09-12-2019, 04:52 AM
(This post was last modified: 09-12-2019, 05:50 AM by Chinchillin777.)
Personally, my combination of anxiety disorders is just far too severe not to warrant benz@ or b@rbiturates, but whether or not I had to take those medications or not to feel sane, I have always found rotating medications to preserve the efficacy of all substances utilized.
For example if you need help falling asleep, instead of just taking valerian extract on a long term basis, or just kava kava, or just melatonin, try making a list/assortment of medications/supplements that you find effective, but have noticed some “diminishing returns” with in the past. Instead of relying on any one, make some sort of calendar for yourself and try taking each substance for a little less than the duration that you would normally notice or start to become habit forming or noticeably less effective, and preempt that side effect by switching medications/supplements. In doing so, your body (which is always seeking state of homeostasis) will have more difficulty adapting to, and subsequently rendering potential remedy’s ineffective.
In my case, as mentioned, I have found this works even within the same class of medications. As I do unfortunately have to rely on benz@s, I rotate between Ativan, Klonopin, and Valium, and I always notice/feel a difference after being on one for a few weeks and then switching, this strategy might not work for everyone, just my 2 cents
I attempted to edit/revise the above posting significantly for content/context/clarification. However, after doing so, in text I was given a message that posts cannot be edited beyond 10 minutes and I had exceeded that amount
I wanted to try to add a suggestion addressing the title of this thread, as I felt the post by itself was not enough on-subject and only realized it in retrospect of posting it. I did not intend to post twice, but I guess the only way to address this is to reply to my own post, please feel free to remove one or both posts, or to remove the posts from my account history. If I could edit the original post I would do so as I tried I apologize for my lack of expertise and knowledge of forums.
Here is the remainder of what I wished to add, (minus some revisions which were integrated into the text already posted, thus no longer addressable).
(Intro)
This post in a different vein than the one shortly above in terms of specific suggestions, but I think it has the potential to apply to many if not all medical/herbal remedies. There is also one suggestion for a (primarily sedative) alternative to benzodiazepines, as that is the name/focus of the thread and I don’t want to try to stray too far from that subject/not address it as best as I can
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(Added section)
If it has not been mentioned already as a possible suggestion, the tricyclic group of antidepressants, in specific, the “family” of “Amitriptyline, Nortriptyline, etc.” are known to be heavily sedating. While these do come with many possible side effects and should always be run by a doctor before trying.
Potential benefits that are related to this thread of benz@s/benz@ alternatives include: relief from insomnia, waking feeling more rested/recuperated, and just a general sense of well-being (perhaps only for those suffering from depression such as myself, but the medication does greatly increase serotonin in the brain, so I’m not sure if that could potentially apply to everyone or not).
Most notably the sedation, in my experience as well as that of several close friends/relatives who have also taken it daily in a long term capacity (not all for the same reasons as it has many effects/side effects) seems to be more or less a permanent effect of amitriptyline, especially when taken at bedtime. This level of sedation may actually prove too intense for some, resulting in a “hangover” effect in which one feels “spacey” and groggy the next morning/day. Ironically, this is actually the ONE medication that I do not feel the need to ever “alternate” as I might with anxiety medications or pain relievers, because anywhere near “complete” tolerance to said sedative effects seems an impossibility based on all my experience with it.
Reducing the dose can help, but it is still powerful even at the starting dose, and certainly not the right medication for everyone, as it has many side effects, which I will not get into here as I believe that can be a self fulfilling prophecy to dwell on, especially for the anxious like myself haha. but I will say that anyone considering it as an alternative/adjunct to any sedative/anxiolytic they are currently using should research it thoroughly and definitely try to consult at least a GP as well.
For example if you need help falling asleep, instead of just taking valerian extract on a long term basis, or just kava kava, or just melatonin, try making a list/assortment of medications/supplements that you find effective, but have noticed some “diminishing returns” with in the past. Instead of relying on any one, make some sort of calendar for yourself and try taking each substance for a little less than the duration that you would normally notice or start to become habit forming or noticeably less effective, and preempt that side effect by switching medications/supplements. In doing so, your body (which is always seeking state of homeostasis) will have more difficulty adapting to, and subsequently rendering potential remedy’s ineffective.
In my case, as mentioned, I have found this works even within the same class of medications. As I do unfortunately have to rely on benz@s, I rotate between Ativan, Klonopin, and Valium, and I always notice/feel a difference after being on one for a few weeks and then switching, this strategy might not work for everyone, just my 2 cents
I attempted to edit/revise the above posting significantly for content/context/clarification. However, after doing so, in text I was given a message that posts cannot be edited beyond 10 minutes and I had exceeded that amount
I wanted to try to add a suggestion addressing the title of this thread, as I felt the post by itself was not enough on-subject and only realized it in retrospect of posting it. I did not intend to post twice, but I guess the only way to address this is to reply to my own post, please feel free to remove one or both posts, or to remove the posts from my account history. If I could edit the original post I would do so as I tried I apologize for my lack of expertise and knowledge of forums.Here is the remainder of what I wished to add, (minus some revisions which were integrated into the text already posted, thus no longer addressable).
(Intro)
This post in a different vein than the one shortly above in terms of specific suggestions, but I think it has the potential to apply to many if not all medical/herbal remedies. There is also one suggestion for a (primarily sedative) alternative to benzodiazepines, as that is the name/focus of the thread and I don’t want to try to stray too far from that subject/not address it as best as I can
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————
(Added section)
If it has not been mentioned already as a possible suggestion, the tricyclic group of antidepressants, in specific, the “family” of “Amitriptyline, Nortriptyline, etc.” are known to be heavily sedating. While these do come with many possible side effects and should always be run by a doctor before trying.
Potential benefits that are related to this thread of benz@s/benz@ alternatives include: relief from insomnia, waking feeling more rested/recuperated, and just a general sense of well-being (perhaps only for those suffering from depression such as myself, but the medication does greatly increase serotonin in the brain, so I’m not sure if that could potentially apply to everyone or not).
Most notably the sedation, in my experience as well as that of several close friends/relatives who have also taken it daily in a long term capacity (not all for the same reasons as it has many effects/side effects) seems to be more or less a permanent effect of amitriptyline, especially when taken at bedtime. This level of sedation may actually prove too intense for some, resulting in a “hangover” effect in which one feels “spacey” and groggy the next morning/day. Ironically, this is actually the ONE medication that I do not feel the need to ever “alternate” as I might with anxiety medications or pain relievers, because anywhere near “complete” tolerance to said sedative effects seems an impossibility based on all my experience with it.
Reducing the dose can help, but it is still powerful even at the starting dose, and certainly not the right medication for everyone, as it has many side effects, which I will not get into here as I believe that can be a self fulfilling prophecy to dwell on, especially for the anxious like myself haha. but I will say that anyone considering it as an alternative/adjunct to any sedative/anxiolytic they are currently using should research it thoroughly and definitely try to consult at least a GP as well.
) but I copied and pasted "CBS 60 Minutes on the clinical trial using micro-dosing of Hallucinogenics as treatment for PTSD" straight from your post and this is what I found. 
