Ima Racing

iTrader: (1)

Has anyone here taken a benzo drug perscribed that is!

I wont deny and am not ashamed to say i take them daily as perscribed and unfortunately probably for life, i appear to have a chemical imbalance since birth and these rectify the problem. I was born 3-4 drinks short which without them or back in the day alcohol, i simply cannot function. After many many years of no meds and therapy etc it boils down i need these benzo's. My own choice was a short acting one called alprazolam (xanax) and get away with a small once daily dose, it seems to last well. I can also still drink limited alcohol, which is good but nowhere near like i did. It all seems to work well but was warned by the doc tolerence may occur not always for my requirement + dependance is likely, but doesnt see a problem if they are working as quality of life is most important for my case. Until something better comes out i gotta stay with this oh and must never just stop them although i can miss a dose for a day and no longer.

Anybody else taken them long term? I do hear they are a bitch to quit but as said in my case i dont really care, life is for living and not sitting moping dreaming of what could be! ( i dont need advice on not taking them by normal people who have no clue about phychlogical problems etc this just an honest post and seeing if anyone else has taken them)

DazS1Turbo

I was on diazapam for years, started off at 120mg a day - took years to get off them that was 6 years ago

Horrible time and horrid drug, very addictive and has left me brain deed ha ha!

The minute you become tolerant dont up the dosage try other methods/drugs

Ima Racing

iTrader: (1)

Hi daz yes i am aware of the risks but simply cant function properly without them, this is not the drug either as if i stop for a day i just go back to square one.
Do u mind saying why u was on them and why u stopped them pm if youd rather mate, i am aware your drug has a very long half life compared to mine

DazS1Turbo

I started taking valium to come down after taking E's/Acid at raves ect and then started taking them with drink and became dependant, I was left with anxiety when i didn't have them viscous circle mate.......

It took years to come off them and a few years to get back to what id call normality if there is such a thing!

Im not clued up on the the technical ins and outs of these things but just be careful im sure your getting good advice from the docs ect

LHD220Turbo

iTrader: (4)

forgive my ignorance; but with having a chemical imbalance, what does that mean in terms of how it affects you?

Ima Racing

iTrader: (1)

Without this medication or alcohol very nervous, not scared but very very on edge, very nauseous, rapid heartbeat on and off, sense of impending doom, it means i have to be very careful what i actually do as anything would upset the applecart so staying in bed alone was the best option but not practical LOL. Been like it all my life and i just got by, did all the CBT etc and they said no can help. We all have a natural tranquiliser which makes rational, i have no tranquiliser i guess is a good way of saying it, so i am always standing in front of a tiger which triggers adrenaline but this has no where to go exept cause major sensations.......these tablets/alcohol calm the brain down or in laymans term partially sedate. We all have benzo receptors in the brain, the tablets bind tightly to them to stop them firing thus causing a decrease in anxiety/panic.

To meet me you would have no idea of my anquish purely because i can hide it very well......although now you may actually tell i was a little drugged...but i feel so much better!!!! After all these years its euphoric to me as i never knew normality.

LHD220Turbo

iTrader: (4)

have you looked into natural remedies or natural superfoods?

Ima Racing

iTrader: (1)

Sorry if i sound a bit off, but me and the doc have tried everything before this treatment, this is the last resort and the best as it actually works! Fuck the future, i had no future anyway.......

Thanks for the input though.

mattyboyrst

had an accident last year got post concussion syndrome suffer very badly with post concussion syndrome, suffer with terrible mood swings, and so on been on a tablet called lorazepam tryed various tablets before with none really working take 2 to 3 tablets a day just about helps keep me sane been seeing a neuro pcycologist since last year have found that no help tho

Ima Racing

iTrader: (1)

Hi mate how long have you been on lorazepam? Its the same sorta half life as mine, its the UK version of mine, i have to pay private perscription for mine but i did much research to find mine was the best for my condition.

