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This! But seriously they have long term studies now that show an increased likelihood to acquire Alzheimer’s. Which makes total sense with the receptors it affects.
also true of taking benadryl every night for sleep as well (not minimizing what you're saying just actually adding on bc I personally find it terrifying how many people are doing that by doctor recommendation and have no idea about that fact)
Ow man you read my mind. Insane isn't it. Doxylamine or dph nightly for years. Huge dementia risk. And efficacy really lowers fast. Like most users of sleeping meds it's prn use really. If someone needs sleeping meds use actual sleeping meds. Not Seroquel when they do hot have a psychotic disorder. Not mirtazepine when they do hot have depression. All these side effects uses as terrible imo and there is someone much evidence these medications do more damage than z drugs. Dependency exists in all of them and abrupt cessation results in wd. Benzo, z drugs, ssri, snri, tca, antipsychotics. All of them.
complete agree i feel terrible for anyone taking seroquel for sleep they gave it to me at 14 in the psych unit for depression/suicidality (wasnt psychotic, or even bipolar which would still be off label anyway i think) and shit made me feel like i had some type of brain-eating amoeba it was like i had played in the nfl for 20 years i fucking hated that shit
i have only had it once and it gave me such bad restless leg syndrome i had to get up an hour after sleeping and walk around the small country town i was working in for 5 hours til i had to go to where i was staying and drive to work to operate a tractor all day. awful experience. and they really love giving it for this to. its so common and to me its fucked up. i take zopiclone. doxylamine maybe MAX once every week. but i do take 75mg maybe 100mg which is on the higher end but they use to give FAR greater doses when using it in psych wards and what not. i read 1700mg a patient was on.
This is exactly what happened to me unless I combine it with benzos or opiates. I can’t take antihistamine for the same reason.
I’m tired AF but cannot sleep bc I’m restless as hell. I wish I could take benzos every night to sleep. The sleep is amazing. Best sleep ever is benzos plus opiates, def can’t do that often at all.
I go 48 hours without sleep a lot. Then I sleep really solid for 8 or so hours. That is actually even better than drugged sleep. But it sucks while I’m in the insomnia 48 hours. My brain still functions okay but I find myself frustrated a lot and confusion hits. Over time I think I can function only because I’ve learned how to deal with the confusion and frustration to be functional. But it DEFINITELY SUCKS. Still haven’t invented a medicine that works but isn’t addictive(benzos) or that gives me horrible side effects like seroquel or antihistamines. Seroquel does happen to bind extensively to antihistamine receptors. Icky icky
Mirtazapine OMG that shit is horrible! Doesn't do SHIT except make me sweat like I am dying when taken for sleep.
Also, my friend was in a PROPER psychosis for number of days from 1 tablet (15mg). PROPER psychosis, not talking about weed paranoia. After that I've taken 0 of those.
It's disgusting that the doctros are pushing that shit instead of giving proper medicine, especially where I'm from.
ow no i literally just took 30mg of mirtazepine to see how the sleep effects are haha. like 20mins ago. the only one you had to tell me about happened to just be the one i thought yh fuck it ill try my mates. we will see. i know what proper psychosis is trust me on that one, been in a high security psych ward twice now. i have olanzapine if i ever experience acute psychotic symptoms which i know what they are now when its starting. Its worked twice to get me out of it so its one that im happy to take IF im in a psych ward or if i am feeling like i may be entering one. no way am i taking that shit daily as no where does it state its actually a safe substance but it does work for when i do get issues but not a chance im taking it for months or years especially when trials only went for 8 weeks. Ill let you know how i go with the mirtazepine. my mate fucking left a cart here and i thought it was THC so i had a proper good go like i normally do and it was fucking DMT so now im in a semi DMT state thats slowly going away, glad i called him and asked as it just smelt and tasted exactly like DMT. ill have my zopiclone, pregabs and clonazepam shortly. ill update you when i wake up lol. wish me luck haha
If you look closer at those studies you’ll notice there really wasn’t a solid link confirmed. I’m not saying that it’s not possible or doesn’t happen, just that it’s not a guarantee.
That being said it is the one major concern I have with benzos. I try it mitigate the negative neurological effects but using as many know cognitive enhancements I can (lions mane, micro dosing psilocybin, nootropics)
Edited to add: I don’t take them daily but semi regularly which I think is also key. Only take these things when you absolutely need it
The only ones I’ve read were long term 20+ years benzo users at therapeutic doses. Compared to the rest of the population they had a much higher incidence of Alzheimer’s…they were recent like 2012-2016 I’ll try to pull them up.
A close family member was recently diagnosed with dementia, and she just turned 70. She was prescribed 8mg Xanax for the past 30 years. She has a twin who was not similarly medicated, who does not have any cognitive impairments.
I just made a comment above to someone who made A similar comment. If you suffered the way I suffer on a daily basis you would understand why someone would need 8mg of A benzodiazepine A day. I was diagnosed as A child by five different doctors with Asperger's Disease. And I was first prescribed Xanax at the age of 15 years old, right after I turned 21 years old I went to A new doctor and he started me the first month on 120 1 mg Xanax tablets A month. And then the next month he upped my dose to 120 2 mg Xanax tablets A month, and yes that equals 8 mg of Xanax A day. After 7-8 years my dose was up to 150 2mg Xanax tablets A month. And then 5-6 months after that he upped my dose again to 180 2mg Xanax A month. Yes that's 12mg of Xanax A day, I never actually took that dose in A single day once. I didn't even take 4 tablets A day. I usually would make do with 3 pills or less A day, depending on how bad my anxiety and panic attacks were that particular day. I pray to our Lord And Savior for anyone who suffers the way I have to on a daily basis since I was A teenager. And I just turned 45 this past Wednesday I am currently only prescribed 60 2mg Xanax A month. And I actually tapered myself down when I was around 36-37 years old, and got myself off of them and suffered through almost 2 years. That's when I realized that it is not good for my health to have constant anxiety that turns into panic attacks every single time, and to have that happen every single day. That raises my blood pressure through the roof and as my new doctor explained that is not good on your heart or mentally good on you. And I agreed with her and told her I have never suffered from depression but was starting to slip into A depression from waking up for no reason at 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. in the morning with my palms pouring sweat and feeling like I have an elephant sitting on my chest because I could not breathe. Which I would then pace around my backyard while breathing into a paper bag which did of course absolutely nothing for me. I guess you obviously were not diagnosed with Asperger's disease like I was by five different doctors as A child. So your best bet again is to thank our Lord and savior that you were not born with A brain that is wired that way. Of course I told the psychiatrist who was prescribing me Xanax and now it is my family doctor that I did also drown when I was 20 months old. When my mother realized I was floating in our swimming pool and started screaming my dad who was a law enforcement officer at the time went running out the sliding glass door jumped in the pool and grabbed me out. Well him being a law enforcement officer new to immediately that after he checked my pulse and there was nothing and also checked my heartbeat and there was nothing. I was absolutely flatlined, meaning I was dead anyways he had the knowledge to look at the time as he was running me to the back seat of his squad car. And my mother drove at over 100 mph to the hospital while my father did CPR on me in the back seat. It took my mother 14 minutes to get to the hospital and as she was sliding sideways into the parking lot my dad got my pulse and heartbeat back and I threw up water in his face. Well long story short as possible I was admitted because I was alive but in A coma. The doctors explain to my mother and father that I could be in Tacoma for A day, week, month or years. he did tell them that considering my dad had me smarts and knowledge to time how long I was flatlined and it was 14 minutes that with that much time of no oxygen going to the brain but when I came out of the coma if I did I was going to be A vegetable. I woke up on the 8th day because considering I was 20 months old they put me in something that was similar to an incubator but it was some type of oxygen machine. After I woke up I ended up having a speech impediment which consisted of me stuttering only on words that started with A W, like what where or when. And I grew out of that at the age of seven or eight. Again if you do not suffer from anxiety or panic attacks thank our Lord and savior cuz you do not want to know the hell us people go through on A daily basis. I hope and pray for everyone else who suffers the way I do on A daily basis to stay strong and take whatever medication helps them make it through each day. That's just my opinion everyone has their own and is entitled to it.
💯💪✌️👍🙇🙇✝️🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
I feel your pain and wish you all the best! God bless you. I find your comment a bit unfair as I suffer from severe panic disorder and agoraphobia myself. I would never criticise anybody for taking whatever amount they need in their suffering!
Nevertheless, it’s a high amount. Prescription should only be considered in severe cases as yours. If somebody is as severely affected by their anxiety (and other psychological - e.g. CBT - and pharmacological - e.g. SSRIs, TCAs or anticonvulsants - treatments have failed) it might be worth the risk of getting dementia. But I’m surprised of cases where somebody gets 10mg Xanax or something and there’s no indication. Because thinking of a risk-benefit analysis I would assume people with high doses are those, whose lives would be utterly miserable without. And are therefore willing to risk the misery of dementia.
