Benzos Long term, high dose daily benzo users now clean?

[phatass]

Are there any Long term, high dose daily benzo users who are now clean off benzos... I'm talkink 5 years minimum + 40-60mg diazepam or 2+mg alprazolam or clonazepam users with or without a strong hypnotic ie. temazepam, loprazolam etc.???

How did you detox, did you ever get back to "normal"?

how many months or probably rather years did it take?

were you be able to be functional (work, relationships, love, friends...) during the taper, then once clean?

did you all experience severe PAWS? even with slow tapers?

any additional info?

Thanks all, much

PA


ps.
(little personal background... i'm at the equivalent of 100mg ish mg diazepam/day RX + a hypnotic... have been at way way higher doses for 2+ years ie. 350mg oxazepam 17.5mg nitrazepam, and 3.5mg loprazolam.... of my 6+ years of addiction, rarely if ever less than 60mg diazepam equivalent/day...)

 

[ANewKindOfArmy]

Haha i would attempt to explain to help but i'm pretty sure you know all them answers from what we're talked about over the last couple days. I did wanna see this thread through to see if anyone had anything to say that may help me out. Best of luck!

Be safe out there,
-B

 

[phatass]

^^word bro... you can't be the only one after all.... i hope!!!

thx, u 2....

 

[AlphaMethylPhenyl]

I've cut my prescribed dose in half, but I'm not "clean". I tend to oscillate between that dose and the full dose (4mg ativan). But I like the feeling from taking less than prescribed. It makes my other medication work better too. I haven't been on them for five years, more like a year total, this time 6-7 months. I would be really restless without it so I'm getting off it slowly.

 

[Non Nobis Solum]

Yes, I will post more when I have the time.. It absolutely gets better!

 

[Apostacious]

I suppose I would qualify as a recovered benzodiazpine addict, who abused benzos long-term at high doses (3-10mgs daily for 5 years). I tapered back in '07-'08, and recovered 100%. It took roughly 6 months to get back to 100% after the taper, but I was pretty much a-okay even immediately after I finished tapering, though I couldn't have caffeine without a panic attack, and had bad on and off insomnia. Taper slow, using a water titration method. It's not that bad.

 

[Kid Amine]

I got off of a 20mg/day RX diazepam and 1-4mg/day non-RX xanax habit back in early 2005, stayed off benzos completely for 4 years. I quit CT, didnt know how badly a benzo WD would suck (2nd only to H ime). Took 6 weeks to shake the physical symptoms, and 6 months for the rest + mental. I somehow held down a job, maybe that helped, not having a ton of free time, and was married (no kids), so yeah, was able to do all you mentioned. Ive since relapsed but Im not addicted to benzos like I once was. I like some xanax bars once in a while but dont crave them nor have physical problems related to doing (or not doing) them. I was on the valium for 3+ years.

 

[sailor bugg]

I used to take 14mg+ daily of clonazepam for 4 years and then another 3 years on 4mg xanax, 30mg temazepam, and 3mg attivan. I went off of them cold turkey and had absolutely no problems or withdrawal, I'm thinking that's an exception to the rule rather than what normally happens when you cold turkey off of doses of that amount.

 

[phatass]

hmmm, maybe there is a small amount of hope for me..... but it looks a bit bleak

Non Nobis... lookin forwards to what you have to input when you have time!

Sailor bug My Cold turkey ended with 6-7 months full blown psychosis and serious alcoholism... so CT is not for me, consider yourself very lucky bro

thanks, keep 'em coming

 

[CitioKid]

Not to disregard the overall consensus that benzos are the mastermind of the withdrawal devil, but my detox and PAWS from benzos was easier that all my opiate withdrawals.

Yeah, Xanax withdrawal was dreadful. I had EXTREME panic-attack-style anxiety and was hospitalized for a grand mal seizure on day 3, but I felt near normal by day 7. The PAWS, for me, was quite minor (increased anxiety, periodic insomnia) in comparison to opiate PAWS (severe depression, zero energy, severe craving, no motivation).

Then again, I fucked a guy in rehab who was still suffering from a clonazepam detox six months later...

 

[Erikmen]

The problem is with the psychological manners you´ve acquired while using benzos.
They upgraded you and now you have to make yourself do the same without them.
Good luck!

 

[Skelu]

I used many benzos for years. If I remember correctly the last 3-4 years I was taking daily about 1.5-3mg clonazepam, 20-40mg diazepam and 40-60mg temazepam.

I started tapering 11.3.14 by dropping straight to 40mg of diazepam. I tapered 2.5mg every eight day and the last 10mg I slowed to 1.25mg reduction.

I had some problems when I got to 20mg and I stayed at that dosage for 50 days. Otherwise it has been easier then I could ever have hoped for.

No serious PAWS at all just a bit of insomnia. Now after 2 months of tapering I can sleep 4-6 hours and its getting better (I hope)!

I was functional all the time but I was still trying to take it easy. I smoked weed during my taper and drank lots of coffee. I was afraid that I could get anxious but it didn’t happen. Actually when I felt stuck at 20mg I decided to take massive dose of shrooms. First hour of that experience I felt very bad but after that it was great and I have had zero anxiety symptoms after that.


I didn’t do schedule for tapering. My doctor allowed me to test by myself that is it even possible for me to taper benzos. Everyone is different and the time needed for tapering varies very much. I felt that my speed was OK. I had about 5 days of bad insomnia after every dose reduction.

Was it worth it? Yes Yes Yes!!!

Good luck!

