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Benzos Diazepam alternative

avm9rcmi

Greenlighter
Joined
Feb 13, 2019
Messages
3
I've been using Diazepam sparingly for severe anxiety for several years. I've recently pretty much stopped my severe alcohol habit which i was using to self medicate. Essentially i don't want to get into a position where I develop a tolerance or dependency on Diazepam so wanted to know if there is another benzo I can use alongside with similar therapeutic effects.

So if I take diazepam on Saturday and feel the need to take it on Monday due to anxiety, can I take a different benzo therefore not developing an dependency/tolerance to the diazepam or the other benzo.

Thanks
 
There is cross tolerance so if you take ANY assortment of benzos daily you will likely become dependent. I would honestly recommend SSRIs, otherwise maybe do diaz one day, break day, then clonazepam, break day, repeat. But if you only use diaz 2-3x a week, that may be fine as is. The frequency often evades dependence.
 
Currently taking Fluexetine which helps day to day but for more stressful situations or increased anxiety i'm using the diazpeam about as you say 2-4 times a week. anywhere from 2-10mg on those days. I'm fine to stick with just the diazepam but if taking another benzo alternately would reduce the risk of dependancy/tolerance id like to do so.

In regards to this would Clonazepam be a good substitute for my non-diazepam days
 
I think you're fine as is. I personally probably would stick with your regimen since you know it works. But yeah, you could take clonazepam some of the time instead & both benzos would work a little better. You might not notice much, but everyone is different. I find diaz & clon have a nice synergy (for me at doses of 10-15mg diaz & .5-1mg clonaz, taken at the same time) - I use them purely to relieve extreme pain due to muscle tension. Since both benzos have long half lives you'd get some of that potential synergy too, though I don't know if it would be helpful for anxiety. For me clon does almost nothing for anxiety & diaz is decent for it but not great. My preferred anxiolytic for acute anxiety (the only kind I get other than my OCD which is well controlled at this point from years of CBI on high dose fluoxetine) is lorazepam.

Let us know if you do add clon, what you think.
 
Thanks mate will do. I'll definitely look into the anxiety benefits of Clon. I know the diazepam is working for me at the moment but I could see myself needing to increase the dose at some point so anything that can help reduce that risk would be good. I'll also take Lorazepam into consideration.

Anymore advice from anyone else would be helpful thanks
 
any benzodiazepine will be addictive

chlordiazepoxide might be "the one"

your other alternative is valerian; this is a much less abusable one in my experience.

buy some valerian tea; it's a bid odd and I don't like it for euphoria or recreation.

Known compounds detected in valerian that may contribute to its method of action are:

Alkaloids: actinidine,[8] chatinine,[8][9] shyanthine,[8] valerianine,[8] and valerine[8]
Isovaleramide may be created in the extraction process.[10]
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)[1]
Isovaleric acid[11]
Iridoids, including valepotriates: isovaltrate and valtrate[8]
Sesquiterpenes (contained in the volatile oil): valerenic acid,[12] hydroxyvalerenic acid and acetoxyvalerenic acid[13]
Flavanones: hesperidin,[14] 6-methylapigenin,[14] and linarin[15]

...and some mechanism of action....

Because of valerian's historical use as a sedative, antiseptic, anticonvulsant, migraine treatment, and pain reliever, most basic science research has been directed at the interaction of valerian constituents with the GABA receptor.[16] Many studies remain inconclusive and all require clinical validation. The mechanism of action of valerian in general, and as a mild sedative in particular, has not been fully elucidated. However, some of the GABA-analogs, particularly valerenic acids as components of the essential oil along with other semivolatile sesquiterpenoids, generally are believed to have some affinity for the GABAA receptor, a class of receptors on which benzodiazepines are known to act.[17][18] Valeric acid, which is responsible for the typical odor of mostly older valerian roots, does not have any sedative properties. Valeric acid is related to valproic acid, a widely prescribed anticonvulsant; valproic acid is a derivative of valeric acid.

Valerian also contains isovaltrate, which has been shown to be an inverse agonist for adenosine A1 receptor sites. This action likely does not contribute to the herb's possible sedative effects, which would be expected from an agonist, rather than an inverse agonist, at this particular binding site. Hydrophilic extractions of the herb commonly sold over the counter, however, probably do not contain significant amounts of isovaltrate.[19] Valerenic acid in valerian stimulates serotonin receptors as a partial agonist,[20] including 5-HT5A which is implicated in the sleep-wake cycle.[21]

you might want to just get some good old cannabis.
 
I agree that any benzo used constantly will be addictive at the end of the day but another benzo to look at is bromazepam, it works for me for the anxiety and such but still prefer diazepam for the muscle relaxant properties
 
Be warned that 0.5mg clon = ~ 10mg dzp, so start Low and slow. Ffell for ya
 
chlordiazepoxide might be "the one"

Chlordiazepoxide is just a prodrug for nordazepam, the major metabolite of diazepam.
However, it (as well as another nordazepam prodrug, chlorazepate) is sometimes used as a benzodiazepine of choice in people with a history of alcohol addiction, presumably because their slower pharmacokinetics make them less recreational. However, they will still produce dependence if administered several days a week.

IMO, pregabalin ("Lyrica") is an excellent antianxiety medication; although some people do find it recreational to some extent, its abuse liability is far lower than that of benzodiazepines; if the dose is titrated properly, it may also be more well-tolerated than anxiolytics based on serotonin/histamine antagonism (like quetiapine).
Pregabalin has already gone generic in Europe as far as I know, but I'm not sure if that also applies in the US. If you can't afford pregabalin, you might have some success with its cheaper predecessor, gabapentin.
 
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