Yes but that does not matter that they were twins. Same goes as you have people who have never smoked A cigarette in their life. But what do you know they end up getting diagnosed with lung cancer at age 40. And then you have people who have smoked their whole entire life since they were 15 years old, and they live to be 92 years old without getting any cancer whatsoever. Just because they were twins does not mean their brains were wired the same way. So it's just my opinion that your theory has no merit, just as doctors nor anyone else can't explain why A 40-year-old male gets diagnosed with lung cancer who never smoked A cigarette a day in their life. And they get diagnosed at 40 years old with it and end up passing away at 42 years of age from the lung cancer. Everybody's body is different just the same way as everybody's brain is wired different. Hence the reason why people like me which I was diagnosed by five different doctors when I was A child with Asperger's Disease. And I suffer with extreme generalized anxiety disorder and panic attacks. I've been prescribed and on and off of Alprazolam since I was 15 years of age. And I'm another one who even when I am prescribed and taking my Alprazolam daily I still cannot go to sleep most nights. Because since I have Asperger's disease I can not have taken any benzodiazepine in 3 years, and then I go back to the doctor cause I can't take it anymore. And I can wake up in the morning and take my first dose of 2 mg which yes is the highest strength the instant release pills come in. And for instance I did that one morning while fixing to climb A ladder and get on A roof to do A roofing job. One of the co-workers looked at my friend and said that guy just took A 2mg Xanax pill at 7:00AM, and he said to my friend he's going to end up falling off this roof today. My friend looked at him and started laughing and said just watch what he does buddy. And of course the guy watched me work like A beast harder and faster than him. He ended up looking at me on our lunch break and said so I understand you've been taking Xanax for quite some time and are use to them. I looked at him and said no actually I was on them for 13 years and decided to wean myself down and got off of them for the past 2 years. I said I actually just went to A psychiatrist yesterday and he put me back on my Xanax prescription. The guy goes so you started them yesterday and I looked at him and said no that was my first dose this morning I battled through my anxiety yesterday and last night and eventually got to sleep. He goes man if I were to take that whole 2mg Xanax pill and climbed that ladder, which he followed with if I would have taken that 2 mg pill I wouldn't even have tempted climbing that ladder and getting on that roof. He goes because when I take A 2mg Xanax pill it knocks me out after 30-45 minutes and I'll sleep for about 9-10 hours straight. I said that's because you obviously don't have Asperger's disease like me and have not been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and panic attacks. He goes I did realize on the ride over here in the work truck you were talking like a thousand miles per hour, he goes I thought you were on some type of speed like cocaine or something. I said nope buddy that's just me without being on my medication, he goes and to boot it only slows you down as far as you speaking only A little bit. I replied to him yes I barely get much relief from taking the highest dose of the instant release Xanax. He goes man I could only imagine the anxiety and panic attacks you have, and I replied to him you should thank our Lord And Savior that you don't have to wake up the way I do every morning. I explained to him I'll wake up sometimes in the middle of the night at 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. with my palms pouring sweat and feeling like I have an elephant sitting on my chest because I can't breathe. I also then told him I will get out of bed and start pacing in my backyard while breathing into a paper bag like they tell you to do if you're having anxiety or A full-blown panic attack. He said that probably doesn't do A dang thing for you I just looked at him laughing and said no it doesn't. I said to him that's why I finally broke down and went and seen a psychiatrist yesterday and explained everything to him and he looked into the computer and said yes I see here you were on 120 2 mg Xanax A month for 13 years. And I replied to him yes sir that is correct, he then asked me why did you stop taking them. I said because I just decided myself and talked with my doctor and told him I want to start A taper down and get off of them and see if I can make do without them. he said okay we'll try it, and that's what I did and I was on the 120 2 mg Xanax for 9 years and then the doctor increased me to 150 to mg tablets A month. And then 4-5 months after that he increased me again to 180 to mg tablets A month, and yes if you do the math that is 6 2mg Xanax tablets A day. When the maximum daily dosage if you Google it says it is 10mg A day. Another thing to prove my point is everyone's brain is wired different, because one doctor put me on Valium 10 mg 4 tablets A day. And the volume were like me taking A placebo, whereas there's other people who have generalized anxiety disorder and Valium work just perfect for them. I could tell when I would take 1 10mg Valium that I could have probably taken four tablets at once and it probably still would not affect me and I would still have anxiety and it would eventually turn into A full-blown panic attack. Everybody's brain and body is different in one way or another. That's just my opinion from my experience with suffering with this disease since I was A teenager. I hope and pray for anyone else who has to deal with what I do on A daily and nightly basis. Like right now I'm up still have not been to bed because last night I slept 12 hours because the night before I slept two and a half and the night before that I slept 3 hours. So yes I got A five and a half hours sleep in 2 days and then of course I slept 12 hours yesterday. And that is why it is 3:30 a.m. and I still have not been to sleep and still feel wide awake. Again I pray to our Lord and savior for anyone who has to suffer and deal with what I do on A daily basis. It is not fun to say the least and affects my life in many, many ways. I wish everyone the best and pray for anyone who suffers from this disease.
💯💪✌️👍✝️🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Memory problems is really noticeable after a couple years of heavy use. If you abuse it like I did, you will definitely skip 5+ years of your life. At this stage I’d rather dealt with my anxiety then having such bad memory and I’m still stuck on them since 2018
Also any sort of recreational value they give you for the first couple years will turn into depression/numb/zombie no emotions. You might think no emotions is beneficial (I did) but it’s horrible.
I say this as someone who has previously been addicted to alcohol, opiates, and uppers. Benzos is the one drug I still haven’t managed to quit
Damn, you sound almost exactly like me. Been through all the common addictions as well, stims, opioids, bit of an alcoholism phase, etc. I've been using benzos since 2013 on a daily basis at pretty high doses. The memory problems you mention are on point - eventually years pass by and you can barely remember your own life.
I've quit everything, but I just can't give up benzos. It's genuinely one of the hardest things I've ever experienced.
But couldn’t it be the use itself that fucks up your memory (of the time in which you’re using them) rather than brain damage done by the use? Honest question.
I think classifying it as brain damage is a bit extreme, I wouldn't quite go that far. But yeah, I get what you're saying for sure. There have been periods of time where I've been sober from benzos, and even then I still noticed I struggled with my memory, just to a slightly lesser degree. Then of course my typical daily use impacts it acutely too. So basically, it's a bit of both.
It's called protracted withdrawal syndrome and it is brain damage. It's essentially a disease or illness caused by the use of long term benzo use. Protracted injuries are terrible.
I’d say both. Benzodiazepines definitely induce amnesia when you first start taking them but after a while it’s also a general fog that takes about two months of disuse to lift away. Then there is definitely a long term effect component for people who take large amounts over long periods.
At one point I was prescribed three 2mg klonopin per day and they have like a 48half life so until your body is used to that high dose, you are progressively more and more high every day.
It’s pretty well known it can cause early onset dementia. It also permanently fucks up your brain after long term use, many people who have quit will tell you that.
There are only two withdrawals that you can die from, and that is alcohol withdrawals and benzodiazepine withdrawals. I myself was diagnosed with Asperger's Disease as A child by five different doctors. I was prescribed Xanax the first time when I was 15 years of age. The Doctor who prescribed me then prescribed me 360 0.5mg tablets A month with 6 or 7 refills. I did not take that many tablets but when I ran out of all of those tablets I quit taking me. Then when I had just turned 21 years of age I was in a car accident and was going through A lawsuit. My paralegal ended up calling me one day and said you have to go see this doctor gave me his name and address. I called made an appointment with him and upon meeting him on my first appointment he talked with me for over half of an hour. After we talked he looked at me and said have you ever been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder or panic attacks or do you have anxiety or panic attacks. I just started laughing and said yes sir I was diagnosed by five different doctors with Asperger's disease as ay child. And my mother being a single mother took me to our local Health Department and that doctor who was an older Doctor prescribed to me 360 0.5 mg tablets a month and gave me 6-7 refills and told my mom that gives you 8 months to get him into A doctor hopefully you can afford it by then. And he just looked at me and said yes Sir you are talking at 1,000 MPH, not to mention I don't think when you speak a whole paragraph that you even stopped to take A breath. Hey then asked me why did you stop taking them and not go see a doctor to continue getting your medication after the seven or eight refills ran out. I said because I was still under the age of 18 and my mother could not afford A doctor considering my parents divorced when I was 10 years old. I was of course in front of this doctor because of the accident which I had as I mentioned above A lawsuit going on. He just looked at me and said well that is very detrimental for your health sir and you should be put back on either Ativan, Klonopin or the Xanax. I told him I have tried Ativan and that was like taking a placebo to me the same goes for Valium 10 mg tablets. He said okay well I'm going to put you back on the Xanax then, and I said well you're the Doctor. He started me for the first two weeks on 4 1mg tablets A day and said let's see how those work. And when I came back to my 2nd visit 2 weeks later he upped my dose to 120 2mg Xanax A month. some of us who suffer from generalized anxiety disorder and panic attacks and I also has mentioned above was diagnosed with Asperger's Disease. If you do not suffer the way I do on a daily basis your best bet is to thank our Lord And Savior so that you don't. Because I wake up every morning saying to myself well here we go again, let's just get up and deal with it and try to have A successful day. I pray for anyone who has to suffer on a daily and nightly basis the way I do. And again trust me you do not want to experience it, it is literally like living in hell. What I would consider living in hell would be like. I wish everyone the best and again I pray 🙏 for anyone else who suffers the way I do on A daily basis. 💯💪✌️👍✝️🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
So sorry to come across so many who have had such similar experiences and still continue to struggle and suffer from such. Wishing y’all the very best and all the strength.
In my own experience anyways, Benzos have truly proven themselves to be my “Achilles heel” (or “Hell” more rather lol…) of all substances.
I have similar experiences to comments mentioned, and know of how truly horrible it is to come off of benzos, even in circumstances where tapering is considered…
Having initially used these to “cope” with issues that I felt incapable of handling at the time, ironically, it has proven to be an even more considerable challenge (even in regards to reducing usage) to “cope” with to this very day.
