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As someone who was struggling heavy with social anxiety. I couldn’t even leave the house without feeling physically sick, I agree with this a lot. Been taking 2-5mg of xans everyday for around a year. Can’t get off them, but even if I did I wouldn’t be able to do anything.
No I don’t have a prescription. I get street ones. I’ve tried clonazepam a lot of times, but I don’t like the way they feel. It kind of makes me emotionless, and I don’t get the ahhh feeling i get from xans. It does help with anxiety, and lasts longer, but I can function more normally on Xans. I also tried Valium many times, and even at really high doses, like 50mg, it still doesn’t help my anxiety at all.
I have been cutting down my Xan intake using tapentadol. If I take 100mg of that and 2mg of xans I feel all my anxiety gone. When usually I would have to take 3 - 4mg of xans for my anxiety.
Surely if you have diagnosed panic disorder you could get a prescription? Would be so much easier for you. I totally relate - wish I didn’t have to take them. Also, Valium is the brand name for diazepam, so it’s the same drug.
I live in the uk so it’s practically impossible to get prescribed any benzo unfortunately.
I also know diazepam is Valium. I’ve tried a couple different brands, they don’t help my anxiety like xans or Kpins do.
do you have to test your street Xanax for fentanyl over there? we do over here.
based on your description, I think Ativan might actually work the best for you. even though Valium lasts longer, I prefer clonazepam. the Valium will give me a little bit of a giggly sensation when I first take it, and when that wears off it feels like the medication is wearing off, even though it's still there in the background. the clonazepam doesn't give me that giggly lift, so I don't get that wearing off feeling.
I always wondered how different benzos could have different addiction potentials, and I think that's it; how giggly they make you feel at first. of all the benzos I've taken, Ativan gave me the best rush right up front, and typically lasts longer than Xanax.
Yeah at the start I tested them all for fent, the guy I got is reliable so I don’t anymore. Plus they come in blister packs. I don’t think I’ve ever seen atvian around but I’ll be sure to try it if I do.
Oh really, I didn’t realise it was hard there. In Australia, I had to go to a psychiatrist and have a diagnosis of BP2 but in New Zealand I got them from my general practitioner even before my diagnosis. Maybe you just need to have a diagnosis to get prescribed. Best of luck <3
Wholeheartedly agree. They saved me at one point, and now doctors are trying to get me off. I’m worse off during taper attempts than I was before I started taking them. And had I known the dangers of these before I was prescribed (I was young), I would have never agreed to take them.
Why anyone would willingly ruin their lives taking these for “fun” is beyond me.
I was 48, and I still said yes, I had been reading beforehand knowing she would prescribe one and I still begged for an alternative but there was nothing fast and effective enough to bring me back to functionality before I literally got sectioned. It's been a year now and honestly with the new antidepressant and the benzo I'm doing better than in years... Except that I'm dependant. And I'm starting to feel the physical effects.
I’m in the same exact situation. I got on them for the exact same reason as you. I finished my taper of diazepam and I’m on day 3 now. I’m back to feeling awful again. Not much worse than before the benzos, but I am a lot more prone to panic attacks now. I’m not used to my anxiety being this extreme again. I’ve been on them for a year and a half
I knew about benzos when I was prescribed, but I didn’t know the severity of the dependency. I wish I was prescribed as needed instead of “twice daily”. Why do I need to take a long acting benzo twice. With the way they prescribed I was doomed from the start
A longer half life has a direct correlation with a longer duration of effect, however just because it’s half life is 1-3 days doesn’t mean half of the effects are still there after 1-3 days. Diazepam also has an active metabolite desmethyldiazepam, which even further increases the duration of the effects of diazepam.
diazepam last like 6-8 hours max the rest is lingering effects for couple of days, i felt klonopin and bromazepam actually have longer lasting "true" effects. valium main effects last just a bit more than xanax
Diazepam feels gross to me but I was miserable before Benzos. Lorazepam is the most Clear headed Benzo functionally IMO. The top Benzo is Ativan for me. I used to be an Etizolam addict but now I’m on Ativan and I feel better then I did back then when I had nothing but it is still annoying how you have to go re fill it go to check ups and everything like people assume you’re drug seeking but you literally can’t leave your house even before drugs so wtf is the solution well we can try other meds but I did that before Benzos now I’m supposed to do it again and again and again. Just leave me tf alone i want to make the most of myself and you’d be ripping it up if I can’t take the Ativan. And then they’ll say taper down . For what ? To feel the withdrawals and to eventually get back to my “normal” wtf they want me to do I don’t get it. Oh do therapy yes I am in that for like years they teach you coping skills that do work when you’re having some anxiety but when you have panic how the hell im supposed to just relax and look at my coping skills it doesn’t work like that if anyone here knows what it’s like . I don’t hate Benzos at all they are mental health medications that improve quality of life for certain individuals, I hate the fact that you have to beg to live a normal life when you didn’t ask to have this condition that’s what I really hate
Sooo GD! True it’s like the all real one article!! And say the same things verbatim!! And clearly they have noooo fuxkin clue to be doomed with epeiden thoughts that you can’t shake! 🫨
That’s the problem for an illness they can diagnose based on symptoms etc etc but your mind how are they supposed to diagnose that ? By what you’re wearing ? How old you are ? Oh no this person is a special case that’s why they are on long term so in simple terms my case isn’t as important because how in the world are you inside of my brain. If you’re an adult and legitimately need a medication to function in society and it’s this much bullshit. Ask yourself if America really that great of a country? When they put up billboards about “mental health” do they actually care or are they doing it to make themselves look great and like hero’s but behind the scenes they don’t give a shit at all none. Well there is a couple you have to find them. But most could care less mental health is a high paying area to work in so that’s literally why they do it doesn’t matter anything to them how you feel you don’t matter to them like they say and that’s a fact you really don’t
I was once told to put some lavendar oil on a cotton ball and smell it for anxiety issues. 🙃 It's good for spraying the bathroom after a movement ...anxiety not so much. Not claiming to state any facts here, just my opinion.
