Benzos Valium Tolerance Reset

[Michael_25]

Have been prescribed diazepam for over 6 years now. Suffice to say, it has lost its anti-anxiety properties, and makes me only sleepy. How long of a break is required so I can get relief from anxiety from a moderately small dose?

 

[Keif' Richards]

Hi Michael! I'm sorry to hear that you're having a tough time. This is the theoretical end of the line when it comes to Benzodiazepines, that is, being fully dependent, yet no longer reaping any of the benefits. I will not lie, this process, whatever path we choose to pursue, is going to be a difficult one for you. There will be pain. There will be discomfort. The good news is that you have a gaggle of folks waiting in the wings to help you and provide you with advice that will indeed enable you to get through this tough venture.

Firstly, could I please get some more information regarding your history? I understand that you are a chronic user (6 years), but it would be very helpful to know the details regarding dosage, frequency etc.

I also would like to know what your past experience has been in relation to Benzodiazepine cessation.

Have you attempted this in the past and if so, what was the result?

How long can you go without Diazepam (Valium) before you are truly hurting?

What other substances do you use, both licit and illicit?

If you could please get back to me with some of this information, we can start to chip away at this behemoth. Sound fair?

 

[kleinerkiffer]

Ime tolerance to GABAergics, especially benzos, is something that stays for you quite a long time and in some cases seems to be pretty much irreversible.
As Keif said though, we need more backround information

 

[DoctorMolecule]

I was prescribed Valium 10mg t.i.d (3 times per day) for a little over 2 years. I also at times did not take them as prescribed. Not only did they eventually stop working to quell anxiety they actually started to cause insomnia and induce mild manic like episodes.
My doctor called it ?paradoxical effects?. Long story short this is when I began to slowly taper the diazepam. I?m lucky my psych doctor slowly tapered me. My taper lasted a little under a year, like about 40 weeks. She also prescribed Gabapentin and clonidine as ?comfort? meds, to help ease me away from benzodiazepines.
My last dose of Valium was in the spring of 2015 (I jumped off at 1mg/ going from 30mg per day to 1mg over the 40 week taper).
Now that the background info is out if the way, let me get to the point.
I bought some Valium off a friend in November of 2016 (almost two years since taking them), took 20mg at once and I experienced those same paradoxical reactions (insomnia, manic like symptoms etc)
Benzo tolerance may take many years to mitigate if it?s even possible to mitigate

 

[Jaredborgetti]

You should not quit this medication cold turkey if you have been taking it chronically, consult with your doctor, after 6 years, its unlikely you will reach baseline tolerance ever again, but several months should be enough to reset your tolerance to benzodiazepeines as low as it will ever go, but as I said, do NOT quit benzodiazepeines cold turkey, consult with your doctor.

 

[kleinerkiffer]

You should not quit this medication cold turkey if you have been taking it chronically, consult with your doctor

Good advice, going off cold turkey could cause seizures, so if you want to quit/a break a taper is the way to go

 

[Speed King]

I have successfully lowered my diazepam tolerance by switching to clonazepam for a few months then going back to diazepam. When I returned to the diazepam, it was much more effective.

YMMV, but my reasoning was giving receptor sites a break.


You always want to taper slower, to give your brain a chance to adjust to the medication change.

 

[kleinerkiffer]

will i get withdrawl from the other one xanax, if i take low doses when i start to need it for helping me through my taper. it has been seven days since i have taken the pain meds i am trying to ween from. and it seems impossible and it hurts worse than life itself.

It'd be better if you could open your own thread, so we can help you there without going off topic from the OPs question too much here
Edit: I just saw that you already started a thread about your question

 

[Speed King]

Have been prescribed diazepam for over 6 years now. Suffice to say, it has lost its anti-anxiety properties, and makes me only sleepy. How long of a break is required so I can get relief from anxiety from a moderately small dose?

I answered mid thread,but from personal use if you can't rotate to another long acting benzo, I would say a few months absolute minimum and that is subjective because I have no idea how wraped up in the diazepam you are.

Your body has become acustom to the dosage, If you have used this correctly, a break is what did it for me,

The receptors need to not be hit with diazepam for a while,peroid. That is what the suggestion for clonazepam was for. All benzos have similar effects at some point, the bindimg sites are what needs the break. There is a reason that different medications feel different or produce diffrent effects,


YMMV and this is all my opinion, but if your plan is to continue diazepam I highly suggest switching to clonazepam. It is close enough and after a few months you have a chance of getting some subjective diazepam effects back. The longer the break, the better chance you have.

 

[fairnymph]

I've been taking diazepam (prescribed) for 11yrs. I am definitely not normal, bc I don't get any withdrawal symptoms from stopping benzos cold turkey, but I have kept my monthly dose steady & tolerance down by varying my dose. I'm prescribed 15mg/day but I rotate between 5, 10, 15 & 20 mg. Occasionally I go a day without but I have found that taking proper breaks doesn't help. For me it's a constant matter of trial & error that I take day by day but it definitely works - for me.