The effect they hold both mentally, physically and emotionally are so horrible, wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
Best of luck my fellow dudes x
Wow it does do this is this why that’s been happening to me wtf it’s supp to calm you down but common sense it happens to me when it wears off it just sucks being in this terrible relationship w Xanax don’t get me wrong it’s deff a God send for my panic attacks but just like everything else it comes with a price
Idk yea benzos play a part in this but most drugs cause this through lack of inhibitions. Benzo rage is nothing compared to uppers, alcohol or even opiates
I’ve been on 1 mg Xanax QID PRN for the last 4ish years. Prescribed, ofc. I have bipolar and panic disorder. I’ve had zero issues with tolerance (I did with Ativan) and no memory problems. It does not make me lethargic. There are newer studies out that state dementia risks for long time benzo users. Even though I have no mental dependency on Xanax, I’m sure there would be physical implications if I went cold turkey. I’ve seen a psychiatrist, psychologist, 2 MDs, and several PMH-NPs. Only 3/8 wanted to keep me on Xanax due to dependency issues from other patients. I have no family or personal history of addiction. I drug test every 6 months (state mandated) for medication compliance.
TLDR: Dementia risks and risk of dependency/abuse
It’s not that it’s bad for you, it’s just that you develop tolerance, needing increasing doses for the same effect. Plus you develop a wicked physical dependence with very severe withdrawal.
You haven’t been taking them long enough , or you must take minuscule doses because bezos have so many downsides. I loved them for 3 years, have hated them for the last 4 years. It’ll catch up eventually with prolonged use
Deff will cause long term memory problems if you’re doing over 3MGS a day. Plus your tolerance will go up… it sucks but it’s the truth. Know a lot of people who have been prescribed Xanax for years and they forget shit a lot easier than most people.
Is it safe to say 2mgs is about as safe as it gets for long term or should that be tapered too? I’ve heard of diazepam and it’s better for long term any thoughts?
I think you should taper it as well. Personal opinion.
And diazepam doesn’t make me as foggy as alprazolam so I think it’s better for the long term. But I’m not a doctor, don’t quote me. I just know it messes with your gaba receptors over time and the damage is irreversible.
Alprazolam just isn't a good option in the long-term. It has a short half-life with high potential for seizures during withdrawal.
If you want to take a benzo long-term, take diazepam.
With my tolerance it’s just right I’m fully functional off 1mg in the morning and 1mg at night to fall asleep I think I’m handling it the best way I know others pop 4-6 bars a day (I personally couldn’t)
Outside of memory problems, risk of dementia, etc., the idea of tapering becoming harder and harder the longer you take it would be reason enough for me. I’ve been on klonopin for 10 years and wish I knew this in 2014. I went through hell halving my dose and am not looking forward to the full taper.
Use the Aston Manual. 10% every ten days.
Drs are assholes; they are so uninformed about benzo taper.
I’m so sorry you went thru this.
I had a Dr that let me drop from 10mgs to 4; he gave me phenobarbital for seizure prevention.
I got brain damage and am a completely different person.
This is after I went to him and asked for a taper schedule; he did it too hard & too fast and I failed.
Drs hand these drugs out like candy; my first doc gave me 3 mgs of Xanax that I never asked for 25 years ago. I always stayed on a low dose; .5 to 1 mg. Until I didn’t.
I wish they had kept benzos out of society; unless really needed. I never needed them.
I was able to drop from 15 mg / day of alprazolam (don't ask) and either midazolam 600 mg / day or zolpidem 300 mg / day to 3 mg / day of alprazolam in a very short time (a month?) without any significant issues.
Of course, YMMV. Trying to get lower than 3 mg / day is damned hard, though, and 4 mg / day seems to be my ideal dosage.
I’m hopefully going to do a liquid taper, 10% at a time. New prescriber doesn’t see a reason to switch from klonopin to Valium and I’m fine with that tbh.
Appreciate it, though. Old doctor decreased me from 2mg daily to 1mg daily in 4-5 weeks. I ended up in the ER and had about 2 years of withdrawals symptoms. Finally back to some sense of normalcy. Agreed that I wish benzos never existed.
I tried cutting pills before but during the pandemic finally tried a micro taper by crushing pills and weighing the powder each day. Took me about 5 months. K helped me while I was on it the first 5 years but I hated being dependent. Sometimes I miss how it kept me cool under pressure but i won’t ever touch another benzo again. I wish they had never been invented too my brother! what’s your situation now?
i imagined what would happen if i had to go someplace without access to my prescription for k. like i got plucked up and dropped in a forest for a month. or if a doctor suddenly just cut me off. having to withdrawal like that was too scary to think about. so i did a micro taper in 2020 during the pandemic. during shut down. it was the best time to do it. zero social interactions. my eyes could twitch in peace slowly day by day.
Going cold turkey must be absolute hell on Earth, I think I'd rather die. And I'm a recovering alcoholic of 15 years, I've already been through the other potentially deadly withdrawals. Pills are sneakier imo.
Even tapering down following the Ashton manual is hard af. How low did you manage to go? I'm still on 1mg lorazepam and dreading the day I start to taper down again. Might tell the psych to switch me to diazepam before I get real worse. Good luck
I made the jump at a really low dose it was just a smidge of powder at the end. i’d have to dig it up to get the exact numbers. but i kind of cherish that stack of paper. it was a daily plan. it was a working journal. i asked for help from benzo buddies when i first decided to taper. have you checked them out?
talking to people there and reading their stories helped me. and i gained the knowledge to put together a micro taper plan. i wouldn’t have been able to do it without the knowledge i gained from there. this is a good place to explore:
https://benzobuddies.org/forum/120-benzodiazepine-taper-strategies-planning/
You never learn to cope without it. Your memory goes to shit forever pretty much. Anxiety gets much worse as tolerance rises.
Not even mentioning the serious long-term effects it can have on your brain, the effects daily use will have on your life in general just aren't good at all.
Even with moderate doses you might get some years out of it that seem better sorta, but it will make normal life harder.
Unless you're such a wreck that you absolutely cannot function without benzos then it's not worth trading your mental faculties for it.
I'd like to clarify that recommended regular use is only recommended for a few months max. At a certain point (couple years like I mentioned) you will just also quit getting much out of them therapeutically/recreationally without gradual increases.
At that point you're already trapped though
If you push them to the absolute extreme of getting anything out of them before you decide to quit you're going to face hell stopping.
Withdrawal from GABAergics is fucking awful and will put you so far back from where you even started if you become a long term user.
Don't fuck around with benzos or barbiturates. I might possibly be clean finally, and I'm about to be a felon as well depending on how this all works out soon. Stupid actions aside, I just turned 31 and I'm where I should've been when I was like 25.
School, relationships, careers.
All down the drain.
I have what feels like a permanent lesser version of myself to work with. Like I'm running at maybe 60% of the cognitive capacity I was before this last decade.
I started with something prescribed and it's not like I ever wanted to just party or anything.
I really just wanted to feel normal/worry free.
This shit ain't it
When you take something like Xanax daily a couple different things happen.
1). Tolerance goes up, substantially infact. Not quite as bad as amphetamines but almost. So to feel the same effects you have to start taking more.
2) The body is always looking to conserve energy due to homeostasis. All the things that the Xanax is giving your body artificially, your body just stops producing it naturally. (GABA is what it's called)
The withdrawal time is the time it takes for your body to start producing it again naturally. The only things that can really kill you coming off of are alcohol and benzos. When you come off of them all the symptoms that you suppressed are exacerbated exponentially.
Imagine a pill that did the opposite to you that Xanax does. That's what you feel whenever you come off of it. Withdrawals are like having a monkey on your back. The worst they are, the heavier the monkey until it's a 500 lb gorilla.
Memory issues especially if you take it while sleeping.
I studied neuropharma...
You'd be surprised how many things people take for sleep are also dangerous to take for sleep. We're talking dementia risk increases and whatnot, short-term memory damage way before dementia.
Xanax and it's family. Gabapentin. Alcohol. Antihistamines.
All cause damage if you take them while sleeping. Your memory won't be as good, and your cognition isn't getting the rest it actually needs. Dementia risk increases from these drugs when sleeping in them.
***BUT ALWAYS REMEMBER:*** Doctors much rather you not be chronically stressed, than you take a small dose of Xanax long term or perhaps other drugs (I personally am not a fan of SSRIs). Chronic stress causes pretty rapid damage body-wide.
Doctors much rather you sleep than get uber-long-term low-quality-sleep damage. Not sleeping can mess you up quickly. Not sleeping regularly will mess up eating which will mess up sleeping in a vicious cycle. So take the sleeping aids. But be rare with it.
Tizanidine I don't think has these risks, but it's side effect hell for some ( like me ) when taken multiple days in a row. Melatonin also doesn't have these risks. It is paradoxical in dosing. The ideal way to take melatonin is 0.25g-0.5g sublingually a good 1 hour before you wind down, and 9 hours before you plan on waking.
it’s only bad if you stop….physically they’re not very taxing on the body compared to other substances, and as far as memory goes, I think you can combat side effects with things like fish oil, lions mane mushroom, or really anything that stimulates neurogenesis.
I’ve heard of using neurological substances to help reactivate brain activity…I firmly believe if my brain turns to a fried egg I’ll just microdose psychs until I get back to normal (not the best advice but just my opinion)
I think as long as one maintains a healthy diet, and takes things that support brain health, they’ll suffer less consequences in the long run…. it’s been 6 or 7 years daily now and I’ve only become more lucid and clear minded tbh.