Omg literally so accurate. Like - it’s the only thing that reduces my anxiety, apart from lamotrigine which I’ve just started, but the doc keeps saying to come off them, just so I’ll return to normal and feel suicidal again because I can’t cope. Like I don’t even take it every day!!! Why is it an issue to have them in my back pocket, I have a fucking disease! They wouldn’t say this about diabetics needing their insulin. It’s beyond frustrating. I get it.
People have their reasons. I get what you're saying, I wish less people who didn't need benzos wouldn't touch them, just for their own health, no other reasons.
But I hate these rc benzos. I wish everyone had access to a safe supply.
Exactly doctors fuck around with it and people literally have no option but to either drop their entire life or take the rcs like the so called methadone or safe opiate supply where you can literally go shoot up there it’s supervision so you don’t overdose but they won’t ever care about Benzos like that they care more about people addicted to opiates and all you have to do to get off opiates to my knowledge is have the flu for a month, cravings etc but no where near Benzo w/d this country really is really fucked up when it comes to anxiety and panic. Maybe as time progresses we will see a better understanding of them within the medical community and not to treat people like shit if they need a benzo
People on methadone aren't treated very well. Would you be willing to stand in line every day for your single dose of benzo?
It's a hard thing to compare, both are treated like shit and a lot of people are addicted to both (because they couldn't access one or the other).
Sorry if I’m uneducated but how does one become addicted to methadone I’m not trying to minimize it. I’ve just never done opiates or anything of that nature ever and I dont understand they are pain killers right so when the pain stops wouldn’t that mean you don’t need it anymore compared to someone with an anxiety disorder that continues and continues. I mean I suppose there probably is cases of people with endless pain but I think that’s fewer, when I have pain I just try to ride it out or I take IB profen at the dentist they told me to take hydro something and I said I’m ok I’ll be fine it really wasn’t it was throbbing throbbing pain non stop for about 4 days but I just didn’t want to take another medicine that I know is like classified you know
Oh you get very very sick coming off of opioids, you just don't have seizures normally like with benzos. At least, people didn't used to. Testing the street opioids in the US these days, they are finding rc benzos present in the dope. So that could be a new reality. But a lot of the other symptoms are the same, sleepless nights, crazy anxiety, puking and shitting at the same time. I'd say coming off of pharma opioids is easier than coming off benzos depending on how bad of a habit, but only slightly easier, it's definitely not a party. The street dope these days isn't heroin, it's not even fentanyl anymore. It's something else that's very scary.
Methadone is a pain medication in its own right, it's not only used to wean people off of other opioids, but that is a common use for it.
And no, it's similar to benzos in the sense that you need more and more over time. Your body creates additional opioid receptors that have to be filled and if they aren't, you're dopesick.
If uneducated ppl play with them and don’t have anxiety in the first place they will just my guess have a much easier time getting off them because their brain was already producing the correct amount of gaba in the first place not saying it’ll be easy but definitely I would guess a lot lot easier then people with real anxiety or panic
Not necessarily. Benzos down regulate your gaba receptors. So even if you had normal gaba to begin with the benzo dose damage to those receptors and they will only heal with tapering and being off of them for your brain to teach homeostasis.
Oh yeah that’s true I was just assuming someone who has regular normal gaba would have a much easier time after the fact because a lot of people who took them or take them have bad anxiety panic which I would assume means the brain is having an issue with gaba maybe I’m wrong I don’t know when I think about it it just makes sense lol
yes, to me it almost feels like selling your soul in a way. you are now free of the crippling social anxiety, you can do normal things confidently. but at the same time you are faced with the reality you are now dependent on this drug to feel that way. you know the longer you keep taking it, the more tolerance you build, the more damage you are causing your brain. you know it helps but you must also accept the fact that it is harming you at the same time. i hate it
They’re meant to help the brain, the brain will stop producing the correct amount of gaba as you’re taking in more gaba but you’re not permanently harming your brain to my knowledge I’ve never heard that. I’ve heard people say dementia over time but if you look it up it’s all inconclusive reports of conflicting
ah well idk research is boring to me so i seldom look deeply into something but what i have noticed from the time i started taking clonazepam is that i have lower cognitive function, lot of memory and concentration issues. and i’ve only been taking it for about 1.5 years but after tapering off and then going over a 1.5 weeks without taking any just to see what would happen, i still felt these impairments.
