[leejoseph]

Ive been off anxiety meds now for about 2 years,Well not completely off.I took probably on average about 10 xanax a day for about 13 years.Now I take Klonopin some days none but some days just a little piece if im having a bad day.Never over 1 milligram in a day.But I do still fight with a addiction to them.Does anyone know if you ever completely get over the addiction part ?

[Rose76]

Hi, Lee. I recently got off of benzos, but my involvement was at a much lower level than yours. I'm sorry you're having this struggle. My own belief is that to get rid of something, you have to put something else in its place. Not that I've come up with a good program for my own life. I'm not doing well, myself.

From what I've seen, I suspect that addiction can be a life long struggle. I don't think Klonopin 1 mg is that big of a deal. If you're maintaining on that, give yourself a pat on the back. That is major recovery.

I've read that it can take 6 months for your brain to go back to its pre-benzo state. I've also read that it can be a good idea to come off slowly. You might do well to just stick with the Klonopin for a while more. If you get to where you have gone a year with just taking that amount of Klonopin, then you would be able to stop it completely. I say that because Klonopin 1 mg is too little benzo to make a huge difference. At least that is my experience, having taken Klonopin.

It sounds like you're trying hard. You have every reason to be hopeful that you can recover completely. Then again, I've not been addicted to high levels, so I haven't had the challenge of undoing that. I hope someone posts who's had that experience.

[volatile]

I haven't taken Benzos in going on 3 years. I was so bad on them I could take 30 1mg Klonopin in one day and still function. I was eating 60 in just days and then I would go out looking to buy Xanax.
I don't think I can ever be given Benzos again without going all out. The thing about addiction is you can't be exposed to them at all unless you want to risk relapse. I don't think addiction just goes away. .
You're honestly very brave and showing a lot of self control to even have them at all. If I were you I would have already eaten all of them the first bad day.

[anneo59]

Originally Posted by leejoseph

Ive been off anxiety meds now for about 2 years,Well not completely off.I took probably on average about 10 xanax a day for about 13 years.Now I take Klonopin some days none but some days just a little piece if im having a bad day.Never over 1 milligram in a day.But I do still fight with a addiction to them.Does anyone know if you ever completely get over the addiction part ?

klonopin PRN now, works ok for me, but know what you mean!

[leejoseph]

Originally Posted by volatile

I haven't taken Benzos in going on 3 years. I was so bad on them I could take 30 1mg Klonopin in one day and still function. I was eating 60 in just days and then I would go out looking to buy Xanax.
I don't think I can ever be given Benzos again without going all out. The thing about addiction is you can't be exposed to them at all unless you want to risk relapse. I don't think addiction just goes away. .
You're honestly very brave and showing a lot of self control to even have them at all. If I were you I would have already eaten all of them the first bad day.

I was about that bad but I keep it under control now.I dont keep my meds at my house.I keep them in a lovk box at a family member and just go buy there when i get so stressed i cant make it no more.It is very hard to maintain since i was addicted so bad but im doing it.My problem is I just dont ever feel no better.I dont have to go through withdrwals no more but im in a constant state of anxiety after two years ?

[sugahorse1]

Are there no other meds you can use? I know how bad the benzo addiction can be. I still have some at home and some days I know I can't control myself and I do take a few. It's not something I'm proud of

[not quite right]

Addiction is, in my opinion, not cureable. They are controllable with the proper care. seems like you are ahead of it by exerting so much control in how little you are taking. I've been on 8mg xanax daily for 4 years. It's less effective for the panic, but controls withdrawl. A vicious cycle. addicted by perscription. I hope you can find the answers you need. good luck.

[kala83]

this something people that have issues with anxiety really need to take into consideration me personally have not been doing good at all on what they have me on for anxiety and my situations have been getting progessively over time worse.

So in a month or so I want to speak with my doctor about medication options but at the same time I do want to be careful about it too.

My bipoloar syptoms got such a horrbile jult to my system when I went on lithium last month and frankly I don't need to have any more bad issues with meds my disorders are really bad enough alone as is.
Seeing what I have on myself for anxiety already (I think its Hydroxzine) what all could you say is not such a bad thing to move on from if I don't see improvement from it?