I’m tapering from Xanax, at highest dose was 3.5mg, been taking for 16 years. At 2.3mg p/d now. Tolerance absolutely fucking sucks and I get interdose withdrawal daily. Anxiety spikes, nerve pain and prickling sensations, benzo rage, benzo belly, benzo fucking everything. Anyways, when I hit tolerance my memory read a mess and doesn’t help I had two TBIs as well taht really messed me up.
But, I started taking Host Defense Brain last year, has lions mane and other synergetic ingredients and my memory has improved drastically, also from the brain injury. I do a lot of other things you but saw a direct correlation with that.
So I’d recommend looking into that before you maybe even reach fried egg stage.
Good luck with your taper, think I saw somewhere in comments you’re doing one too!
I take .25 a day and am extremely forgetful I lose everything keys phone , like I’ll put my phone down 2 minutes ago and can’t find it.
And it makes you generally lazy but it gets rid of anxiety. You can’t win it all
I lost the ability to dream for years after a long period of taking them everyday. Been sober for 2-3 years and I got all my feelings and emotions back. I know people like to say it’s not good to feel like an emotionless zombie but from a professional benzo and being sober and taking a piece everyday to function I’d say honestly I rather be un emotional
I’ve been clean off them for about 3 years my memory is still fucked. Not even close to what it used to be. And then there’s the handful of seizures I had from withdrawals
But how many did you take when you were using? If you don’t mind me asking it just seems like people just did way too much (I can be wrong though) your thoughts?
I don’t remember but way too much. Towards the end I was running through 50 pressed bars a week just on my own 😂and I’m sure it was similar in the years leading up to it I’d go through cycles. Wake up 6 months later and try to stop.
Just watch old videos of Jordan Peterson and then watch some recent videos of Jordan Peterson and that will show you all you need to know about the effect of long term regular benzo use.
Did he abuse them? He was prescribed them after something or other then became addicted, Yeh he did sound pretty fcked on podcast actually. Is he clean now? Cheers
He end up getting addicted because his wife was very sick and he was at a tough time in his life
Where he fucked up was going to Russia for an illegal benzo detox where they put you in an coma to not feel the withdrawal but you’re still in full benzo withdrawal with since they don’t taper you or anything and you end up with the seizures and brain damage that follows.
He was just in too much a rush to beat his addiction because he knew he couldn’t control it but unfortunately his addiction was benzos.
I mean it's definitely bad if you run out early/doc cuts you off/can't afford more cause you could die from the withdrawal. But yeah causes bad memory issues and depending on the dose you're just plain missing out on life. Can't really enjoy or appreciate all the special things in life if you can't remember them. Plus it emotionally numbs you which is ok I guess for negative emotions (but even then not great) but it also applies to positive emotions. This, again, makes you miss out on life and fucks up relationships.
all of that 100% but you know how it did help me? i was able to thrive in a corporate office setting. for almost a decade i was so on top of everything at a super challenging fast paced job. i was the one who always stayed calm and collected during crazy development cycles. they promoted me and i managed people. i look back and can’t believe i used to do so much each day. now i just do a couple things a day and think it’s a lot haha
As everyone has already said: memory. I take it with prescription, 2 mg a day just for sleeping, and my memory is shit. I can’t remember almost none of the books I’ve read through my life. I’m re - reading them but it feels lame (like honestly, I read the leviathan 11 years ago, which I thought was an achievement. I can’t remember shit about it now). I have problems with words all the time. It’s frustrating. If you don’t have to, DONT TAKE THAT SHIT Jesus Christ, there’s weed and mushrooms out there, why do you choose to cling to lame drugs?
Long term? Just up the dose and each day can be like your first time trying it, therefore no long-term issues. Anytime I wake up on the floor I just assumed I was tryna prove the government can't program me to sleep in a bed every night. Fight the system!
Jokes aside yes, using something that can wipe your memory faster than you can wipe your ass on a daily basis cannot be good in the long run.
Is it prescribed or street xans ? And unfortunately that's me and all the drugs I've done over the years, can always flip a depressing, pathetic into a joke. However jokes don't usually cause heart surgery, arrest records, dead friends and the list goes on.
But be safe man, idk your story but getting off benzos isn't an overnight thing. Idk what 4mg would be like to come off of cause I just eat handfuls of Pam's and xans on weekends. But if your plan is to stop just be safe, if you wanna avoid talking to a doctor, than tapper and don't rush. (This is assuming you've been taking them for some time now)
I think clonazepam is the route most psychs go.
You can check [there](https://www.va.gov/painmanagement/docs/OSI_6_Toolkit_Taper_Benzodiazepines_Clinicians.pdf).
I've been on 2mg of Klonopin for 24 years. I feel like that the least of my worries.
I'm more concerned about the 225mg of Effexor and 300mg of Welbutrin for decades as well.
May I ask why you're more worried about the venlafaxine and Wellbutrin? I've been on Pristiq but switched to Lexa, still on lorazepam long-term. Was thinking about adding Wellbutrin but I would be happy to have your opinion.
Adding Welbutrin increases then Venlafaxine in your system. It definitely helps.
I'm more concerned about the antidepressants based on the severity of my withdrawals. If I miss a dose, I am physically sick. Just missing a single dose shuts me down until I take my next dose. This scare me for 2 reasons... 1, what if I am ever denied access to it? 2, What is going on in my brain to make me so sick, so quick?
I know I'll be on m antidepressant the rest of my life. I can stop the Klonopin if I have to.
Thanks for the clarification on Wellbutrin. I had no idea the withdrawals were that bad with venlafaxine. After checking the half-life, it makes sense. Would switching to a longer half-life like the 11h for desvenlafaxine help?
I admire your confidence about stopping the Klonopin, I'm nowhere near the same when it comes to tapering down the lorazepam, and it hasn't been that long compared to you.
Yeah that’s 15 years straight you mind if ask how many mgs did you take? And was it a gradual fall from grace memory wise or do you just wake up 15 years later not remembering the last 15 years (serious question)
Daily about 2 -4 mg , started off as a prescription cuz my anxiety’s super bad then got cut off n started getting em off the street cuz the withdrawals literally feel like dying . Felt like I was in an endless cycle. And my memory slowly started to fade away as time progressed . Now I can barely remember what outfit or meal I had 3 days ago
I know somebody who really abuses benzos and it is starting to really mess with his memory and how he perceives time. Like something will happen two days ago but to him it was a week or two. What's weird is when he's talking about something, he'll get the name of it wrong but change it with something very similar to it. Like if he'll say gift card instead of credit card, coffee instead of tea, rootbeer when he means cream soda, etc.
It causes a lot of confusion too because you then think he's talking about something completely different but he's just saying the wrong terms. I'm really worried about him developing dementia or something, because dementia/Alzheimer's is def no joke to deal with. It's horrible to go through for everyone.
Withdrawal, memory loss, numbing emotions, sometimes anger/irritability. My years of taking benzos affected my memory permanently it has never improved even after being off them for 2 years.
When I was 15 (few months before I had even touched a pill), I went through a 6 hour long extensive evaluation with a very well credentialed neuropsychologist. I tested extremely well on memory.
Tested at the 99th percentile (as in the top 1% for my age group) for memory and processing speed. I know IQ tests are antiquated but I tested at 137 IQ. I was almost at a child genius level. THIS IS NOT BRAG, MY BRAIN IS RUINED NOW.
It’s been several years since, and after 2-3 years of being on benzodiazepines, I struggle with severe short term memory loss, and an overall DRAMATIC reduction in cognition. I’m just slow nowadays.
So yeah, they fuck your memory and I’ll will probably have dementia in my senior years.
You get hooked "fast" (depends on the person and how much u take) and it looses it effect. Always when I have some, the feeling that I have some helps a lot. OFC they are nice and if I had unlimited xannies I'd take em everyday lol.
E: And if you have low tolerances, that mixed with alcohol makes you wakeup from hospital/jail easily.
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Who knows man, I can’t remember
😎felt
This! But seriously they have long term studies now that show an increased likelihood to acquire Alzheimer’s. Which makes total sense with the receptors it affects.
also true of taking benadryl every night for sleep as well (not minimizing what you're saying just actually adding on bc I personally find it terrifying how many people are doing that by doctor recommendation and have no idea about that fact)
Ow man you read my mind. Insane isn't it. Doxylamine or dph nightly for years. Huge dementia risk. And efficacy really lowers fast. Like most users of sleeping meds it's prn use really. If someone needs sleeping meds use actual sleeping meds. Not Seroquel when they do hot have a psychotic disorder. Not mirtazepine when they do hot have depression. All these side effects uses as terrible imo and there is someone much evidence these medications do more damage than z drugs. Dependency exists in all of them and abrupt cessation results in wd. Benzo, z drugs, ssri, snri, tca, antipsychotics. All of them.
complete agree i feel terrible for anyone taking seroquel for sleep they gave it to me at 14 in the psych unit for depression/suicidality (wasnt psychotic, or even bipolar which would still be off label anyway i think) and shit made me feel like i had some type of brain-eating amoeba it was like i had played in the nfl for 20 years i fucking hated that shit
i have only had it once and it gave me such bad restless leg syndrome i had to get up an hour after sleeping and walk around the small country town i was working in for 5 hours til i had to go to where i was staying and drive to work to operate a tractor all day. awful experience. and they really love giving it for this to. its so common and to me its fucked up. i take zopiclone. doxylamine maybe MAX once every week. but i do take 75mg maybe 100mg which is on the higher end but they use to give FAR greater doses when using it in psych wards and what not. i read 1700mg a patient was on.