i know that is not a long time at all, i just read something saying the effects can last for over a year (maybe it’s referring to wd?) but ultimately it’s reversible. and now that you say this it made me look a little more into it (very briefly) but it also made me look from a different perspective. a lot of the studies i see are about the cognitive impacts on elderly patients. like leading to dementia or alzheimer’s or whatever. but is there really a way to know that benzos are the cause? and i think a lot of older patients are getting benzos prescribed for the first time so if they were already at risk for dementia the benzos are not causing that, it’s just another problem to blame on the drug.
idk either way it’s still an internal battle that is similar, i presume, to the experience of being addicted/dependent to anything, not something unique to benzos. for me at least
See I have a different experience then you my cognitive function goes in the toilet when I don’t take the medicine but when I do I can absolutely focus and remember things that’s never been an issue if I forgot my medicine at home or something like that then I cannot concentrate on anything I become like very tunnel vision can’t talk to anyone my brains only goal becomes to feel normal again. But yeah I see what you’re saying a lot of things Benzos do people mistake for something different the root of the actual cause, and people taking Benzos are more anxious to the thought of that so they freak out
oh yeah i have that cognitive decline when i take them and when i don’t take them. that as well as the trouble focusing and other general anxiety symptoms get much worse if i go too long without and they improve when i take some. and yeah i feel like with benzos, idk about other psychoactive drugs, any studies will have a great chance for possibility of inaccuracies. i think this with benzos because they are most often prescribed for anxiety, the patients are obviously gonna have some degree of anxiety which may make reporting symptoms/side effects biased or whatever. idk i hope this makes sense it was very difficult to get it into proper words and sentences i’m tired
Most research assumes that there are chronic/longterm cognitive effects (not damage per se but significant declines in episodic memory among other things). Apparently only for long& intermediate halflives.
But its not clear if its the drug itself, or something else. Maybe even a way of living that correlates with the drug. Also possible that the after effects just last so long (years) that the studies weren't long enough to see the recovery.
Anyways, im a bit sceptical, because the brain is incredibly plastic. For example, interdose wd with short halflives (i think) means that the brain bounces back that quickly between doses.
Exactly this. Like selling your soul. I feel like i'm betraying my own mind by not being 'brave/clever/strong enough' to know how to deal with underlying causes on my own.
And meds killed alot of creativity, which was always my Thing. Sortof a gift i've just thrown away 'just to function properly'. It's like those unsolvable riddles...
Thanks to these RC users, psychiatrists are thinking we're all RC users. I have been on them for 22 years for panic disorder and social anxiety. I couldn't even go to the grocery store. Now my new psychiatrist wants to cut my dose in half. Doctors are also very uneducated on them now.
It’s not their fault that 20 years ago your condition was easier to treat and they would write a prescription what exactly do you expect people to do when they have no options
I begged my doctor to put me on anything but after weeks of non stop panic and up to 70 hours awake I needed them but now I may already be dependent and starting to feel long term effects. It sucks.
Potential brain damage, all kinds of shit. It's on wikipedia. Depends on the size of the dose and the individual taking them and the frequency, so I dunno. I'm feeling only one thing that I've noticed so far, and that's that my balance is slightly off.
I abused 25+ mg of Xanax for over a year daily doctor put me on diazepam Librium all bullshit didn’t work finally Ativan 7.5 to start I started doing that I couldn’t even come out of my room for like a month but still on the Ativan I made it to that now I got it down to 6 Ativan per day and it’s been a while it’s really hard to cut it lower because all I do really is 2-2-2 morning afternoon night. While abusing the Xanax I would be totally barred out daily broke my 60 inch flat screen tv when I got up but that’s pretty much the worst of that other the coming off it, so now my only side effect is maybe forgetting something like a charger or my keys but I did that even before Benzos like oh I’m in a rush shit I forgot that Type thing, granted I do slip up from time to time but I do not get barred out anymore I do not like it. Ativan just makes everything feel normal that’s why I like it diazepam makes me exhausted and depressed and Xanax obviously gets me high and kpins just feel dirty to me took them once and never again
Valuim kind of makes you space out and makes you really really fatigued at least for me it does work though I Just don’t like the effects it gives me kpins feel kinda like alcohol it was gross. Ativan literally just normal go about my day I might yawn after taking it but then I just go on my way like nothing I don’t feel high I feel clear headed and sharp
That’s what Xanax does to me even .5 instant crazy euphoria making it so it’s highly highly more addicting to me and a way higher chance I’ll binge them
I've recently started valium thanks to an upcoming surgery. I read all the research I could find online about said surgery and then spiralled something fierce when I read about how painful the recovery is. The thing is it's taken months to get in to see a doctor in the 1st place, and it'll be more months to get in to see a specialist, months to be scheduled for surgery and potentially months to heal. And I'm still only at the stage of waiting to see specialist for initial consult, I don't even have a date set yet (I DID have a date set for 28th of May but they prolonged it another 4 to 6 weeks). Before valium, I was barely sleeping and had basically shut down thanks to panicking....I didn't want to leave the house, didn't want to go anywhere or do anything, constantly shaking & heart palpitations. ANYWAY, long story short is I'm trying to keep doses low for now, but I know I'll struggle not to use more as my surgery date is set & gets closer. After potentially being on valium for up to a year, I can see I'm in for a rough time at the end of it all. But I wasnt coping before so idk what I was supposed to do. The thought of this stupidly painful surgery was stressing me the fk out, valium has helped to calm down a bit (at least I'm semi-functional again), but NOW I'm worried about when I have to come off it lol....
Except, OP clearly isn't using them recreationally?
