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Benzos Will you get physically dependent faster if you have been before?

ninewhilenine

Greenlighter
Joined
Mar 11, 2025
Messages
12
I've heard many times that for people with past opiate dependence and addiction they will get physically dependent faster when they relapse. I was dependent on Xanax for a short time and had mild withdrawal, the first 2 days were really bad and then it got better after a week gradually, the anxiety and muscle cramping was the worst my neck felt constantly strained. But if I'm honest it wasn't unmanageable by the 3rd day and I could semi-function in uncomfortability. I've been taking 2-4 mg's daily for about two weeks, two nights ago around when I usually take a bar I got really nauseous and cold and just felt unwell and anxious all of a sudden, I thought I might be getting sick but I took a bar to ease the anxiety and then decided to take my Seroquel as well and just go to sleep[, so I knocked out about an hour after that and just prayed for them to kick it and let sleep takeover. Yesterday I took some earlier in the day and didn't have any issue. Today the same thing happened and I'm shivering nauseous, extremely physically anxious, I took a bar not too long ago and waiting to see if that fixes all of it or just the anxiety. Or am I somehow already feeling withdrawals?
 
Yes, you will. If a person has had significant tolerance to a drug, tolerance will return rapidly even after long periods of abstinence. This phenomenon is widely reported in the literature, particularly in the context of alcoholism and benzodiazepines. Anecdotally it occurs with opioids and gabapentinoids too.

Tolerance is the cause of physical dependence. The two concepts are inextricably linked.

I took a year break from all opioids. Upon returning I used about 200mg of heroin over the course of two days and afterwards I felt a moderate but undeniable withdrawal. When I was opioid niave it took over a week to develop any sort of physical dependence.

Who knows how long it takes for this phenomenon to stop, or if it ever does. It's very possible after decades tolerance will rapidly increase.
 
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I took a 2 year involuntary break from opiates and about a 8 month break from benzos. My tolerance never went back to zero but using for a week or 2 doesent give me any wd's. I take breaks now
 
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