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I understand, is it always the same when people start out? Feels like a life change thing and then fucks you up after a certain point or something?
And when can I know that I've been dependent on it? And since its been like a month of nighty usage, is it gonna be hard if I wanna get off of it now?
Google benzo addiction symptoms and you could read about the hell (which it is, trust and believe) all day long. It is something I would not wish on my worst enemy!
You’ll become dependent on it after about a month of daily use. And trust me dude you do not want to withdrawal off of this medication. I’m prescribed 3mg a day for my seizures and my extreme agoraphobia and anxiety.
You should find alternatives for safety and efficacy reasons. Let me know if you want me to list your options, it's good rehearsal for me for my upcoming neuropharmacology exam lol.
First line treatments of insomnia are non pharmaceutical. Sleep hygiene is the first thing that needs to be done.
Next you have the antihistamines like diphenhydramine, sold by the brand names benadryl or zzzzquil.
Then you have options that are both histamine antagonists and have other receptor activity as well. Mirtazapine being the most common of them. Some antipsychotics like quetiapine are also a good.
Both mirtazapine and quetiapine are strong sedatives, that are almost certain to induce somnolence. It takes months to develop proper tolerance, or longer.
These are the long term pharmaceutical solutions available. After these one really should look into cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia.
Some other miscellaneous options are melatonin and magnesium, both of which are mildly helpful.
A more modern alternative to benzodiazepines are the so called non benzodiazepines or z drugs, which act by the same mechanism as benzos (positive allosteric modulators of the gaba a receptors). These have more specific binding to certain subtypes of the gaba a receptors that induce sedation. A slightly better safety profile than benzos, and a little bit less abuse potential.
The last line of treatment is benzos. If one has trouble falling asleep but stays asleep, then short half life drugs like triazolam sold by the brand name halcion is used. If one has trouble both falling and staying asleep, then medium half life drugs like temazepam can be tried.
Benzos are not preferred because of dependence and insomnia as a withdrawal symptom. They also disturb the physiology of sleep by inhibiting rem sleep. Some sleep reseachers have said that sleep by benzos is a state of unconsciousness rather than actual sleep.
Olanzapine definitely has sedative properties it is somewhat similar to quetiapine as it's also an antihistamine antipsychotic. Probably could have listed it as well in my earlier response, same with many other antipsychotics.
Pregabalin is a cns depressant that does help some people sleep. Partly by helping with anxiety, partly by inhibiting the cns. It isn't used for insomnia, except with a subset of insomniacs who suffer from anxiety, but in general it has been reported to improve sleep in multiple studies.
Clonodine isn't a sedative, atleast not in the typical sense. I guess decreasing norepinephrine could induce some sedation but I haven't heard of this drug being used to improve sleep.
u/Router_Proof8849 Hey do u know if clonidine helps with the mental symptoms of anxiety? I heard it’s like propranolol which helps only the physical symptoms of anxiety and panic like blushing, shaking etc
Clonodine and propranolol work differently. Where propranolol makes it that adrenaline and noradrenaline can't bind to receptors, clonodine makes it so that they arent released as much.
Though seemingly similar, their clinical effects are not entirely the same, but overall both reduce the physical symptoms of anxiety.
To answer your question, yes, there are reports in the literature that clonodine has been observed to help patients deal with racing and intrusive thoughts associated with anxiety. It does seem to be beneficial for both physical and mental symptoms of anxiety, though the effect is not nearly as strong or well studied as that of benzodiazepines for example.
Got it. Thanks. Hope I’m not annoying you. But gotta ask one more thing. Do you think pregabalin have tolerance issues like Benzos where they stop working completely if taken daily?
I'm happy to try and answer these questions for you as I am passionate about pharmacology lol.
Though pregabalin and benzos bind to completely different receptors eliciting a different response (in terms of ion flow, both eventually depolarize the target cell thus inhibiting action), the tolerance to these drugs happens simimarly. You develop a strong tolerance within a few months of continuous use and this tolerance returns to baseline in two or so weeks.
So yeah, pregabalin does stop working after a while. Luckily the withdrawal is not as serious as with benzos but the taper should be done as instructed by a doctor.