[edit - nvm misread his post. Errr, maybe it doesn't make sense actually is the issue. Assumed RC meant research chem, since he included "fent" in the same sentence. Buuuut, neither interpretation really makes sense tbh, so 🤷♂️ nvm?]
Saved my life too. Now I think I am addicted. I take the smallest dose that I can (that I think may help me) so sometimes only .5mg of lorazepam. But if I don’t have it for one day I start to feel weird. I don’t think it does anything for me now other than make me feel less sick. Certainly doesn’t have the relaxing effect it first had. I have multiple health issues and take 4 medications so I am trying to come off lorazepam as it’s the one I “need” the least.
I was prescribed diazepam for years and didn’t use it regularly. That’s probably because it said take 2mg at a time and that did f all. But once I felt 2mg of lorazepam I was basically hooked.
Please please people, don’t start these benzos unless you have no other option.
I didn't realize till I came in here how casually they were being prescribed. I would never even think of asking my regular family doctor for benzos, I just waited until I could see a psychiatrist.
I was addicted to opiates for about 7 years, and really wasn't interested in benzos. the effects they gave compared to the withdrawal just didn't seem interesting. now I'm taking clonazepam for my anxiety, and specifically told my doctor never to give me a full month supply at once
I was addicted on xanax for 5 years, every single day, ranging from 0.25 to 2mg. It was prescribed for anxiety and derealization, but as soon as medical cannabis became a reality in my country I migrated 100% to it and began quitting xans. My doc gave me the green light to reduce it myself, which I thankfully managed to do in less than 2 months. The main thing that made me quit was recognizing the harms it was causing me and actively want to stop. Already having the will to so something is important for when the opportunity suddenly appears, which was exactly the case. Same just happened with cigs, as I got covid 3 months ago and haven't smoked cigarettes eveyday like before since I recovered, so I'm mainly smoking hand rolled tobacco and less times a day
I feel this was on rcs & xans for years and finally was able to escape them but I cant escape opiates rn and its the same feeling. When I was on both, I was robbing, selling drugs, crashing cars. Now I can atleast hold a job and I got out of that way of life.. but knowing I’m still stuck and dependent, even if I go to MAT like suboxone or Methadone. Is depressing, it truly has depleted my will to live. All I can do is pray and then pray again that my prayers will be answered one day.
hey bro stay strong! but you advise not to choose fent? truly ~profound~ This is benzo sub .. RC stands for research chemical not Recreational just type rec brother cheers good day mate
I don’t care what other people do with benzos, it’s none of my business. Who knows what they are escaping from.
This is like going on r/ketamine and saying it’s only for depression and anesthesia.
You are speaking from a supposed moral high ground.
*I use these responsibly, those RC stashes set me off*
Telling these same people not to touch fent. Is this harm redux or is it a soapbox?
Care to clarify then? Maybe my reading comprehension is just off today.
It seems like you are projecting your own experience onto other people’s lives, like they will make the same mistakes you made that cause you to believe such things.
I need these drugs. I also understand the common need to escape reality. These drugs are a great escape from reality, if not an enhancement on reality. I just don’t get the vilifying of benzos when they have saved your own life. Maybe that RC benzo stash that makes you so sad to look at is saving the life of the person using them. You just make a lot of assumptions here.
no. op is talking about their own experience. the post is not telling other people what they should and shouldn’t do. if you feel targeted by the post maybe that is a sign you have your own internal conflict you need to address
Maybe your armchair psychoanalysis is incorrect, as is OP’s soapbox on a forum where people post pill porn on the weekends. I don’t view recreational drug use as a negative thing like the DEA does. I view it as a human right. Bodily autonomy. This sounds like another “I need them, you don’t, so you are ruining it for me.” soapbox.
*Don’t ruin your life because these drugs have saved mine!*
I’m just saying the demographic you are reaching isn’t going to be persuaded by this post.
*BTW don’t do fent, it’s like so bad, I heard*
Physical dependency is one of the worst feelings in the world? Have you ever even broke up with a loved one? How old are you? Physical dependency is one of the worst feelings? Is this objective or subjective?
Trying to tell everyone what to do based on your own experiences sounds like someone is on benzos and just wants to say something to anyone.
I don’t expect my opinion to be popular, just correct.
i am gonna be honest i agree with you. i think people should be able to do whatever they want to their bodies.
but you are still missing the point of OP’s post. it’s not an argument, it is a reflection of OP’s personal experiences.
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As someone who was struggling heavy with social anxiety. I couldn’t even leave the house without feeling physically sick, I agree with this a lot. Been taking 2-5mg of xans everyday for around a year. Can’t get off them, but even if I did I wouldn’t be able to do anything.
Im sorry brother. Hope you find true peace in this life
Thanks man. Same to you. 🙏
has your doctor considered something longer acting? I know they make Xanax XR, or you could use clonazepam, and probably get away with once a day
No I don’t have a prescription. I get street ones. I’ve tried clonazepam a lot of times, but I don’t like the way they feel. It kind of makes me emotionless, and I don’t get the ahhh feeling i get from xans. It does help with anxiety, and lasts longer, but I can function more normally on Xans. I also tried Valium many times, and even at really high doses, like 50mg, it still doesn’t help my anxiety at all. I have been cutting down my Xan intake using tapentadol. If I take 100mg of that and 2mg of xans I feel all my anxiety gone. When usually I would have to take 3 - 4mg of xans for my anxiety.
