benzo help

[JustCrazy]

i am trying to kick a 15 year addiction to benzo's and i dont know what i am doing. just wanted to say hi

[mikiglen]

just, welcome to sr first of all
secondly, please say you are detoxing under a doctor's care. if not, please see one immediately...detox from benzos can be fatal if not handled properly.
there are several recovering benzo addicts here who will be along shortly to support you
please keep posting

[Done_With_It]

Welcome to SR!! I don't know much about benzo's but wanted to say Hi & Welcome!!~~

[Barto]

There are several good threads, and lots of info about benzos here. I would like to say that in my own experience SLOW is better. Read some of the info, and WELCOME.

[margo]

Hi JustCrazy - welcome to SoberRecovery! Fifteen years is a long time and you really should have some kind of medical supervision to help you taper down. See your doctor, be honest, and you'll get the help you need. Don't be ashamed to talk to your doctor about it - they have heard it all and then some. You'll also get a lot of support here, so keep coming back.

Welcome again!

[Ten Chips Down]

Originally Posted by JustCrazy

i am trying to kick a 15 year addiction to benzo's and i dont know what i am doing. just wanted to say hi

That's JustCrazy! Haha.

I can share with you how these drugs affect your body and how your body will react when coming off. Unfortunately we are not allowed to discuss this on the board, outside of saying, "go see your doctor about it" which is kinda lame. lol You can send me a Private Message if you like though, and we'll start talking.

Welcome!

Ten

[leeside]

Welcome to SR JC, I just went CT (cold turkey) after about a year of taper a little over a year ago after having been on benzos for 20 years. Man are you in for a hell of a time, but it is worth it!

[Ten Chips Down]

Oh fine then. I'll start it this way. Lee got me going.

Blame it all on Lee.

JC, I too went a bit extreme cold-turkey after a few months of struggling to taper. It was a struggle because I was trying to taper Klonopin, and I SWEAR every reduction I'd make was like some hellacious game. I sensed instinctually that I was artificially drawing out the whole process for myself, and that as soon as I got myself to a safe level from which I could just STOP, the sooner I would get better... and you know what??

I was right.

Two months now, and I am Klonopin-free. That first, entire month was a bit of something to get through. But now? I am back to 'normal' in all respects. It was a ROAD, though.

The most important caution is that you cannot safely do this stuff by yourself if you don't know what you're doing. You cannot safely stop "cold-turkey" by yourself EVER, and a doctor should be directing every step.

I hope to hear from you!

Ten

[windysan]

The only way I could kick my HUGE habit was detox and rehab. See a doctor and make a plan. BARTO has done a lot of research on benzos as has TEN. I kicked benzos and a bunch of other dope in about 2 weeks and I did well but I was MEDICALLY SUPERVISED. Just be very careful with it.

[JustCrazy]

i am tapering with a doctor... the doc that gave me these addicting drugs but anyways i asked the doctor if she has every been able to help someone stop benzo's and she said no so i am going to another doc on monday. i have only made 1 cut tried to make my second cut and it was hell and i am working full time.

[Waitng4Reality]

Phew....benzos are rough to get off of! I tried several times and I just drank more alcohol to calm me down! Which, of course almost killed me. I ended up in the hospital where they "what else" gave me benzos to come off the alcohol! It's been a vicious cycle. After I left the hospital I managed to stay off both for three months. My downfall after that was that I thought I could resist the temptation with out any support like AA/NA. I was wrong. I found an old bottle of Xanax that had a few pills left.....need I say more? Good luck and get support!
W4R

[emmer]

SLOW is the "buzz word" when detoxing off benzos. It can be done though.
I didn't think so, but here I am 11 months clean of benzos. Good luck.

[jbit]

Originally Posted by JustCrazy

i am tapering with a doctor... the doc that gave me these addicting drugs but anyways i asked the doctor if she has every been able to help someone stop benzo's and she said no so i am going to another doc on monday. i have only made 1 cut tried to make my second cut and it was hell and i am working full time.

Something that helped me .... I found a psychiatrist that was a specialist in addiction. I can't emphasize enough how important it is to have a doctor that understands addiction, believe it or not, most have NO CLUE.

[MKM]

Hi, I might add if no one else has to check out RUNVS thread,
he has a lot of info posted there and there are some very
good threads on here about w/d (Ten Chips' thread).

