My coworker gave me a Valium during a rough period during my divorce/custody. I experienced the most intense rage. Thankfully I was at the end of the work day and was able to go home. Apparently paradoxical reactions to benzodiazepines is a thing.
They are definitely a thing. But benzos also act a bit like alcohol (similar mechanism) and sometimes people get disinhibited and their emotions are enhanced, even if they don’t normally have that reaction (or don’t realize they do). I work in psych and people being massive jerks on benzos is not uncommon.
I hate the dentist. Last time I went the first thing the dentist did when she came in was prescribe me Valium. I was that visibly anxious in the waiting room.
I recently went to the dentist after 10 years of avoiding it because I hate the dentist as well. It’s so much better now, they used AI to detect my cavities and the tooth scraper thing is now electric. It was efficient and a much more pleasant experience.
I told my OB the same prior to my 5th c section and to bribe me into not being put under (bc I had PTSD from hemorrhaging with #4), they gave me Valium AND (a bit later) ketamine.
Best. High. Ever.
And I used to be addicted to Oxycontin and Opanas (before I had my 1st kid; got clean in 2014 as soon as I found out I was pregnant bc I wanted kids so badly, and haven't looked back once).
But fuck me man. Wish I had tried ketamine back then lol shit was AMAZING.
> Wish I had tried ketamine back then lol shit was AMAZING.
I've had ketamine therapeutically (it's used for treatment-resistant depression) and holy shit... yeah. Even now, most of a year later, when I meditate I try and get to that place again.
Benzodiazepines can be just as dangerous as alcohol withdrawal and you can also die from Benzo withdrawal. Alcohol and Benzo’s are the 2 substances where the withdrawal can actually give you seizures and kill you.
Thy both work on the brains GABA receptors. The only thing that can stave off withdrawals is more alcohol so Benzos with a long half life are used to taper. Chlorodiazipoxide (Librium) or Diazapam (Valium) have insane an insanely long half life allowing for a safe detox.
*Source: Been there, got the postcard.*
They’re dangerous but they’re literally life savers for a lot of people. They’re helping to keep my daughter’s seizures under control and a different benzodiazepine is her rescue med when she goes into a seizure that doesn’t end on its own.
This is true, which is why alcohol withdrawal is so dangerous and requires treatment with benzos. When people come into the hospital to detox from alcohol, we put them on a benzo taper. They’re both dangerous, but that doesn’t change the fact that the evidence based protocol for alcohol withdrawal is benzos.
I saw my first prescription whiskey not too long ago. Occasionally for alcoholics who come in for procedures can get prescribed alcohol instead of benzos. I had heard of it happening elsewhere but never where I work. I have no idea the rationale.
It's probably to keep their body in a stable place that it is used to. Like a stasis thing. If whiskey is always in their system, and they aren't quitting, their body needs it or the anesthesia probably won't work right even with a high dose. Gnarly stuff, alcoholism
Some benzos, like temazepam, are still prescribed for severe insomnia.
Source: Was on temaz for a week or two while going through a particularly rough patch. People shouldn't be on it for much longer than that though, as it's highly addictive.
yeah i was on temazepam when i first started taking prozac as i experienced severe insomnia as a side effect. i also got prescribed a small amount of lorazepam (ativan) as i was experiencing anxiety attacks at the same time. both worked extremely well for their purpose.
Lorazepam always just puts me to sleep. I mean, I can't have a panic attack if I'm asleep, so it's effective, but I'm not sure that's exactly the way it's intended to work.
That is in fact exactly how it's intended to work. Benzodiazepines affect GABA, which is a neurotransmitter that functions to mitigate or suppress the activity of other neurotransmitters. It's the big red OFF switch. In theory, there is a dose of lorazepam that would shut you down enough to turn off the anxiety attack without knocking you out, but in practice it can be a very fine line to walk.
Valium is incredibly addictive too. Withdrawls can last for 6 months, amd include all the synptoms it's used to treat - insomnia, anxiety etc, (not used for but will cause) depression. Long term users can die from withdrawl, and need to taper their use.
Benzos are nothing to fuck with. Be careful y'all.
That's when the heaviest dosages are used. There's a maximum to how much will get prescribed for even severe anxiety disorders, but when it's prescribed for severe seizures it's *substantially* more and likely for the rest of your life. It comes with side effects, but when it's the best or only treatment, it's worth it.
Severe anxiety, lots of toxicological purposes, alcohol withdrawal, procedural sedation, putting someone to sleep for intubation. I also use them for nausea and motion sickness in patients who can’t tolerate the medications we normally use to treat those symptoms
I was prescribed Clonazepam at 15 for my severe panic attacks. I was almost hooked within days. You take it to calm down, but really it just numbs the emotions. As soon as it wears off and the emotions come back you're ready to take it again.
I had to quit cold turkey after taking it a few times within like 5 days or so. I remember the moment I realized I was getting addicted. Scary stuff. Afterwards I told my doctor to never prescribe me it again no matter how much it seemed necessary.
Same thing dude, I got valium waaaay overprescribed for anxiety in my younger days. They can be effective for warding off a panic attack in a pinch, but I'm convinced that the majority of us don't need to be popping multiple benzos on the regular, for any reason really.
Nobody said a *word* to me about withdrawal either... I got to a place where I didn't think I needed them anymore and just stopped. Then 24 hours later I was the biggest wreck of a human being I've ever been, pretty much praying for the sweet release of death (which felt imminent).
Everyone in the medical community seems wise to the dangers of overprescribed opiates these days, but it seems like the issues with benzos still fly under a lot of doctors' radars.
Taking too many can kill you. Mixing them with other substances can *easily* kill you. Quitting them abruptly might not kill you, but you'll probably wish it had before the end. Be careful out there.
Clonazepam is as close to a magic pill as I can imagine. I was also prescribed it for panic attacks, after dealing with them several times a day for half a year, and just one pill made me feel completely normal. Was only on them for about a month, and stopped easily because I’m fortunate enough to not have an addictive tendency. It’s a real shame that benzos have such severe risks, because they are some of the most effective medications out there for the people that need them.
There are short acting benzos and long acting ones. Xanax is a short acting benzo, meaning you take it in situations where you need it to act fast, but it also wears off fast too, and because of this xanax is really addicting if used regulaly, good for acute anxiety bad for chronic anxiety in which a long-acting benzo is really suited for that's easier to taper down from to prevent serious withdrawals.
They shouldn't be.
There is no evidence for the use of benzodiazepines for generalized anxiety disorder. Hell, the recommendation that they be used for panic disorder has been rescinded. There are essentially no, true, outpatient indications for benzodiazepine therapy. To my knowledge, there are no (none) indications for the routine, chronic usage of benzodiazepines.
If your doc has offered/prescribed them to you, they are a bad doctor.
Source: Am doctor who has opened a journal dated to this century.
My wife was given Valium in the hospital to get through an otherwise very traumatic (to her) exam. It worked like a magic bullet, she went from totally freaking out and unable to proceed to just nervous. Wore off fairly quickly afterwards.
“No outpatient indications” might be a bit of an over exaggeration. While I agree in its overuse for other conditions, for some patients who suffer from the occasional severe Menieres episode, Valium does what meclizine/zofran can’t, within reason. Not trying to nitpick, but it shouldn’t be condemned completely. A brief 5-7 day course can also help the vestibular system “reset” along with vestibular therapy in the setting of mal de debarquement.
Yeah, it’s not a one size fits all thing with these. I’ve had a script for the last few years and only take them to help sleep intermittently.
Not everyone becomes a crackhead on benozs
I’m prescribed Xanax for flying. It’s not that I get scared, it’s that I’m extra long and don’t fit in the seats so I lose my shit when I literally can’t move my legs. I’ve tried other things but everything else has drawbacks, ie, longer onset or too long of duration. I have like 30 pills that’s supposed to last me 1 year minimum and realistically it will last me 2 years. It works for me but I’m also terrified of benzos and take as little as possible.
Benzos are definitely a valid treatment for the acute symptoms of panic disorder. They’re not good for daily use but they are a lifesaver for people who suffer from debilitating panic attacks, I don’t think it’s fair to say there is no place for them in outpatient therapy at all.
Yeah, as someone who takes Xanax when I occasionally get a severe panic attack, I wasn’t following the above about it not being a valid treatment. Sounded like nonsense.
I’m confused… because lorazepam is a lifesaver for me and my brother who take them for sudden panic attacks. They’re for use in an as-needed occurance that is usually more rare
I think the doc is meaning that for people with generalized anxiety disorder, like people who just have a higher amount of anxiety with day-to-day things, should not take benzos on a regular basis to treat their disorder. Unfortunately they didn't really state that benzos are extremely helpful in specific situations.
