Smoking cancels out effects of benzos?

[wungchow]

I've read from a number of sources that smoking tobacco can effectively terminate a benzo high, particularly for diazepam. Is this true, and if so, by what mechanism? I'm assuming CYP enzyme induction?

 

[paranoid android]

It reduces the effects but doesn't cancel them out completely. Im not sure on specific benzos but ive heard that smoking beats the shit out of diazepam alright. Ive experienced this myself as i noticed that diazepam worked alot better when i had given up smoking.

It also effects clonazepam to some degree atleast because on the rare days that i don't smoke clonazepam seems to work better. I had given up cigarettes for 2 years and when i went back on them the benzos i usually take (clonazepam on a regular basis and diazepam and temazepam now and again) didnt work as well.

 

[w_oluck]

I didnt know that smoking reduced the effects of benzos! My son has severe anxiety and cant even get in a car without taking at least 2 .10 Mg Xanax. The last trip this past week end he popped 4 of those and then he gets paranoid that he is going to stop his heart! He is hooked bad, but these are Dr prescribed, which is no comfort when I see how much he depends on these.
He ALSO SMOKES and never knew that the smoking could cause these to not work as well.
GOOD THING TO KNOW THANKS GUYS

 

[RoxiPoppyGirl]

No wonder i don't feel benzo's like i used to. And i don't have a Benzo tolerance because i hardly ever take them. The last few times i took them i was smoking a lot more than normal because i was really stressed out and i couldn't feel the darn things.

A few days ago I took my dose and felt nothing, than a few hours later i took a larger dose (nothing outrageous dose size) and i barely felt them. I was like WTF is going on here?

When i was smoking a lot less, like say last month, .5mgs would knock me off my ass and this last week when i was smoking like a god damn fish i couldn't feel the benzo's. I got kinda frustrated. But, they did make me fall asleep, i just didn't get that typical benzo high.

Thankfully I'm not a huge fan of Benzo's and rarely take them so this isn't to big an issue but when i really need them I'd prefer that they work lol. So I'll refrain from smoking next time i need to take some.

Thanks for the info. I actually thought i heard this before but i didn't remember until i started typing all this. I think i read it on another forum about a year ago.

Very interesting.

I want to quit smoking anyway. This is just another 'Pro' to add to the many many reasons to quit smoking!!!

RPG

 

[Putingrad]

Yes, this is very much true, but for hypnotic benzos. The standard anxiolytics - alprazolam, clonazepam, etc. are not appreciably inhibited. CYP interaction is the mechanism.

 

[wungchow]

According to this study, the elimination half-life of diazepam, midazolam, and lorazepam aren't affected by cigarette smoking. So there must be some other mechanism to explain why smokers don't feel benzos as much as nonsmokers.

http://www.chestjournal.org/cgi/reprint/87/2/223.pdf

 

[wungchow]

Here's some more data that confirms my suspicions... smoking has no effect on the elimination of librium or valium, yet still decreases their effects...

http://www.ashp.org/s_ashp/bin.asp?CID=2038&DID=7027&DOC=FILE.PDF

 

[ebola?]

Yes, the effect is via enzyme induction, so it should not generalize to all benzos.
I haven't noticed anything of the sort, but I'm not a regular smoker (just when intoxicated), and I never breach like 2 in one day, so maybe there need be a build-up of nicotine or other substances for this enzymatic effect.

ebola

 

[/navarone/]

clonazepam

i just took 12 chrushed pills (24mg) of clonazepam (rivotril) with 2 valproic acid (depakin 300 chrono) tablets and felt pretty much nothing.

i have't used benzos in the the last 5 days
i took olanzapine 3 days ago.....7.5mg think

is this normal?8(

im starting to thik i should start IVing benzos to feels something at least.

 

[Painiac512]

DO NOT IV YOUR BENZOS! For the most part, they aren't very soluble in water.

I am pretty certain of this.

 

[mindtools]

Some benzos can be IV'ed. There is quite a lot information about this on this board

 

[wungchow]

If you IV benzos, expect to suffer serious anterograde amnesia (i.e. black out.) That's why doctors will give you IV benzodiazepines before surgery.

 

[swilow]

Yes, this is very much true, but for hypnotic benzos. The standard anxiolytics - alprazolam, clonazepam, etc. are not appreciably inhibited. CYP interaction is the mechanism.

So, how is diazepam affected? I always see that mentioned as a CYP-inducer...yet diazepam isn't purely a hypnotic...?

 

[ebola?]

>>i just took 12 chrushed pills (24mg) of clonazepam (rivotril) with 2 valproic acid (depakin 300 chrono) tablets and felt pretty much nothing.
>>

Please consider doing a taper...this is alarming.

Basic info re: IV'ing:

Some benzos are water soluable (eg, midazolam) and sometimes come in injectable ampules. There are also injectable ampules for some non water soluble benzos, containing small amounts of ethanol, water, and other stuff (propylene glycol?). Attempting to shoot a PILL for a non-water soluble benzo is pretty much never safe.

ebola

 

[MurphyClox]

Yes, the effect is via enzyme induction, so it should not generalize to all benzos.
I haven't noticed anything of the sort, but I'm not a regular smoker (just when intoxicated), and I never breach like 2 in one day, so maybe there need be a build-up of nicotine or other substances for this enzymatic effect.

1. Yep, the responsible pathway goes over the CYP-system.
2. I'm quite sure that it is NOT the nicotine but (as you stated) some other substances from cigarette smoke.

Just to clear that out.

PEACE! Murphy

 

[Gryzer]

Caffeine will also do this with certain benzos I can't remember exactly which ones but I think diazepam and defo alprazolam, probably due to conversion to theophylline in the liver, man theophylline has shitloads of actions on drugs and even your cells(depletes phosphorous etc). I'm pretty sure my huge tolerance to certain drugs without having ever taken them or cross tolerant drugs beforehand are due to some sort of sensitivity to it.
Reason I go off topic a bit is because in my experience most people who smoke use quite a bit of caffeine, by the way smoking reduces half-life of caffeine and theophylline by 50% approx.