Coming off Benzos

Loki · Oct 9, 2017

I have had issues with sleeping for over 15 years. I have been on everything you can think of from Lunesta, Ambien to every form of Benzo's. For the last 12 years or so I have been consistently on a benzo. I was most recently switched to Alprazolam and because of the short half life I was experiencing micro withdrawals. After reading about the long term negative effects I finally decided to get off sleep meds for good. I switched from Alprazolam (short half life) to Diazepam (long half life) and have been on a weekly tapering schedule. I started with 20MG and reduced 2MG per week. I am currently taking 1.25MG per night. Tuesday I drop to 0... Does anybody have any experience, advice on what if anything I should do Tuesday night? Is there something I can take to kick start my body back to a normal state and not in a state of dependency? Very nervous about tomorrow night! I am sure the 1.25 is doing nothing for me except feeding the dependency...

Let me know.... Thanks!!

CoastWatcher · Oct 9, 2017

Loki said:
I have had issues with sleeping for over 15 years. I have been on everything you can think of from Lunesta, Ambien to every form of Benzo's. For the last 12 years or so I have been consistently on a benzo. I was most recently switched to Alprazolam and because of the short half life I was experiencing micro withdrawals. After reading about the long term negative effects I finally decided to get off sleep meds for good. I switched from Alprazolam (short half life) to Diazepam (long half life) and have been on a weekly tapering schedule. I started with 20MG and reduced 2MG per week. I am currently taking 1.25MG per night. Tuesday I drop to 0... Does anybody have any experience, advice on what if anything I should do Tuesday night? Is there something I can take to kick start my body back to a normal state and not in a state of dependency? Very nervous about tomorrow night! I am sure the 1.25 is doing nothing for me except feeding the dependency...

Let me know.... Thanks!!

I have no personal experience with that class of drugs, but I wish you the best. I'm sure you will get through this.

Vince · Oct 9, 2017

Coming off benzos, you must be going through hell. We do have some thread on benzos that may help or may not.

MY BENZO EXPERIENCE: What it Feels Like to Take a Benzodiazepine for Anxiety

Low T & Opiates

Low T & Opiates - Page 2

Opiate abuse and testosterone deficiency

Opiate Recovery And The Effects On Sexual Performance

Loki · Oct 9, 2017

Yes, this has been pretty tough... In the home stretch and not giving up... Hoping somebody has some amazing supplement or tactic to make it easier...

Vince said:
Coming off benzos, you must being going through hell. We do have some thread on benzos that may help or may not.

MY BENZO EXPERIENCE: What it Feels Like to Take a Benzodiazepine for Anxiety

Low T & Opiates

https://www.excelmale.com/forum/showthread.php?5684-Low-T-Opiates

[TABLE="class: cms_table_gsc-table-result, width: 600"]
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[TD="class: cms_table_gsc-table-cell-thumbnail cms_table_gsc-thumbnail"]
[/TD]
[TD="class: cms_table_gsc-table-cell-snippet-close"]I am living proof that chronic opiate usage lowers T levels. I am no longer taking opiates. After roughly 10+ years of opiates and then 5 years ...
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Low T & Opiates - Page 2

https://www.excelmale.com/forum/showthread.php?5684-Low...Opiates/...

[TABLE="class: cms_table_gsc-table-result, width: 600"]
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[TD="class: cms_table_gsc-table-cell-thumbnail cms_table_gsc-thumbnail"]
[/TD]
[TD="class: cms_table_gsc-table-cell-snippet-close"]Is there any correlation between long-term and/or heavy opiate use and low testosterone? Studies to prove/disprove?
[/TD]
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Opiate abuse and testosterone deficiency

https://www.excelmale.com/forum/showthread.php?9249-Opiate-abuse...

[TABLE="class: cms_table_gsc-table-result, width: 600"]
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[TD="class: cms_table_gsc-table-cell-thumbnail cms_table_gsc-thumbnail"]
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[TD="class: cms_table_gsc-table-cell-snippet-close"]45 year old male with 15 years of prior opiate abuse. Now clean for 5 years and on TRT since 11/18/2016 due to my poor mistakes with pain ...
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Opiate Recovery And The Effects On Sexual Performance

https://www.excelmale.com/forum/showthread.php?8178-Opiate...And...

[TABLE="class: cms_table_gsc-table-result, width: 600"]
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[TD="class: cms_table_gsc-table-cell-snippet-close"]This is one of the YouTube channels I subscribe to. Published on Sep 7, 2016 Sex and opiates have had many people asking questions.
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Sean Mosher · Oct 9, 2017

I believe many pain docs use Clonidine to help ease withdrawal symptoms for both Benzo's and Opiates.

Nelson Vergel · Oct 9, 2017

Loki · Oct 9, 2017

Nelson, this is very close to the protocol we are using except 1.25MG drop every week. Tonight is my last dose at 1.25 and tomorrow night I am done. With my years of use I have to think 1.25MG is doing virtually nothing for me anyway...

Nelson Vergel said:
This is a very successful protocol. Please read it all. It is a very slow process but I know people who have been helped by this.