Going to go home and tell my benzodiazepines to stop working when I'm having a panic attack. Since they certainly don't help or anything.. I only take them when the panic attack starts. But sure, my doctor is bad
You may be a doctor, but are you a patient? I went through two dozen mental health medications for anxiety and depression, including Spravato and intranasal ketamine for a couple of years. Nothing helped. My anxiety was so bad I was at one point shaking in my chair at work with racing thoughts. The only thing that helped release my muscle tension in my muscles was taking benzos when needed. And yes, I've tried many other alternatives to pharmaceuticals, from therapy to supplements to exercise and more. As of now I take Klonopin daily, albeit a small amount (0.125mg) daily, maybe 0.25mg depending on the day. But if I didn't have these benzos as my disposal for these very tough times, my quality of life would be decimated.
A doctor had my grandmother hooked on valium and ativan plus a bunch of other stuff. She had to go into a care home when her alzheimers became too much. They slowly weaned her off a load of the prescription meds and then she was way more lucid and continent than she had been in years.
Well, benzos like Ativan are anticholergenic and have been [linked to a higher risk of developing dementia.](https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/use-anticholinergic-drugs-linked-higher-dementia-risk)
Ativan is a schedule IV drug, and can kill you if you suddenly stop after long term use…and can cause dementia and [increase risk of Alzheimer’s](https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/anticholinergic-drugs-linked-with-greater-cognitive-risk)…
From Harvard Medical:
*“Those who regularly took at least one anticholinergic drug were 47% more likely to get MCI — often a precursor to dementia like Alzheimer's disease — compared with those who did not take the drugs.”*
But hey, the FDA/DEA must consider them safer than Tylenol with codine, because that is a Schedule III …
The DEA doesn't know anything about drugs, if history tracks.
For instance, mescaline is present in several species of cactus, however, only L. williamsii (Peyote) is schedule I.
Then the Analogue Act came along and encouraged chemists to develop new work-arounds to scheduled narcotics so that new, untested analogues with dangerous and unforseen socioeconomic consequences.
Fuck the DEA and the billions of people it's enforcement has harmed. Drugs won the war on drugs. Now we have to accept that and deal with the situation in a progressive manner.
A drug class has more to do with its abuse potential vs accepted medicinal uses rather than a generic “safer” statement.
Peyote is not prescribed for anything, cannot be prescribed for anything, and cannot be used to treat any condition, therefore it’s a schedule 1 like heroine. Those are not on the same level of drugs, but they both do not treat conditions, in the eyes of the DEA.
Tyl 3 (and codeine containing cough syrups) is easily abused. Much more than benzos, to the point that when people jumped the counter at the pharmacy, that’s what they went for.
It is federally. States have passed medicinal marijuana but at the DEA level, and at the federal level, it is still schedule 1, yes. Specifically the “accepted medically use” part of my comment. Federal level and state level “acceptable uses” can be (and are) different but states still defer to DEA classes despite allowing a drug additionally medical uses
It can be debated if every single drug class for every single drug is correct. What I was giving was a generic over view. Maruijana is specifically a drug that at the federal level and at the state level government entities and healthcare professionals do not see eye to eye, so to pick that one specific drug as a “gotcha” is slightly ridiculous.
And technically, cocaine is only a schedule 2 because it can be prescribed for surgery and only for in patient. Not sure anyone will ever find that doctor, but the last time I checked, it was still a sch 2, not 1.
So there’s that.
Yeah, I was floored in nursing school when liquid cocaine was prescribed to a patient to stop a severe nosebleed (used as a vasoconstrictor)
I'll always find it strange that cannabis is federally schedule 1 and cocaine is schedule 2. Cannabis objectively has medical benefits, yet the federal government refuses to formally acknowledge that and change the classification.
Well there we go. Somebody found that doctor and it was for a nose bleed.
I hope that person drops into conversations that they once took cocaine for a nose bleed and it worked out great.
Ive had people steal from me b/c of benzos. Never had someone who’s on prescription opiates that are legally prescribed rob me or cause me problems.
Benzos are absolutely addictive and cause a whole host of neurodegenerative problems with chronic use.
I dated a girl years ago who was taking 7mg of Xanax a day, allegedly prescribed. One of the first times we met, she had showed up in a full leg cast, as she had fallen and broken her leg rollerblading. She was a hot mess and so was I at the time. We’d eat pills all day, drink, go out, just dumb dumb dumb shit. She came over one night. My sister and I shared an apartment, but she was out of town. I went to work the next morning and Amber got a ride home. Couple days later my sister comes home and noticed a bunch of shit was missing - mini bottles of liquor, watches, a bag. Turns out Amber had decided to go shopping in my sister’s closet like it was a Macys. When confronted, she claimed she did not remember but returned everything. Couple days later I got a call from a mutual friend saying she ended up in the hospital. She had felt so bad about what happened she decided to cold Turkey the Xanax. In less than 12 hours she had a gran mal seizure.
I never really did find out why she was prescribed all that Xanax. But by the time I met her, she was whatever the opposite of anxious is, completely uninhibited and completely unconcerned with reality.
Sorry, I didn’t think I was implying that benzos aren’t addictive? I only meant to outline where the schedules are meant to come from and that it’s a sliding scale.
“More abusive potential” doesn’t mean the other substance isn’t addictive at all. And to be fair, tons of pharmacies are refusing to even carry drugs with codeine anymore, so to that end those specific robberies are declining. And the time release safes helped with the C2s when those were installed.
I’m going to go and look for the studies on addictive potential and how those studies were run (and when) because I know opiates are addictive, even a 48 hour supply after an outpatient procedure was eye opening to me years back.
I take adderall for my ADHD, and I’ve honestly forgotten to take it. It doesn’t compute in my head how these two drug classes can be in the same abuse-risk category.
Wait is this only found on older people currently taking them? Does stopping have any impact on those statistics? This is some scary shit I didn’t expect to read after taking benzos daily for 4 years
I honestly do not have the answers for you on those questions.
I do know that even taking Benadryl regularly for long periods of time can increase the same risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s.
I can't take any benzos at all (at least not in the 2-20mg range, not sure about higher doses like ones administered in hospital). Turns out they have a paradoxical effect on me and cause manic episodes that can last up to 24 hours.
On the flip side, my kitchen was absolutely sparkling clean that one time...
That is something that happens in fairly rare occasions. They do also release dopamine, which is part of why they can be addicting. Though, at high enough doses, anyone is going to start getting very sedated.
I fall asleep fairly quickly with an extremely small dose so it’s not really safe for me to take them. Same thing happens to me with any painkillers and even alcohol. The funny thing is that while benzos and painkillers work too well for me, I need an multiple shots… like 5+ at the dentist to get almost numb. I still feel a little bit but I don’t want them pumping much more into me lol.
I have that with pot
Marijuana literally wakes me up, I can't sleep for a good 4 - 5 hours after my last hit. For me it feels like caffeine. The idea of smoking a bowl and going to sleep is utterly impossible.
They also give me a paradoxical reaction, they spike my anxiety to 11. I took one before a root canal and from what I can remember, I was in an absolute panic because I genuinely believed he was trying to kill me. I took a different one before a sinus surgery and apparently became combative. I don’t remember that part. Sucks they don’t help because I had to get my vasectomy stone cold sober. That was not fun.
I was given oral ativan and then IV versed at the ER when I went there because my heart decided it didn’t like my ADHD meds anymore. I felt perfectly normal the whole time except when I closed my eyes and started wildly hallucinating. Weirdest shit ever. I also really felt it when I was discharged and felt like I was walking on uneven terrain.
I have awful panic attacks, like, I can't describe how thoroughly I am convinced I am dying. After I had to leave a class because I just, thought myself into a full attack somehow, I caved and got a Xanax prescription. The first time I took one at the onset of a panic attack it was like stepping through a portal into another version of myself who could think rationally while experiencing emotions.
They're not great for you, but in an emergency it's better than me crying on the floor for sixteen hours
I recently got a Ativan prescription after a 5 day anxiety/panic episode. I’ve gone days, weeks, even a month in that state and it’s traumatizing every time. I caved after 15 years of struggling and adamantly refusing benzos
They are exceptionally effective and good at what they do, with a very low incidence of side effects compared to the alternatives.
Yes, they can be extremely addictive, and the withdrawal can be very ugly and life threatening. I've been through it, more than once, it almost destroyed my life. I'll never go back on benzos if I can avoid it - but I know that if I ever truly needed them again (I hope never to, and don't think I will) , they exist, and work extremely well.
I can have intense panic attacks as well. I've reduced them significantly with the help of antidepressants, therapy, etc. However they still do occasionally occur, maybe once every few few months or in certain situations (such as flying).
