Benzos ,(opioids) questions regarding dosage and tolerance over extended periods of time

i was wondering about this for a while. for benzos, opioids or any type of medication that will result in a violent physical withdrawal when stopping after prolonged periods of use.

let's say you use a steady dose of your given drug(s), NOT constantly ramping up or yo-yoing the dosage... after many months, or even years, will there ever be a time where your body will just be so used to it and be like 'fuck you this ain't cutting it anymore i need more or else i'll go into withdrawal'?? so i'm not talking about having to raise the dosage for effectiveness on treating symptoms but having to raise the dosage just to avoid withdrawal at a certain point.

reason i'm wondering is because i have heard this about benzos. i read this somewhere on this site or another but the subject didn't expand any further.

that's a scary thought to me. however, in theory it makes no sense to me.

Wow, I have been wondering this for quite some time. Thankyou so much for posting, eager to hear responses! My hypothesis is that if you continue to desensitize receptors via higher doses for therapeutic uses, or recreational, then yes. The amount to not be sick we keep ramping up. On the other hand, with strong psychoactive drugs ex. benzos, opi's, amps. That if you keep your dose constant, that it would take some time for that to not be enough to atleast keep you at base line. Maybe over a decade or so you might notice your body/brain to completly accomodate the dosage of a drug where the symptoms your taking them for are as bad as they ever were. But I dont think going in full blown w/d is a strong possibility with consistent dosage regimens. Like I said unless you continue to desensitize for any reason with larger doses. Hope someone more educated on the neurology aspect of this will chime in, I'm interested as well.

same. im on and off and sometimes wonder if i should just stay on. but then i remember tolerance. so i yo yo. you know?

i started a taper, got down from 20mg valium , 2mg klonopin, 10 mg etizolam a day, to 5mg valium 1 mg kpin, 3-6 etizolam. only had one seizure. i guess im doin fine. started using tylenol 4 and am stopping the valium. just doing 1mg kpin, 3-6 mg etizolam and no issues at all. the seizure i think was because i was peaking on 350mg methlyone and went a few days without benzos. somehow i thought taking it would make the weird mental static i had from the benzo wd go away...it just made it go haywire, heh

let's say you use a steady dose of your given drug(s), NOT constantly ramping up or yo-yoing the dosage... after many months, or even years, will there ever be a time where your body will just be so used to it and be like 'fuck you this ain't cutting it anymore i need more or else i'll go into withdrawal'??

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Assuming you're maintaining a steady-state blood concentration, you'll eventually reach a point when the medication loses all efficacy*, but you won't suddenly start withdrawing, unless you either stop taking the drug or your blood concentrations are otherwise effected.

The issue is, however, most people aren't on a constant IV drip of benzos, day and night, and blood concentrations fluctuate pretty widely... meaning if you are a regular benzo user, you may feel like shit in the morning until you take your dose.

* Low doses can remain effective for really, really long times.

^^this

you wouldnt start withdrawing, but you would feel just baseline

you dont feel withdrawal until drug levels are lower than usual

it would be hard to keep a perfectly steady supply though- if you just took a pill every 8 hours or so, depending on the drug, levels would dip between doses obviusly

sekio said:

Assuming you're maintaining a steady-state blood concentration, you'll eventually reach a point when the medication loses all efficacy*, but you won't suddenly start withdrawing, unless you either stop taking the drug or your blood concentrations are otherwise effected.

The issue is, however, most people aren't on a constant IV drip of benzos, day and night, and blood concentrations fluctuate pretty widely... meaning if you are a regular benzo user, you may feel like shit in the morning until you take your dose.

* Low doses can remain effective for really, really long times.

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if you don't mind me asking.... what do you consider a low dose for benzos for the average person, particularly valium and klonopin?

Phat5o said:

if you don't mind me asking.... what do you consider a low dose for benzos for the average person, particularly valium and klonopin?

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IMO, a low dose of klonopin is .5mg to 1mg. Valium equivalent would be about 10mg.

When I was taking Xanax daily, I considered anything above 1mg to be a large dose and would notice more side effects as I increased the dose.