LHD220Turbo

iTrader: (4)

that's cool; you've got to go with what ever works best for you

its just that a friend of my mums had severe health problems (not quite sure what) but alternative remedies works wonders for her

mattyboyrst

i have been on the lorazepam about 11 months now although the doctor wants me off them because there addictive, although ive tried various medications this seems to be the best

Ima Racing

iTrader: (1)

11 months you are hooked mate, coming off them will be hard, just make sure if you do, withdraw very slowly, they say they are worse to come off than heroin I plan never to come off...nor should you if they work!!!!!!

I actually love living now, i guess its different for you as you didnt need them pre accident.

Do you drink alcohol with them? I am allowed too in moderation.

kiddie

I have been on cipralex for three weeks now. It's a SSRI and it has worked wonders already. I have been suffering panic/anxiety for seven years untreated and had turned to drink (it helped, but was turning into a bigger problem).

It's not nice needing meds to feel normal, but I'm so glad they are available.

mattyboyrst

had a spell a couple of weeks ago where i couldnt get down the doctors for tablets and it was terrible it felt like my head was going to explode guess that was the withdrawal from the tablet and yes i never want to go through that again seriously could have ran into a wall plan to never come of them either unless im recommended to also got told the same drink in moderation have found that it dosent take much drink to get merry although i rarely do drink

Ima Racing

iTrader: (1)

I tried the non med way for years and years thinking it would go away I wanted to deal with it myself....but at my age i finally had to say enough is enough, pride had to go...i needed medication....i was that close to giving up, so i HAD to go onto meds and thank God i did!!!!

DazS1Turbo

Speaking from experience i dont see how you can take these drugs for the rest of your life, im serious, your dependency increase's and you may take say 20mg a day to get by but after 6 months that 20mg will do nothing for you.........

You may feel fantastic now (After all these years the weight is off you shoulders) but trust me the worm will turn and it will become another problem...........

Sorry just being honest as somebody who's been through years of it.

Oh and yes comming off long term benzo's is like "roasting" from heroin ive been there :-(

mattyboyrst

your very true in what you say but unfortunatly im in a position where i need this medication ive allready increased to 3 tablets a day but no other meds have worked for me been on them for 11 months and cant see any other option in terms of meds

DazS1Turbo

I dont know what to say as everyone's situation is different but I do know from my experience that long term and im talking years these things do more damage than good

My ex doctor needs a goo hiding truth be told - prescribing me 120mg a day of diazapam at 18 years old........ Gross misconduct in my eyes

Ellie

120mg???????
My god.
That would probably kill someone with no tolerance to it.
I took about 30mg of diaz and 3-4mg of loraz once and it wiped out 2days! All i remember of them 2 days is driving (yes really) to a friends, sleeping all night, driving home the next day and going to the doctors.

Ima-You'll never be off benzo's if you beleive the chemical imbalance theory.

What i dont understand is why are you so dependant on a short-acting drug?? It sedates quickly and wears off quickly (like loraz). How do manage the rest of the day if you feel you need it? Even diaz is taken 2-3 times a day for anxiety and thats long-acting, as you know.

Ima Racing

iTrader: (1)

Hi my doc says and i have read alot about this that its rare to become tolerant to the anxiety effect. I know some who have been on them for over 25 years! Still work of course it may be that feeling good for long enough on the benzo will reprogram you so you dont actually need them but continue to think you need them. I only take one a day and a moderate ammount of alcohol in the evening on docs orders he says i have a lot of years to go before i would if i do hit the uk recommended limit. Suits me i was on rock bottom so if things go to shit beleive me i can only go back to rock bottom. Incidently i self medicated with acohol for over 15 years yet never got tolerant to the anxiety effect. I beleive it really depends on what u take the benzo for.

Ps i take .25mg a day which is equiv to 5mg of valium/diazapam so your figure of 125mg is wrong

Ellie

0)ETA-

Ignore my above question.
Alprazolam is a long-acting benzo, like diaz.

And the 125mg (120 actually) was in reply to daz.