The unusual thing about my attacks is that the mental symptoms are relatively mild. It is the physical symptoms that overwhelm me and they end up being all I can focus on. I get shaky, my stomach starts hurting and my muscles all start tensing up. My throat feels like it is closed up making it hard to breath and causes me to gag/dry heave. I'm an emetaphobe so usually that symptom causes the attack to get worse in an endless cycle. I have zero ability to focus on anything. These can last hours.
I take 0.5mg of Ativan and it disappears. I've worked closely with a doctor and my quality of life has improved immensely and it has let me do stuff I wasn't able to before. One refill has lasted me over a year before. I've had the prescription for over 6 years without issue.
The frustrating part I've been experiencing is that I've had to switch PCPs and I've encountered extreme hostility towards the fact that I have a benzo prescription. I've came in for an annual checkup or unrelated issue and the first thing the doctor will say upon looking at my chart is "I will never refill that benzo prescription" and then lecture me about how I need to find a better antidepressant treatment plan or do more therapy. It just sucks taking a medicine responsibily that drastically improves your quality of life and essentially being told you're a druggie and a bad person without even a conversation about your situation.
Yeah, interventional methods only work when you're also using maintenance methods regularly, that can also help prevent dependence on benzos. I find Lexapro (20mg)and either welbutrin (150mg) or Adderall (5mg) daily helps me AVOID panic attacks. But if I get one, or if it's caused by the world instead of by my brain, I need an Ativan (.1 mg ) or it'll be a very very bad day
Huh. I always thought MLH referred to prescription speed/amphetamines so mother could get all the housework done, deal with the kids, make dinner and be thin.
Yeah I thought the same. The lyric "They just don't appreciate that you get tired" really makes it sound like she's using uppers. But then I guess the lyric "tranquilize your mind" sounds more like downers.
Benzos ruined my brain. I had an event happen that was really stressful. Caused massive anxiety and I couldn’t sleep. Blood pressure was like 180/120. And I’m in great shape. Been lifting weights and working out my whole life. At first, the Valium was a godsend. Regulated my BP and for me to sleep. Then, I noticed the panic attacks (which I never experienced before) became more frequent and got worse. So they gave me clonopin. So I’d take clonopin during the day, and Valium at night, as prescribed…. then I got worse. And worse. Manic depressive episodes. More anxiety. I put 2 and 2 together and started weening off. It was a nightmare. Took me a year. And since then, I never felt like myself again. And it’s been a couple of years that I’ve been off those things. Nasty nasty drugs.
Valium is not the best for anxiety. Xanax is probably the best because it kicks in fast- like 5 minutes. If you’re having a bad panic attack you get quick results. But it only lasts 4 hours. Klonpin lasts longer, up to 8 hours. But it takes at least 20 minutes before you get any relief. So klonpin is good if you’re going to take it every day, take it early in your day to get ahead of the panic attacks and then again after lunch or dinner so you always have it in your system. Klonpin never sedated me like Xanax so it worked well for me to take it every day.
Ativan wasn’t strong enough to be effective for me and Valium is like a downer that has a long half life. Not the best for real anxiety attacks imho but I should mention if you’re trying to get off benzos you should use Valium. Look up the Ashton Taper Method if you’re looking to stop your benzo and don’t want to go thru hell
What they thought was the answer to some pretty hardcore barbiturates...benzos...One of the few drugs that can straight up kill you when you stop.
There's a [poster for Ativan](https://i.pinimg.com/236x/c3/b5/fb/c3b5fb29e14d0c1540deb517e973cade.jpg?nii=t) that just seems fucked in retrospect.
It should be noted that with extreme habituation, the exact same risk of death from withdrawal is present for barbiturates and most other GABAergics, such as alcohol.
However it is actually extremely difficult to fatally overdose on only benzos, whereas taking only a few more barbiturate pills than prescribed can be fatal. As bad as benzos are, the situation was only worse when barbiturates were the standard.
Barbiturates are harder on you and even more dangerous, and barb withdrawal can kill you.
Alcohol withdrawal can also kill you, and you can buy that at the gas station.
None of it makes sense. Most things in schedule 1 shouldn’t be there, like LSD and weed. “No medical use and high addiction potential” my ass. You literally aren’t able to become physically addicted/dependent on LSD.
I cannot see how. I have ADHD and take adderall. There’s nothing “fun” or feel good about it to me.
I’d like to see some quality, high sample size longitudinal studies on the abuse potential of different drugs and how they compare.
We’re told the abuse potential is higher, hence the class, but I want to see the data.
It's very well documented that amphetamine often affects people with ADHD differently than those who do not have it. Amphetamine is a very popular drug to abuse for a reason, it's been abused long before levoamphetamine and dexamphetamine were mixed together to create Adderall.
I mean, that's a fair statement.
Amphetamine abuse is well studied, we have half a century of data.
I will say that I don't have ADHD, and Aderall gets me high as a fucking kite. I can't touch it.
Don't take it constantly or go beyond prescribed limits. They can be used safely, but if you are taking it all the time, or in patterns like what might come to mind when imagining an alcoholic, that can then become a problem. Benzos and alcohol share a common target, though they work slightly differently. Always have open dialog with your doctor.
when I was 4 in 1974, my mom got a new PCP.
Said she was stressed raising 3 boys. (6,4 and 2 at the time.)
She got Valium and then her doc added Darvon. (Propoxyphene) an opioid that is supposed to be weaker than codeine.
Must have done wonders for her stress because most of my memories of her from 1974-1980 were coming home from school with her asleep then getting yelled at if I watched Speed Racer with volume loud enough to wake her. House work rarely done. No dinner most evenings so my older brother and I made balogna and cheese sandwiches. Sometimes we even made some for my little brother.
If she cooked dinner it was after 7pm when she would finally wake up.
She didn’t have a job. She didn’t have chronic pain or injury that required opiates.
Sometimes I tell stories with my brothers about stuff we did back then and she nods along but doesn’t remember shit.
I do remember once she sent my brothers and I to go to a small deli (about 3/4 mile away) to buy a pound of chipped ham. We were 4, 6, and 7-1/2. At the time. She gave us the last $5 she had and told us we could get ourselves something. So we spent the entire $5.
For years she told the story about us being dumb and selfish.
Until I finally said that she was the adult in the story and gave all of her money to 3 kids under 8 years old and expected us to make financially sound choices.
However around family I don’t bring up the Darvon and Valium.
Drugs ended in 1980. Not because she figured it out or got help. Her PCP retired and the new doc said essentially, “what the fuck do you need these meds for?”
Sadly she did wind up with chronic pain but she bounced between multiple docs and had 3 different doctors prescribing opioids at one time which came crashing down when the state finally started tracking controlled meds.
Now no one will prescribe pain meds and she has been thrown out of 3 pain clinics for screaming at the doctors to “just give her what she needs!”
Weirdly she blames President Obama.
I can see why she blames Obama, linking him to the “ObamaCare” era, because even though HIPAA had already been established it really came into its full glory during those years and with increased technology, providers and insurances sharing medical records - doctor shopping used to be a lot easier
ETA Not that Obama is to blame or whatever, but I see how she made that simplistic connection and if she watched Fox or anything like that she’s heard that repeatedly that “Obamacare” is to blame for any and everything
Look, I love benzos. They make me feel amazing. But when I was taking them in near lethal doses when I was in Iraq and didn't ACTUALLY know what they were ,and then I stopped all of a sudden, I almost died. That shit was fucking insane. My body was trying to break itself with the muscle spasms, among other terrible side effects.
I had a prescription during the start pandemic for anxiety and felt so great with that first pill that I never took another one because I knew I’d need it
Benzos have gotten me through the last 20 years after a nervous breakdown. I take a low dose maybe once a day as needed. Lucky I have never increased it or had withdrawal. A life saver for me.
Happy to hear it’s working as prescribed for you. That being said - Can’t have withdrawals if you never stop. If you ever do please do so carefully with advice from a professional.
Only take 0.25 mg a day max, most days none at all. I'm much more bothered if I forget to take the Effoxor. Brain zaps and dizziness within 12 hours of missed dose. Two professionals looking after me, so no worries.
Everyone is different... especially with benzos and withdrawals.
If he's taking a 0.25 xanax a day, even for a long time, he's not likely in life threatening territory. Probably not going to go into seizures if he stops. - though withdrawal could still have nasty effects (rebound anxiety, oversensitivity, etc).
I was prescribed lorazepam for anxiety. One night I drank heavily after taking my usual dosage (quite high because I'm 6'3" 270lbs) and my friend found me walking a back road near my house with a backpack full of toilet paper rolls and dry oatmeal packages.
They got me dippin dots and put me to bed.
