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Benzos question(s) to all experienced benzo users

P

Phat5o

Bluelighter
Joined
Sep 15, 2012
Messages
167
hey bros
i have been dealing with a very mild benzo withdrawal i believe. i have been off them now for 3 weeks. i had been using them in prescribed dosages for sleep and muscle pain. usually 1 - 2 mg klonopin or 5 - 20mg valium in the evening. 90% of the time i did not go over 1mg klonopin or 10mg valium. i was taking them for 2 - 3 weeks at a time then i'd stop for 2 - 3 weeks or so and then repeat. i noticed that whenever i went off i'd feel a little out of myself, like couldn't think straight, basically a brain fog sort of. this was pretty mild compared to the things i have been reading online. this feeling came and went in little phases and i think i'm really starting to snap out of this detox completely now.
i never lost any sleep but i should probably mention that some of the withdrawal symptoms were probably masked by the nucynta - tapentadol i was taking. on days i didn't take nucynta i was taking tramadol (i assumed i was not in danger of a seizure given the amount and length i was taking). i also took soma or gabapentin as needed some of the days during the first 2 weeks.
my question now is, is a taper really absolutely necessary in a situation like mine? i knew that people say it's better to taper but i really just wanted to be done with it as quickly as i could.
also, will i be able to take benzos again on the odd day i might need one without throwing me back into a withdrawal? i have serious pain issues and it's really the only thing that works in terms of getting rid of muscle spasms and letting me sleep on the extreme days, but i can't afford to get addicted, i'm already worried about having to go off opiates in the future.

i was also curious, can people stay on a certain dose of benzos all their life without having to up their dose? i heard some people may eventually start suffering withdrawal symptoms after many years of taking without even lowering their dose ??

i'd appreciate any advice/input
 
i don't think you need to taper, your doses were low and you weren't on them for long. That brain fog feeling is more than likely derealization which is a terrible effect from benzo withdrawal. If this really is the case then your body may have caught up with you and you will have a mild benzo withdrawal. I'm not sure if a taper is recommended in that case as it seems like the taper will just get your body even more used to being on benzos. Maybe take 5mg of valium every 3-4 days as a taper and after 2 weeks, go once a week and then be done with it.

Every time you repeat this cycle of using benzos and not, your body will adjust quicker and quicker to the benzos and i can bet the withdrawal in between uses will get worse and worse.

Some people can stay on the same dose of benzo for years and years but it's usually a higher dose rather than a lower one. You are right about people experiencing tolerance withdrawal i think it's more likely with a short acting benzo like xanax rather than valium as the levels of drug in the system vary far more with something like xanax.
 
i've done tons of cold withdrawals after i used too many benzos, and i never tapered. a taper is necessary when you're physically addicted. it's all a slippery slope from psychological rebound symptoms to dependence. do a cold WD if it's not too bad. all that bad shit like seizures normally only happens when you've developed a full-blown dependende and it seems like that's not the case with you.

i've never used benzos daily because the physical dependence it brings is absolutely dreadful. however some people really benefit from taking a regular daily dose. this usually works best with long-acting benzos like diazepam, oxazepam, clorazepate, chlordiapoxide or clonazepam. i mean i personally have never benefited from taking a regular daily dose, the only way it worked for me was intravenously injecting large doses of flunitrazepam, and that is definitely not recommended.

edit: there used to be an antidepressant on the german market called limbatril, which was 25mgs amitriptyline and 10mgs chlordiazepoxide. it was taken off the market a few years ago, but my father, who's a psychologist swears by it and still recommends his patients to take that combination, which is still available in seperate form.
 
I've heard of some whose benzodiazepine dose eventually only keeps them from going into withdrawal, and may have come across a few instances where people have gotten withdrawal from being on their daily dose after a while; this doesn't make sense pharmacologically though; I'm interested to here an expert or someone more knowledgeable's opinion on the matter. As it is it appears as if this phenomenon is possible. No way to tell if you will be one wherein this happens or not. We need a definitive answer though as to whether or not benzodiazepines more often than not lose pharamacological efficacy (and more so if they return the user to below their level of comfort before they started taking the drug). Naturally people will be more likely to write outstandingly negative reviews than neutral or very positive ones.
 
RobotRipping said:
Every time you repeat this cycle of using benzos and not, your body will adjust quicker and quicker to the benzos and i can bet the withdrawal in between uses will get worse and worse.
Click to expand...

very interesting, definitely something to watch out for in my case.

when do you think i can take random doses of benzos again for medical reasons if i really need it? definitely do not want to be back to day 1 of withdrawal or go thru this brain fog again. even though it's very minor still it's annoying as hell. i need to be able to function/think clear.

thanks for all the input guys
 
^I doubt benzodiazepines will help you to function/think clear, quite the opposite rather.

I used to be heavily dependent on benzodiazepines, although now I use them strictly as-needed, never daily or regularly enough to produce dependence or tolerance.

