Benzos Benzo dependence/effects

Hey there

a few questions for a close friend of mine;
Have been taking valium/xanax/other benzo's for about 2 years
Strictly weekend use - 10mg valium or 1-2mg xanax at one time always with alcohol

Questions, if he stops will it lead to withdrawals? He sometimes feels a bit flu-ey on Mondays which seems to be some sort of withdrawal, but never craves them. Just uses them for fun with his partner as a way to relax. Used to take 3 times a week (Fri/Sat/Sun unless going out) but cut down to 2 in fear of addiction (Fri/Sat or Sat/Sun, always 2 days in a row)

Also will this kill brain cells? Lately he's felt a bit foggy and is worried it will affect his personality.

Thanks for your time guys, he really appreciates your help.

Valium has a massive half life, as i'm sure you probably know..

If you take 10mg Valium on saturday, there's definitely some still rattling around in your system the following saturday.. and probably the saturday after that.
The point is if you never took any substantial breaks from benzos in the two year period, then you haven't been properly clean from benzos at any point since about two years ago. In which case you should definitely make a tapering plan if you intend to stop.
Valium is gonna be better to taper from than the xanax.

As far as 'kill brain cells' goes, yeah I guess you could put it that way.

It's not so much that it's toxic, Valium is not really very 'toxic' at all,
But what it's doing to your brain could be seen as killing it off in a way.
Excessive use over a period of time, especially with alcohol, will turn you in to a zombie, yeah.

Thanks BrassEye.

As for killing off the brain, is it reversible? I've struggled to find any articles on brain cell loss from combining these two - do you speak from experience?

Also you said "excessive use" is 10mg really classified as excessive?

Lastly what if only Xanax is used on weekends in order to taper off - would that work?

incognito23 said:

Thanks BrassEye.

As for killing off the brain, is it reversible? I've struggled to find any articles on brain cell loss from combining these two - do you speak from experience?

Also you said "excessive use" is 10mg really classified as excessive?

Lastly what if only Xanax is used on weekends in order to taper off - would that work?

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Xanax is a poor choice for tapering. It has a very short half life. Valium is the best benzo to taper with.

10mg is not a very large dose, no.

As far as the brain, I don't see long term benzo use causing any permanent changes. Everything should reverse with time.