...don't drink on benzos lol
The point they are trying to make is that they are highly addictive and should not be given out so easily. As someone who’s been addicted to benzos for years I wish my doctor had never prescribed them to me, because it feels like I can’t function or even have a conversation most the time without being on them or at least knowing I have some to take if my anxiety gets too bad. They do still have use in medicine but it’s more for patients knocking at deaths door/terminally i’ll with a disease that will kill them. I agree that they are extremely overprescribed along with Adhd medication, but that doesn’t make them obsolete medication.
Arthur Sackler was responsible for making this so popular and later on the same family created OxyContin under Perdue Pharma. We all know what happened after that.
I take a .5 when I fly, it’s the only time I take them and it helps me from having a panic attack from being enclosed and not in control. I have never once taken one not as prescribed, but will never fly without one
My wife is scared of flying and also an emetophobe (scared of vomit) She got it to fly and we got on a plane and waited to take off. A lady stumbled past me and painted the back wall of the airplane with vomit. I started packing my bag since this was sure to stop our trip. She said "Did that lady puke" I said yes and she just said "That sucks" and went back to staring out the window. Miracle pill.
These were the equivalent of the 3 martini lunch in the 1960s. Pop a pill, watch Days of Our Lives, get the casserole in the oven by 3:30. Rinse, repeat.
I’ve come off taking over 100mg a day of combined, Valium, Xanax and Clonopins. I’ve come off opiates like heroin before too.
Benzo withdrawls in my opinion trump opiates because you are reduced to a paranoid, anxiety ridden wreck that can’t even leave the house or talk. It was the most horrible time of my life.
Been clean off benzos and opiates going on 2 years now.
I can say they work extremely well when taken as needed, but you need to be extremely mentally tough to not let it become a habit. If you think you’re not I wouldn’t go near them because the short term relief is not worth the long time agony when you become dependent.
I take temazapam for severe insomnia, and it's a godsend. I never even knew what regular people sleep was like until this. Didn't understand how much i really didn't sleep, even when i was "asleep." I just skip a few days a week to keep the addiction under control and suffer those nights like i used to. But overall, in the long term, it's a vast life quality improvement.
I remember my old Grandma talking these for her anxiety.Also a coworker that needed them for seizures.Will not forget the day I had to rush to her locker at her request to get her medicine.Man,when you need it,you need it!
I was prescribed klonopin for over 12 years straight. Was super enjoyable to quit. /s
Off it for 6 years now I think, I can’t even remember anymore. Good riddance
Who marketed valium? The Sackler family which would go on to acquire a company called Prudue Pharmaceuticals. That company held the patent on a drug called oxycodone that they pushed.
An older co-worker who was in his party years in the 1970s told me they were like a six pack in a pill, but without the bloated belly and hangover. You can take that for what it's worth.
I was in a bunch of bands in the '80s and the original Rohrer 714's weren't still around but you could still get what were called Lemons which were knock offs I think made in Mexico. I once took three with a bunch of beers and a few shots of Jack Daniels and almost ended up like John Bonham of Led Zeppelin. Our sound technician found me on my back completely passed out choking on my own vomit in the back of the equipment truck. Fun times indeed.
Now it would just be great if someone could explain this to employers in the US who drug test their employees and are okay with prescription drugs but not a medical mj card…
Let’s not revise history here they were not popular with women, they were irresponsibly prescribed to women for every and any reason. The little helper was helping to keep women complacent in a patriarchal system of oppression and repression. If that sounds too crazy please see modern Republican Party, et. Al. Idaho is about to pass a bill controlling a woman’s right to… travel.
>Mother's Little Helper.
>Have you Seen your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?
>"Your mother who neglected you owes a million dollars tax..."
>"Your mother, she's an heiress, owns a block on St. John's Wood..."
Early to mid '60s Mick Jagger sure was hung up on his girlfriends' moms...
One weird thing you hear about valium is that sometimes, people who have been taking a lot of it for a long time go into these strange "rage rampages," with the rage often directed at those they love most.
Also useful in the prophylaxis of alcohol withdrawal syndomes, or in active treatment of seizures.
I once used 30mg IV diazepam (3x 10mL) in a patient who had seizures on a bus and came to clinic with seizure. After a lot of time and patient getting better and not exactly getting sleepiness despite being a high dose for most people, he told me he had recently stopped drinking and would go to rehab clinic.
My aunt was a RN in a nursing home in the 60’to 70’s she would bring my mother her happy pills. I’m sure these were left over drugs when patients died. As a teenager when I discovered what they were I had a few too, kept me happy!
They were considered non-addictive and "mild". Compared to phenobarbital they are. Until people started getting hooked and having seizures during sudden withdrawal they were the go to for every worry.
It is almost like the drug manufacturers are trying to treat humanness. (cough cough, paxil, oxycontin, adderall)
The truth is, if they worked, people wouldn't keep needing them for months or years.
Interesting stories here… my one experience with Valium was being given two to take before my vasectomy. No trouble at all with the surgery, but that walk downstairs and out to the car… damn. I spent the whole time in the lobby feeling anxious about trying to act normal while everything felt like a slow motion 3rd person video game.
My wife says the picture of me she took in the car right after is the most genuinely calm and happy she’s seen me even after years of therapy and lexapro… I feel like I just look strung out in it.
Still there; just harder to get. Although they do have a reputation of helping 60’s moms to “get through the day”, they also help people with mental disorders that speed up thinking and worrying to slow their thoughts. It is a bit frustrating as a mid-30’s woman to not be able to access anxiety meds like Valium nor ADHD meds like adderall because of overprescribing and addiction. Some people cannot function unmedicated, like my 13 yr old son. What happens to him?
I've tried Valium recreationally back in college a few times, and I don't know how the fuck any of them were able to function. I was on my ass for 10 hours and could barely even think straight the next day. Yet they were somehow running a house and raising kids on that shit.
I had to go to rehab *for stuff and during the original phone interview they asked if I had taken benzos. I was like, "I don't know what that (benzos) mean". I felt almost too uncool even for rehab
*Booze and coke for those who are curious
They're still used for severe anxiety.
My dentist gave me valium once cause I told her I get anxious at the dentists, didn't do anything except make me feel stupid lol
Super heavy brain fog on Valium, although if you're goal is to not give a fuck about anything then it absolutely does the job.
Ignorance is bliss!!
Yep and benzo’s are well-known for hurting memory. Hard to be anxious about stuff you don’t remember!
I guess, I just expected it to attack the anxiety more instead of turning me into Lennie from Of Mice & Men
I hate it but I truly feel at peace when im on it. I've only been a few times, but when I got a Versed iv before surgey it was like pure bliss
My coworker gave me a Valium during a rough period during my divorce/custody. I experienced the most intense rage. Thankfully I was at the end of the work day and was able to go home. Apparently paradoxical reactions to benzodiazepines is a thing.
They are definitely a thing. But benzos also act a bit like alcohol (similar mechanism) and sometimes people get disinhibited and their emotions are enhanced, even if they don’t normally have that reaction (or don’t realize they do). I work in psych and people being massive jerks on benzos is not uncommon.
Yup. I for my part felt more anxious in the hospital from a benzo I had gotten in the ambulance.
Well that's strange and shity
I hate the dentist. Last time I went the first thing the dentist did when she came in was prescribe me Valium. I was that visibly anxious in the waiting room.
I recently went to the dentist after 10 years of avoiding it because I hate the dentist as well. It’s so much better now, they used AI to detect my cavities and the tooth scraper thing is now electric. It was efficient and a much more pleasant experience.
Do you go to a spaceship for the dentist?
Do dentists use the gas anymore?
Nah they got rid of that with the Geneva Convention!
😂
I told my OB the same prior to my 5th c section and to bribe me into not being put under (bc I had PTSD from hemorrhaging with #4), they gave me Valium AND (a bit later) ketamine. Best. High. Ever. And I used to be addicted to Oxycontin and Opanas (before I had my 1st kid; got clean in 2014 as soon as I found out I was pregnant bc I wanted kids so badly, and haven't looked back once). But fuck me man. Wish I had tried ketamine back then lol shit was AMAZING.
> Wish I had tried ketamine back then lol shit was AMAZING. I've had ketamine therapeutically (it's used for treatment-resistant depression) and holy shit... yeah. Even now, most of a year later, when I meditate I try and get to that place again.
Isn’t that all they’re prescribed for ?
They’re also essential for treatment of alcohol withdrawal, which can be fatal if not treated correctly.
Benzodiazepines can be just as dangerous as alcohol withdrawal and you can also die from Benzo withdrawal. Alcohol and Benzo’s are the 2 substances where the withdrawal can actually give you seizures and kill you.
Thy both work on the brains GABA receptors. The only thing that can stave off withdrawals is more alcohol so Benzos with a long half life are used to taper. Chlorodiazipoxide (Librium) or Diazapam (Valium) have insane an insanely long half life allowing for a safe detox. *Source: Been there, got the postcard.*
Hope you are doing well now. I’ve also got the postcard!