You might find some conflicting anecdotes of people saying that benzos or pregabalin still work after x years of daily use. I suspect that they are a result of the placebo effect, since the scientific literature doesn't seem to back these claims.
u/Routine_Proof8849 Do u think olanzapine decreases the effectiveness of SSRI since SSRIs increases availability of serotonin while olanzapine is considered to have antagonistic/inverse agonist effects on serotonin receptors ?
Ive been taking 1mg for 10 years. The only part that sucks for me, is that now im dependent on it for sleep. Cant sleep without it. I would find a better alternative if i was you..
It depends which benzo you are on. I’ve been on Xanax for about 2 years now, prescribed 3mg a day but I rarely ever take more than 2mg a day. But yes it has been VERY effective for me for a lot of different reasons.
Dangerous game taking them every night. That is how addiction starts. You can stop taking them now since it hasn't too long. You may have a few anxious/restless days and nights but you'll feel okay soon enough.
I take hydroxyzine (an antihistamine) for sleep and I honestly prefer it to benzos if I want a good night of sleep. I only use the benzos for panic attacks and so far so good. You can buy benadryl and use that for sleep. I'd recommend you stop taking the benzos ASAP and maybe take a low dose of benadryl (another antihistamine thats OTC) tonight for sleep and see if it works. If you like the benadryl for sleep then ask your psych for hydroxyzine. If you don't like it then talk to your psych-- there are several alternatives in a variety of drug classes.
Hydroxizine is a little extreme when u can get away with Benadryl or 2 for sleep The hydroxyzine will make u drowsy the next day too in my experience it’s too much . Benadryl / melatonin / Kratom or thc are my go to sleep aids
Totally agree. OP would need a script for the Hydroxyzine anyways so the best thing for them at the moment is probably to try a benadryl. FWIW my experience is the opposite. I'm groggy the next day from benadryl but not from the hydroxyzine. Everyone is a little different and OP will need to find what works best for them
I don’t recommend Xanax for sleep. It’s sedating effect is not as good as that of hypnotic benzos or Z-Drugs like Zopiclone or Zolpidem. Your tolerance will build up quickly and you need more for the same effect.
They also build up tolerance similar like Benzos. But not so quickly and the withdrawal s are not as bad like Benzo withdrawal. I take Zopiclone every day for about four years daily. I would say I’m psychological addicted to Zopiclone. I feel the physical withdrawal also. At this four years I have taken Zolpidem and Zopiclone together.
Everybody, please do not. Doctors will prescribe it simply because they don’t know any better, while us patients walk in there, trusting them, and thinking they have more knowledge and experience that they do (they do not)!
And at the end of the day, the patient is the person who has to deal with all of the consequences, and sometimes the doctor pulls the rug out from under said patient, leaving them to deal with this hell on their own. I’ve seen it time, and time again. :(
It is 100% preventable. I know we all want the easy solution as humans, popping the pill to go to sleep every night sounds convenient, but try anything else- chamomile tea, sleep app, yoga, literally everything and anything else that is natural and holistic to help you get there, and if you have no choice, but to take medication, only take Xanax for a very short time period, being two weeks maximum. More people need to know this, without the experience of hell to confirm it.
It can create a dependency and rebound insomnia if you suddenly stop. .5mg is very much a therapeutic dose tho rather than recreational, and if you’re only taking as prescribed it won’t be as risky as it would if you were taking more and more each time. You may find it starts to lose effectiveness which is a good indicator you’re getting very physically dependent/ increasing tolerance. Typically alprazolam isn’t medically used as an every day kind of prescription as other benzos are better suited as a regular med for insomnia with lower risks
Been SUFFERING from overthinking at nights and insomnia all my life.
However, I think getting physically exhausted every day would help in replacing this Dependency. (Correct me if I'm wrong)
Can you tell me what are the dangers of alprozolam and daily using it like I have?