 

[adder]

I took benzodiazepines for 9 years before I quit. For the first 3 years I was at ~7.5mg of lorazepam a day (+ estazolam doses here and there), then I was at 6mg of clonazepam a day for 4 years, then at 4mg for 1 year, and then at 2mg during the last year. I jumped off 10-15mg of clorazepate a day, which I took for a few days after being at 1mg and then 0.5mg of clonazepam for a few months. The main withdrawal lasted 2-3 months, I was mostly fine 6 months after quitting. It's been one year since I quit and I'm doing fine if you don't count in extreme mood swings. However, I guess I suffer from BPD as I used to (I wasn't diagnosed with it but I honestly think I know better than all the quacks who treated me), and it basically explains all my symptoms now (extreme mood swings and basically living on the edge of reality, some would just say I've got a rich imagination).

My taper wasn't really slow, I went from 2mg of clonazepam down to zero in a manner of 3 months at most. Since I quit benzodiazepines, I haven't had a single moment of cravings. I wanted to quit because I was sick and tired of it. I think why you're quitting is a very important factor and it may either help or make you feel worse during withdrawal. Long before I quit I had known that once I quit, I quit once and for all. Basically I was tired of benzodiazepines for the last 6 years of my dependence, the longer I stayed on clonazepam, the more I was aware how negatively it was impacting my life.

There's really no comparison between life on benzodiazepines and life without them. I'm also dependent on opioids and I still take Suboxone but once I quit clonazepam, I almost instantly started feeling better cognitively and emotionally, and my anxiety finally began decreasing. Even though I had terrible nightmares and suffered from derealisation, the more time passed, the longer were my periods of well-being. And how I am now able to sense the world around me both physically with my senses and emotionally/spiritually is simply beautiful. BTW, I'm very thankful for my psychiatrist who put me on Suboxone and helped me a lot with quitting clonazepam, if all psychiatrists treating addicts were like him, this world would be a much better place right away.

I thought I would never be able to quit and would die by the age of 30, but here I am having started a new life. And no matter how I will feel, it's always going to be much better than on benzodiazepines.

 

[silas GUY]

best thing i ever did was get off benzos ! been almost a year ! straight doing everything else i can get my hands on but hey im not on 6-8 mg of xanx everyday

 

[phatass]

thanks for the detailed reports, and props to y'all for the success stories...

no benzos whatsoever scares the shit out of me, i'm pretty torn, it's either taper now, over the next 6-9 months probably for me (done a taper before) then comes the rebound anxiety, and likely more rather than less nasty PAWS, for many months, maybe a year or more, dunno if i can face upto that, given my current responsabilities... or be on benzos for life...

now i'm opiate free, benzos would be the next logical thing to look into, treat, and take care of...

well i'll likely diminish,but don't feel ready to taper to quit, but will i ever be...??? as a poster mentioned above, it becomes part of one's lifestyle... (and i have badass GAD, social phobia and more in the first place...)

 

[Apostacious]

I suppose I would qualify as a recovered benzodiazpine addict, who abused benzos long-term at high doses (3-10mgs daily for 5 years). I tapered back in '07-'08, and recovered 100%. It took roughly 6 months to get back to 100% after the taper, but I was pretty much a-okay even immediately after I finished tapering, though I couldn't have caffeine without a panic attack, and had bad on and off insomnia. Taper slow, using a water titration method. It's not that bad.

Ah, forgot to mention which benzo. It was primarily clonazepam.

 

[DubNaut]

i have self tapered using the ashton manual for closing in on a year now
currently taking .25 clonazapam as needed (once a day at least, sometimes i can go a day without)
and have alprazolam and etizolam if needed for instant relief of panic

this is one of the bigger things i have toppled, its amazing looking at 1mg pill as 4 doses..
and gradually getting off a 10mg+ a day habit that went on for two years

unfortunately it has caused a major spike in my drinking habits but stopped my stim and heavy psych uses that required a benzo to smooth things out.
and for the most part i can apply meditation and (mxe) to handle my severe anxiety.. but still deep inside feel like ill never escape benzo use

-its still a hell of ride, and sometimes i am not able to function in general without it.

 

[Non Nobis Solum]

Alright so I was addicted to benzos for close to 6 years.. I was at a peak of around like 10 mg of klonopin/xanax a day and my lowest at around 1 to 2mg of klonopin/xanax a day.. I have been off them for about 7 months.. My life has vastly improved, during these 7 months I gave up everything and became clean and sober.. I would get emotional during the first ehh 60 days but after that I felt just about normal... I do not miss them and I am functioning 1000% better then I ever was, on any drug. What I can tell you, DO NOT GIVE UP. Life is much better without drugs! Shoot me a PM if you have more questions or would like me to elaborate.. I promised a more thoughtful response so I am here to deliver it. KEEEP UP THE HARD WORK, I BELIEVE IN YOU! YOU GOT THIS!! Much

 

[flawed_inc]

I have to agree with Non Nobis Solum. At my worst, I was on 100 MG of diazepam and suffered from severe behavioral problems from it. However, I did give it up. It wasn't that difficult because I was on a slow taper, and was seen by a drug and alcohol abuse clinic. It's doable. Don't listen to the horror stories just stick to your taper regime and keep going. I don't crave it now and I don't want to ever go back to such a high dose. Good luck. 0

 

[phatass]

Thanks for the encouragement folks, it makes me at least want to consider benzo free life-style as a possibility, even for what seems like a lost cause, or many months or years of furthe suffering from insomnia, anxiety, paranoia etc. it's bad timing for me to taper right now, but is there ever really a right time, i guess i'll find out when it hopefully comes...
much love y'all!!

ps. appreciate you sticking to your word Non nobis, won't hesitate to PM ya if need be!