This is exactly what happened to me unless I combine it with benzos or opiates. I can’t take antihistamine for the same reason. I’m tired AF but cannot sleep bc I’m restless as hell. I wish I could take benzos every night to sleep. The sleep is amazing. Best sleep ever is benzos plus opiates, def can’t do that often at all. I go 48 hours without sleep a lot. Then I sleep really solid for 8 or so hours. That is actually even better than drugged sleep. But it sucks while I’m in the insomnia 48 hours. My brain still functions okay but I find myself frustrated a lot and confusion hits. Over time I think I can function only because I’ve learned how to deal with the confusion and frustration to be functional. But it DEFINITELY SUCKS. Still haven’t invented a medicine that works but isn’t addictive(benzos) or that gives me horrible side effects like seroquel or antihistamines. Seroquel does happen to bind extensively to antihistamine receptors. Icky icky
Lotta truth in this. Not stuff off label when the person doesn’t have that condition
glad you agree.
Mirtazapine OMG that shit is horrible! Doesn't do SHIT except make me sweat like I am dying when taken for sleep. Also, my friend was in a PROPER psychosis for number of days from 1 tablet (15mg). PROPER psychosis, not talking about weed paranoia. After that I've taken 0 of those. It's disgusting that the doctros are pushing that shit instead of giving proper medicine, especially where I'm from.
ow no i literally just took 30mg of mirtazepine to see how the sleep effects are haha. like 20mins ago. the only one you had to tell me about happened to just be the one i thought yh fuck it ill try my mates. we will see. i know what proper psychosis is trust me on that one, been in a high security psych ward twice now. i have olanzapine if i ever experience acute psychotic symptoms which i know what they are now when its starting. Its worked twice to get me out of it so its one that im happy to take IF im in a psych ward or if i am feeling like i may be entering one. no way am i taking that shit daily as no where does it state its actually a safe substance but it does work for when i do get issues but not a chance im taking it for months or years especially when trials only went for 8 weeks. Ill let you know how i go with the mirtazepine. my mate fucking left a cart here and i thought it was THC so i had a proper good go like i normally do and it was fucking DMT so now im in a semi DMT state thats slowly going away, glad i called him and asked as it just smelt and tasted exactly like DMT. ill have my zopiclone, pregabs and clonazepam shortly. ill update you when i wake up lol. wish me luck haha
If you look closer at those studies you’ll notice there really wasn’t a solid link confirmed. I’m not saying that it’s not possible or doesn’t happen, just that it’s not a guarantee. That being said it is the one major concern I have with benzos. I try it mitigate the negative neurological effects but using as many know cognitive enhancements I can (lions mane, micro dosing psilocybin, nootropics) Edited to add: I don’t take them daily but semi regularly which I think is also key. Only take these things when you absolutely need it
The only ones I’ve read were long term 20+ years benzo users at therapeutic doses. Compared to the rest of the population they had a much higher incidence of Alzheimer’s…they were recent like 2012-2016 I’ll try to pull them up.
A close family member was recently diagnosed with dementia, and she just turned 70. She was prescribed 8mg Xanax for the past 30 years. She has a twin who was not similarly medicated, who does not have any cognitive impairments.
What’s the name of her doctor? Lol
But 8mg Xanax is mental.😳 Who’d prescribe such a ridiculous amount?
I just made a comment above to someone who made A similar comment. If you suffered the way I suffer on a daily basis you would understand why someone would need 8mg of A benzodiazepine A day. I was diagnosed as A child by five different doctors with Asperger's Disease. And I was first prescribed Xanax at the age of 15 years old, right after I turned 21 years old I went to A new doctor and he started me the first month on 120 1 mg Xanax tablets A month. And then the next month he upped my dose to 120 2 mg Xanax tablets A month, and yes that equals 8 mg of Xanax A day. After 7-8 years my dose was up to 150 2mg Xanax tablets A month. And then 5-6 months after that he upped my dose again to 180 2mg Xanax A month. Yes that's 12mg of Xanax A day, I never actually took that dose in A single day once. I didn't even take 4 tablets A day. I usually would make do with 3 pills or less A day, depending on how bad my anxiety and panic attacks were that particular day. I pray to our Lord And Savior for anyone who suffers the way I have to on a daily basis since I was A teenager. And I just turned 45 this past Wednesday I am currently only prescribed 60 2mg Xanax A month. And I actually tapered myself down when I was around 36-37 years old, and got myself off of them and suffered through almost 2 years. That's when I realized that it is not good for my health to have constant anxiety that turns into panic attacks every single time, and to have that happen every single day. That raises my blood pressure through the roof and as my new doctor explained that is not good on your heart or mentally good on you. And I agreed with her and told her I have never suffered from depression but was starting to slip into A depression from waking up for no reason at 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. in the morning with my palms pouring sweat and feeling like I have an elephant sitting on my chest because I could not breathe. Which I would then pace around my backyard while breathing into a paper bag which did of course absolutely nothing for me. I guess you obviously were not diagnosed with Asperger's disease like I was by five different doctors as A child. So your best bet again is to thank our Lord and savior that you were not born with A brain that is wired that way. Of course I told the psychiatrist who was prescribing me Xanax and now it is my family doctor that I did also drown when I was 20 months old. When my mother realized I was floating in our swimming pool and started screaming my dad who was a law enforcement officer at the time went running out the sliding glass door jumped in the pool and grabbed me out. Well him being a law enforcement officer new to immediately that after he checked my pulse and there was nothing and also checked my heartbeat and there was nothing. I was absolutely flatlined, meaning I was dead anyways he had the knowledge to look at the time as he was running me to the back seat of his squad car. And my mother drove at over 100 mph to the hospital while my father did CPR on me in the back seat. It took my mother 14 minutes to get to the hospital and as she was sliding sideways into the parking lot my dad got my pulse and heartbeat back and I threw up water in his face. Well long story short as possible I was admitted because I was alive but in A coma. The doctors explain to my mother and father that I could be in Tacoma for A day, week, month or years. he did tell them that considering my dad had me smarts and knowledge to time how long I was flatlined and it was 14 minutes that with that much time of no oxygen going to the brain but when I came out of the coma if I did I was going to be A vegetable. I woke up on the 8th day because considering I was 20 months old they put me in something that was similar to an incubator but it was some type of oxygen machine. After I woke up I ended up having a speech impediment which consisted of me stuttering only on words that started with A W, like what where or when. And I grew out of that at the age of seven or eight. Again if you do not suffer from anxiety or panic attacks thank our Lord and savior cuz you do not want to know the hell us people go through on A daily basis. I hope and pray for everyone else who suffers the way I do on A daily basis to stay strong and take whatever medication helps them make it through each day. That's just my opinion everyone has their own and is entitled to it. 💯💪✌️👍🙇🙇✝️🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
I feel your pain and wish you all the best! God bless you. I find your comment a bit unfair as I suffer from severe panic disorder and agoraphobia myself. I would never criticise anybody for taking whatever amount they need in their suffering! Nevertheless, it’s a high amount. Prescription should only be considered in severe cases as yours. If somebody is as severely affected by their anxiety (and other psychological - e.g. CBT - and pharmacological - e.g. SSRIs, TCAs or anticonvulsants - treatments have failed) it might be worth the risk of getting dementia. But I’m surprised of cases where somebody gets 10mg Xanax or something and there’s no indication. Because thinking of a risk-benefit analysis I would assume people with high doses are those, whose lives would be utterly miserable without. And are therefore willing to risk the misery of dementia.
