My psychiatrist took me off benzos 1 month ago. I took them because I suffered from tension with studying.
Now I feel anxious most of the time. It’s the first time in my life that my anxiety is that bad.
I will see my pdoc in 2 weeks. Maybe I have to get back on them?
What is your experience with benzos?
I take Vortioxetine for anxiety and it has helped a lot
Also Pregabalin worked well but not perfect
Benzodiazepines are not pleasant drugs
I rely on benzos long term for my anxiety. Alprazolom 4mg / day
I really need to have a conversation with my pdoc about it. If my appointment was later than 2 weeks away I would call her for a sooner appointment.
I’ll just have to ride the storm a bit.
I like how I feel after I take my benzo (Tranxene).
After quitting benzos anxiety will increase, and it will pass as withdrawals from any drug does. I’m very sensitive to Benzos and I got addicted only after 2 weeks of using them. I started getting really bad anxiety when I didn’t used them so had to quit. The anxiety returned to normal after a while.
When you say addicted, do you mean you took more than prescribed?
I take it everyday, I am dependent on it but I don’t think I am addicted as the medication still works for me. When addiction happens, does the medication stop working?
Yeah, I started taking more than prescribed as the anxiety got worse and worse in between the doses. I took it mainly for akatishia as I got that when starting zyprexa. One night after laying in bed when I had taken more than prescribed I was laying in bed to sleep, and suddenly I had this intense feeling of electricity going through my body, it was such an unpleasant expereience that I knew I had to stop. When I quit, I went through a month where sounds was really intense. I had to lay in bed and close my ears as just subtle sounds was really loud and jarring. This went away after a month.
I’m probably an extreme case… I haven’t heard of anyone reacting like that. You might have a different body chemistry but I’m gonna guess everyone will experience withdrawals to some degree from long term use of benzos.
How long have you taken it for? I read about people that take the medication for long periods wihtout problems. Different body chemistries.
Horrible.
I had PTSD.
They put me on benzos for a year. No informed consent about the bad sides. At all.
Stopped them. Cold turkey. Not told to taper.
First psychosis.
I’m off benzo’s now, and will not go on them again. Except for maybe single day emergency use. They are too addictive and damaging. I’d search for other methods rather than go back, if you can avoid it.
The anxiety is the worst in the first period after going off. It is rebound. It does slowly get better.
@Kxev I didn’t mean to scare you with my story - Like I said I haven’t heard of anyone reacting like I did to benzos and you are probably not one of them.
edit: I just realised it’s @Jonathan2 who is the original poster. Correction - I didn’t mean to scare anyone taking benzos in this thread, I’m probably alone in experiencing this. 
There is a lot of information on the internet about benzo withdrawal and what helps and doesn’t help. But you have to kind of zigzag around the dramatic stories, to not freak out. Is my experience.
I literally avoid benzos. They are bad, because they have long term side effects if you take them regularly, for example cognitive deterioration.
Messed with my memory. Difficult to come off. If you’ve managed to quit them you’re lucky.
I’ve just written an email to my pdoc that I am going to restart taking benzos until my next appointment, because it’s too hard without.
Benzo withdrawal is horrible. I know. I hope you two can come up with a good plan. Sometimes slower tapering and putting all sorts of coping-with-anxiety-techniques in place first, helps one come off. Good luck. Hope you start to feel better now you re-instated them.
im going to rehab for 1-3 months and they’re not gonna give me my xanax. im really scared about this since ive been taking them for 5 years
Don’t give up. Benzos can cause Alzheimer. It is a terrible drug really.
I am 4 years off benzos and rebound anxiety was the least bothersome side effect. Stranger things happened. They are hard to explain. I still get withdrawal symptoms. .
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