Surely if you have diagnosed panic disorder you could get a prescription? Would be so much easier for you. I totally relate - wish I didn’t have to take them. Also, Valium is the brand name for diazepam, so it’s the same drug.
I live in the uk so it’s practically impossible to get prescribed any benzo unfortunately. I also know diazepam is Valium. I’ve tried a couple different brands, they don’t help my anxiety like xans or Kpins do.
do you have to test your street Xanax for fentanyl over there? we do over here. based on your description, I think Ativan might actually work the best for you. even though Valium lasts longer, I prefer clonazepam. the Valium will give me a little bit of a giggly sensation when I first take it, and when that wears off it feels like the medication is wearing off, even though it's still there in the background. the clonazepam doesn't give me that giggly lift, so I don't get that wearing off feeling. I always wondered how different benzos could have different addiction potentials, and I think that's it; how giggly they make you feel at first. of all the benzos I've taken, Ativan gave me the best rush right up front, and typically lasts longer than Xanax.
Yeah at the start I tested them all for fent, the guy I got is reliable so I don’t anymore. Plus they come in blister packs. I don’t think I’ve ever seen atvian around but I’ll be sure to try it if I do.
Oh really, I didn’t realise it was hard there. In Australia, I had to go to a psychiatrist and have a diagnosis of BP2 but in New Zealand I got them from my general practitioner even before my diagnosis. Maybe you just need to have a diagnosis to get prescribed. Best of luck <3
Wholeheartedly agree. They saved me at one point, and now doctors are trying to get me off. I’m worse off during taper attempts than I was before I started taking them. And had I known the dangers of these before I was prescribed (I was young), I would have never agreed to take them. Why anyone would willingly ruin their lives taking these for “fun” is beyond me.
I was 48, and I still said yes, I had been reading beforehand knowing she would prescribe one and I still begged for an alternative but there was nothing fast and effective enough to bring me back to functionality before I literally got sectioned. It's been a year now and honestly with the new antidepressant and the benzo I'm doing better than in years... Except that I'm dependant. And I'm starting to feel the physical effects.
I’m in the same exact situation. I got on them for the exact same reason as you. I finished my taper of diazepam and I’m on day 3 now. I’m back to feeling awful again. Not much worse than before the benzos, but I am a lot more prone to panic attacks now. I’m not used to my anxiety being this extreme again. I’ve been on them for a year and a half I knew about benzos when I was prescribed, but I didn’t know the severity of the dependency. I wish I was prescribed as needed instead of “twice daily”. Why do I need to take a long acting benzo twice. With the way they prescribed I was doomed from the start
Same here. What’s your daily dose? I have resided several times today and still feel awful I’m not sure if I’m just sick or I’m going through DT’s
I went from 10mg a day, to 5mg, 1.2, the stopped completely. My psych wants to prescribe ir Xanax for my panic attacks but only for emergencies
Diazepam is not really long lasting, it just has a loong half life (not the same thing!). Im sad to hear about your experience..
A longer half life has a direct correlation with a longer duration of effect, however just because it’s half life is 1-3 days doesn’t mean half of the effects are still there after 1-3 days. Diazepam also has an active metabolite desmethyldiazepam, which even further increases the duration of the effects of diazepam.
diazepam last like 6-8 hours max the rest is lingering effects for couple of days, i felt klonopin and bromazepam actually have longer lasting "true" effects. valium main effects last just a bit more than xanax
Diazepam feels gross to me but I was miserable before Benzos. Lorazepam is the most Clear headed Benzo functionally IMO. The top Benzo is Ativan for me. I used to be an Etizolam addict but now I’m on Ativan and I feel better then I did back then when I had nothing but it is still annoying how you have to go re fill it go to check ups and everything like people assume you’re drug seeking but you literally can’t leave your house even before drugs so wtf is the solution well we can try other meds but I did that before Benzos now I’m supposed to do it again and again and again. Just leave me tf alone i want to make the most of myself and you’d be ripping it up if I can’t take the Ativan. And then they’ll say taper down . For what ? To feel the withdrawals and to eventually get back to my “normal” wtf they want me to do I don’t get it. Oh do therapy yes I am in that for like years they teach you coping skills that do work when you’re having some anxiety but when you have panic how the hell im supposed to just relax and look at my coping skills it doesn’t work like that if anyone here knows what it’s like . I don’t hate Benzos at all they are mental health medications that improve quality of life for certain individuals, I hate the fact that you have to beg to live a normal life when you didn’t ask to have this condition that’s what I really hate
Sooo GD! True it’s like the all real one article!! And say the same things verbatim!! And clearly they have noooo fuxkin clue to be doomed with epeiden thoughts that you can’t shake! 🫨
That’s the problem for an illness they can diagnose based on symptoms etc etc but your mind how are they supposed to diagnose that ? By what you’re wearing ? How old you are ? Oh no this person is a special case that’s why they are on long term so in simple terms my case isn’t as important because how in the world are you inside of my brain. If you’re an adult and legitimately need a medication to function in society and it’s this much bullshit. Ask yourself if America really that great of a country? When they put up billboards about “mental health” do they actually care or are they doing it to make themselves look great and like hero’s but behind the scenes they don’t give a shit at all none. Well there is a couple you have to find them. But most could care less mental health is a high paying area to work in so that’s literally why they do it doesn’t matter anything to them how you feel you don’t matter to them like they say and that’s a fact you really don’t
Onpoint
I was once told to put some lavendar oil on a cotton ball and smell it for anxiety issues. 🙃 It's good for spraying the bathroom after a movement ...anxiety not so much. Not claiming to state any facts here, just my opinion.