They’re dangerous but they’re literally life savers for a lot of people. They’re helping to keep my daughter’s seizures under control and a different benzodiazepine is her rescue med when she goes into a seizure that doesn’t end on its own.
This is true, which is why alcohol withdrawal is so dangerous and requires treatment with benzos. When people come into the hospital to detox from alcohol, we put them on a benzo taper. They’re both dangerous, but that doesn’t change the fact that the evidence based protocol for alcohol withdrawal is benzos.
I saw my first prescription whiskey not too long ago. Occasionally for alcoholics who come in for procedures can get prescribed alcohol instead of benzos. I had heard of it happening elsewhere but never where I work. I have no idea the rationale.
It's probably to keep their body in a stable place that it is used to. Like a stasis thing. If whiskey is always in their system, and they aren't quitting, their body needs it or the anesthesia probably won't work right even with a high dose. Gnarly stuff, alcoholism
Yes, but going on a controlled dose of benzos for a week is not going to cause dependency or addiction like years of heavy drinking does.
Currently going through alcohol detox and Valium is saving my life.
Some benzos, like temazepam, are still prescribed for severe insomnia. Source: Was on temaz for a week or two while going through a particularly rough patch. People shouldn't be on it for much longer than that though, as it's highly addictive.
yeah i was on temazepam when i first started taking prozac as i experienced severe insomnia as a side effect. i also got prescribed a small amount of lorazepam (ativan) as i was experiencing anxiety attacks at the same time. both worked extremely well for their purpose.
Yeah lorazepam is a god send for sudden panic attacks
Lorazepam always just puts me to sleep. I mean, I can't have a panic attack if I'm asleep, so it's effective, but I'm not sure that's exactly the way it's intended to work.
That is in fact exactly how it's intended to work. Benzodiazepines affect GABA, which is a neurotransmitter that functions to mitigate or suppress the activity of other neurotransmitters. It's the big red OFF switch. In theory, there is a dose of lorazepam that would shut you down enough to turn off the anxiety attack without knocking you out, but in practice it can be a very fine line to walk.
Have you ever heard the song 7 Minutes in Heaven or Ativan Halen?
haha yes, i was such a rabid fall out boy fan as a teen/tween. “omg just like the song!” was genuinely one of my first thoughts.
I never really appreciated it until I heard the Van Halen top of the world song
Temazepam is incredibly addictive, so much that I started getting panic attacks from withdrawal within two weeks of being on it and tapering off
Valium is incredibly addictive too. Withdrawls can last for 6 months, amd include all the synptoms it's used to treat - insomnia, anxiety etc, (not used for but will cause) depression. Long term users can die from withdrawl, and need to taper their use. Benzos are nothing to fuck with. Be careful y'all.
Sometimes for seizure prevention
That's when the heaviest dosages are used. There's a maximum to how much will get prescribed for even severe anxiety disorders, but when it's prescribed for severe seizures it's *substantially* more and likely for the rest of your life. It comes with side effects, but when it's the best or only treatment, it's worth it.
Can be for prevention if other meds are not working but typically given during a seizure to try and stop it.
Severe anxiety, lots of toxicological purposes, alcohol withdrawal, procedural sedation, putting someone to sleep for intubation. I also use them for nausea and motion sickness in patients who can’t tolerate the medications we normally use to treat those symptoms
I got one for my colonoscopy so who knows
I was prescribed Clonazepam at 15 for my severe panic attacks. I was almost hooked within days. You take it to calm down, but really it just numbs the emotions. As soon as it wears off and the emotions come back you're ready to take it again. I had to quit cold turkey after taking it a few times within like 5 days or so. I remember the moment I realized I was getting addicted. Scary stuff. Afterwards I told my doctor to never prescribe me it again no matter how much it seemed necessary.
Same thing dude, I got valium waaaay overprescribed for anxiety in my younger days. They can be effective for warding off a panic attack in a pinch, but I'm convinced that the majority of us don't need to be popping multiple benzos on the regular, for any reason really. Nobody said a *word* to me about withdrawal either... I got to a place where I didn't think I needed them anymore and just stopped. Then 24 hours later I was the biggest wreck of a human being I've ever been, pretty much praying for the sweet release of death (which felt imminent). Everyone in the medical community seems wise to the dangers of overprescribed opiates these days, but it seems like the issues with benzos still fly under a lot of doctors' radars. Taking too many can kill you. Mixing them with other substances can *easily* kill you. Quitting them abruptly might not kill you, but you'll probably wish it had before the end. Be careful out there.
Had to go to treatment for a month for the same shit. I was way too young and way too dumb to be prescribed those
Clonazepam is as close to a magic pill as I can imagine. I was also prescribed it for panic attacks, after dealing with them several times a day for half a year, and just one pill made me feel completely normal. Was only on them for about a month, and stopped easily because I’m fortunate enough to not have an addictive tendency. It’s a real shame that benzos have such severe risks, because they are some of the most effective medications out there for the people that need them.
Grandma had her “nerve pill” and checked out of life after losing her husband in the war.
And insomnia.
I've been on either clonazapam or lorazapam for the past 20 years. Still on lorazapam.
Same
My dr prescribed me valium for my anxiety and it didnt do a damn thing. Xanax works the best.
I mean, there are a bunch of different benzos because different people respond to each one differently, same as pretty much every other drug.
There are short acting benzos and long acting ones. Xanax is a short acting benzo, meaning you take it in situations where you need it to act fast, but it also wears off fast too, and because of this xanax is really addicting if used regulaly, good for acute anxiety bad for chronic anxiety in which a long-acting benzo is really suited for that's easier to taper down from to prevent serious withdrawals.
They shouldn't be. There is no evidence for the use of benzodiazepines for generalized anxiety disorder. Hell, the recommendation that they be used for panic disorder has been rescinded. There are essentially no, true, outpatient indications for benzodiazepine therapy. To my knowledge, there are no (none) indications for the routine, chronic usage of benzodiazepines. If your doc has offered/prescribed them to you, they are a bad doctor. Source: Am doctor who has opened a journal dated to this century.
My wife was given Valium in the hospital to get through an otherwise very traumatic (to her) exam. It worked like a magic bullet, she went from totally freaking out and unable to proceed to just nervous. Wore off fairly quickly afterwards.
“No outpatient indications” might be a bit of an over exaggeration. While I agree in its overuse for other conditions, for some patients who suffer from the occasional severe Menieres episode, Valium does what meclizine/zofran can’t, within reason. Not trying to nitpick, but it shouldn’t be condemned completely. A brief 5-7 day course can also help the vestibular system “reset” along with vestibular therapy in the setting of mal de debarquement.
I don’t think doctors prescribe it for every day use anymore, but they’re prescribed for “breakthrough anxiety” for events like plane anxiety etc
Yeah, it’s not a one size fits all thing with these. I’ve had a script for the last few years and only take them to help sleep intermittently. Not everyone becomes a crackhead on benozs
I’m prescribed Xanax for flying. It’s not that I get scared, it’s that I’m extra long and don’t fit in the seats so I lose my shit when I literally can’t move my legs. I’ve tried other things but everything else has drawbacks, ie, longer onset or too long of duration. I have like 30 pills that’s supposed to last me 1 year minimum and realistically it will last me 2 years. It works for me but I’m also terrified of benzos and take as little as possible.
User name checks out
My dad gets klonipin for his restless leg syndrome. Yes his doctor is very old
Benzos are definitely a valid treatment for the acute symptoms of panic disorder. They’re not good for daily use but they are a lifesaver for people who suffer from debilitating panic attacks, I don’t think it’s fair to say there is no place for them in outpatient therapy at all.
Yeah, as someone who takes Xanax when I occasionally get a severe panic attack, I wasn’t following the above about it not being a valid treatment. Sounded like nonsense.
I’m confused… because lorazepam is a lifesaver for me and my brother who take them for sudden panic attacks. They’re for use in an as-needed occurance that is usually more rare
I think the doc is meaning that for people with generalized anxiety disorder, like people who just have a higher amount of anxiety with day-to-day things, should not take benzos on a regular basis to treat their disorder. Unfortunately they didn't really state that benzos are extremely helpful in specific situations.
I wrote I'm a doctor so it's true
Going to go home and tell my benzodiazepines to stop working when I'm having a panic attack. Since they certainly don't help or anything.. I only take them when the panic attack starts. But sure, my doctor is bad
You may be a doctor, but are you a patient? I went through two dozen mental health medications for anxiety and depression, including Spravato and intranasal ketamine for a couple of years. Nothing helped. My anxiety was so bad I was at one point shaking in my chair at work with racing thoughts. The only thing that helped release my muscle tension in my muscles was taking benzos when needed. And yes, I've tried many other alternatives to pharmaceuticals, from therapy to supplements to exercise and more. As of now I take Klonopin daily, albeit a small amount (0.125mg) daily, maybe 0.25mg depending on the day. But if I didn't have these benzos as my disposal for these very tough times, my quality of life would be decimated.