You already are going to get a Dr. to help you and
you will probably read the Ashton Manual, some people
even copy off the taper schedule to take to their
Dr. Dr's seem to be more receptive of it when
they read about her and her schedule.

If you work, you will want to take it that much slower.

[Ten Chips Down]

JC, am curious to know which bzd you're quitting--and yes, 15 years is hella long time. MKM said it all it very well elsewhere just yesterday.

Originally Posted by MKM

I can certainly understand how a long term usage covering decades could be a problem, the body is just not going to want to give these pills up. If people would just keep going on through the withdrawal process (plan on a year or however long it takes) they would get this behind them...

that girl knows what she's saying.

Y'know, it's weird. I'm such a DIY kind of person. After reading one of Woops' posts, it really became clear the 'feat' which I had accomplished in January--as well as why it was so incredibly hard [edited for conciseness, clarity].

Originally Posted by woops

Klonopin is one of the more potent bzds and very difficult to try to taper off benzos using klonopin. Quote below is from the Ashton Manual.

"Some doctors in the US switch patients onto clonazepam (Klonopin, [Rivotril in Canada]), believing that it will be easier to withdraw from than say alprazolam (Xanax) or lorazepam (Ativan) because it is more slowly eliminated. However, Klonopin is far from ideal for this purpose. It is an extremely potent drug, is eliminated much faster than diazepam, and the smallest available tablet in the US is 0.5mg (equivalent to 10mg diazepam) and 0.25mg in Canada (equivalent to 5mg Valium). It is difficult with this drug to achieve a smooth, slow fall in blood concentration, and there is some evidence that withdrawal is particularly difficult from high potency benzodiazepines, including Klonopin. Some people, however, appear to have particular difficulty in switching from Klonopin to diazepam." [...]

Full quotation can be found here (Life after Methadone continue's (Part2)). Sad to see, the girl takes quite a... Woopin' for sharing this important information. Sad but hardly inexplicable, as benzo addicts can be very defensive. I know because I used to be like that. It scares us to hear the reality of things.

Originally Posted by Waitng4Reality

My downfall after that was that I thought I could resist the temptation with out any support like AA/NA. I was wrong. I found an old bottle of Xanax that had a few pills left.....need I say more? Good luck and get support!
W4R

The weird part is that if I found a bottle of K or X, hell it wouldn't faze me--I know this because I QUIT the stuff, and did so for a good reason. I remain quit of it to this day sans outside support, making me the square piece in our round holes. (Which sounds vaguely vulgar but...) The powerless model of addiction and recovery does not get much ground with me. I quit the darned things, after all, and know intimately well that it was I who quit the darned things... after all.

lol

There is not a hell of a lot of mystery in taking yourself off a hard drug to take yourself off, then waiting out those initial days--with a belief in not much more than that the pain would end soon.

I journaled it here right, in this group. People held my hand and helped me through. I did a live, real-time documentation of my w/d from Klonopin, knowing it would VERY likely be my LAST damned time, ever experiencing THAT. ("Not just intense. Intensive, baby!") -who remembers that? lol

When I return I'll post some helpful links to the many threads that ppl are citing here.

In sobriety i remain!
Ten

[Ten Chips Down]

Part 2 of RUNVS' thread. http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...-part-2-a.html

And part 1.
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...info-here.html (XANAX, ATIVAN, KLONOPIN, VALIUM, great info here)

JordonCole's oddly named thread. lol
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...hread-why.html (I cant believe you closed my Xanax thread, why?)

Last but not least, Ten Chips' thread.
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...ependence.html (Full Disclosure: My slow, slow recovery from benzodiazepine dependence)


i missed a bunch, ppl can add to it if they want

[Doug]

Originally Posted by Ten Chips Down

That's JustCrazy! Haha.

I can share with you how these drugs affect your body and how your body will react when coming off. Unfortunately we are not allowed to discuss this on the board, outside of saying, "go see your doctor about it" which is kinda lame. lol You can send me a Private Message if you like though, and we'll start talking.

Welcome!

Ten

OR you could explain how it worked for YOU and follow that up with something common sense like; "everybody's different, and checking with a doc is your best, and smartest bet".

Common sense=lame?

Too each his own I guess...