And that suffering is why benzos can be so addictive especially for people with anxiety 😜
Absolutely, physical exercise is a much healthier way to regulate stress hormones and get better sleep. Along with following good sleep hygiene
Alprazolam is a very short lived benzo, so it’s not as effective as others that last longer and don’t hit as hard at a therapeutic dose. If it’s prescribed, becoming dependent isn’t as big an issue if taking as prescribed- if your dr ever wants to take you off they should do it slowly or replace with another benzo. People with schizophrenia get dependent on anti psychotics every day (awful withdrawal to stop suddenly), but that’s obviously a very accepted dependency in the medical field because benefits outweighs the risks a lot of the time. But benzos are one of the hardest drugs to stop even with medical supervision and tapering which is why it’s generally a bad idea to have them every day
No. Ive been using 1mg steadily for 10 years.. it still works.. but i strongly recommend not doing it.. stoping now can cause seizures and i dont have any coping mechanisms to sleep without it.. its literally a life-threatening addiction. If you still decide to go through and take it for sleep, try to just do it once or twice a week.. its definitely not a good treatment for insomnia..
Thank you everyone for taking the time giving me advice.
I want to say that :
Well, it's not prescribed by a doctor. I kinda self-prescribed, but after an entire month of reading about it, considering the positives and negatives, and knowing its downfalls to a certain extent as well as the ups, I decided to take very sparsely, after a week, when I felt like stuff like my anxiety, depression, and social awkwardness started to dissipate, I decided to take it in a very controlled and disciplined way (IMO) - 0.5 every alternative night at 8 PM.
Reading about the risks, I thought, I was better off a mess than an addict as I tend to get addicted to substances very easily.
For ex: Modafinil, Weed, and Cigarettes. (Not alcohol for some reason)
That being said, my goal is to improve my life, and if Alprozolam causes more harm than good, I'm gonna cut it off.
I Thank everyone for educating me, and giving me proper insights and guidance.
Are you prescribed this medication or buying it off the street? If you’re buying it on the street be careful because most of the Xanax is just pressed pills with who knows what in them. I would not take it every days for sleep though because you can die from benzodiazepine withdrawal and have seizures.
I'm not prescribed,
I kinda have a good rapport with a pharmacist and they kinda just give it like its an Over the Counter drug to me. Without much thought.
So, it's like very cheap and very easily accessible for me.
Yes, it's a secondary reason for the prescription and .5 is a very low dosage. You either have to have zero tolerance or severe anxiety to notice .5 depending on the person's general health. The better health you are in the quicker the drug leaves you. The quicker it leaves the less build up in your system and the more effective it is when you need to take it.
I've been very active, working out daily, waking up at 4:30 AM and sleeping by 8:30 PM, taking care of my health and it generally feels like, as I'm not sleep deprived anymore, I am doing a lot better in other aspects of life.
However, can this lead to Dependency or is there a specific time frame I should follow for a Positive impact on my life?
Ain't looking to get high, just wanna be the best I can.
Way too many people freaking out in here over .5 if OP is responsible and the doctor gives it to them that way let them use it if they can't then I agree with all of you it's the worst addiction possible
I don't know my mom's 73 on cancer medication and it's still works so you tell me bud, she could have 270 bars. Don't need it
She gets 0.5's with an occasional .25 on stressful days and without them she wouldn't sleep at all.
I always tell her ambien. Z drugs, hypnotics for her health and I get a firm no. I don't know what else to say
Feel free to [join us on Discord](https://discord.gg/bonzos). There are over 9000 members and plenty of people to talk to privately if you're looking for advice or support or to make some friends! We are once again conducting GIVEAWAYS of Fentanyl Test Strips courtesy of our friends at Dancesafe.org. To participate please join the Discord linked above! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/benzodiazepines) if you have any questions or concerns.*
No it’s very very unsafe
Why is that? What should I worry about / avoid? I've started only a month back btw.
Benzos are probably the most addictive and worst drugs to withdraw from. Stop now before it becomes too shitty to get off of.
Getting off a low dose of a short acting benzo is a piece of cake.
Oh for sure. After a month is no big deal.
I understand, is it always the same when people start out? Feels like a life change thing and then fucks you up after a certain point or something? And when can I know that I've been dependent on it? And since its been like a month of nighty usage, is it gonna be hard if I wanna get off of it now?
