What seems to be common now is for doctors to skip benzos as a sleep aid and do a really short course (5-7 days) of a z drug followed by long acting melatonin.

You don't mention the dose of Seroquel you're taking or what you're taking it for, but I take both Seroquel and sodium valproate and they really change how I respond to other drugs (especially alcohol, which is a GABA thing like benzos), so this could also be happening with you.

Almost all psych drugs are pretty much a trial and error thing, unfortunately.

 

[sackynut]

I'll chime in

Myself as well, benzos are much weaker per dose on my body/mind than your average person. I have suffered from horrible insomnia, horrible anxiety etc since I was like 12 years old (a long time ago). It takes 3-4MG of Clonazepam just to calm me down, and we arent even talking about falling asleep.

There are plenty of us out there who are just high energy/high anxiety, and benzos don't work as well as they should

If I may make a recommendation, if you are simply looking for a sleep aid, ask your doctor about Mirtazapine. It is not a benzo (nor is it addictive, or a narcotic), but I promise you 20000% that it will knock you out within 35 minutes. It is also non-addictive and non-habit forming. It might be hard to wake up in the morning, but I have never experienced such a strong chem in terms of falling asleep peacefully.

My doc prescribes me benzos for daily anxiety, and Mirtazapine for insomnia. Seriously, inquire about it. It also makes you hungry, kind of like marijuana haha, but only for a brief period of time, until you cannot keep yourself awake anymore. And this is coming from a guy who has to take 3mg Kpin and 2MG Xanax daily just to remain calm, trust me, Mirtazapine is your best bet for insomnia.

Look it up, its an anti-histamine, stronger than Promethazine, and also has VERY VERY minor psychedelic properties, by the time those properties kick in you are already fast asleep. Works like a charm.

Peace.