[IchbinkeinTeufel]

Sorry, this doesn't answer your question, but I just wanted to add that I have had severe anxiety for years and years and years, and have not once been offered anti-anxiety medication. It's so frustrating, because I wonder just how much better my life could be if I was given medication like this. I am worried about this addiction you talk of; is this quite a considerable problem?

[sewerrats]

i have taken benzo,s for 35 years , sometimes has high has 12 mg ativan a day. now down to 4mg a day, but i like takeing them they still work for me with an AD . Its the AD,S i dont like weight gain, sex life crap , ect ect you dont get this with benzo,s. My gp or shrink wont give me anymore and i carnt afford internet price. I would gladly get rid of AD and just add 2mg more ativan makeing six. I have anxierty thats starts depression, kill anxierty then no depression, why dont the docs work this out. i need and am willing to take them all my life, why not i need something why not benzo,s. I dont need more and more im cool with them. It would kill me to detox ,then i still need something else so why stop . i already did one detox thats worse than death i will never survive another 8mg cold drop like last time.

[not quite right]

The rate of physical addiction after 1 year on 3mg a day of benzos is 100%, no arguement. but, when people who are addictive personalities it becomes both physical & mental. wich is a deeper issue. if you can control your dosage & take as prescribed they are very helpful. I haven't managed that yet. I guess good luck!

[sewerrats]

Originally Posted by not quite right

The rate of physical addiction after 1 year on 3mg a day of benzos is 100%, no arguement. but, when people who are addictive personalities it becomes both physical & mental. wich is a deeper issue. if you can control your dosage & take as prescribed they are very helpful. I haven't managed that yet. I guess good luck!

I was told i would not recieve more than 4mg a day , has thats NHS limit do detoxed 8mg with 100mg valium a day for a time but valium dose not register on me has fast acting benzos, i make 4 work ,i have to i carnt get more. the reason i was anle to take 12 mgfor a few months was stock pile atvan years old, but i soon ran out .

[Peachy123]

Hey there, everyone. Here's my take on benzo's.

My doctor put me on .5 mg of Xanax almost a year ago. After a couple of months, he raised the dosage to 1mg, 60 a month, because they weren't working as well for me. Then he decided after a few months of that he wanted to take me off Xanax completely, much to my protest, and put me on Klonpin because he said it was eaiser to 'come off of.' I absolutely HATED the Klonpin. It made me feel drunk and slugglish and lasted way longer than Xanax does and did NOTHING for the anxiety in my case. I told my doctor just put me back on the Xanax because it actually does help me and I don't abuse it. He did, but back to .5 mg, which I still think is too low a dosage.

I don't understand what the problem is with these kinds drugs. I know they're addictive, but I would be willing to take it for the rest of my life if it meant not having to suffer anxiety. I do take it everyday now, but I don't usually take more than the dosage perscribed to me. There have been some days, which were especially bad, and I took 2 mgs total, but those days are few and far between. I don't know if I'm addicted to it, but frankly, I don't care. If it helps me, I don't see a problem. People who abuse benzos aren't usually the ones who need them. At least, that's been my experience. I don't take them to get 'messed up,' I take them to feel normal.

My doctor asked me once what I did to cope before I was given a perscription to Xanax and I really sat down and thought about it. Most people get on perscription drugs and their lives spiral out of control, for me, it was the opposite. Before being perscribed medicine, I was an absolute mess. I only worked part-time, called in constantly, couldn't sleep, had no friends, hardly ever left the house, and stayed in an abusive marriage because I didn't believe I could ever make it on my own.

I finally reached my breaking point and went to see a doctor who perscribed me Xanax and I was amazed how quickly things started to turn around. My fears and anxieties dissipated and I began not feeling so bad every morning when I woke up.

I started going to work everyday again, calling my friends, going out and doing things with them and my son. I finally had the courage to go to a job interview and actually got the job and am now working full-time. I found the strength to leave my husband and can now support myself, take care of my child, and function in a world which scared me to death just a year ago.

I honestly don't know how benzo's work biologically, but for me, they help me think rationally about things. I am no longer suffering from obsessive thoughts, having panic attacks as much, and I don't get as angry as I used to with myself.Why any doctor would want to take something that works away from someone is beyond me.

[anneo59]

Originally Posted by leejoseph

I was about that bad but I keep it under control now.I dont keep my meds at my house.I keep them in a lovk box at a family member and just go buy there when i get so stressed i cant make it no more.It is very hard to maintain since i was addicted so bad but im doing it.My problem is I just dont ever feel no better.I dont have to go through withdrwals no more but im in a constant state of anxiety after two years ?