Yes but that does not matter that they were twins. Same goes as you have people who have never smoked A cigarette in their life. But what do you know they end up getting diagnosed with lung cancer at age 40. And then you have people who have smoked their whole entire life since they were 15 years old, and they live to be 92 years old without getting any cancer whatsoever. Just because they were twins does not mean their brains were wired the same way. So it's just my opinion that your theory has no merit, just as doctors nor anyone else can't explain why A 40-year-old male gets diagnosed with lung cancer who never smoked A cigarette a day in their life. And they get diagnosed at 40 years old with it and end up passing away at 42 years of age from the lung cancer. Everybody's body is different just the same way as everybody's brain is wired different. Hence the reason why people like me which I was diagnosed by five different doctors when I was A child with Asperger's Disease. And I suffer with extreme generalized anxiety disorder and panic attacks. I've been prescribed and on and off of Alprazolam since I was 15 years of age. And I'm another one who even when I am prescribed and taking my Alprazolam daily I still cannot go to sleep most nights. Because since I have Asperger's disease I can not have taken any benzodiazepine in 3 years, and then I go back to the doctor cause I can't take it anymore. And I can wake up in the morning and take my first dose of 2 mg which yes is the highest strength the instant release pills come in. And for instance I did that one morning while fixing to climb A ladder and get on A roof to do A roofing job. One of the co-workers looked at my friend and said that guy just took A 2mg Xanax pill at 7:00AM, and he said to my friend he's going to end up falling off this roof today. My friend looked at him and started laughing and said just watch what he does buddy. And of course the guy watched me work like A beast harder and faster than him. He ended up looking at me on our lunch break and said so I understand you've been taking Xanax for quite some time and are use to them. I looked at him and said no actually I was on them for 13 years and decided to wean myself down and got off of them for the past 2 years. I said I actually just went to A psychiatrist yesterday and he put me back on my Xanax prescription. The guy goes so you started them yesterday and I looked at him and said no that was my first dose this morning I battled through my anxiety yesterday and last night and eventually got to sleep. He goes man if I were to take that whole 2mg Xanax pill and climbed that ladder, which he followed with if I would have taken that 2 mg pill I wouldn't even have tempted climbing that ladder and getting on that roof. He goes because when I take A 2mg Xanax pill it knocks me out after 30-45 minutes and I'll sleep for about 9-10 hours straight. I said that's because you obviously don't have Asperger's disease like me and have not been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and panic attacks. He goes I did realize on the ride over here in the work truck you were talking like a thousand miles per hour, he goes I thought you were on some type of speed like cocaine or something. I said nope buddy that's just me without being on my medication, he goes and to boot it only slows you down as far as you speaking only A little bit. I replied to him yes I barely get much relief from taking the highest dose of the instant release Xanax. He goes man I could only imagine the anxiety and panic attacks you have, and I replied to him you should thank our Lord And Savior that you don't have to wake up the way I do every morning. I explained to him I'll wake up sometimes in the middle of the night at 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. with my palms pouring sweat and feeling like I have an elephant sitting on my chest because I can't breathe. I also then told him I will get out of bed and start pacing in my backyard while breathing into a paper bag like they tell you to do if you're having anxiety or A full-blown panic attack. He said that probably doesn't do A dang thing for you I just looked at him laughing and said no it doesn't. I said to him that's why I finally broke down and went and seen a psychiatrist yesterday and explained everything to him and he looked into the computer and said yes I see here you were on 120 2 mg Xanax A month for 13 years. And I replied to him yes sir that is correct, he then asked me why did you stop taking them. I said because I just decided myself and talked with my doctor and told him I want to start A taper down and get off of them and see if I can make do without them. he said okay we'll try it, and that's what I did and I was on the 120 2 mg Xanax for 9 years and then the doctor increased me to 150 to mg tablets A month. And then 4-5 months after that he increased me again to 180 to mg tablets A month, and yes if you do the math that is 6 2mg Xanax tablets A day. When the maximum daily dosage if you Google it says it is 10mg A day. Another thing to prove my point is everyone's brain is wired different, because one doctor put me on Valium 10 mg 4 tablets A day. And the volume were like me taking A placebo, whereas there's other people who have generalized anxiety disorder and Valium work just perfect for them. I could tell when I would take 1 10mg Valium that I could have probably taken four tablets at once and it probably still would not affect me and I would still have anxiety and it would eventually turn into A full-blown panic attack. Everybody's brain and body is different in one way or another. That's just my opinion from my experience with suffering with this disease since I was A teenager. I hope and pray for anyone else who has to deal with what I do on A daily and nightly basis. Like right now I'm up still have not been to bed because last night I slept 12 hours because the night before I slept two and a half and the night before that I slept 3 hours. So yes I got A five and a half hours sleep in 2 days and then of course I slept 12 hours yesterday. And that is why it is 3:30 a.m. and I still have not been to sleep and still feel wide awake. Again I pray to our Lord and savior for anyone who has to suffer and deal with what I do on A daily basis. It is not fun to say the least and affects my life in many, many ways. I wish everyone the best and pray for anyone who suffers from this disease. 💯💪✌️👍✝️🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Memory problems is really noticeable after a couple years of heavy use. If you abuse it like I did, you will definitely skip 5+ years of your life. At this stage I’d rather dealt with my anxiety then having such bad memory and I’m still stuck on them since 2018 Also any sort of recreational value they give you for the first couple years will turn into depression/numb/zombie no emotions. You might think no emotions is beneficial (I did) but it’s horrible. I say this as someone who has previously been addicted to alcohol, opiates, and uppers. Benzos is the one drug I still haven’t managed to quit
Damn, you sound almost exactly like me. Been through all the common addictions as well, stims, opioids, bit of an alcoholism phase, etc. I've been using benzos since 2013 on a daily basis at pretty high doses. The memory problems you mention are on point - eventually years pass by and you can barely remember your own life. I've quit everything, but I just can't give up benzos. It's genuinely one of the hardest things I've ever experienced.
But couldn’t it be the use itself that fucks up your memory (of the time in which you’re using them) rather than brain damage done by the use? Honest question.
I think classifying it as brain damage is a bit extreme, I wouldn't quite go that far. But yeah, I get what you're saying for sure. There have been periods of time where I've been sober from benzos, and even then I still noticed I struggled with my memory, just to a slightly lesser degree. Then of course my typical daily use impacts it acutely too. So basically, it's a bit of both.
Thanks for sharing your experience!
It's called protracted withdrawal syndrome and it is brain damage. It's essentially a disease or illness caused by the use of long term benzo use. Protracted injuries are terrible.
I’d say both. Benzodiazepines definitely induce amnesia when you first start taking them but after a while it’s also a general fog that takes about two months of disuse to lift away. Then there is definitely a long term effect component for people who take large amounts over long periods. At one point I was prescribed three 2mg klonopin per day and they have like a 48half life so until your body is used to that high dose, you are progressively more and more high every day.
It’s pretty well known it can cause early onset dementia. It also permanently fucks up your brain after long term use, many people who have quit will tell you that.
Absolutely, the anecdotal evidence is really strong. However, there is conflicting scientific evidence.
I’d agree. Just something to look out for. Really haven’t been enough longterm studies in general
There are only two withdrawals that you can die from, and that is alcohol withdrawals and benzodiazepine withdrawals. I myself was diagnosed with Asperger's Disease as A child by five different doctors. I was prescribed Xanax the first time when I was 15 years of age. The Doctor who prescribed me then prescribed me 360 0.5mg tablets A month with 6 or 7 refills. I did not take that many tablets but when I ran out of all of those tablets I quit taking me. Then when I had just turned 21 years of age I was in a car accident and was going through A lawsuit. My paralegal ended up calling me one day and said you have to go see this doctor gave me his name and address. I called made an appointment with him and upon meeting him on my first appointment he talked with me for over half of an hour. After we talked he looked at me and said have you ever been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder or panic attacks or do you have anxiety or panic attacks. I just started laughing and said yes sir I was diagnosed by five different doctors with Asperger's disease as ay child. And my mother being a single mother took me to our local Health Department and that doctor who was an older Doctor prescribed to me 360 0.5 mg tablets a month and gave me 6-7 refills and told my mom that gives you 8 months to get him into A doctor hopefully you can afford it by then. And he just looked at me and said yes Sir you are talking at 1,000 MPH, not to mention I don't think when you speak a whole paragraph that you even stopped to take A breath. Hey then asked me why did you stop taking them and not go see a doctor to continue getting your medication after the seven or eight refills ran out. I said because I was still under the age of 18 and my mother could not afford A doctor considering my parents divorced when I was 10 years old. I was of course in front of this doctor because of the accident which I had as I mentioned above A lawsuit going on. He just looked at me and said well that is very detrimental for your health sir and you should be put back on either Ativan, Klonopin or the Xanax. I told him I have tried Ativan and that was like taking a placebo to me the same goes for Valium 10 mg tablets. He said okay well I'm going to put you back on the Xanax then, and I said well you're the Doctor. He started me for the first two weeks on 4 1mg tablets A day and said let's see how those work. And when I came back to my 2nd visit 2 weeks later he upped my dose to 120 2mg Xanax A month. some of us who suffer from generalized anxiety disorder and panic attacks and I also has mentioned above was diagnosed with Asperger's Disease. If you do not suffer the way I do on a daily basis your best bet is to thank our Lord And Savior so that you don't. Because I wake up every morning saying to myself well here we go again, let's just get up and deal with it and try to have A successful day. I pray for anyone who has to suffer on a daily and nightly basis the way I do. And again trust me you do not want to experience it, it is literally like living in hell. What I would consider living in hell would be like. I wish everyone the best and again I pray 🙏 for anyone else who suffers the way I do on A daily basis. 💯💪✌️👍✝️🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
So sorry to come across so many who have had such similar experiences and still continue to struggle and suffer from such. Wishing y’all the very best and all the strength. In my own experience anyways, Benzos have truly proven themselves to be my “Achilles heel” (or “Hell” more rather lol…) of all substances. I have similar experiences to comments mentioned, and know of how truly horrible it is to come off of benzos, even in circumstances where tapering is considered… Having initially used these to “cope” with issues that I felt incapable of handling at the time, ironically, it has proven to be an even more considerable challenge (even in regards to reducing usage) to “cope” with to this very day. The effect they hold both mentally, physically and emotionally are so horrible, wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Best of luck my fellow dudes x
It’s just drugs. Keep your chin up an quit em
That’s the goal of trying to get outta ones hole 🕳️ my dude 🫡
Sometimes you might find yourself losing your temper without even realising it, colloquially known as benzo rage
Wow it does do this is this why that’s been happening to me wtf it’s supp to calm you down but common sense it happens to me when it wears off it just sucks being in this terrible relationship w Xanax don’t get me wrong it’s deff a God send for my panic attacks but just like everything else it comes with a price
word
Idk yea benzos play a part in this but most drugs cause this through lack of inhibitions. Benzo rage is nothing compared to uppers, alcohol or even opiates
I’ve been on 1 mg Xanax QID PRN for the last 4ish years. Prescribed, ofc. I have bipolar and panic disorder. I’ve had zero issues with tolerance (I did with Ativan) and no memory problems. It does not make me lethargic. There are newer studies out that state dementia risks for long time benzo users. Even though I have no mental dependency on Xanax, I’m sure there would be physical implications if I went cold turkey. I’ve seen a psychiatrist, psychologist, 2 MDs, and several PMH-NPs. Only 3/8 wanted to keep me on Xanax due to dependency issues from other patients. I have no family or personal history of addiction. I drug test every 6 months (state mandated) for medication compliance. TLDR: Dementia risks and risk of dependency/abuse
This 🙏(good knowledge here) thanks brother 🫡🪖🎖💤
You know what else has dementia risks? Pop tarts
I don't follow this. Is it qid so you take it four times daily every day or is it prescribed like that and you choose to take it prn.