The only times I ever required dose-increases was during periods of self-medication, which obviously was my own improper use of the medication. When taken responsibly as tools, not toys, with the respect they deserve, benzodiazepines have a lot of therapeutic value. IMO, the key to success is not becoming dependent or taking them regularly. When you get to the point where you're sub-consciously relying on benzodiazepines to get through day-to-day situations, you're using them too much.
 
tricomb said:
^I doubt benzodiazepines will help you to function/think clear, quite the opposite rather.

I used to be heavily dependent on benzodiazepines, although now I use them strictly as-needed, never daily or regularly enough to produce dependence or tolerance.

The only times I ever required dose-increases was during periods of self-medication, which obviously was my own improper use of the medication. When taken responsibly as tools, not toys, with the respect they deserve, benzodiazepines have a lot of therapeutic value. IMO, the key to success is not becoming dependent or taking them regularly. When you get to the point where you're sub-consciously relying on benzodiazepines to get through day-to-day situations, you're using them too much.
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i didn't mean it as in needing benzos to think clear. i was saying that i can't afford to have to go thru a withdrawal again because of the 'brain fog,' it was quite hard to function 100% and i need to be able think clear.


did you have to detox off benzos when you were dependent?
and how long would you suggest i wait before using them again every once in a while when i absolutely need one?
 
I've been on the same dose for years and while it (Alprazolam) used to knock me out a bit more, it still serves its purpose. think everyone is different
 
I've detoxed and tapered and been dependent many many many times. Everyone's body is different. When I quit being dependent for good, I went over a year without dosing before I felt I was ready to take them strictly as needed.
 
There was one period of time in thirty-some years of taking xanax, that I stopped for a while. I am a very high strung, nervous person. One time I was traveling on the train to my job (while off xanax) and I had a very serious panic attack. I kept telling myself that at the next stop I would get off and get another train home. I did that all the way into the city and made it there. Then I was walking to my job, and the scarf around my neck was bothering me so much that I tore it off and I was in full blown panic. I hailed a cab and told him to get me to a hospital. In the hospital, the doc suspected a PE and did gasses and the whole nine yards. Finally after all tests were completed, he said that he thinks I am having a panic attck and have I ever tried xanax. I said that I had taken it before but not currently. He asked if I wanted some and I said yes. He brought me probably .5 mg of xanax. Within 15 minutes I was fine. So - ever since that day I have been on xanax, and of course before that I had been on it. I am prescriped 90 1 mg per month now (3 per day) and I am very carefull with it and only take it when panicking. I panic every day though.
 
I agree also, but I take a very low dose and only as needed. Sometimes not any for days. My prescribed dose is 3 1mg per day, but I don't take anywhere near that. Aslo, I have been on xanax for many years and have not upped the dose.
 
I guess I contradited myself. My panic attacks are daily, but I don't necessarily take xanax every time. I try other things like going for a walk with my puppy or drinking calming tea. Thanks for the concern though.
 
Ho-Chi-Minh said:
I've heard of some whose benzodiazepine dose eventually only keeps them from going into withdrawal, and may have come across a few instances where people have gotten withdrawal from being on their daily dose after a while; this doesn't make sense pharmacologically though; I'm interested to here an expert or someone more knowledgeable's opinion on the matter. As it is it appears as if this phenomenon is possible. No way to tell if you will be one wherein this happens or not. We need a definitive answer though as to whether or not benzodiazepines more often than not lose pharamacological efficacy (and more so if they return the user to below their level of comfort before they started taking the drug). Naturally people will be more likely to write outstandingly negative reviews than neutral or very positive ones.
Click to expand...

It's extremely hard to tell if they are just keeping you from withdrawal after a while because the withdrawal symptoms are basically the same as the symptoms that benzos are used to treat.

I have been prescribed benzos for 6 years now. I ended up tapering off of 3mg of xanax and got down to under 1mg of valium, but certain life events made my anxiety come back so I upped the dose, although I only take 2mg/day now.

Is 2mg of valium enough to cause anxiolytic effects in someone that had been on a much higher equivalent dose of xanax for 3 years? It's very hard to tell if my anxiety is a lot better and the valium is just keeping the withdrawal anxiety in check, or if the anxiety is still there and the 2mg is enough to stop it.
 
wow. 2mg valium is really a tiny bit.

thanks for all the replies guys

anybody got any more advice for me before i end up taking a klonopin to get to sleep. i had a rough day today pain wise and want to get some damn sleep, if that would mean me starting to withdrawal again i wouldn't do it. i have been completely off of them for 4 weeks now btw
 
When I started becomming a paramedic, I learned about the human body. I saw a lot of death, and people passing. It scared me. I couldn't understand how the heart could beat - but then realized that was God's first gift for everyone. If I had to go back in time, I wouldn't have become a paramedic. That is when I started on the benzos. I always thought I was going to have a heart attack. In the middle of the night - I had tachycardia so bad that I spent many a night in the ER. But I can see your point stating that the withdrawal symptoms are basically the same as the symptoms that benzos are used to treat. I have found that valium doesn't work at all for me - except for the first dose. I have endometriosis and have gone through many surgeries. Being anesthetized scares the shit out of me.
 
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