I can relate in that anxiety struggle, for sure. I think it can help to substitute thoughts and/or activities that will not cause you anxiety, and to start forming that behavior as a new habit. And this would be highly personalized, but maybe you can find some help in this area! Good luck!

[sewerrats]

They give you a benzo for anxierty you have had all your life, it cures the anxierty then they want to take it away, to go back to were you was before. It dont make sence you still need another benzo so why stop the one thats working

[Tamster]

I was on 3 mg xanax a day from my doc but over time I found I needed more then I turned to international companies that would send it right to my door. I never had to leave my house literally. just at night to get some money from the bank maybe the little bit of food I thought i needed. Then came the day that my pdoc saw me it had almost been a year of covering my butt but now i was too stoned like 20mg xanax too cranked. He was pretty cool about it but kept me in the hospital for 5 weeks to clean out. It worked the 2 of us together fought through it and today I am benzo and opiate free.

[sewerrats]

Originally Posted by Tamster

I was on 3 mg xanax a day from my doc but over time I found I needed more then I turned to international companies that would send it right to my door. I never had to leave my house literally. just at night to get some money from the bank maybe the little bit of food I thought i needed. Then came the day that my pdoc saw me it had almost been a year of covering my butt but now i was too stoned like 20mg xanax too cranked. He was pretty cool about it but kept me in the hospital for 5 weeks to clean out. It worked the 2 of us together fought through it and today I am benzo and opiate free.

The most a day i have taken for a medium lenth of time was 12 mg ativan so if you were on 20 xanax that the same has 40mg ativan a day , its a wonder you ever woke up in a morning, a girl came in hospital overdosed on 28mg ativan thats same has 14 mg xanax they did nothing just let her sleep , 3 days she was asleep and woke with a hangover, when detoxed i was stop dead 8 of my 12 mg , well origonaly the nut ball stopped all 12mg , long story , but i finally settled with the 4mg and still to this day work great, so i think you have to go over tollerent to come down to a level the stays without wanting more.

[Nammu]

Propranolol is a beta blocker that is not addictive and has been gaining in popularity for PTSD & some anxiety. I never liked taking benzos so when I was offered this I jumped at the chance to use it. It works really well and theres no cognitive slowing it's great.

Buspar is another nonaddictive choice, it didn't work for me though.

[avlady]

Propanolol is the best drug i've ever been on and i've been on everything. It is supposed to be used for heart patients, but now they are finding out different things it's good for like migraine headaches, i haven't had one since i've been on it and also seizures.

[Pierro]

Hi Lee, I dont know how you are all getting the anxiety meds after all those years. I'm was on 2mgs of Klonopin a day for a month or so and I'm now on 1 mg a day (.5mgs twice a day). In the next few weeks I wont be on any, as you were saying the are highly addictive. Many doctors in Ireland wont even talk about perscribing them. Best wishes.

[Rose76]

Originally Posted by Peachy123

Hey there, everyone. Here's my take on benzo's.

My doctor put me on .5 mg of Xanax almost a year ago. After a couple of months, he raised the dosage to 1mg, 60 a month, because they weren't working as well for me. Then he decided after a few months of that he wanted to take me off Xanax completely, much to my protest, and put me on Klonpin because he said it was eaiser to 'come off of.' I absolutely HATED the Klonpin. It made me feel drunk and slugglish and lasted way longer than Xanax does and did NOTHING for the anxiety in my case. I told my doctor just put me back on the Xanax because it actually does help me and I don't abuse it. He did, but back to .5 mg, which I still think is too low a dosage.

I don't understand what the problem is with these kinds drugs. I know they're addictive, but I would be willing to take it for the rest of my life if it meant not having to suffer anxiety. I do take it everyday now, but I don't usually take more than the dosage perscribed to me. There have been some days, which were especially bad, and I took 2 mgs total, but those days are few and far between. I don't know if I'm addicted to it, but frankly, I don't care. If it helps me, I don't see a problem. People who abuse benzos aren't usually the ones who need them. At least, that's been my experience. I don't take them to get 'messed up,' I take them to feel normal.