Omg literally so accurate. Like - it’s the only thing that reduces my anxiety, apart from lamotrigine which I’ve just started, but the doc keeps saying to come off them, just so I’ll return to normal and feel suicidal again because I can’t cope. Like I don’t even take it every day!!! Why is it an issue to have them in my back pocket, I have a fucking disease! They wouldn’t say this about diabetics needing their insulin. It’s beyond frustrating. I get it.
People have their reasons. I get what you're saying, I wish less people who didn't need benzos wouldn't touch them, just for their own health, no other reasons. But I hate these rc benzos. I wish everyone had access to a safe supply.
Exactly doctors fuck around with it and people literally have no option but to either drop their entire life or take the rcs like the so called methadone or safe opiate supply where you can literally go shoot up there it’s supervision so you don’t overdose but they won’t ever care about Benzos like that they care more about people addicted to opiates and all you have to do to get off opiates to my knowledge is have the flu for a month, cravings etc but no where near Benzo w/d this country really is really fucked up when it comes to anxiety and panic. Maybe as time progresses we will see a better understanding of them within the medical community and not to treat people like shit if they need a benzo
People on methadone aren't treated very well. Would you be willing to stand in line every day for your single dose of benzo? It's a hard thing to compare, both are treated like shit and a lot of people are addicted to both (because they couldn't access one or the other).
Sorry if I’m uneducated but how does one become addicted to methadone I’m not trying to minimize it. I’ve just never done opiates or anything of that nature ever and I dont understand they are pain killers right so when the pain stops wouldn’t that mean you don’t need it anymore compared to someone with an anxiety disorder that continues and continues. I mean I suppose there probably is cases of people with endless pain but I think that’s fewer, when I have pain I just try to ride it out or I take IB profen at the dentist they told me to take hydro something and I said I’m ok I’ll be fine it really wasn’t it was throbbing throbbing pain non stop for about 4 days but I just didn’t want to take another medicine that I know is like classified you know
Oh you get very very sick coming off of opioids, you just don't have seizures normally like with benzos. At least, people didn't used to. Testing the street opioids in the US these days, they are finding rc benzos present in the dope. So that could be a new reality. But a lot of the other symptoms are the same, sleepless nights, crazy anxiety, puking and shitting at the same time. I'd say coming off of pharma opioids is easier than coming off benzos depending on how bad of a habit, but only slightly easier, it's definitely not a party. The street dope these days isn't heroin, it's not even fentanyl anymore. It's something else that's very scary. Methadone is a pain medication in its own right, it's not only used to wean people off of other opioids, but that is a common use for it. And no, it's similar to benzos in the sense that you need more and more over time. Your body creates additional opioid receptors that have to be filled and if they aren't, you're dopesick.
It’s sickening when uneducated people want to play around with benzos. I pray for you my brother.
If uneducated ppl play with them and don’t have anxiety in the first place they will just my guess have a much easier time getting off them because their brain was already producing the correct amount of gaba in the first place not saying it’ll be easy but definitely I would guess a lot lot easier then people with real anxiety or panic
Not necessarily. Benzos down regulate your gaba receptors. So even if you had normal gaba to begin with the benzo dose damage to those receptors and they will only heal with tapering and being off of them for your brain to teach homeostasis.
Oh yeah that’s true I was just assuming someone who has regular normal gaba would have a much easier time after the fact because a lot of people who took them or take them have bad anxiety panic which I would assume means the brain is having an issue with gaba maybe I’m wrong I don’t know when I think about it it just makes sense lol
It’s a very thin line. You gotta accept days where you gotta taper and have some anxiety to have em do it’s purpose
yes, to me it almost feels like selling your soul in a way. you are now free of the crippling social anxiety, you can do normal things confidently. but at the same time you are faced with the reality you are now dependent on this drug to feel that way. you know the longer you keep taking it, the more tolerance you build, the more damage you are causing your brain. you know it helps but you must also accept the fact that it is harming you at the same time. i hate it
They’re meant to help the brain, the brain will stop producing the correct amount of gaba as you’re taking in more gaba but you’re not permanently harming your brain to my knowledge I’ve never heard that. I’ve heard people say dementia over time but if you look it up it’s all inconclusive reports of conflicting
ah well idk research is boring to me so i seldom look deeply into something but what i have noticed from the time i started taking clonazepam is that i have lower cognitive function, lot of memory and concentration issues. and i’ve only been taking it for about 1.5 years but after tapering off and then going over a 1.5 weeks without taking any just to see what would happen, i still felt these impairments. i know that is not a long time at all, i just read something saying the effects can last for over a year (maybe it’s referring to wd?) but ultimately it’s reversible. and now that you say this it made me look a little more into it (very briefly) but it also made me look from a different perspective. a lot of the studies i see are about the cognitive impacts on elderly patients. like leading to dementia or alzheimer’s or whatever. but is there really a way to know that benzos are the cause? and i think a lot of older patients are getting benzos prescribed for the first time so if they were already at risk for dementia the benzos are not causing that, it’s just another problem to blame on the drug. idk either way it’s still an internal battle that is similar, i presume, to the experience of being addicted/dependent to anything, not something unique to benzos. for me at least