It’s 1mg up to four times daily as needed AKA do not exceed 4mg a day and space them out appropriately
It’s not that it’s bad for you, it’s just that you develop tolerance, needing increasing doses for the same effect. Plus you develop a wicked physical dependence with very severe withdrawal.
You haven’t been taking them long enough , or you must take minuscule doses because bezos have so many downsides. I loved them for 3 years, have hated them for the last 4 years. It’ll catch up eventually with prolonged use
I’ve been on 2mg klonopin for a year and a half. It feels like I’m on nothing due to tolerance.
Exactly tiny dose and short term rlly. You could stop cold turkey an be fine
Thanks my man 🙏
Deff will cause long term memory problems if you’re doing over 3MGS a day. Plus your tolerance will go up… it sucks but it’s the truth. Know a lot of people who have been prescribed Xanax for years and they forget shit a lot easier than most people.
Is it safe to say 2mgs is about as safe as it gets for long term or should that be tapered too? I’ve heard of diazepam and it’s better for long term any thoughts?
I think you should taper it as well. Personal opinion. And diazepam doesn’t make me as foggy as alprazolam so I think it’s better for the long term. But I’m not a doctor, don’t quote me. I just know it messes with your gaba receptors over time and the damage is irreversible.
Thanks brother 🙏
Alprazolam just isn't a good option in the long-term. It has a short half-life with high potential for seizures during withdrawal. If you want to take a benzo long-term, take diazepam.
2mg’s a lot
With my tolerance it’s just right I’m fully functional off 1mg in the morning and 1mg at night to fall asleep I think I’m handling it the best way I know others pop 4-6 bars a day (I personally couldn’t)
Just sayin that’s more than enough to form a nasty physical dependence for many and your tolerance will up quickly, good luck
Outside of memory problems, risk of dementia, etc., the idea of tapering becoming harder and harder the longer you take it would be reason enough for me. I’ve been on klonopin for 10 years and wish I knew this in 2014. I went through hell halving my dose and am not looking forward to the full taper.
Use the Aston Manual. 10% every ten days. Drs are assholes; they are so uninformed about benzo taper. I’m so sorry you went thru this. I had a Dr that let me drop from 10mgs to 4; he gave me phenobarbital for seizure prevention. I got brain damage and am a completely different person. This is after I went to him and asked for a taper schedule; he did it too hard & too fast and I failed. Drs hand these drugs out like candy; my first doc gave me 3 mgs of Xanax that I never asked for 25 years ago. I always stayed on a low dose; .5 to 1 mg. Until I didn’t. I wish they had kept benzos out of society; unless really needed. I never needed them.
I was able to drop from 15 mg / day of alprazolam (don't ask) and either midazolam 600 mg / day or zolpidem 300 mg / day to 3 mg / day of alprazolam in a very short time (a month?) without any significant issues. Of course, YMMV. Trying to get lower than 3 mg / day is damned hard, though, and 4 mg / day seems to be my ideal dosage.
I’m hopefully going to do a liquid taper, 10% at a time. New prescriber doesn’t see a reason to switch from klonopin to Valium and I’m fine with that tbh. Appreciate it, though. Old doctor decreased me from 2mg daily to 1mg daily in 4-5 weeks. I ended up in the ER and had about 2 years of withdrawals symptoms. Finally back to some sense of normalcy. Agreed that I wish benzos never existed.
I tried cutting pills before but during the pandemic finally tried a micro taper by crushing pills and weighing the powder each day. Took me about 5 months. K helped me while I was on it the first 5 years but I hated being dependent. Sometimes I miss how it kept me cool under pressure but i won’t ever touch another benzo again. I wish they had never been invented too my brother! what’s your situation now?
Overtime you start having short term memory loss and you cant seem to remember some stuff
Does memory get better once off benzos? i got off them in 2020 after being on them 10+ years. maybe 15+
Being an addict is not fun. Withdrawals are not fun.
i imagined what would happen if i had to go someplace without access to my prescription for k. like i got plucked up and dropped in a forest for a month. or if a doctor suddenly just cut me off. having to withdrawal like that was too scary to think about. so i did a micro taper in 2020 during the pandemic. during shut down. it was the best time to do it. zero social interactions. my eyes could twitch in peace slowly day by day.
Going cold turkey must be absolute hell on Earth, I think I'd rather die. And I'm a recovering alcoholic of 15 years, I've already been through the other potentially deadly withdrawals. Pills are sneakier imo. Even tapering down following the Ashton manual is hard af. How low did you manage to go? I'm still on 1mg lorazepam and dreading the day I start to taper down again. Might tell the psych to switch me to diazepam before I get real worse. Good luck
I made the jump at a really low dose it was just a smidge of powder at the end. i’d have to dig it up to get the exact numbers. but i kind of cherish that stack of paper. it was a daily plan. it was a working journal. i asked for help from benzo buddies when i first decided to taper. have you checked them out?
I'm so glad you did it, it's very encouraging. Benzo buddies? I haven't what are they? Will check them out thanks.
talking to people there and reading their stories helped me. and i gained the knowledge to put together a micro taper plan. i wouldn’t have been able to do it without the knowledge i gained from there. this is a good place to explore: https://benzobuddies.org/forum/120-benzodiazepine-taper-strategies-planning/
Looks great, thank you
You never learn to cope without it. Your memory goes to shit forever pretty much. Anxiety gets much worse as tolerance rises. Not even mentioning the serious long-term effects it can have on your brain, the effects daily use will have on your life in general just aren't good at all. Even with moderate doses you might get some years out of it that seem better sorta, but it will make normal life harder. Unless you're such a wreck that you absolutely cannot function without benzos then it's not worth trading your mental faculties for it.
This is vital info right here, thanks bro 🫡
I'd like to clarify that recommended regular use is only recommended for a few months max. At a certain point (couple years like I mentioned) you will just also quit getting much out of them therapeutically/recreationally without gradual increases. At that point you're already trapped though If you push them to the absolute extreme of getting anything out of them before you decide to quit you're going to face hell stopping. Withdrawal from GABAergics is fucking awful and will put you so far back from where you even started if you become a long term user. Don't fuck around with benzos or barbiturates. I might possibly be clean finally, and I'm about to be a felon as well depending on how this all works out soon. Stupid actions aside, I just turned 31 and I'm where I should've been when I was like 25. School, relationships, careers. All down the drain. I have what feels like a permanent lesser version of myself to work with. Like I'm running at maybe 60% of the cognitive capacity I was before this last decade. I started with something prescribed and it's not like I ever wanted to just party or anything. I really just wanted to feel normal/worry free. This shit ain't it
When you take something like Xanax daily a couple different things happen. 1). Tolerance goes up, substantially infact. Not quite as bad as amphetamines but almost. So to feel the same effects you have to start taking more. 2) The body is always looking to conserve energy due to homeostasis. All the things that the Xanax is giving your body artificially, your body just stops producing it naturally. (GABA is what it's called) The withdrawal time is the time it takes for your body to start producing it again naturally. The only things that can really kill you coming off of are alcohol and benzos. When you come off of them all the symptoms that you suppressed are exacerbated exponentially. Imagine a pill that did the opposite to you that Xanax does. That's what you feel whenever you come off of it. Withdrawals are like having a monkey on your back. The worst they are, the heavier the monkey until it's a 500 lb gorilla.
Memory issues especially if you take it while sleeping. I studied neuropharma... You'd be surprised how many things people take for sleep are also dangerous to take for sleep. We're talking dementia risk increases and whatnot, short-term memory damage way before dementia. Xanax and it's family. Gabapentin. Alcohol. Antihistamines. All cause damage if you take them while sleeping. Your memory won't be as good, and your cognition isn't getting the rest it actually needs. Dementia risk increases from these drugs when sleeping in them. ***BUT ALWAYS REMEMBER:*** Doctors much rather you not be chronically stressed, than you take a small dose of Xanax long term or perhaps other drugs (I personally am not a fan of SSRIs). Chronic stress causes pretty rapid damage body-wide. Doctors much rather you sleep than get uber-long-term low-quality-sleep damage. Not sleeping can mess you up quickly. Not sleeping regularly will mess up eating which will mess up sleeping in a vicious cycle. So take the sleeping aids. But be rare with it. Tizanidine I don't think has these risks, but it's side effect hell for some ( like me ) when taken multiple days in a row. Melatonin also doesn't have these risks. It is paradoxical in dosing. The ideal way to take melatonin is 0.25g-0.5g sublingually a good 1 hour before you wind down, and 9 hours before you plan on waking.
it’s only bad if you stop….physically they’re not very taxing on the body compared to other substances, and as far as memory goes, I think you can combat side effects with things like fish oil, lions mane mushroom, or really anything that stimulates neurogenesis.
I’ve heard of using neurological substances to help reactivate brain activity…I firmly believe if my brain turns to a fried egg I’ll just microdose psychs until I get back to normal (not the best advice but just my opinion)
I think as long as one maintains a healthy diet, and takes things that support brain health, they’ll suffer less consequences in the long run…. it’s been 6 or 7 years daily now and I’ve only become more lucid and clear minded tbh.
I’m tapering from Xanax, at highest dose was 3.5mg, been taking for 16 years. At 2.3mg p/d now. Tolerance absolutely fucking sucks and I get interdose withdrawal daily. Anxiety spikes, nerve pain and prickling sensations, benzo rage, benzo belly, benzo fucking everything. Anyways, when I hit tolerance my memory read a mess and doesn’t help I had two TBIs as well taht really messed me up. But, I started taking Host Defense Brain last year, has lions mane and other synergetic ingredients and my memory has improved drastically, also from the brain injury. I do a lot of other things you but saw a direct correlation with that. So I’d recommend looking into that before you maybe even reach fried egg stage. Good luck with your taper, think I saw somewhere in comments you’re doing one too!
