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Benzos Occasional benzo use with GAD - what to choose?

O

Opioten

Bluelighter
Joined
May 16, 2010
Messages
64
I suffer from GAD and some mild OCD. I have been addicted to benzodiazepines before, and never will I go through those withdrawels again.

I would like to still use benzoes once a week, but I am unsure what benzo to choose? I don't want rebound anxiety, therefore I am thinking about diazepam, but I don't feel safe with it's long half life.

What do you guys recommend? Too short acting benzoes gives me rebound anxiety and since I already have GAD I don't want that :)
 
i've got GAD too and tbh i wouldnt even take any benzo, seems that with GAD i'm more suseptable to rebound anxiety
 
What do you guys recommend? Too short acting benzoes gives me rebound anxiety and since I already have GAD I don't want that
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If you don't want a shorter acting benzo, then Xanax (alprazolam) and even Ativan (lorazepam) are sort of out of the picture. If you don't want to go with diazepam either, Klonopin (clonazepam) is a nice middle-ground between diazepam and lorazepam. Different benzos for different people. Gotta figure out which works best for you.
 
This isn't a great Other Drugs thread. Many people with legitimate needs for benzos will ask this question. The best you can do is look through the search engine, and read subjective experiences with benzos.

Every benzodiazepine has the potential to create a unique response for any one person. The only way to know is to try them out and see which works best for you.
 
^ Good advice! I agree if you have been addicted to benzodiazepines then I would not advise taking them for your GAD. I found that Wellbutrin (bupropion) actually works great for my anxiety. I cannot take benzos as they always get me in trouble. The withdrawl is so horrible I will do just about anything to obtain them, and it has landed me in jail a few times. So my advice to you, try a few other options you will find something that works. Atarax (hydroxyzine), Buspar, some of the SSRIs, and even some beta blockers like Inderal and Lopressor will help. I would try the Wellbutrin though, it works great for me.
 
I have some issues with GAD and SAD and while I have never been physically addicted to benzodiazepines, I find that after I obtain some and use them for any stretch of time -- coming off of them always creates much worse anxiety for me -- than the relief they provide; sometimes unbearable. I am currently stopping marijuana for a while because I feel anxiety has become more and more of an issue, but I know weed will always be there.

I can be extremely moody and benzodiazepines -- though I love them -- fuck with my emotional lability a lot too. I've got to be careful with that.

The post above me recommended some great options. I have never used Wellbutrin for anxiety persay, but it worked pretty well for my depression / dysthymia disorder when I was in a rotten place.

I still sometimes wonder if I may lead a "better" life being on a low-dose benzodiazepine regularly, like I am Suboxone. From what I've read, almost everyone who is physically addicted to benzodiazepines says that you shouldn't try to take them long-term. Not to mention the cognitive / physical side effects from long-term benzodiazepine use.

So, be careful, even with occasional use -- more especially if you have an anxious tendency and/or an addictive tendency.
 
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ive been considering the same as you janja, and I was wodering, is low dose, like .5 to 1mg of something like clonzepam a day really going to be that tough of a widthdrawl? When I hear there horror stories they have 10mg+ a day habbits.
 
I will give Wellbutrin a shot if I can get my hands on some :)

I know benzoes isn't the best choice but I can't imagine a life without them being there. I have had 2 small habits before where I used for some months and realized I had to stop for a while so the WD's isn't going to be horrible. Last time was alprazolam for 4 months and I felt horrible but have been clean for 2 weeks now and I feel fine again.

I have a addictive personality, but I still know how and when to stop, which I have done with opiates alot too.

I hope I don't step on someones toes by saying this but I don't want to say: "I will never take any pills again to feel good inside and get some relief from my GAD". It makes me feel weak and I want to control my usage of pills.

I guess I have to wait and see what life brings me :)
 
I would suggest goin' to see a doctor/psychiatrist. That way, even if you DO require taking benzos on a daily basis, when the time comes where you want to get off of them, the doctor will be able to help taper you down to minimize withdrawals.

I also have GAD/SAD and I am prescribed klonopin. It doesn't 'fuck me up' like xanax did, but it helps keep me stable and my anxiety at bay. Also helps with my insomnia. I much prefer the longer half life benzos (klonopin/valium) over xanax, simply because I had a bad addiction to xanax a number of years ago and never want to go thru the horrible withdrawals like that again. And even taking it daily, the short half life would make my whole day a constant up and down roller coaster of being on the brink of severe panic.
 
banana101 said:
If you were addicted to benzos before, DO NOT take Xanax. Or most benzos for that matter.