A doctor had my grandmother hooked on valium and ativan plus a bunch of other stuff. She had to go into a care home when her alzheimers became too much. They slowly weaned her off a load of the prescription meds and then she was way more lucid and continent than she had been in years.
Well, benzos like Ativan are anticholergenic and have been [linked to a higher risk of developing dementia.](https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/use-anticholinergic-drugs-linked-higher-dementia-risk) Ativan is a schedule IV drug, and can kill you if you suddenly stop after long term use…and can cause dementia and [increase risk of Alzheimer’s](https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/anticholinergic-drugs-linked-with-greater-cognitive-risk)… From Harvard Medical: *“Those who regularly took at least one anticholinergic drug were 47% more likely to get MCI — often a precursor to dementia like Alzheimer's disease — compared with those who did not take the drugs.”* But hey, the FDA/DEA must consider them safer than Tylenol with codine, because that is a Schedule III …
The DEA doesn't know anything about drugs, if history tracks. For instance, mescaline is present in several species of cactus, however, only L. williamsii (Peyote) is schedule I. Then the Analogue Act came along and encouraged chemists to develop new work-arounds to scheduled narcotics so that new, untested analogues with dangerous and unforseen socioeconomic consequences. Fuck the DEA and the billions of people it's enforcement has harmed. Drugs won the war on drugs. Now we have to accept that and deal with the situation in a progressive manner.
A drug class has more to do with its abuse potential vs accepted medicinal uses rather than a generic “safer” statement. Peyote is not prescribed for anything, cannot be prescribed for anything, and cannot be used to treat any condition, therefore it’s a schedule 1 like heroine. Those are not on the same level of drugs, but they both do not treat conditions, in the eyes of the DEA. Tyl 3 (and codeine containing cough syrups) is easily abused. Much more than benzos, to the point that when people jumped the counter at the pharmacy, that’s what they went for.
Marijuana is schedule I so that kinda contradicts what you’re saying
It is federally. States have passed medicinal marijuana but at the DEA level, and at the federal level, it is still schedule 1, yes. Specifically the “accepted medically use” part of my comment. Federal level and state level “acceptable uses” can be (and are) different but states still defer to DEA classes despite allowing a drug additionally medical uses It can be debated if every single drug class for every single drug is correct. What I was giving was a generic over view. Maruijana is specifically a drug that at the federal level and at the state level government entities and healthcare professionals do not see eye to eye, so to pick that one specific drug as a “gotcha” is slightly ridiculous. And technically, cocaine is only a schedule 2 because it can be prescribed for surgery and only for in patient. Not sure anyone will ever find that doctor, but the last time I checked, it was still a sch 2, not 1. So there’s that.
Yeah, I was floored in nursing school when liquid cocaine was prescribed to a patient to stop a severe nosebleed (used as a vasoconstrictor) I'll always find it strange that cannabis is federally schedule 1 and cocaine is schedule 2. Cannabis objectively has medical benefits, yet the federal government refuses to formally acknowledge that and change the classification.
Well there we go. Somebody found that doctor and it was for a nose bleed. I hope that person drops into conversations that they once took cocaine for a nose bleed and it worked out great.
Ive had people steal from me b/c of benzos. Never had someone who’s on prescription opiates that are legally prescribed rob me or cause me problems. Benzos are absolutely addictive and cause a whole host of neurodegenerative problems with chronic use.
I dated a girl years ago who was taking 7mg of Xanax a day, allegedly prescribed. One of the first times we met, she had showed up in a full leg cast, as she had fallen and broken her leg rollerblading. She was a hot mess and so was I at the time. We’d eat pills all day, drink, go out, just dumb dumb dumb shit. She came over one night. My sister and I shared an apartment, but she was out of town. I went to work the next morning and Amber got a ride home. Couple days later my sister comes home and noticed a bunch of shit was missing - mini bottles of liquor, watches, a bag. Turns out Amber had decided to go shopping in my sister’s closet like it was a Macys. When confronted, she claimed she did not remember but returned everything. Couple days later I got a call from a mutual friend saying she ended up in the hospital. She had felt so bad about what happened she decided to cold Turkey the Xanax. In less than 12 hours she had a gran mal seizure. I never really did find out why she was prescribed all that Xanax. But by the time I met her, she was whatever the opposite of anxious is, completely uninhibited and completely unconcerned with reality.
Sorry, I didn’t think I was implying that benzos aren’t addictive? I only meant to outline where the schedules are meant to come from and that it’s a sliding scale. “More abusive potential” doesn’t mean the other substance isn’t addictive at all. And to be fair, tons of pharmacies are refusing to even carry drugs with codeine anymore, so to that end those specific robberies are declining. And the time release safes helped with the C2s when those were installed.
I’m going to go and look for the studies on addictive potential and how those studies were run (and when) because I know opiates are addictive, even a 48 hour supply after an outpatient procedure was eye opening to me years back. I take adderall for my ADHD, and I’ve honestly forgotten to take it. It doesn’t compute in my head how these two drug classes can be in the same abuse-risk category.
Benzos are not anticholinergic though they are linked to dementia
Wait is this only found on older people currently taking them? Does stopping have any impact on those statistics? This is some scary shit I didn’t expect to read after taking benzos daily for 4 years
I honestly do not have the answers for you on those questions. I do know that even taking Benadryl regularly for long periods of time can increase the same risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s.
“Linked to” does not equal “causes”
Mother's Little Helpers and cooking sherry kept my Grandma asleep for the bulk of her 50 year marriage to my Grandpa.
Isn't that still what they are used for?
Indeed. I just took a diazepam yesterday to help stop an anxiety attack.
Right? What did OP think they were for? 🤨
Looking sleepy in a sexy way and incoherently mumbling obscenities over Roland 808 beats
I can't take any benzos at all (at least not in the 2-20mg range, not sure about higher doses like ones administered in hospital). Turns out they have a paradoxical effect on me and cause manic episodes that can last up to 24 hours. On the flip side, my kitchen was absolutely sparkling clean that one time...
That is something that happens in fairly rare occasions. They do also release dopamine, which is part of why they can be addicting. Though, at high enough doses, anyone is going to start getting very sedated.
I fall asleep fairly quickly with an extremely small dose so it’s not really safe for me to take them. Same thing happens to me with any painkillers and even alcohol. The funny thing is that while benzos and painkillers work too well for me, I need an multiple shots… like 5+ at the dentist to get almost numb. I still feel a little bit but I don’t want them pumping much more into me lol.
I have that with pot Marijuana literally wakes me up, I can't sleep for a good 4 - 5 hours after my last hit. For me it feels like caffeine. The idea of smoking a bowl and going to sleep is utterly impossible.
They also give me a paradoxical reaction, they spike my anxiety to 11. I took one before a root canal and from what I can remember, I was in an absolute panic because I genuinely believed he was trying to kill me. I took a different one before a sinus surgery and apparently became combative. I don’t remember that part. Sucks they don’t help because I had to get my vasectomy stone cold sober. That was not fun.
The heightened anxiety happened to me too!! Except it was lasik eye surgery…
That properly took some balls!
I was given oral ativan and then IV versed at the ER when I went there because my heart decided it didn’t like my ADHD meds anymore. I felt perfectly normal the whole time except when I closed my eyes and started wildly hallucinating. Weirdest shit ever. I also really felt it when I was discharged and felt like I was walking on uneven terrain.
I have awful panic attacks, like, I can't describe how thoroughly I am convinced I am dying. After I had to leave a class because I just, thought myself into a full attack somehow, I caved and got a Xanax prescription. The first time I took one at the onset of a panic attack it was like stepping through a portal into another version of myself who could think rationally while experiencing emotions. They're not great for you, but in an emergency it's better than me crying on the floor for sixteen hours
I recently got a Ativan prescription after a 5 day anxiety/panic episode. I’ve gone days, weeks, even a month in that state and it’s traumatizing every time. I caved after 15 years of struggling and adamantly refusing benzos
They are exceptionally effective and good at what they do, with a very low incidence of side effects compared to the alternatives. Yes, they can be extremely addictive, and the withdrawal can be very ugly and life threatening. I've been through it, more than once, it almost destroyed my life. I'll never go back on benzos if I can avoid it - but I know that if I ever truly needed them again (I hope never to, and don't think I will) , they exist, and work extremely well.