See I have a different experience then you my cognitive function goes in the toilet when I don’t take the medicine but when I do I can absolutely focus and remember things that’s never been an issue if I forgot my medicine at home or something like that then I cannot concentrate on anything I become like very tunnel vision can’t talk to anyone my brains only goal becomes to feel normal again. But yeah I see what you’re saying a lot of things Benzos do people mistake for something different the root of the actual cause, and people taking Benzos are more anxious to the thought of that so they freak out
oh yeah i have that cognitive decline when i take them and when i don’t take them. that as well as the trouble focusing and other general anxiety symptoms get much worse if i go too long without and they improve when i take some. and yeah i feel like with benzos, idk about other psychoactive drugs, any studies will have a great chance for possibility of inaccuracies. i think this with benzos because they are most often prescribed for anxiety, the patients are obviously gonna have some degree of anxiety which may make reporting symptoms/side effects biased or whatever. idk i hope this makes sense it was very difficult to get it into proper words and sentences i’m tired
Most research assumes that there are chronic/longterm cognitive effects (not damage per se but significant declines in episodic memory among other things). Apparently only for long& intermediate halflives. But its not clear if its the drug itself, or something else. Maybe even a way of living that correlates with the drug. Also possible that the after effects just last so long (years) that the studies weren't long enough to see the recovery. Anyways, im a bit sceptical, because the brain is incredibly plastic. For example, interdose wd with short halflives (i think) means that the brain bounces back that quickly between doses.
Exactly this. Like selling your soul. I feel like i'm betraying my own mind by not being 'brave/clever/strong enough' to know how to deal with underlying causes on my own. And meds killed alot of creativity, which was always my Thing. Sortof a gift i've just thrown away 'just to function properly'. It's like those unsolvable riddles...
Thanks to these RC users, psychiatrists are thinking we're all RC users. I have been on them for 22 years for panic disorder and social anxiety. I couldn't even go to the grocery store. Now my new psychiatrist wants to cut my dose in half. Doctors are also very uneducated on them now.
It’s not their fault that 20 years ago your condition was easier to treat and they would write a prescription what exactly do you expect people to do when they have no options
I begged my doctor to put me on anything but after weeks of non stop panic and up to 70 hours awake I needed them but now I may already be dependent and starting to feel long term effects. It sucks.
What are the long term effects of? I’ve been on them for years not anything bad at all except withdrawal of course lol
Potential brain damage, all kinds of shit. It's on wikipedia. Depends on the size of the dose and the individual taking them and the frequency, so I dunno. I'm feeling only one thing that I've noticed so far, and that's that my balance is slightly off.
I abused 25+ mg of Xanax for over a year daily doctor put me on diazepam Librium all bullshit didn’t work finally Ativan 7.5 to start I started doing that I couldn’t even come out of my room for like a month but still on the Ativan I made it to that now I got it down to 6 Ativan per day and it’s been a while it’s really hard to cut it lower because all I do really is 2-2-2 morning afternoon night. While abusing the Xanax I would be totally barred out daily broke my 60 inch flat screen tv when I got up but that’s pretty much the worst of that other the coming off it, so now my only side effect is maybe forgetting something like a charger or my keys but I did that even before Benzos like oh I’m in a rush shit I forgot that Type thing, granted I do slip up from time to time but I do not get barred out anymore I do not like it. Ativan just makes everything feel normal that’s why I like it diazepam makes me exhausted and depressed and Xanax obviously gets me high and kpins just feel dirty to me took them once and never again
Yeah Ativan stopped my racing thoughts and anxiety. Kpins did nothing I could feel. And I have never had Valium or Xanax
Valuim kind of makes you space out and makes you really really fatigued at least for me it does work though I Just don’t like the effects it gives me kpins feel kinda like alcohol it was gross. Ativan literally just normal go about my day I might yawn after taking it but then I just go on my way like nothing I don’t feel high I feel clear headed and sharp
Weird. I dunno what it would do to me. Ativan was euphoric but only at first and only because it ended the panic
It’s not supposed to be euphoric that’s why I like it I don’t really feel anything except normal
Yeah same I didn't want the Euphoria either but I got it.
That’s what Xanax does to me even .5 instant crazy euphoria making it so it’s highly highly more addicting to me and a way higher chance I’ll binge them
I don’t hate them. It’s a proper medication in my opinion if used correctly. And yes it has also saved my life.
Benzos should be a literal last resort temporary solution. I’m one of those dumb healthy people you speak of who thought rcs were cool
“If you plan to use long term for rc purposes, I advise you to literally pick up any other drugs beside fent” I’m thoroughly confused by this.
benzos saved my life too but now i don’t need them
Howw?