All benzo's are reccommended for short term use only but plenty of people take them for years and years with no intention of ever stopping, and gp's probably cant be bothered/dont have the time to get people off them.
Like you say though, if you genuinely need them, then life couldnt have been much worse before hand anyway so what does it matter.

Ima Racing

iTrader: (1)

Ellie i purposely take this one at 10.30am and it lasts on me until i have a drink at around 8pm we are all different.

I just go by what my doc says who has treated me most of my life trying therapy/cbt and anything else before this treatment, i need it i dont see how u can say "if you beleive the chemical imbalance" its my body i know how i was for 39 years and only just started to feel i assume what normal folk feel like?

DazS1Turbo

My figure of 120mg is 100% correct im afraid - took 2/3 years to cut it down to 2mg a day....... Then i made the decision myself to come clean took 2 weeks of torture too not nice.

Im glad it's working for you and at .25mg that dosage is small so you shouldn't have many problems

mattyboyrst

we are all different in the way we react to medication i take 2 2mg tablets when i get up and have 1 in the evening also have 200mg of tegretol

Ima Racing

iTrader: (1)

Alprazolam is short acting about the same as lorazapam

Ellie

Not according to the BNF

Ima Racing

iTrader: (1)

The BNF are wrong then!!!!

Alprazolam has a half life of 11.2 hrs i take the immediate release version and not the extended release Clinical effects last around 6 - 8 hrs for me, some only get 4 hours but it depends what you are using it for.

Diazepam has a half life of 20 - 100 hours

The reason i choose a short half life was so in the evening i could still have a sensible amount of alcohol without mixing during the clinical effect, also alprazolam has no active metobites which means it has no harm to the liver unlike diazepam which is like alcohol for the liver so mixing those too would not be good!!!!

Chip

iTrader: (3)

Phil, there are some fairly serious side effects you are likely to suffer if you stay on any Benzo longterm.

Main ones are depression, loss of memory function, psychomotor impairment (loads of road accidents linked back to benzo users), and a host of other pyschological effects.

None of these are likely to be sudden, but they will slowly occur over time, and in themselves will lead to a loss of the quality of life that you are benefitting from at the moment.

My heart really does go out to you, its a terrible situation to be in, I would sooner lose a limb than lose my mental health, and its something that very few people seem to understand so there is still a lot of ignorance and stigma attached to most mental health issues.

I certainly wouldnt want to see your dose ever increasing, and the better option would be for it to decrease, likewise the alcohol use/abuse would be better if you can lessen it overtime as alcohol also has many similar side effects of course.

Best of luck with it all, but dont take for granted that short term gains will last longterm, and dependancy is NEVER a good thing!

DazS1Turbo

Agree 100% With Chip

Ima Racing

iTrader: (1)

Chip those long term problems will be a breeze for me! I have studied these drugs intensively and realise problems are likely many years down the line BUT as discussed with my doc it realisticaly is the only option, best to have some life than none at all. The max daily amount recommended for these is 3mg/daily so a long way off the max. Dependency does not bother me in the slightest i am probably already hooked but the key is aslong as i dont abuse them stick at my dose and never exceed the limits all should be ok. Yes they are for limited use but it has been said some people need them indefinetaly and i am one of those folk. I feel at this stage of my life, its a no lose situation its wiped out my young adulthood specifically i am now getting older and 10 years of feeling ok will be blissWe had to weigh up the benefits against the risks.......


To add many studies have shown to never lose the actual anti anxiety effect....maybe the long term user forgets they have anxiety though? ROFL

Chip

iTrader: (3)

At the end of the day, you have to live life for now, as tomorrow you could get run down by a bus (or hunted down by a hater - driveby - bang)

So if they are really making THAT much difference to your quality of life, then you obviously have to keep taking them, just make sure you take the minimum you can cope on and dont get tempted to keep upping the dose.

and PMLS @ forgetting you have anxiety, who says memory loss has to be a bad thing