Manage Benzodiazepines

[smfadmin (OP)]

How do you manage your benzo usage ?

[Chip]

be afraid, be very affraid ...

benzos, interesting at first, ultimately becomes the path to severe dysphoria, not to mention blackouts and behavior often learnt the day after.

I cannot condone the use of benzos - as a DOC, give this a miss.

[Roxstar]

I've always been able to keep my benzo use stable.  For the past 3 years I was prescribed 4mg kpin and 2mg Ativan every day.  For the last year or so I would usually only take 1-2mg Kpin each day.  Due to my methadone clinic situation, I had to taper off completely.  I did it successfully in about 3 weeks with very little problem. 

I'm going to schedule an appointment with a new doc to get them back pretty soon.  I guess I can see how people can let these get out of control.  I've never taken obscene amounts and I've always realized that there isn't a buzz that you chase.  When I was younger, I thought that I could "make this buzz better" by taking more.  It always ended up with me waking up 8 hours later wondering how I got in my bed. 

These drugs are amazing for anxiety though.  I think a lot of addicts can relate in having a lot of anxiety.  It always helps to have a little something to take the edge off...

[Narkotikon]

I agree that benzos are a godsend for those with anxiety.  I also think they're extremely helpful for opiate withdrawal.  They help with anxiety, insomnia, the RLS and leg / muscle cramps. 

I just wish more doctors were willing to script benzos to opiate addicts in withdrawal.  Just because a person abuses one class of drugs doesn't necessarily mean they're going to abuse another. 

Plus, I really don't think a person is going to develop a problem with a week or two's worth of scripted benzos.  The patient isn't asking to be kept on them.  If they can successfully get over the opiate w/d, why not help them do it as easily as possible.

As for benzos as a DOC, I can see the problems.  After a while, there really is no significant "high" from them, especially longer-acting benzos.

Increasing the dose is only going to increase the side-effects (somnolence, blackouts, sloppy behavior, unintended consequences).  Plus, benzos have a horrible physical w/d.  Anything that can cause seizures in w/d should be avoided if possible. 

[Chip]

my thoughts exactly.

i look forward to my twice-yearly Diazepam script and it's deployed for tapers and the odd nasty meth overamping.

... but to seek a regular reliable buzz from it, fugedaboudid !

[Junkette]

I just want to say that I've been taking etizolam for the last several months. it's been very helpful but also just another thing to worry about lol.

chronic anxiety is a real motherfucker.

[JonWrong]

Im lucky my current Dr knows my past but is COOL as heck about it. When I have major medical issues that have to be handled he lets me have my usual 4mg Dilaudid 6x a day (down from what i used to get years ago in another state) plus 15mg Oxy IR 4x a day. When things get better and more tolerable he moves me back to 8mg 2x a day of Subutex written as a pain medication. So no UA's no BS. And best part is he said it's wrong to deny anyone with legit anxiety disorders which most opiate dependent people develop... the anxiety meds that work the best. So he gives me 4mg Klonopin a day and 2 30mg Temazepam at night. And he knows i've struggled in the past and went off the deep end but he is down to earth and kind enough to know that anyone can change and making someones life crippled over anxiety is wrong when there is a simple answer for it.

I think his doses he allows me are VERY generous as most Dr's wouldnt even give me either... let alone 60mg of Temazepam to sleep after 4mg of Klonopin. Ive had Dr's who would give me crazy narcotics but would always deny the Temazepam RX even more then then giving me Xanax bars. I never understood there apprehension to give it out. Even a single 15mg one for bed was a no no. So I am VERY happy to be with the Dr I am now because he understands after 14 years on benzos i have a tolerance and need more then a non-tolerant person to get the same benefit.

As well as letting me switch back and forth between my normal chronic pain meds and subutex as needed for severity of my current situation. I have to have surgery in 2 weeks so im sure it's back off the Subutex and on real narcotics to get through the surgery which is going to be a nice change again :-)

[Chip]

Is 2 mg Clonazepam every 4 days very addicting ?