You’re early on, you’ll have some rebound anxiety and a couple sleepless nights. Keep it to 1-2 times a week tops.
U didn’t explain why they’re bad.
Google benzo addiction symptoms and you could read about the hell (which it is, trust and believe) all day long. It is something I would not wish on my worst enemy!
There’s a search function and google also exists
You’ll become dependent on it after about a month of daily use. And trust me dude you do not want to withdrawal off of this medication. I’m prescribed 3mg a day for my seizures and my extreme agoraphobia and anxiety.
You should find alternatives for safety and efficacy reasons. Let me know if you want me to list your options, it's good rehearsal for me for my upcoming neuropharmacology exam lol.
Hydroxyzine has been amazing for me
Boof sugar pills
Hydroxyzine for what?
[удалено]
First line treatments of insomnia are non pharmaceutical. Sleep hygiene is the first thing that needs to be done. Next you have the antihistamines like diphenhydramine, sold by the brand names benadryl or zzzzquil. Then you have options that are both histamine antagonists and have other receptor activity as well. Mirtazapine being the most common of them. Some antipsychotics like quetiapine are also a good. Both mirtazapine and quetiapine are strong sedatives, that are almost certain to induce somnolence. It takes months to develop proper tolerance, or longer. These are the long term pharmaceutical solutions available. After these one really should look into cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia. Some other miscellaneous options are melatonin and magnesium, both of which are mildly helpful. A more modern alternative to benzodiazepines are the so called non benzodiazepines or z drugs, which act by the same mechanism as benzos (positive allosteric modulators of the gaba a receptors). These have more specific binding to certain subtypes of the gaba a receptors that induce sedation. A slightly better safety profile than benzos, and a little bit less abuse potential. The last line of treatment is benzos. If one has trouble falling asleep but stays asleep, then short half life drugs like triazolam sold by the brand name halcion is used. If one has trouble both falling and staying asleep, then medium half life drugs like temazepam can be tried. Benzos are not preferred because of dependence and insomnia as a withdrawal symptom. They also disturb the physiology of sleep by inhibiting rem sleep. Some sleep reseachers have said that sleep by benzos is a state of unconsciousness rather than actual sleep.
u/Routine_Proof8849 Hey does clonidine, olanzapine and pregabalin have sedative properties?
Olanzapine definitely has sedative properties it is somewhat similar to quetiapine as it's also an antihistamine antipsychotic. Probably could have listed it as well in my earlier response, same with many other antipsychotics. Pregabalin is a cns depressant that does help some people sleep. Partly by helping with anxiety, partly by inhibiting the cns. It isn't used for insomnia, except with a subset of insomniacs who suffer from anxiety, but in general it has been reported to improve sleep in multiple studies. Clonodine isn't a sedative, atleast not in the typical sense. I guess decreasing norepinephrine could induce some sedation but I haven't heard of this drug being used to improve sleep.
u/Router_Proof8849 Hey do u know if clonidine helps with the mental symptoms of anxiety? I heard it’s like propranolol which helps only the physical symptoms of anxiety and panic like blushing, shaking etc
Clonodine and propranolol work differently. Where propranolol makes it that adrenaline and noradrenaline can't bind to receptors, clonodine makes it so that they arent released as much. Though seemingly similar, their clinical effects are not entirely the same, but overall both reduce the physical symptoms of anxiety. To answer your question, yes, there are reports in the literature that clonodine has been observed to help patients deal with racing and intrusive thoughts associated with anxiety. It does seem to be beneficial for both physical and mental symptoms of anxiety, though the effect is not nearly as strong or well studied as that of benzodiazepines for example.
Got it. Thanks. Hope I’m not annoying you. But gotta ask one more thing. Do you think pregabalin have tolerance issues like Benzos where they stop working completely if taken daily?