Hydroxyzine might be a good choice-- non-benzo, non-narcotic:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroxyzine
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Have you personally tried this before? I have plenty of it, and it doesn't do anything. Propranolol I wanted to try for anxiety, but it fucking sucks. If you have stage fright you stop sweating and its not that useless, at least less so than Atarax for me.

Me personally... I hate benzos and would never take them if I had an everlasting supply of opiates, which are better for everything, but thats just another addiction on its own.

Wellbutrin? What the fuck? You want anxiety? You do know its a stimulant right, and one of the side effects is anxiety?

My doctor tried to put me on an SSRI, and I refused to take it, on the down low. I think you should really just consider moderating your self control.

Realize that:
Benzos are cheap.
You can get a supply of them easily.
It takes effort to become an addict, you have to take them everyday to withdraw. Really, you shouldn't be THAT anxious.

You lack self control, which is the real problem. You can just learn not to take too much. Its not hard and the only thing stopping you is yourself.

Alternatively you can seek a drug free method, but I don't know your situation enough to advise on that.
 
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I would suggest goin' to see a doctor/psychiatrist. That way, even if you DO require taking benzos on a daily basis, when the time comes where you want to get off of them, the doctor will be able to help taper you down to minimize withdrawals.
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This is very important. I have anxiety as well and I know one day I'll probably have to do a diazepam taper. But that's okay, at least I have a doctor that understands what a diazepam taper is.

Wellbutrin? What the fuck? You want anxiety? You do know its a stimulant right, and one of the side effects is anxiety?

My doctor tried to put me on an SSRI, and I refused to take it, on the down low. I think you should really just consider moderating your self control.
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Bupropion is indeed a stimulant, but it can help people with anxiety in some situations. I know some people who have really bad ADHD and dextroamphetamine (which is much more of a stimulant than bupropion is!) calms them down and reduces their anxiety.

Diff'nt strokes for diff'nt folks.

I do agree that this isn't a OD thread, there is a plethora of threads around the various BL forums dealing with various people's experiences with benzodiazepines, both good and bad.
 
I would venture to say that dextroamphetamine is very calming at sub-add doses, and puts me to sleep, I believe CH also has this experience. This is just purely subjective though. The reason I think amphetamines calm people down is because after extended use, you really have no feelings. After months of fight or flight being the daily activity, people will get tired.

I don't think that stimulants are the answer but its up to the OP to decide what they want to try.
 
^I feel that a big part of ADHD is anxiety about being overwhelmed, etc. I don't want to derail this thread, however.

I have anxiety issues and taking dextroamphetamine increases my anxiety and has induced panic attacks and more anxiety. So...please don't take my example in my previous post as a recommendation that people with GAD/panic disorder take stimulants, because in my opinion they shouldn't, but it does work for some people...just not for me.
 
i find that xanax works the best and if you want to avoid withdrawals just take them for 2 or 3 days then don't for 1 or 2 and continue on like that taking a weeks break every say 2 months
 
ive got horrible GAD and welbuterin made it sooo much worse. On the other hand, once a month I take about 20-25mg of dextroamphetamine recreationally and I have 0 anxiety during this.
 
Opioten said:
I suffer from GAD and some mild OCD. I have been addicted to benzodiazepines before, and never will I go through those withdrawels again.

I would like to still use benzoes once a week, but I am unsure what benzo to choose? I don't want rebound anxiety, therefore I am thinking about diazepam, but I don't feel safe with it's long half life.

What do you guys recommend? Too short acting benzoes gives me rebound anxiety and since I already have GAD I don't want that :)
Click to expand...

Lorazepam is the right benzo for you. Even though it is a short to intermediate acting benzo, it has poor lipid solubility and lorazepam is absorbed relatively slowly when taken orally. But its poor lipid solubility and high degree of protein binding (85-90% ) means that lorazepam's volume of distribution is mainly the vascular compartment, causing relatively prolonged peak effects.

So in other words, it's a short to intermediate acting benzo, but it has a prolonged peak effect (so it sort of acts like a long acting benzo, but really its not).
 
I will try lorazepam next time I see it around :)

I have a question regarding diazepam half life. Isn't it true that the longer you take diazepam - the more will build up in your system and when you stop taking it, it takes alot longer for it to come out of the system? Isn't that called metabolize?

What if I only take 15-20 mg diazepam once per week? Will it build up in my system then?
 
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