 

[aspiringchemist]

I've been taking diazepam (prescribed) for 11yrs. I am definitely not normal, bc I don't get any withdrawal symptoms from stopping benzos cold turkey, but I have kept my monthly dose steady & tolerance down by varying my dose. I'm prescribed 15mg/day but I rotate between 5, 10, 15 & 20 mg. Occasionally I go a day without but I have found that taking proper breaks doesn't help. For me it's a constant matter of trial & error that I take day by day but it definitely works - for me.

I have been on diazepam for about 5 years at varying doses of up to 15mg/day. Currently I am on 10mg/day.

After being on it for so long I find that I too can skip a day, suffer no withdrawl, and reap no benefits in terms of tolerance reduction. My guess is that all of this is due to the incredibly long half life of diazepam.

I agree with SpeedKing regarding switching to a different long acting benzodiazepine like clonazepam to give your receptors a chance to heal. My psychiatrist in fact brought this up to me at our last appt since I have been on diazepam for as long as I have. This rotation technique is often used in opioid pain management for the very same reason.

 

[DoctorMolecule]

I have been on diazepam for about 5 years at varying doses of up to 15mg/day. Currently I am on 10mg/day.

After being on it for so long I find that I too can skip a day, suffer no withdrawl, and reap no benefits in terms of tolerance reduction. My guess is that all of this is due to the incredibly long half life of diazepam.

I agree with SpeedKing regarding switching to a different long acting benzodiazepine like clonazepam to give your receptors a chance to heal. My psychiatrist in fact brought this up to me at our last appt since I have been on diazepam for as long as I have. This rotation technique is often used in opioid pain management for the very same reason.

That?s one of the good things about Valium, it?s long half life. You can skip a dose and not feel crappy at all. Try that with a serious Xanax habit. You can start going into withdrawals the same fucking day you take it.

 

[kleinerkiffer]

Interestingly for some people diazepam only works for a few hours due to the fast redistribution away from the brain into the periphery (mostly fat iirc)

 

[Hylight]

That?s one of the good things about Valium, it?s long half life. You can skip a dose and not feel crappy at all. Try that with a serious Xanax habit. You can start going into withdrawals the same fucking day you take it.

i started taking xanax because i remember being told valium wasn't
really prescribed 'anymore.'
but i had known what alprazolam (xanax) was from taking it
before. but it is much stronger and hits me hard immediately.

i wouldn't mind taking valium but i am used to taking xanax anyway.

it might be like comparing coke to pepsi but with a little more bias.

you know what used to be in the coke anyway so maybe Not.

 

[aspiringchemist]

Interestingly for some people diazepam only works for a few hours due to the fast redistribution away from the brain into the periphery (mostly fat iirc)

I only notice the acute effects for about 2 hours but feel ok if I skip one dose or one day.

Do these people experience withdrawl onset more quickly?

 

[DoctorMolecule]

Valium is the only Benzo where I?ve experienced an ?after glow? the next day

 

[Hylight]

to me Valium is strong but xanax seems to be much more stronger than valium.
like crazy stoney high stronger. but i don't know why but i think valium might be safer but xanax is definitely much more fun.
i haven't really taken them both recreationally except for a few times and very rarely.
and yes, i get really groggy from taking them prn.

 

[fairnymph]

I have been on diazepam for about 5 years at varying doses of up to 15mg/day. Currently I am on 10mg/day.

After being on it for so long I find that I too can skip a day, suffer no withdrawl, and reap no benefits in terms of tolerance reduction. My guess is that all of this is due to the incredibly long half life of diazepam.

I agree with SpeedKing regarding switching to a different long acting benzodiazepine like clonazepam to give your receptors a chance to heal. My psychiatrist in fact brought this up to me at our last appt since I have been on diazepam for as long as I have. This rotation technique is often used in opioid pain management for the very same reason.

Unfortunately not an option for me, as diazepam is the ONLY drug out of every possible option available in the US & Germany that treats the cause of my pain, namely severe muscle tension. Without it, I need to take twice the dose, sometimes more, of my opiate painkillers (hydromorphone &/or heroin, former prescribed but generally not strong enough & not available in IR here above 1mg or so).

I have taken 15mg daily for 3+mo straight then gone cold turkey for up to 8wks, with no withdrawal. Could still be long half life, but I think I'm a freak. I HAVE noticed much more rapid tolerance building & withdrawal after even just a week's use of the Z drugs, all of them if I recall. I haven't taken any other benzo regularly, not even short term, though.

I do find that clonazepam seems to boost the muscle relaxant effect of diazepam for me, though on its own it is better than nothing, unlike everything else I've tried, but not nearly as effective as diazepam. Maybe 10-15% of the effect & it maxes out at 2mg, plus I dislike how clonazepam leaves me groggy the next day & takes so long to kick in.

 

[Specified]

Would taking 1 or 2 days off a week of xanax affect tolerance? Also, what's ashwagandha like compared to xanax? Today i had my third pill in a row (took one a day) alongside my xanax and i feel a lot more tired. Does the ashwagandha need time to build up hence the reason while I'm feeling it on the third day? Trying to not rely on xanax.

 

[fairnymph]

Any time off should help with tolerance. I really wouldn't expect ashwagandha to substitute for a benzo, especially Xanax.