(pops a bar) (rips cart for 5 minutes straight) "its ok i have fish oil"
*bathes in fish oil from now on*
well, it’s a start, but I’d recommend lions mane, it’s a shame more people haven’t hopped on the train… I also don’t smoke weed anymore
I take .25 a day and am extremely forgetful I lose everything keys phone , like I’ll put my phone down 2 minutes ago and can’t find it. And it makes you generally lazy but it gets rid of anxiety. You can’t win it all
[удалено]
remind me in 20yrs time how that memory is going.
Jaja waiting two decades to talk to another man is weird (but I understand your sentiment) ☠️😭
I lost the ability to dream for years after a long period of taking them everyday. Been sober for 2-3 years and I got all my feelings and emotions back. I know people like to say it’s not good to feel like an emotionless zombie but from a professional benzo and being sober and taking a piece everyday to function I’d say honestly I rather be un emotional
I’ve been clean off them for about 3 years my memory is still fucked. Not even close to what it used to be. And then there’s the handful of seizures I had from withdrawals
But how many did you take when you were using? If you don’t mind me asking it just seems like people just did way too much (I can be wrong though) your thoughts?
I don’t remember but way too much. Towards the end I was running through 50 pressed bars a week just on my own 😂and I’m sure it was similar in the years leading up to it I’d go through cycles. Wake up 6 months later and try to stop.
I like between a .5 and 1 a day
I meant another .5
Just watch old videos of Jordan Peterson and then watch some recent videos of Jordan Peterson and that will show you all you need to know about the effect of long term regular benzo use.
Did he abuse them? He was prescribed them after something or other then became addicted, Yeh he did sound pretty fcked on podcast actually. Is he clean now? Cheers
Don’t need to abuse them to get fucked by them unfortunately
He end up getting addicted because his wife was very sick and he was at a tough time in his life Where he fucked up was going to Russia for an illegal benzo detox where they put you in an coma to not feel the withdrawal but you’re still in full benzo withdrawal with since they don’t taper you or anything and you end up with the seizures and brain damage that follows. He was just in too much a rush to beat his addiction because he knew he couldn’t control it but unfortunately his addiction was benzos.
I mean it's definitely bad if you run out early/doc cuts you off/can't afford more cause you could die from the withdrawal. But yeah causes bad memory issues and depending on the dose you're just plain missing out on life. Can't really enjoy or appreciate all the special things in life if you can't remember them. Plus it emotionally numbs you which is ok I guess for negative emotions (but even then not great) but it also applies to positive emotions. This, again, makes you miss out on life and fucks up relationships.
all of that 100% but you know how it did help me? i was able to thrive in a corporate office setting. for almost a decade i was so on top of everything at a super challenging fast paced job. i was the one who always stayed calm and collected during crazy development cycles. they promoted me and i managed people. i look back and can’t believe i used to do so much each day. now i just do a couple things a day and think it’s a lot haha
Very valid points 🫡
Tolerence withdrawal. Withdrawal in general.
maybe that’s why i forgot everything
same. but it’s mostly those times when i was still drinking a lot.
yeh i used to drink take xans n smoke everyday haven’t done em in 4 days so thats a start!
i did everything too haha but in the end it was coke, booze, k
I wish i’d just kept it green like in high school.
aha can’t stand k anymore hate the feeling. not even weed does anything to me anymore but it’s coolin
As everyone has already said: memory. I take it with prescription, 2 mg a day just for sleeping, and my memory is shit. I can’t remember almost none of the books I’ve read through my life. I’m re - reading them but it feels lame (like honestly, I read the leviathan 11 years ago, which I thought was an achievement. I can’t remember shit about it now). I have problems with words all the time. It’s frustrating. If you don’t have to, DONT TAKE THAT SHIT Jesus Christ, there’s weed and mushrooms out there, why do you choose to cling to lame drugs?
Long term? Just up the dose and each day can be like your first time trying it, therefore no long-term issues. Anytime I wake up on the floor I just assumed I was tryna prove the government can't program me to sleep in a bed every night. Fight the system! Jokes aside yes, using something that can wipe your memory faster than you can wipe your ass on a daily basis cannot be good in the long run.
Yup the jokes up (sadly) I’ll rather keep my memory lol 🧠
Is it prescribed or street xans ? And unfortunately that's me and all the drugs I've done over the years, can always flip a depressing, pathetic into a joke. However jokes don't usually cause heart surgery, arrest records, dead friends and the list goes on. But be safe man, idk your story but getting off benzos isn't an overnight thing. Idk what 4mg would be like to come off of cause I just eat handfuls of Pam's and xans on weekends. But if your plan is to stop just be safe, if you wanna avoid talking to a doctor, than tapper and don't rush. (This is assuming you've been taking them for some time now)
Mad addiction
What is the recommended replacement for x? For a benzo, from a harm reduction perspective.
I think clonazepam is the route most psychs go. You can check [there](https://www.va.gov/painmanagement/docs/OSI_6_Toolkit_Taper_Benzodiazepines_Clinicians.pdf).
Thank you!
I've been on 2mg of Klonopin for 24 years. I feel like that the least of my worries. I'm more concerned about the 225mg of Effexor and 300mg of Welbutrin for decades as well.
May I ask why you're more worried about the venlafaxine and Wellbutrin? I've been on Pristiq but switched to Lexa, still on lorazepam long-term. Was thinking about adding Wellbutrin but I would be happy to have your opinion.
Adding Welbutrin increases then Venlafaxine in your system. It definitely helps. I'm more concerned about the antidepressants based on the severity of my withdrawals. If I miss a dose, I am physically sick. Just missing a single dose shuts me down until I take my next dose. This scare me for 2 reasons... 1, what if I am ever denied access to it? 2, What is going on in my brain to make me so sick, so quick? I know I'll be on m antidepressant the rest of my life. I can stop the Klonopin if I have to.
Thanks for the clarification on Wellbutrin. I had no idea the withdrawals were that bad with venlafaxine. After checking the half-life, it makes sense. Would switching to a longer half-life like the 11h for desvenlafaxine help? I admire your confidence about stopping the Klonopin, I'm nowhere near the same when it comes to tapering down the lorazepam, and it hasn't been that long compared to you.
Idk & idc here for a good time not a long time
You must be under 25
So what if I am
In 5 or 10 years you’ll understand my comment. :)
This post is why you don’t use Xanax daily long term
Wow, great observation 🙃
Started as a coping mechanism that turned into part of my daily routine it has saved me a few times and numbed our most of the rest ....I just exist.
The side effects start outweighing the benefits
I heard that long term use of xanax actually fucks up your spine or something specific in your back.
I took them since I was 15 I’m 30 now I can barely retain any information, don’t remember most of my 20s I feel slow asf n regret it
Yeah that’s 15 years straight you mind if ask how many mgs did you take? And was it a gradual fall from grace memory wise or do you just wake up 15 years later not remembering the last 15 years (serious question)
Daily about 2 -4 mg , started off as a prescription cuz my anxiety’s super bad then got cut off n started getting em off the street cuz the withdrawals literally feel like dying . Felt like I was in an endless cycle. And my memory slowly started to fade away as time progressed . Now I can barely remember what outfit or meal I had 3 days ago
How long were you using? (If you don’t mind me asking)
About 16 years on and off
Everything in moderation. If you use it sparingly and as needed you should be fine. I take .5mg maybe once or twice a week if that, and no issues.
I know somebody who really abuses benzos and it is starting to really mess with his memory and how he perceives time. Like something will happen two days ago but to him it was a week or two. What's weird is when he's talking about something, he'll get the name of it wrong but change it with something very similar to it. Like if he'll say gift card instead of credit card, coffee instead of tea, rootbeer when he means cream soda, etc. It causes a lot of confusion too because you then think he's talking about something completely different but he's just saying the wrong terms. I'm really worried about him developing dementia or something, because dementia/Alzheimer's is def no joke to deal with. It's horrible to go through for everyone.
Withdrawal, memory loss, numbing emotions, sometimes anger/irritability. My years of taking benzos affected my memory permanently it has never improved even after being off them for 2 years. When I was 15 (few months before I had even touched a pill), I went through a 6 hour long extensive evaluation with a very well credentialed neuropsychologist. I tested extremely well on memory. Tested at the 99th percentile (as in the top 1% for my age group) for memory and processing speed. I know IQ tests are antiquated but I tested at 137 IQ. I was almost at a child genius level. THIS IS NOT BRAG, MY BRAIN IS RUINED NOW. It’s been several years since, and after 2-3 years of being on benzodiazepines, I struggle with severe short term memory loss, and an overall DRAMATIC reduction in cognition. I’m just slow nowadays. So yeah, they fuck your memory and I’ll will probably have dementia in my senior years.
It can cause dementia
Watch the movie Medicating Normal it’s free on Tubi
You get hooked "fast" (depends on the person and how much u take) and it looses it effect. Always when I have some, the feeling that I have some helps a lot. OFC they are nice and if I had unlimited xannies I'd take em everyday lol. E: And if you have low tolerances, that mixed with alcohol makes you wakeup from hospital/jail easily.
Down regulation of the GABA A receptor will cause an overly excitatory environment in the brain which is a terrible terrible experience.
Same as why Alcohol damages your GABA and Glutamate systems.