re: Anyone take benzodiazepines?

Benzos are THE worst possible pill you can take. Even as directed by your doctor. I have first hand knowledge of that nightmare. I still crave the fricking things to this day. Its Scary shite my friend. And yes you can drink on them it just intensifies the effect of both the xanax and alcohol.
I lost my business, my house and land my 16 yr Marriage to just name a little bit of what happened. I've done a ton of other drugs and alot of them. THE only drug that grabbed me by my balls when I tried to quit was benzos. There pure evil 100% My story is very long and I didn't go in thinking I would become an addict in the process. I trusted my doctor and thought I was to strong minded of a person. Coke and xtc and everything else that I got tired of, no problem.
Over time it's a bad deal no matter if you take them as prescribed. 30 to 45 days of pure hell when I finally stopped falling of the wagon, thinking I could take the shite again bc I had it under control. Nope can't do it.
I ended up Overdosing after taking a bunch of xanax and didn't even know a person had given me a methadone. Ended up dying and spending 30 days in the hospital. Horror story to say the least.
The day I got out I went to the pain Dr.
My mom took the things as prescribed and when she saw what they had done to me, she stopped and everyday she called me crying and asked when it would get better. The withdrawals! Panic attacks that I've never had that made you feel like you were gonna die and shite.
Nightmare after Nightmare. Cold sweats, Hot flashes. And that doesn't even begin to explain how horrible that shite was.
Benzos and Alcohol are the only thing that can kill you if you quit cold turkey. Beware my friend.
I had done a shite ton of oxy 80s etc. And the withdrawal from that shite don't hold a candle to benzos. Better hope you never run out or whatever.

I had a prescription of Klonopin at one time and did drink a couple shots before bed.

Can’t drink on em wtf? Back when I flew overseas it was a cheeseburger, klonipin, and three whiskey drinks on the plane. Wake me up when we get there.

I have a K prescription, but I rarely even take them. I may take one pill per month. It's more of a psychological thing for me knowing I have them if needed. (I used to have really severe panic attacks but haven't had one in a decade).

Most people who talk about "benzo hell" were addicts buying them on the street. Or if they did have a valid script, they were taking like 10 at a time.

Yeah.. I am prone to occasional panic attacks when I've been drinking too much the past few days and/or coming down, and benzos can certainly help with that. But I have yet to pull the trigger on getting any sort of prescription of my own because I've just heard so many horror stories like yours.

I'd rather focus on minimizing circumstances that lead to anxiety and panic attacks at this point.

I’ve had severe panic attacks my whole life and having Xanax is a good safety blanket. I try not to take them often but it is nice to have.

In 2020, after many decades of being available, the FDA issued a black box warning.

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Physical dependence can occur when benzodiazepines are taken steadily for several days to weeks. Patients who have been taking a benzodiazepine for weeks or months can have withdrawal signs and symptoms when the medicine is discontinued abruptly or continued in lower doses to avoid withdrawal. Stopping benzodiazepines abruptly or reducing the dosage too quickly can result in acute withdrawal reactions, including seizures, which can be life-threatening. Prior to stopping benzodiazepines, patients should talk to their health care provider to develop a plan for slowly tapering the medication

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LINK

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Yeah.. I am prone to occasional panic attacks when I've been drinking too much the past few days and/or coming down, and benzos can certainly help with that.

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Combining benzos and alcohol is suicide. I seriously hope you’re being sarcastic.

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My understanding is they are almost never going to lead to an OD

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That's terrible information. You can most certainly OD from benzos.

They are especially dangerous when mixed with alcohol and/or opioids. I have known of two people I grew up with that died from a mixture of opioids and benzos.

My mom had a prescription of a shitload of benzos due to ptsd after a violent robbery she was involved in at her hotel manager job. So I had access to them and ended up with a pretty big Klonopin habit. Did a bunch of really dumb shite and have huge holes in my memory for about 15 months of my life from that period. Ended up in the hospital getting charcoal pumped into my stomach. The withdrawals were fricking terrible after I decided I was done with that shite. 2 weeks of a living nightmare. I don't suggest anyone start fricking around with benzos. They've destroyed countless lives.

I had panic attacks a few years ago and we tried everything. Clonazepam was the only thing that worked and I’ve taken them a while. .25 morning, .25 at noon, and 1 mg at night. I honestly get zero feeling from them but I haven’t had a panic attack in years. I started at a much higher dose but it made me sleepy and I had a pretty significant loss of memory. I can take my current dose and I don’t feel anything and it doesn’t affect anything. I have severe adhd and do not take anything for it and I can’t stand adderrall so maybe they calm me down a bit. My dr said it’s the lowest dose for a daily dose that he prescribed and he thinks that it’s not even enough to really help but he keeps me on them to keep the panic attacks at bay.

I was going through a divorce and was having a tough time at work when I got on them but I live a completely normal life now. I’m a huge outdoorsman, bass fish every weekend, hunt in the winter, single parent that takes my kid to every sporting event.

I can’t tell any negative affects. I’ve heard from others that you need to take at least 2 mg at once to feel any effects but I’ve never noticed a feeling on my current dose. Hopefully I’ll eventually just kick them but those panic attacks were an out of body experience and I thought it was a heart attack every time and I’d give anything to never feel those again.

If I could do it again I would get them prescribed to take as needed and wouldn’t have listened to my dr (who seems to over prescribe everything for all patients). I have a very good corporate job and make great money. If it ever affects my day to day functions I’d get off. Also I do not drink, ever.