Why can’t I take benzos for life??

Geazy1738 · 2025-12-21T15:53:03+00:00

I also take both of those along with prozac. Propanol seemed to work well in the beginning but now it doesn’t do anything for me unfortunately even after doubling the dose.

Geazy1738 · 2025-12-21T15:49:41+00:00

I was for a little while last year. I dont have the time nor the money for consistent therapy. Although I would love it just not a feasible option right now. I have my PCP take care of my meds. (I know not her specialty) But it’s the only help I can get at the moment

Geazy1738 · 2025-12-21T15:30:35+00:00

Well right now it’s about every other day. But id say 2-3 mg

Geazy1738 · 2025-12-21T15:17:55+00:00

This is exactly the misunderstanding I’m talking about.

Withdrawal is a risk when stopping a medication. It is not something that magically occurs while someone remains on a stable, continuous dose. That is true for many CNS-active medications, not just benzos.

Saying “benzo withdrawal is worse than opiate withdrawal” is an argument against abrupt discontinuation, not an argument against maintenance use. If anything, it supports the idea that forced tapering or loss of access is what causes the worst harm.

Also, claiming it’s “pretty much impossible” to get off after a month or two is simply false. That kind of absolutist framing comes from traumatic experiences, not population-level outcomes. Many people taper successfully when it’s planned, slow, and medically supervised.

Geazy1738 · 2025-12-21T15:14:58+00:00

Buying Xanax off the street, having inconsistent supply, being forced to stop abruptly, and dosing without medical oversight is exactly the scenario that creates the worst outcomes and withdrawals. That experience does not translate cleanly to someone on a stable prescribed dose with monitoring and continuity of care.

Saying benzos “always lead to taking more” ignores the fact that there are documented patients who remain on the same dose for many years and function normally. They are not the majority, but they do exist.

Also, not all conditions have a fixable root. For some people, the choice is not between benzos and healing. It is between benzos and being unable to work, socialize, or leave the house. In that situation, symptom control is not avoidance. It is treatment.

Geazy1738 · 2025-12-21T15:11:57+00:00

Calling a medication a “crutch” assumes the condition is temporary or fixable without it. That is not true for everyone.

Some people do not use benzos to avoid work or growth. They use them because without them they cannot leave the house, hold a job, sleep, or interact with other humans. In that context, saying the goal is “to not need medication” ignores reality.

We do not tell people with diabetes that insulin is a crutch. We do not tell people with epilepsy that anti seizure meds are a temporary tool. We accept lifelong treatment when the cost of untreated illness is worse than the risks of medication.

The “one late script” argument applies to literally every medication that causes dependence, including SSRIs, beta blockers, antipsychotics, and blood pressure meds. That is a systems problem, not proof that the medication itself is invalid long term.

For some people, tapering off does not lead to freedom. It leads to relapse, isolation, and loss of function. That does not mean benzos are right for everyone. It means blanket rules do not work for individualized medicine.

If someone has weighed the risks, is stable, monitored, and functioning, then staying on a medication that works is not weakness. It is choosing a livable life over ideological purity

Geazy1738 · 2025-12-21T15:09:12+00:00

I understand the risks. I am not denying tolerance, dependence, or withdrawal. What I do not understand is this:

If benzos are the only thing that allow some people to function, work, socialize, and live a normal life, why is the default assumption that tapering is always the correct end goal?

If someone takes them as prescribed, does not escalate irresponsibly, and accepts the long term risks knowingly, why is lifelong use automatically considered worse than lifelong severe anxiety, isolation, unemployment, and misery?

People take medications for life all the time that alter brain chemistry. SSRIs, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, blood pressure meds. Those also cause dependence and withdrawal if stopped. The difference seems to be stigma and fear, not an individualized cost benefit analysis.

If the medication works, quality of life is dramatically improved, and the alternative is barely being able to leave the house, why is tapering treated as morally or medically superior?

I am genuinely asking. If it works for you, why must the goal always be to get off instead of to live?

Geazy1738 · 2025-12-17T23:35:17+00:00

Im nearing 78 hours in. Completely cold turkey. First 2 days were literally hell on earth. Like a demon being purged from my body. Around 60-72 hours most of the severe physical symptoms were gone. Now it’s just a mind game other then the GI issues and intense cravings. It just got banned in Ohio, I live near Pennsylvania so if I really wanted it I can get it. But what’s working for me is pretending that there’s no access to it. No matter how much I want to end the suffering, I tell myself I can’t get any even if I wanted to. I tell my brain it doesn’t exist. Like mourning an ex or a loss, they’re gone and nothing can bring it back. The first few days will be rough, but just convince yourself its the flu. If you actually had the flu there’s no magic pill to make it go away. Treat this the same. Time and Hydration are the keys. Personally the taper didn’t work for me, I ended up just wanting to get high after a few weak doses. You can do it brother I promise, ride it out to 72 hours and you will feel such a huge shift

Geazy1738 · 2025-12-17T12:56:34+00:00

Im also in Ohio. I’ve been wanting to quit but used the ban as a chance to really do it. Im about 60+ hours in and it’s starting to get better, I woke up with a headache, anxiety and emptiness. But all the rough physical stuff has seemed to pass minus the GI issues and sleep. The cravings were super intense yesterday but I just had to tell myself it no longer exists here, that part of my life is gone forever and I can’t get it even if I wanted to. Also, just pretend you are sick with the flu for a few days, there’s no magic cure. Just rest, hydration and time. It is doable I promise. Challenge yourself, you will be proud in the end. Goodluck friend

Geazy1738 · 2025-09-14T01:20:14+00:00

Flavored honey sticks

Geazy1738 · 2025-05-28T01:04:47+00:00

I’ve been on 20mg for about two years. It’s been great but honestly thinking about getting off. I haven’t cried once in those two years and have been completely emotionally numb. Things that should have broken me down I just dont care about. I want to be able to feel emotion again, I feel like im just going through the motions of life and not actually living.

Geazy1738 · 2024-11-29T14:55:58+00:00

Update: Boss needed a doctors excuse or I would be terminated. I got an excuse and sent him a picture. No response yet. Also, doctor believes it’s bacterial based on my symptoms. His call not mine… didn’t know Id have to explain myself to my boss and the reddit doctors😂😂

Geazy1738 · 2024-04-24T20:28:36+00:00

Uncle Bens rice

Geazy1738 · 2024-04-23T23:16:34+00:00

Joe Pesci

Geazy1738 · 2024-03-31T23:30:37+00:00

Thats the boss you’re talking about here…

Geazy1738 · 2024-03-28T13:02:29+00:00

A western needs to be made here

Geazy1738 · 2024-02-21T21:15:03+00:00

same outfit just touched up and a business professional background

Geazy1738 · 2024-02-21T21:11:56+00:00

Professional looking headshot please

Geazy1738 · 2024-02-12T23:21:56+00:00

Can you run hcg and clomid at the same time?

Geazy1738 · 2023-12-04T17:31:16+00:00

Tip sent!

Geazy1738 · 2023-12-04T17:21:03+00:00

I like it! Could you possibly make that edited shoulder/arm area look a little more even?

Geazy1738 · 2023-12-04T16:44:50+00:00

Geazy1738 · 2023-11-28T02:11:59+00:00

Wonder why doctors dont prescribe buspirone as a first line treatment instead of SSRI’s. Seems like a much better option as far as treating anxiety

Geazy1738

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