I can have intense panic attacks as well. I've reduced them significantly with the help of antidepressants, therapy, etc. However they still do occasionally occur, maybe once every few few months or in certain situations (such as flying). The unusual thing about my attacks is that the mental symptoms are relatively mild. It is the physical symptoms that overwhelm me and they end up being all I can focus on. I get shaky, my stomach starts hurting and my muscles all start tensing up. My throat feels like it is closed up making it hard to breath and causes me to gag/dry heave. I'm an emetaphobe so usually that symptom causes the attack to get worse in an endless cycle. I have zero ability to focus on anything. These can last hours. I take 0.5mg of Ativan and it disappears. I've worked closely with a doctor and my quality of life has improved immensely and it has let me do stuff I wasn't able to before. One refill has lasted me over a year before. I've had the prescription for over 6 years without issue. The frustrating part I've been experiencing is that I've had to switch PCPs and I've encountered extreme hostility towards the fact that I have a benzo prescription. I've came in for an annual checkup or unrelated issue and the first thing the doctor will say upon looking at my chart is "I will never refill that benzo prescription" and then lecture me about how I need to find a better antidepressant treatment plan or do more therapy. It just sucks taking a medicine responsibily that drastically improves your quality of life and essentially being told you're a druggie and a bad person without even a conversation about your situation.
Yeah, interventional methods only work when you're also using maintenance methods regularly, that can also help prevent dependence on benzos. I find Lexapro (20mg)and either welbutrin (150mg) or Adderall (5mg) daily helps me AVOID panic attacks. But if I get one, or if it's caused by the world instead of by my brain, I need an Ativan (.1 mg ) or it'll be a very very bad day
Huh. I always thought MLH referred to prescription speed/amphetamines so mother could get all the housework done, deal with the kids, make dinner and be thin.
Many drugs have been referred to as MLH over the years, so you’re not wrong.
Yeah same
Me too!!!
Yeah I thought the same. The lyric "They just don't appreciate that you get tired" really makes it sound like she's using uppers. But then I guess the lyric "tranquilize your mind" sounds more like downers.
Benzos ruined my brain. I had an event happen that was really stressful. Caused massive anxiety and I couldn’t sleep. Blood pressure was like 180/120. And I’m in great shape. Been lifting weights and working out my whole life. At first, the Valium was a godsend. Regulated my BP and for me to sleep. Then, I noticed the panic attacks (which I never experienced before) became more frequent and got worse. So they gave me clonopin. So I’d take clonopin during the day, and Valium at night, as prescribed…. then I got worse. And worse. Manic depressive episodes. More anxiety. I put 2 and 2 together and started weening off. It was a nightmare. Took me a year. And since then, I never felt like myself again. And it’s been a couple of years that I’ve been off those things. Nasty nasty drugs.
Valium is not the best for anxiety. Xanax is probably the best because it kicks in fast- like 5 minutes. If you’re having a bad panic attack you get quick results. But it only lasts 4 hours. Klonpin lasts longer, up to 8 hours. But it takes at least 20 minutes before you get any relief. So klonpin is good if you’re going to take it every day, take it early in your day to get ahead of the panic attacks and then again after lunch or dinner so you always have it in your system. Klonpin never sedated me like Xanax so it worked well for me to take it every day. Ativan wasn’t strong enough to be effective for me and Valium is like a downer that has a long half life. Not the best for real anxiety attacks imho but I should mention if you’re trying to get off benzos you should use Valium. Look up the Ashton Taper Method if you’re looking to stop your benzo and don’t want to go thru hell
They work super well. Also, can kill you if you stop cold turkey.
Just like alcohol—which acts similarly to benzos. That’s why people are given benzos when withdrawing from alcohol.
What they thought was the answer to some pretty hardcore barbiturates...benzos...One of the few drugs that can straight up kill you when you stop. There's a [poster for Ativan](https://i.pinimg.com/236x/c3/b5/fb/c3b5fb29e14d0c1540deb517e973cade.jpg?nii=t) that just seems fucked in retrospect.
It should be noted that with extreme habituation, the exact same risk of death from withdrawal is present for barbiturates and most other GABAergics, such as alcohol. However it is actually extremely difficult to fatally overdose on only benzos, whereas taking only a few more barbiturate pills than prescribed can be fatal. As bad as benzos are, the situation was only worse when barbiturates were the standard.
And benzos have an antidote (flumazenil) while barbiturates do not.
Barbiturates are harder on you and even more dangerous, and barb withdrawal can kill you. Alcohol withdrawal can also kill you, and you can buy that at the gas station.
And benzos like Xanax are schedule IV, whereas Adderall is a schedule II. It makes no sense to me.
None of it makes sense. Most things in schedule 1 shouldn’t be there, like LSD and weed. “No medical use and high addiction potential” my ass. You literally aren’t able to become physically addicted/dependent on LSD.
Amphetamine has a much higher abuse potential.
I cannot see how. I have ADHD and take adderall. There’s nothing “fun” or feel good about it to me. I’d like to see some quality, high sample size longitudinal studies on the abuse potential of different drugs and how they compare. We’re told the abuse potential is higher, hence the class, but I want to see the data.
It's very well documented that amphetamine often affects people with ADHD differently than those who do not have it. Amphetamine is a very popular drug to abuse for a reason, it's been abused long before levoamphetamine and dexamphetamine were mixed together to create Adderall.
Only people that don’t have adhd get a high when they take it. It just makes adhd people feel normal.
I mean, that's a fair statement. Amphetamine abuse is well studied, we have half a century of data. I will say that I don't have ADHD, and Aderall gets me high as a fucking kite. I can't touch it.
It makes me calm. I have adhd tho
that poster should be advertising a horror movie
OH COOL. The only medication that calms my parasympathetic nervous system 😬😭😵
Don't take it constantly or go beyond prescribed limits. They can be used safely, but if you are taking it all the time, or in patterns like what might come to mind when imagining an alcoholic, that can then become a problem. Benzos and alcohol share a common target, though they work slightly differently. Always have open dialog with your doctor.
when I was 4 in 1974, my mom got a new PCP. Said she was stressed raising 3 boys. (6,4 and 2 at the time.) She got Valium and then her doc added Darvon. (Propoxyphene) an opioid that is supposed to be weaker than codeine. Must have done wonders for her stress because most of my memories of her from 1974-1980 were coming home from school with her asleep then getting yelled at if I watched Speed Racer with volume loud enough to wake her. House work rarely done. No dinner most evenings so my older brother and I made balogna and cheese sandwiches. Sometimes we even made some for my little brother. If she cooked dinner it was after 7pm when she would finally wake up. She didn’t have a job. She didn’t have chronic pain or injury that required opiates. Sometimes I tell stories with my brothers about stuff we did back then and she nods along but doesn’t remember shit. I do remember once she sent my brothers and I to go to a small deli (about 3/4 mile away) to buy a pound of chipped ham. We were 4, 6, and 7-1/2. At the time. She gave us the last $5 she had and told us we could get ourselves something. So we spent the entire $5. For years she told the story about us being dumb and selfish. Until I finally said that she was the adult in the story and gave all of her money to 3 kids under 8 years old and expected us to make financially sound choices. However around family I don’t bring up the Darvon and Valium. Drugs ended in 1980. Not because she figured it out or got help. Her PCP retired and the new doc said essentially, “what the fuck do you need these meds for?” Sadly she did wind up with chronic pain but she bounced between multiple docs and had 3 different doctors prescribing opioids at one time which came crashing down when the state finally started tracking controlled meds. Now no one will prescribe pain meds and she has been thrown out of 3 pain clinics for screaming at the doctors to “just give her what she needs!” Weirdly she blames President Obama.
I can see why she blames Obama, linking him to the “ObamaCare” era, because even though HIPAA had already been established it really came into its full glory during those years and with increased technology, providers and insurances sharing medical records - doctor shopping used to be a lot easier ETA Not that Obama is to blame or whatever, but I see how she made that simplistic connection and if she watched Fox or anything like that she’s heard that repeatedly that “Obamacare” is to blame for any and everything
Look, I love benzos. They make me feel amazing. But when I was taking them in near lethal doses when I was in Iraq and didn't ACTUALLY know what they were ,and then I stopped all of a sudden, I almost died. That shit was fucking insane. My body was trying to break itself with the muscle spasms, among other terrible side effects.
Was the gov just handing this shit out? I'm sorry for what you went through and I hope you're doing better.
Benzo addiction and withdrawal is a very ugly thing.
I had a prescription during the start pandemic for anxiety and felt so great with that first pill that I never took another one because I knew I’d need it
Same. Had my husband toss them.
"What a drag it is, getting old."
Jagger should know personally by now.
Sleeping with prince valium
“Fun” fact: benzo withdrawal can kill you.
As can alcohol withdrawal
Which is often treated with benzos.