[Ten Chips Down]

Hi Doug,

I do think that for a drug-abuse subforum to have a rule barring the discussion of those same drugs is impractical, yes. I think it impedes discussion and learning, and prevents the highest good of the SR community from being realized. Interesting recent examples here (Ultram ???) and here, just two very helpful topics started by mods themselves in which by necessity the respective meds are discussed and explained.

Ten

[angelgirl]

Hi there JC,,

So happy to have you here at SR!! It's truly a great place to be, when you need SUPPORT.. But that's really the focus on this board, support. I can not tell you how important it is to follow a doctors advice when it comes to your meds. This is an excellent board, but it is the internet, and although we all struggle with the same problems, issues, addictions, everyone deals differently going through the withdrawal process. Everyone's body is different, and benzo's are difficult to withdrawal from,, not that it can't be done, ther are many here that have.

Now having said that, just as you have done, if you don't like what your doctor is doing, and you can't get him/her to work with you, it's important to switch. It has taken me a long time to find a doctor I am comfortable with..

No matter what,, support is also extremely important. Please stick around,,
and keep posting.. Great to have you here..

Prayers,
Becky

[Barto]

I don’t think anyone should give medical advice, but there are lots of technical medical posts all over this forum. You, yourself just started part II of one so full of medical jargon (close to 500 posts in all), I can’t even keep up with it.

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...-part-2-a.html

No offense Run, I lke a lot of what is in this thread.

Of course your point is well taken, too. None of us should advise any other about which meds to take, or how much, etc. But I don’t think a little scientific information can hurt, if it is stated as information, not advice – especially when it is posted by someone who can back up with their experience and research.

:sun:

Just my .03.

[Ten Chips Down]

You can always require a disclaimer to consult one's doctor. There is a difference between posting direct medical advice and simply discussing a medication and how it works. I believe that openness is conducive to learning, and that free speech is always more salutary than our virtual dont ask and dont tell policy, which let's face it, is not free speech at all. The healthiest consumers are reasonably educated about what they consume.

But clearly some are intimidated--so what you wind up with is this - we get a great topic going and someone happens into it, does not understand the jargon which others are using amongst themselves... gets upset and screams "MEDICAL ADVICE," reports the topic, topic is closed, 'offended' person is happy again.

That is frustrating for those of us who are trying to exchange knowledge on the SoberRecovery forums. Like mods say about triggers, "If this subject overwhelms you, then just don't read it." -- I just think the administration would do well to review this rule, as it is overly oppressive.

Hey, but like you said Doug, to each his own. Indeed, sir.

Ten

[Jane63]

I would like to set a few things straight...
Firstly, my post awhile back about giving medical advice over simple ESH was my opinion and my opinion only! I did not report anyone to anyone!

Secondly, I was not happy to see Barto's thread closed. Each of us has to learn to take what we need and leave and the rest. By closing his thread he was not given the choice to do either.

And thirdly, I am not a "defensive benzo addict", I just hate to see people made to feel bad who need the medication by people who have chosen to abuse the medication and now are on some sort of tyrant about saving the world from the evil benzos!

*And yes, the jargon is quite hard to understand! That is why I leave alot of that up to my doctor!

[Barto]

Jane, I absolutely love that Judy Garland quote in your signature line, probably because it is so true. And that new avatar you have is pretty cool, too.

[Jane63]

LOL Barto! That avatar is ME going through nicotine WDs chasing my poor dog around the house!
I seem to post in haste alot, think about it and realise I probably should have not bothered. It isn't constructive for anyone and just raises my BP.

Vicoden was my DOC and I have a strong hate for that drug now. I am sure it is the same way for people who's DOC was benzos.

Take care,
Jane

[Ten Chips Down]

I love your avatar too! Omg, it is the cutest. (Poor doggy!)

Originally Posted by Jane63

I was not happy to see Barto's thread closed. Each of us has to learn to take what we need and leave and the rest. By closing his thread he was not given the choice to do either.

Salient. Not only he, but none of the forum was given that choice, in fact.

Great post, though I know you don't really believe we all "chose" to become addicted to benzos any more than all opiate addicts chose that station in life. Nor do we hate benzos, so much as we like helping others in their struggles to come off them; and to avoid the same trap to begin with.

Friends -
Ten