Comments on: The truth about benzos (Valium, Klonopin, Ativan, Xanax, etc)

By: stopbenzos

stopbenzos — Sun, 03 May 2009 23:59:26 +0000

Thank you for work work in the area of psychotropics. I am working to get the word out about benzodiazepines on my blog @ http://www.stopbenzos.com. It is a pretty new site, not nearly as far along as your site. I hope to get some interest going in a letter writing campaign to the FDA and also having people report their doctors to the medical licensure board with regard to their prescribing practices for benzos. You know how resistant doctors are to learning about benozs. And it may end up requiring a legal remedy to get them to stop prescribing benzos for long-term treatment of anxiety, epilepsy, depression, insomnia, muscle spasms, etc. Please visit my blog for my story. And contact me if you would like to join us. You have a wonderful site!

By: Laura

Laura — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 13:03:53 +0000

Hi, i’m sorry for commenting before I read the entire article or all of the comments.

I just want to express that there is so much stigma surrounding benzodiazepines that term “accidental addict” doesn’t do justice to most of us who became dependent upon benzos.

Most assume if you had a problem with benzodiazepines, it means you had a drug problem, and people WILL NOT HEAR YOUR STORY no matter how many times you try to tell it because they have already pre-judged you by their stereotype of addict.

My “drug problem” came in the form of not knowing a half a milligram of Klonopin prescribed every month for eight years by the same prescriber was causing a psuedo mental illness and tolerance withdrawal (which doctors chalked up to “psychosomatic illness” because they are very, very stupid when it comes to a drug that HAS BEEN AROUND FOR 40 YEARS.)

Bottom line: I was prescribed a drug that made me unwell for 8 years because this is profitable, not only for the pharmaceutical manufacturer, but for the entire medical and mental health system. This isn’t really accidental, and THEIR SYSTEMS ARE DEPENDENT UPON DOING THIS TO US. (The addiction is theirs.)

By: giannakali

giannakali — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 02:41:53 +0000

actually you can’t count on anything. it’s different for everyone.

some people have virtually no withdrawal effects and have no problems whatsoever and others remain sick for years.

what you stated is a common approximation that tries to average everything out…but there really is nothing that can be counted on.

By: jemangel

jemangel — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 02:38:10 +0000

it takes about 18 month to withdrawal from benzo drugs and another 18 months to recover. thats what you can count on.

By: giannakali

giannakali — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 07:33:21 +0000

Brandon..
I have a social network that includes talking about withdrawal…

http://beyondmeds.ning.com/

check it out if you want to chat to people….

thanks for visiting.

By: brandon

brandon — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 07:28:23 +0000

If anyone wants to chat more about the valium and klonopin and their issues or just someone to chat with about issues email me at Bm4673@gmail.com

By: brandon

brandon — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 07:23:58 +0000

i Would have to agree with giannacali on that one the valium last longer than the klonopin and i have used them both. Just so you know if trying to taper off them you MUST MUST take extra vitamins like extra omega 3s which are great for the brain and vitamin e and c and a multi vitamin i swear they help your brain and body need the extra nutrients during those times and continue after they do wonders. good luck to everyone i hope everyone does well.

By: giannakali

giannakali — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 20:55:53 +0000

chart of half-lifes for you:

http://web4health.info/en/answers/bio-benzo-overview.htm

By: giannakali

giannakali — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 20:49:03 +0000

you’re wrong willie…Valium has a much much longer half-life than Klonopin..

Xanax has the shortest half-life….and is the hardest benzo to get off of…

Klonopin’s half-life is longer than most of them but still much shorter than valiums…

look it up…I promise you I’m right.

and yeah, I’ve also talked to people who have been addicted to both heroine and benzos…some people do find it much harder to come off benzos…do some research…

By: WillieJ

WillieJ — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 20:44:41 +0000

You guys got your math all messed up….. It all depends on the half-life of the benzodiazapine. Xanax and Klonopin are by far the strongest. Ativan and Valium are not as potent. 2mg Klonopin = approximately 1-2mg of Xanax
Valium and Ativan have a low half-life, which means they don’t last very long. I am on Klonopin because it stays in your system longer, and the half-life is longer than that of all the others. In conclusion, it is nearly impossible to compare one benzodiazepine to another…. and for those posts of people that take 10mg of Klonopin at a time, that is a severe overdose. Klonopin comes in .5 mg, 1mg, and 2mg being the strongest. Xanax comes in .25mg, .5mg, 1mg, and 2mg. In addition, heroin is by far more addictive than a benzodiazepine. I can’t believe that this article says benzodiazepines are more addictve than heroin. I would like to see how credible your resources of information are. That just makes no sense.