BENZODIAZEPINES: How do they work and how to stop them

1. Withdrawal from high dose (6mg) alprazolam (Xanax) daily with diazepam (Valium) substitution
2. Simple withdrawal from diazepam (Valium) 40mg daily
3. Withdrawal from lorazepam (Ativan) 6mg daily with diazepam (Valium) substitution
4. Withdrawal from nitrazepam (Mogadon) 10mg at night with diazepam (Valium) substitution
5. Withdrawal from clonazepam (Klonopin) 1.5mg daily with substitution of diazepam (Valium)
6. Withdrawal from clonazepam (Klonopin) 3mg daily with substitution of diazepam (Valium)
7. Withdrawal from alprazolam (Xanax) 4mg daily with diazepam (Valium) substitution
8. Withdrawal from lorazepam (Ativan) 3mg daily with diazepam (Valium) substitution
9. Withdrawal from temazepam (Restoril) 30mg nightly with diazepam (Valium) substitution
10. Withdrawal from oxazepam (Serax) 20mg three times daily (60mg) with diazepam (Valium) substitution
11. Withdrawal from chlordiazepoxide (Librium) 25mg three times daily (75mg)
12. Withdrawal from zopiclone (Zimovane) 15mg with diazepam (Valium) substitution
13. Antidepressant Withdrawal Table

Marco N Cognito · Oct 9, 2017

This is an excellent forum and resource for those tapering any psych meds, especially benzos: http://survivingantidepressants.org/topic/1024-why-taper-by-10-of-my-dosage/

Basically, to avoid most withdrawal side effects and for harm reduction, the slower the taper, the better. This is a marathon, not a race. Too many try to cut faster or with larger than 10% cuts (as ill-advised by their provider) and will experience PAWS which orthodox medicine fails to recognize: http://survivingantidepressants.org...s-also-occurs-from-psychiatric-drugs/?hl=paws

I would err on the side of caution and cut no more than 10% total within a 30-day time frame. You will need to keep track of your cuts and use a very accurate lab-quality scale or do a liquid taper. Unless you are on a short half-life benzo like Xanax, there is really no need to do a crossover to valium (which just invites another drug to have to taper all over again) if you just taper in smaller increments.

Markee · Oct 9, 2017

I take 50mgs of Seroquel just before I go to bed and sleep like a baby stuff works great with absolutely no narcotic or side affects other then it makes me sleep great
You can get it here super cheap

https://www.reliablerxpharmacy.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=Seroquel

TransitPoloce · Oct 9, 2017

Hi Loki,

I recently came off 8mgs of Klonopin after 4 years of daily use. I tapered down gradually off over 4 months, and switched to diazepam for the final part of the taper.

Going from 1.25mg to 0mg may not be as bad as you think.
In my experience it was the same as going from 3mg -> 2mg, 2mg -> 1mg, 1mg ->0 mg etc.

Bad news is there is nothing that really helps with benzo withdrawal except time. (after a very slow, gradual taper). There are a lot of horror stories online, but in my experience it was no where near as bad as people make it out to be. I felt better as soon as I got off them. I am a bit more anxious/sensitive to life since being off them. But I feel 100x better overall. I am way less groggy, memory has improved. I feel like I'm experiencing life again for the first time if that makes sense.

Good Luck with it

Loki · Oct 10, 2017

I have gone from 20MG to 1.25 in 2 months... Tonight will be the first time in 15 years without it... I got this

TransitPoloce said:
Hi Loki,

I recently came off 8mgs of Klonopin after 4 years of daily use. I tapered down gradually off over 4 months, and switched to diazepam for the final part of the taper.

Going from 1.25mg to 0mg may not be as bad as you think.
In my experience it was the same as going from 3mg -> 2mg, 2mg -> 1mg, 1mg ->0 mg etc.

Bad news is there is nothing that really helps with benzo withdrawal except time. (after a very slow, gradual taper). There are a lot of horror stories online, but in my experience it was no where near as bad as people make it out to be. I felt better as soon as I got off them. I am a bit more anxious/sensitive to life since being off them. But I feel 100x better overall. I am way less groggy, memory has improved. I feel like I'm experiencing life again for the first time if that makes sense.

Good Luck with it

FeelingLost · Oct 10, 2017

Loki said:
I have gone from 20MG to 1.25 in 2 months... Tonight will be the first time in 15 years without it... I got this

YOU GOT THIS, man. We are all rooting for you.

Loki · Oct 17, 2017

Ok so today is day 8 with no benzos and no sleeps meds... Withdrawals seemed to peak a few days ago and I feel like they are easing up. The main issues I am having are waking up with a horrible head ache and diarrhea. My sleep seems to be the same as it was on the benzos. I definitely sleep better when I am super active. The tapering is critical!!! Just a heads up on how I am doing, I know no matter what I am done with benzos.

Also a note on some positive effects-

1. colors are sharper
2. sex is better, I am very curious if the benzos impacted my orgasms
3. emotions are not as even. Happieness is higher and lows are lower

CoastWatcher · Oct 17, 2017

Thank you for updating us. You're moving in the right direction...all the best!

TransitPoloce · Oct 17, 2017

Good luck Loki. Hopefully you are over the worst of it - but valium is a very long acting Benzo and can often take a week or more to leave your system. You may not get any withdrawals symptoms that are too bad though.

I still get withdrawal symptoms 4.5 months off benzos.. so don't be surprised if you get symptoms here and there, but hopefully they aren't to severe. My most noticeable ones are muscle spasms, which I still get even now.

Loki · Oct 18, 2017

TransitPoloce said:
Good luck Loki. Hopefully you are over the worst of it - but valium is a very long acting Benzo and can often take a week or more to leave your system. You may not get any withdrawals symptoms that are too bad though.

I still get withdrawal symptoms 4.5 months off benzos.. so don't be surprised if you get symptoms here and there, but hopefully they aren't to severe. My most noticeable ones are muscle spasms, which I still get even now.

I tapered for 10 weeks and today is day 9 Benzo free. I was only taking them at night for sleep so I think my dose was probably lower compared to people taking them for anxiety but I was on them for a very long time. What dose and which Benzo were you on?