Do you work while detoxing?

[DaVinci2]

I was addicted to sleep meds. I slowly tapered myself down to 0.5mg of a pill. It was a slow taper. Of course I worked and my life went on as usual. I may have had a rough night here and there, but I still lived my life as normal as normal can be. However, this time around with my panic attacks, my benzos have gone back up to a max of 4.5mg. I was on a total of 12mg of different meds before. Anyways, I am still trying to get my anxiety and panic attacks under control, but for future reference I wondered how many people had to actually quit work and detox from the substance they were using. I would be detoxing or tapering off benzos. Should I start saving money for the weeks, month or year I won't be able to work? Or am I just getting ahead of myself.

[Chris38]

Davinci2, you need to speak to your physician or a rehab specialist. All people are different. I took a week off of work when I quit vicodin cold turkey, and with what I went through it was the right decision, but benzos are so different from opiates. If you need to work then you will have to taper, fortunately benzos dont **** up your insides like opiates do, so you have one advantage there.

Talk to your doctor. If you dont have and are self medicating get one. If you feel he cant help you then talk to a rehab specialist.

I will say this, I myself would rather taper and keep myself busy with work than stay at home and just think about detoxing and doing nothing, but that is just my humble opinion.

Let us know how it goes, keep posting, and good luck...it can be done. - Chris

[DaVinci2]

My Doc says I'm thinking too far ahead. No rehab specialists that I know of here in Japan. I'm sure there are, but I don't know where to look.

[Chris38]

If your doctor is thinking you are thinking too far ahead then you need to find a new doctor, I'm sure there is a respectable specialist, medical or rebab that you can discuss this issue with. If your taking 4.5 mg of benzos a day you need to get a second opinion, if you have not already.

I currently see a psychiatrist once a month and a great physician, we are experimenting with a slow benzo taper for me, hopefully I will be off sometime in october.

A lot of doctor's get you in the office, say AHHH and give you meds, they get kickbacks from the drug companies and bill you for thier time. I mean you may very well need to be on 4.5 mgs of benzos a day, but there is no harm in getting a second, or even third opinion. Just watching out for you buddy. - Chris