By: WillieJ

WillieJ — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 20:41:57 +0000

By: giannakali

giannakali — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:04:42 +0000

just for people’s information, most of the people I’ve talked to who have done medical detox’s have lived to regret it profoundly…

here is one bad story that someone wrote about:

http://outsidetheboxblog.wordpress.com/2007/04/14/i-remember/

(this is a woman who in the end detoxed just as I’m doing and made it…she completed her journey and is doing wonderfully well now)

but I’ve heard many others…coming off benzos in 20 days can be nightmarish and dangerous for some people.

a friend of mine in a group did a medical detox and committed suicide when it was over, again because it was way too fast…

anyway, glad it helped you shaaak…but not everyone finds it safe or helpful..

slow tapering takes a ton of discipline and it’s a rough road…I wish there was a quick fix I felt safe with…

By: shaaakspsyco

shaaakspsyco — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 07:51:57 +0000

This tapering business is very very hard.
And cold turkey can be fatal. I used to do 4-5 mg. of benzos each day +alcohol through the day for over 2 years. Several self-administered tapering experiments failed miserably. Ultimately I checked in for a 20 day medical rehabilitation program.
It worked. I haven’t done any pills what so ever in over a year and six months since.

By: giannakali

giannakali — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 23:44:27 +0000

Don,
did you taper?? cold-turkey withdrawal is dangerous…

I’m planning on taking about a year to come off my Klonopin…I’m down to 1.9 mg.

I was on 3 mg…

I’m tapering .1 mg (point one mg) every couple of weeks…and I may have to slow down!!!

It’s not something to mess with…

if you cold-turkeyed it’s very likely you’ll need to reinstate and taper slowly if you don’t want to be sick as hell…

there are lots of benzo withdrawal boards that can help. send me a note if you want some direction…

giannakali (at) gmail (dot) com

I have a ton of info on tapering slowly on my about page too…

there is info on how to do water tapers so that you can cut down in minute amounts…

also most likely you’ll need to address issues that brought you to take the drugs in the first place..
good luck.

By: Don

Don — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 23:31:38 +0000

Just to let those out there who think they are more powerful than addiction a note of warning. You are not stronger than the addiction brought on by Clonazepam or Valium or any other Benzo. Doctors should be more aware and cautious on prescribing these quick fix remedies. I’ve been taking up to 2mg. of Clonazepam daily for almost 5 years. Am trying to withdraw and experiencing a living hell. Can’t sleep and it’s really getting to me. Been off the stuff for 6 days and it doesn’t seem to be getting any easier. How long can I expect the withdrawal to last? 2 or 3 weeks….maybe longer?? Does anyone know?

By: shaaakspsyco

shaaakspsyco — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 13:22:36 +0000

Getting off XANAX is the toughest thing ever.

By: brandon

brandon — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 04:54:40 +0000

hello everyone i take lexapro and klonopin actually .5 mg 4xs a day and i still get my ocd panic attacks but when i tried someones valium it helped me alot more calm down and not stress as much on my issues. But i felt more sedated on the valium and klonopin i just dont care for as much . Hope everyone does well and gets better soon .

By: giannakali

giannakali — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 20:19:18 +0000

Jenni,
I hope you did find this in time!
best wishes on staying healthy.

You know drinking alcohol daily, if you’re getting drunk is addictive too. Be careful.

You might also want to think about why you’re stealing.

By: Jenni

Jenni — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 19:46:59 +0000

I came across your blog when I was looking up some pills I stole from my grandma. Taking pills from my family has become a habit now days, whether given to me by choice, or not. I only take them when I drink beer and always have a great time–wake up feeling fine and do it all over again. When I stopped for a few days I felt horrible. I couldn’t get out of bed, I felt like I could sleep all day, and did for about 2 days. I didn’t realize it was probably from withdrawls. Thanks for the wake up call. I think I’ve taken my last pill.

By: Ana

Ana — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 22:31:08 +0000

Gianna and Susan,
I believe that this equivalence 1 mg = of 10 mg of Valium is for using diazepam to help withdraw other benzos.
But it does not mean that the “effect” is the same.
Susan,
I agree that 10 mg is a lot.
But it’s not as if you were taking 100 mg diazepam.
For my experience with both:
I could “feel” sedation with diazepam.
But clonazepam that I was prescribed years before made me feel nothing.
I started having panic attacks after being prescribed clonazepam but never felt less anxious.
I was prescribed when it was an drug for epilepsy.
Psychiatrists claim that diazepam is too light.
I remember that the panic attacks lasted the same time with or without clonazepam.
It’s really hard to understand it all!