My doctor asked me once what I did to cope before I was given a perscription to Xanax and I really sat down and thought about it. Most people get on perscription drugs and their lives spiral out of control, for me, it was the opposite. Before being perscribed medicine, I was an absolute mess. I only worked part-time, called in constantly, couldn't sleep, had no friends, hardly ever left the house, and stayed in an abusive marriage because I didn't believe I could ever make it on my own.

I finally reached my breaking point and went to see a doctor who perscribed me Xanax and I was amazed how quickly things started to turn around. My fears and anxieties dissipated and I began not feeling so bad every morning when I woke up.

I started going to work everyday again, calling my friends, going out and doing things with them and my son. I finally had the courage to go to a job interview and actually got the job and am now working full-time. I found the strength to leave my husband and can now support myself, take care of my child, and function in a world which scared me to death just a year ago.

I honestly don't know how benzo's work biologically, but for me, they help me think rationally about things. I am no longer suffering from obsessive thoughts, having panic attacks as much, and I don't get as angry as I used to with myself.Why any doctor would want to take something that works away from someone is beyond me.

Thanks, Peachy, for this account of your experience. I think doctors get nervous prescribing Xanax long-term because of its reputation for being misused. Sounds like you use it appropriately, so I hope you can stay on it. Like you, I used Konopin for a while and found that it made me sluggish and needing to sleep during the day. I have a lot of anxiety, but it did not help me and I don't use it anymore.

I think doctors tend to believe that a patient's anxiety is due to temporary stressors and, so, they offer a benzo believing that it is for short-term use. For a lot of us, the anxiety is part of a chronic syndrome. It's not going to go away, so we need treatment for it over the long haul. I took Librium (chlordiazepoxide) for years. That didn't lead to addiction or increasing the dose for me, so I believe benzos can be used long term without ill affects.

[anneo59]

Originally Posted by sugahorse1

Are there no other meds you can use? I know how bad the benzo addiction can be. I still have some at home and some days I know I can't control myself and I do take a few. It's not something I'm proud of

me too, suga!!

[anneo59]

Originally Posted by Peachy123

Hey there, everyone. Here's my take on benzo's.

My doctor put me on .5 mg of Xanax almost a year ago. After a couple of months, he raised the dosage to 1mg, 60 a month, because they weren't working as well for me. Then he decided after a few months of that he wanted to take me off Xanax completely, much to my protest, and put me on Klonpin because he said it was eaiser to 'come off of.' I absolutely HATED the Klonpin. It made me feel drunk and slugglish and lasted way longer than Xanax does and did NOTHING for the anxiety in my case. I told my doctor just put me back on the Xanax because it actually does help me and I don't abuse it. He did, but back to .5 mg, which I still think is too low a dosage.

I don't understand what the problem is with these kinds drugs. I know they're addictive, but I would be willing to take it for the rest of my life if it meant not having to suffer anxiety. I do take it everyday now, but I don't usually take more than the dosage perscribed to me. There have been some days, which were especially bad, and I took 2 mgs total, but those days are few and far between. I don't know if I'm addicted to it, but frankly, I don't care. If it helps me, I don't see a problem. People who abuse benzos aren't usually the ones who need them. At least, that's been my experience. I don't take them to get 'messed up,' I take them to feel normal.

My doctor asked me once what I did to cope before I was given a perscription to Xanax and I really sat down and thought about it. Most people get on perscription drugs and their lives spiral out of control, for me, it was the opposite. Before being perscribed medicine, I was an absolute mess. I only worked part-time, called in constantly, couldn't sleep, had no friends, hardly ever left the house, and stayed in an abusive marriage because I didn't believe I could ever make it on my own.

I finally reached my breaking point and went to see a doctor who perscribed me Xanax and I was amazed how quickly things started to turn around. My fears and anxieties dissipated and I began not feeling so bad every morning when I woke up.

I started going to work everyday again, calling my friends, going out and doing things with them and my son. I finally had the courage to go to a job interview and actually got the job and am now working full-time. I found the strength to leave my husband and can now support myself, take care of my child, and function in a world which scared me to death just a year ago.

I honestly don't know how benzo's work biologically, but for me, they help me think rationally about things. I am no longer suffering from obsessive thoughts, having panic attacks as much, and I don't get as angry as I used to with myself.Why any doctor would want to take something that works away from someone is beyond me.

def can relate here!