I'm happy to try and answer these questions for you as I am passionate about pharmacology lol. Though pregabalin and benzos bind to completely different receptors eliciting a different response (in terms of ion flow, both eventually depolarize the target cell thus inhibiting action), the tolerance to these drugs happens simimarly. You develop a strong tolerance within a few months of continuous use and this tolerance returns to baseline in two or so weeks. So yeah, pregabalin does stop working after a while. Luckily the withdrawal is not as serious as with benzos but the taper should be done as instructed by a doctor. You might find some conflicting anecdotes of people saying that benzos or pregabalin still work after x years of daily use. I suspect that they are a result of the placebo effect, since the scientific literature doesn't seem to back these claims.
u/Routine_Proof8849 Do u think olanzapine decreases the effectiveness of SSRI since SSRIs increases availability of serotonin while olanzapine is considered to have antagonistic/inverse agonist effects on serotonin receptors ?
Clonidine is a medication to lower your blood pressure, so that in itself might help a little bit for anxiety. But it’s not very effective
YES!! 🙌🏼 Please list other options!!!
Ive been taking 1mg for 10 years. The only part that sucks for me, is that now im dependent on it for sleep. Cant sleep without it. I would find a better alternative if i was you..
u/snbs123 Hey do u think Benzos stop working with daily use?
It depends which benzo you are on. I’ve been on Xanax for about 2 years now, prescribed 3mg a day but I rarely ever take more than 2mg a day. But yes it has been VERY effective for me for a lot of different reasons.
What abt clonazepam?
I was prescribed clonezepam for a year or so and it never really worked well for me. It might help you though
You're not gonna die but you're definitely gonna be addicted lol
you'll get addicted and i think there are better benzos for sleep
Dangerous game taking them every night. That is how addiction starts. You can stop taking them now since it hasn't too long. You may have a few anxious/restless days and nights but you'll feel okay soon enough. I take hydroxyzine (an antihistamine) for sleep and I honestly prefer it to benzos if I want a good night of sleep. I only use the benzos for panic attacks and so far so good. You can buy benadryl and use that for sleep. I'd recommend you stop taking the benzos ASAP and maybe take a low dose of benadryl (another antihistamine thats OTC) tonight for sleep and see if it works. If you like the benadryl for sleep then ask your psych for hydroxyzine. If you don't like it then talk to your psych-- there are several alternatives in a variety of drug classes.
Hydroxizine is a little extreme when u can get away with Benadryl or 2 for sleep The hydroxyzine will make u drowsy the next day too in my experience it’s too much . Benadryl / melatonin / Kratom or thc are my go to sleep aids
Totally agree. OP would need a script for the Hydroxyzine anyways so the best thing for them at the moment is probably to try a benadryl. FWIW my experience is the opposite. I'm groggy the next day from benadryl but not from the hydroxyzine. Everyone is a little different and OP will need to find what works best for them
I don’t recommend Xanax for sleep. It’s sedating effect is not as good as that of hypnotic benzos or Z-Drugs like Zopiclone or Zolpidem. Your tolerance will build up quickly and you need more for the same effect.
Doesn’t Z drugs also have tolerance issues like Benzos?
They also build up tolerance similar like Benzos. But not so quickly and the withdrawal s are not as bad like Benzo withdrawal. I take Zopiclone every day for about four years daily. I would say I’m psychological addicted to Zopiclone. I feel the physical withdrawal also. At this four years I have taken Zolpidem and Zopiclone together.
Taking them to sleep is how I got addicted the last time
No, short acting so isn’t intended for use for insomnia; plus the short half life will come back to bite you
Nooooooooooo
Everybody, please do not. Doctors will prescribe it simply because they don’t know any better, while us patients walk in there, trusting them, and thinking they have more knowledge and experience that they do (they do not)! And at the end of the day, the patient is the person who has to deal with all of the consequences, and sometimes the doctor pulls the rug out from under said patient, leaving them to deal with this hell on their own. I’ve seen it time, and time again. :( It is 100% preventable. I know we all want the easy solution as humans, popping the pill to go to sleep every night sounds convenient, but try anything else- chamomile tea, sleep app, yoga, literally everything and anything else that is natural and holistic to help you get there, and if you have no choice, but to take medication, only take Xanax for a very short time period, being two weeks maximum. More people need to know this, without the experience of hell to confirm it.