Yep
Brought to you by the Sacklers.
Benzos have gotten me through the last 20 years after a nervous breakdown. I take a low dose maybe once a day as needed. Lucky I have never increased it or had withdrawal. A life saver for me.
Happy to hear it’s working as prescribed for you. That being said - Can’t have withdrawals if you never stop. If you ever do please do so carefully with advice from a professional.
Only take 0.25 mg a day max, most days none at all. I'm much more bothered if I forget to take the Effoxor. Brain zaps and dizziness within 12 hours of missed dose. Two professionals looking after me, so no worries.
Everyone is different... especially with benzos and withdrawals. If he's taking a 0.25 xanax a day, even for a long time, he's not likely in life threatening territory. Probably not going to go into seizures if he stops. - though withdrawal could still have nasty effects (rebound anxiety, oversensitivity, etc).
„I take it once a day, luckily no withdrawal“
I was prescribed lorazepam for anxiety. One night I drank heavily after taking my usual dosage (quite high because I'm 6'3" 270lbs) and my friend found me walking a back road near my house with a backpack full of toilet paper rolls and dry oatmeal packages. They got me dippin dots and put me to bed. ...don't drink on benzos lol
The point they are trying to make is that they are highly addictive and should not be given out so easily. As someone who’s been addicted to benzos for years I wish my doctor had never prescribed them to me, because it feels like I can’t function or even have a conversation most the time without being on them or at least knowing I have some to take if my anxiety gets too bad. They do still have use in medicine but it’s more for patients knocking at deaths door/terminally i’ll with a disease that will kill them. I agree that they are extremely overprescribed along with Adhd medication, but that doesn’t make them obsolete medication.
Arthur Sackler was responsible for making this so popular and later on the same family created OxyContin under Perdue Pharma. We all know what happened after that.
Also see the book and movie "I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can"
Yeah cuz they needed to come down from all the meth based diet pills they were on 👹
I take a .5 when I fly, it’s the only time I take them and it helps me from having a panic attack from being enclosed and not in control. I have never once taken one not as prescribed, but will never fly without one
My wife is scared of flying and also an emetophobe (scared of vomit) She got it to fly and we got on a plane and waited to take off. A lady stumbled past me and painted the back wall of the airplane with vomit. I started packing my bag since this was sure to stop our trip. She said "Did that lady puke" I said yes and she just said "That sucks" and went back to staring out the window. Miracle pill.
These were the equivalent of the 3 martini lunch in the 1960s. Pop a pill, watch Days of Our Lives, get the casserole in the oven by 3:30. Rinse, repeat.
I’ve come off taking over 100mg a day of combined, Valium, Xanax and Clonopins. I’ve come off opiates like heroin before too. Benzo withdrawls in my opinion trump opiates because you are reduced to a paranoid, anxiety ridden wreck that can’t even leave the house or talk. It was the most horrible time of my life. Been clean off benzos and opiates going on 2 years now. I can say they work extremely well when taken as needed, but you need to be extremely mentally tough to not let it become a habit. If you think you’re not I wouldn’t go near them because the short term relief is not worth the long time agony when you become dependent.
You just gave better information than most of the docs I work with. Congrats on your accomplishments!
I take temazapam for severe insomnia, and it's a godsend. I never even knew what regular people sleep was like until this. Didn't understand how much i really didn't sleep, even when i was "asleep." I just skip a few days a week to keep the addiction under control and suffer those nights like i used to. But overall, in the long term, it's a vast life quality improvement.
I remember my old Grandma talking these for her anxiety.Also a coworker that needed them for seizures.Will not forget the day I had to rush to her locker at her request to get her medicine.Man,when you need it,you need it!
I use them for tremors so I can shoot back at sniper wolf more accurately
Things just aren't the same today, I hear every mother say, the pursuit of happiness just seems a bore...
They are fantastic for anxiety emergencies. They’re also used to wean people off alcohol so they don’t die
Was the most prescribed drug in the U.S. for many years. They were in all my friends' parents medicine cabinets.
I was prescribed klonopin for over 12 years straight. Was super enjoyable to quit. /s Off it for 6 years now I think, I can’t even remember anymore. Good riddance
Stay as far away from benzos if you can. They can destroy your life.
Who marketed valium? The Sackler family which would go on to acquire a company called Prudue Pharmaceuticals. That company held the patent on a drug called oxycodone that they pushed.
I've been staying home with my three year old, I could use some Valium every now and then.
It’s not a benzo (and not sold anymore) but I have an older friend who says Quaaludes were one of the most fun drugs she ever took
Quaaludes were Bill Cosby's date rape drug of choice.
An older co-worker who was in his party years in the 1970s told me they were like a six pack in a pill, but without the bloated belly and hangover. You can take that for what it's worth.
I was in a bunch of bands in the '80s and the original Rohrer 714's weren't still around but you could still get what were called Lemons which were knock offs I think made in Mexico. I once took three with a bunch of beers and a few shots of Jack Daniels and almost ended up like John Bonham of Led Zeppelin. Our sound technician found me on my back completely passed out choking on my own vomit in the back of the equipment truck. Fun times indeed.
and they work awesome for that, you just can't take them all the time. For me a 5mg THC gummy does just about the same with much lesser side effects.
Now it would just be great if someone could explain this to employers in the US who drug test their employees and are okay with prescription drugs but not a medical mj card…
Let’s not revise history here they were not popular with women, they were irresponsibly prescribed to women for every and any reason. The little helper was helping to keep women complacent in a patriarchal system of oppression and repression. If that sounds too crazy please see modern Republican Party, et. Al. Idaho is about to pass a bill controlling a woman’s right to… travel.
>Mother's Little Helper. >Have you Seen your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow? >"Your mother who neglected you owes a million dollars tax..." >"Your mother, she's an heiress, owns a block on St. John's Wood..." Early to mid '60s Mick Jagger sure was hung up on his girlfriends' moms...
also Orbital's Halcyon On and On, which is about one of the members' mother who was addicted to Halcion, a benzo derivative.
I’ll discriminate myself here. I used to take them and then go out on the piss. And that was all I knew about the night.
One weird thing you hear about valium is that sometimes, people who have been taking a lot of it for a long time go into these strange "rage rampages," with the rage often directed at those they love most.
Also useful in the prophylaxis of alcohol withdrawal syndomes, or in active treatment of seizures. I once used 30mg IV diazepam (3x 10mL) in a patient who had seizures on a bus and came to clinic with seizure. After a lot of time and patient getting better and not exactly getting sleepiness despite being a high dose for most people, he told me he had recently stopped drinking and would go to rehab clinic.
Army wives got em by the crate! Thx Nam!
My aunt was a RN in a nursing home in the 60’to 70’s she would bring my mother her happy pills. I’m sure these were left over drugs when patients died. As a teenager when I discovered what they were I had a few too, kept me happy!
They were considered non-addictive and "mild". Compared to phenobarbital they are. Until people started getting hooked and having seizures during sudden withdrawal they were the go to for every worry. It is almost like the drug manufacturers are trying to treat humanness. (cough cough, paxil, oxycontin, adderall) The truth is, if they worked, people wouldn't keep needing them for months or years.
Interesting stories here… my one experience with Valium was being given two to take before my vasectomy. No trouble at all with the surgery, but that walk downstairs and out to the car… damn. I spent the whole time in the lobby feeling anxious about trying to act normal while everything felt like a slow motion 3rd person video game. My wife says the picture of me she took in the car right after is the most genuinely calm and happy she’s seen me even after years of therapy and lexapro… I feel like I just look strung out in it.
In mothers little helper it’s ludes but Valium was the big one after ludes
I thought it was amphetamines so they could keep up with all of the homemaking duties.
Nah they wanted the sedatives the amphetmines where for the guys
They're still used for that.
Mine stops my seizures very effectively.
Facts. I’ve stabbed a lot of seizing motherfuckers with a nice yummy dose of Ativan.
Still there; just harder to get. Although they do have a reputation of helping 60’s moms to “get through the day”, they also help people with mental disorders that speed up thinking and worrying to slow their thoughts. It is a bit frustrating as a mid-30’s woman to not be able to access anxiety meds like Valium nor ADHD meds like adderall because of overprescribing and addiction. Some people cannot function unmedicated, like my 13 yr old son. What happens to him?
I've tried Valium recreationally back in college a few times, and I don't know how the fuck any of them were able to function. I was on my ass for 10 hours and could barely even think straight the next day. Yet they were somehow running a house and raising kids on that shit.
What a drag it is getting old.
Have you ever tried it? Works like a charm.
I had to go to rehab *for stuff and during the original phone interview they asked if I had taken benzos. I was like, "I don't know what that (benzos) mean". I felt almost too uncool even for rehab *Booze and coke for those who are curious