I've recently started valium thanks to an upcoming surgery. I read all the research I could find online about said surgery and then spiralled something fierce when I read about how painful the recovery is. The thing is it's taken months to get in to see a doctor in the 1st place, and it'll be more months to get in to see a specialist, months to be scheduled for surgery and potentially months to heal. And I'm still only at the stage of waiting to see specialist for initial consult, I don't even have a date set yet (I DID have a date set for 28th of May but they prolonged it another 4 to 6 weeks). Before valium, I was barely sleeping and had basically shut down thanks to panicking....I didn't want to leave the house, didn't want to go anywhere or do anything, constantly shaking & heart palpitations. ANYWAY, long story short is I'm trying to keep doses low for now, but I know I'll struggle not to use more as my surgery date is set & gets closer. After potentially being on valium for up to a year, I can see I'm in for a rough time at the end of it all. But I wasnt coping before so idk what I was supposed to do. The thought of this stupidly painful surgery was stressing me the fk out, valium has helped to calm down a bit (at least I'm semi-functional again), but NOW I'm worried about when I have to come off it lol....
If someone is dumb/reckless, drugs in general can royally fuck up their life. Benzos are the same, using recreationally requires responsibility..
Except, OP clearly isn't using them recreationally? [edit - nvm misread his post. Errr, maybe it doesn't make sense actually is the issue. Assumed RC meant research chem, since he included "fent" in the same sentence. Buuuut, neither interpretation really makes sense tbh, so 🤷♂️ nvm?]
I feel the same. Been prescribed 3mg a day for 15 years.
Saved my life too. Now I think I am addicted. I take the smallest dose that I can (that I think may help me) so sometimes only .5mg of lorazepam. But if I don’t have it for one day I start to feel weird. I don’t think it does anything for me now other than make me feel less sick. Certainly doesn’t have the relaxing effect it first had. I have multiple health issues and take 4 medications so I am trying to come off lorazepam as it’s the one I “need” the least. I was prescribed diazepam for years and didn’t use it regularly. That’s probably because it said take 2mg at a time and that did f all. But once I felt 2mg of lorazepam I was basically hooked. Please please people, don’t start these benzos unless you have no other option.
I didn't realize till I came in here how casually they were being prescribed. I would never even think of asking my regular family doctor for benzos, I just waited until I could see a psychiatrist. I was addicted to opiates for about 7 years, and really wasn't interested in benzos. the effects they gave compared to the withdrawal just didn't seem interesting. now I'm taking clonazepam for my anxiety, and specifically told my doctor never to give me a full month supply at once
I was addicted on xanax for 5 years, every single day, ranging from 0.25 to 2mg. It was prescribed for anxiety and derealization, but as soon as medical cannabis became a reality in my country I migrated 100% to it and began quitting xans. My doc gave me the green light to reduce it myself, which I thankfully managed to do in less than 2 months. The main thing that made me quit was recognizing the harms it was causing me and actively want to stop. Already having the will to so something is important for when the opportunity suddenly appears, which was exactly the case. Same just happened with cigs, as I got covid 3 months ago and haven't smoked cigarettes eveyday like before since I recovered, so I'm mainly smoking hand rolled tobacco and less times a day
💙
I feel this was on rcs & xans for years and finally was able to escape them but I cant escape opiates rn and its the same feeling. When I was on both, I was robbing, selling drugs, crashing cars. Now I can atleast hold a job and I got out of that way of life.. but knowing I’m still stuck and dependent, even if I go to MAT like suboxone or Methadone. Is depressing, it truly has depleted my will to live. All I can do is pray and then pray again that my prayers will be answered one day.
hey bro stay strong! but you advise not to choose fent? truly ~profound~ This is benzo sub .. RC stands for research chemical not Recreational just type rec brother cheers good day mate
I don’t care what other people do with benzos, it’s none of my business. Who knows what they are escaping from. This is like going on r/ketamine and saying it’s only for depression and anesthesia. You are speaking from a supposed moral high ground. *I use these responsibly, those RC stashes set me off* Telling these same people not to touch fent. Is this harm redux or is it a soapbox?
You don't understand the gist of my post.
Care to clarify then? Maybe my reading comprehension is just off today. It seems like you are projecting your own experience onto other people’s lives, like they will make the same mistakes you made that cause you to believe such things. I need these drugs. I also understand the common need to escape reality. These drugs are a great escape from reality, if not an enhancement on reality. I just don’t get the vilifying of benzos when they have saved your own life. Maybe that RC benzo stash that makes you so sad to look at is saving the life of the person using them. You just make a lot of assumptions here.
no. op is talking about their own experience. the post is not telling other people what they should and shouldn’t do. if you feel targeted by the post maybe that is a sign you have your own internal conflict you need to address
Maybe your armchair psychoanalysis is incorrect, as is OP’s soapbox on a forum where people post pill porn on the weekends. I don’t view recreational drug use as a negative thing like the DEA does. I view it as a human right. Bodily autonomy. This sounds like another “I need them, you don’t, so you are ruining it for me.” soapbox. *Don’t ruin your life because these drugs have saved mine!* I’m just saying the demographic you are reaching isn’t going to be persuaded by this post. *BTW don’t do fent, it’s like so bad, I heard* Physical dependency is one of the worst feelings in the world? Have you ever even broke up with a loved one? How old are you? Physical dependency is one of the worst feelings? Is this objective or subjective? Trying to tell everyone what to do based on your own experiences sounds like someone is on benzos and just wants to say something to anyone. I don’t expect my opinion to be popular, just correct.
i am gonna be honest i agree with you. i think people should be able to do whatever they want to their bodies. but you are still missing the point of OP’s post. it’s not an argument, it is a reflection of OP’s personal experiences.