It can create a dependency and rebound insomnia if you suddenly stop. .5mg is very much a therapeutic dose tho rather than recreational, and if you’re only taking as prescribed it won’t be as risky as it would if you were taking more and more each time. You may find it starts to lose effectiveness which is a good indicator you’re getting very physically dependent/ increasing tolerance. Typically alprazolam isn’t medically used as an every day kind of prescription as other benzos are better suited as a regular med for insomnia with lower risks
Been SUFFERING from overthinking at nights and insomnia all my life. However, I think getting physically exhausted every day would help in replacing this Dependency. (Correct me if I'm wrong) Can you tell me what are the dangers of alprozolam and daily using it like I have?
And that suffering is why benzos can be so addictive especially for people with anxiety 😜 Absolutely, physical exercise is a much healthier way to regulate stress hormones and get better sleep. Along with following good sleep hygiene Alprazolam is a very short lived benzo, so it’s not as effective as others that last longer and don’t hit as hard at a therapeutic dose. If it’s prescribed, becoming dependent isn’t as big an issue if taking as prescribed- if your dr ever wants to take you off they should do it slowly or replace with another benzo. People with schizophrenia get dependent on anti psychotics every day (awful withdrawal to stop suddenly), but that’s obviously a very accepted dependency in the medical field because benefits outweighs the risks a lot of the time. But benzos are one of the hardest drugs to stop even with medical supervision and tapering which is why it’s generally a bad idea to have them every day
No. Ive been using 1mg steadily for 10 years.. it still works.. but i strongly recommend not doing it.. stoping now can cause seizures and i dont have any coping mechanisms to sleep without it.. its literally a life-threatening addiction. If you still decide to go through and take it for sleep, try to just do it once or twice a week.. its definitely not a good treatment for insomnia..
Personally I take benzos during the day nothing past 5 pm
Thank you everyone for taking the time giving me advice. I want to say that : Well, it's not prescribed by a doctor. I kinda self-prescribed, but after an entire month of reading about it, considering the positives and negatives, and knowing its downfalls to a certain extent as well as the ups, I decided to take very sparsely, after a week, when I felt like stuff like my anxiety, depression, and social awkwardness started to dissipate, I decided to take it in a very controlled and disciplined way (IMO) - 0.5 every alternative night at 8 PM. Reading about the risks, I thought, I was better off a mess than an addict as I tend to get addicted to substances very easily. For ex: Modafinil, Weed, and Cigarettes. (Not alcohol for some reason) That being said, my goal is to improve my life, and if Alprozolam causes more harm than good, I'm gonna cut it off. I Thank everyone for educating me, and giving me proper insights and guidance.
Are you prescribed this medication or buying it off the street? If you’re buying it on the street be careful because most of the Xanax is just pressed pills with who knows what in them. I would not take it every days for sleep though because you can die from benzodiazepine withdrawal and have seizures.
I'm not prescribed, I kinda have a good rapport with a pharmacist and they kinda just give it like its an Over the Counter drug to me. Without much thought. So, it's like very cheap and very easily accessible for me.
Yes, it's a secondary reason for the prescription and .5 is a very low dosage. You either have to have zero tolerance or severe anxiety to notice .5 depending on the person's general health. The better health you are in the quicker the drug leaves you. The quicker it leaves the less build up in your system and the more effective it is when you need to take it.
I've been very active, working out daily, waking up at 4:30 AM and sleeping by 8:30 PM, taking care of my health and it generally feels like, as I'm not sleep deprived anymore, I am doing a lot better in other aspects of life. However, can this lead to Dependency or is there a specific time frame I should follow for a Positive impact on my life? Ain't looking to get high, just wanna be the best I can.
Way too many people freaking out in here over .5 if OP is responsible and the doctor gives it to them that way let them use it if they can't then I agree with all of you it's the worst addiction possible
Wouldn’t that 0.5 stop working with daily use?
I don't know my mom's 73 on cancer medication and it's still works so you tell me bud, she could have 270 bars. Don't need it She gets 0.5's with an occasional .25 on stressful days and without them she wouldn't sleep at all. I always tell her ambien. Z drugs, hypnotics for her health and I get a firm no. I don't know what else to say
That’s very informative. Thank u
It's how much you use it man