Benzo long term success stories?

[kiki99]

I'm curious how many here are actually scripted bnz0s?  I've never actually gotten a script for any of them.  I've suffered anxiety, depression and insomnia--and diagnosed from professionals as such.  I have to beg for a zolp script every time (which is supposedly not physically addictive) and have had to switch doctors even to get it.  Land of the "free" yet we aren't smart enough to choose which medications might help us have a quality of life.  Where do we place the line?

I have a legit script for bNzs. I take this just to help with severe muscle cramping caused by a bad surgery. I take these only at night to sleep. I found that most sleeping pills did not work, or made me a complete zombie the following day. if taken daily, you will build up a tolerance, so I try to use these as needed.

[honstym]

i was munching 100 odd mgat once and now its taken 9 months to ween off but im benzo free! yeh boy!!

[Tigertail58]

Unfortunately that was the case with me too when i tried to go to a new dr. after a move.  They would not give me my "normal" scripts that i had been on for years. i was told "we don't know you from adam"  so lesson learned i go back to my normal dr even if his office is far from my home.

What do you do when your Dr. retires?  These new young docs are schooled against using opiate and likewise benzos.  There was a CNN Lisa Ling special, you can find it on youtube [color=var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-color, var(--yt-spec-text-primary))]This Is Life with Lisa Ling Is Covering Benzodiazepines.[/color]

[Wannabenormal18]

Unfortunately that was the case with me too when i tried to go to a new dr. after a move.  They would not give me my "normal" scripts that i had been on for years. i was told "we don't know you from adam"  so lesson learned i go back to my normal dr even if his office is far from my home.

What do you do when your Dr. retires?  These new young docs are schooled against using opiate and likewise benzos.  There was a CNN Lisa Ling special, you can find it on youtube [color=var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-color, var(--yt-spec-text-primary))]This Is Life with Lisa Ling Is Covering Benzodiazepines.[/color]

Are you working with a psychiatrist or a pcp?

[barq2]

Wow, thank you Barq, while and old one your post really resonated with me and my situation. SSRIs are having to many side effects for me to deal with and trying to manage low doses on benzos to help manage my anxiety in a high functioning life and high performing career. I’m  earlier in my journey but they just work so well, so taking very low amount and hopefully they don’t lose their effectiveness. I’m seeking counselling as well as seeing a psych who can prescribe.

So are you in a similar position? I found SSRIs made me so restless like I wanted to jump out of my own skin. There was one in particular that really made me quite psychotic (even 20 years later it still embarrasses me what I did while on that SSRI). In the end I just had to stop taking it and within a day or so was back to my normal self - anxious but certainly not psychotic!

It takes a lot of self control to keep the benzo level low enough for a high functioning career. I'm struggling a bit with memory, but it could be some painkillers I'm currently prescribed. Anyway I have started taking turmeric pills since research shows they help cognition in people taking benzos.

I get the impression that the people who lose effectiveness the quickest are those who binge on their pills. I can't remember where I first heard that, but my golden rule was never to exceed the prescribed amount. Even now that a change of doctor (and government policy where I live) means I'm no longer prescribed, I still use them as responsibly as possible. It takes some will power on a bad day since I could take as much as I wanted. Also I won't deny that my tolerance has crept up a bit, but it's pretty good for nearly 15 years of continual use. I was prescribed 3 x 5mg diazepam a day, now I'm on 20mg. Maybe I've just been lucky it still works.

I hope you are able to carry on with a low dose and don't need to increase it. Aside from the physical effects of benzos as drugs, I think there is a massive psychological dimension in knowing you've taken this thing that you know from experience will ease your anxiety. In my case as soon as I taste the pill my anxiety decreases, that's despite the fact I cannot have absorbed any of it yet - there is no way it is acting on my brain 2 seconds after I put a pill in my mouth! Yet it feels as though it is working, so my brain must be anticipating the effect from the taste alone. Odd as it may seem I now snap my pills in two so that I taste more of it (or can taste it morning and evening), and that seems to help.

Good luck with your therapy. Counselling can be so useful - if nothing else you can offload all your stress without feeling bad, like you might if it was a friend.

[Rantman12]

I’m on several myself and have been for 5 years now. So I guess it’s kinda short term. But I haven’t had to up any dose. Because I make sure I take a ‘vaycay’ day away from them now and again and I’ve had great luck. Xan makes a 24hr release and they are better to me than instant, I use kpin’s as my prn which are very helpful when I do need them. And temazepam for sleep I have terrible insomnia and it actually helps the other two work together. That along with some antidepressants and of course the psychiatrist monthly and a therapist you get a really good system that starts to work actually work. And now I feel like I have more good days than bad. It’s all about your whole system. B@nzos are only one part of it. Finding your gaggle of people really helps. And I’m new, but have been a lurker of this forum for like 3 years. And these are amazing people. And also
Gaggle
1.
a flock of geese.
2.
INFORMAL
a disorderly or noisy group of people.

Because we all need a good group if noisy friends to make the pains of life a little easier too.

[Kachamkin]

Well everyone, its been roughly 5 months since I started this thread and I've been on benzos constantly ever since. I try to stick with diazepam as much as possible. Occasionally switching between 10-20mg per night. At the beginning they helped massively as in being more social and "normal" around people, and I can still feel when they are in my system, but its nowhere near the sense of freedom and peace as in the beginning. The physical sense of anxiety itself is still much lower, but other stress levels and depression are mostly right back to where they were before I started. I'll eventually taper off but I'm not ready because of too many deep down personal stressors that I'm not ready to deal with in the withdrawal/tapering state. I guess its really gonna vary person to person and what sort of situation in life is actually causing the "anxiety". Good to see my thread still going strong though and to hear everyones experiences so far.

Ah, tolerance, thou art a heartless bitch!