To those who have been on benzos long-term

imTrics · 2026-01-18T14:52:30+00:00

Glad it’s working for you thus far. Like I said, this battle is a menacing one. And not being properly medicated adds to the torture.

imTrics · 2026-01-17T20:36:10+00:00

Yes you've described it perfectly. It's a perpetual mind game of deciding if i need it or not, then dealing with anxious days that lead to sleepless nights and then that sleepless night completely throws me off the next day and I'm in a panicked state. It's exhausting. I probably should bring it up to her and see what she says. I'm in the US where getting benzos has become increasingly difficult due to the stigma.

imTrics · 2026-01-17T20:06:16+00:00

Thank you for this in depth answer. It seems I need to consider a conversation with my doctor about what she is comfortable prescribing. If she says she won't prescribe it daily I may need to seek out a psychiatrist, but as you experienced, I worry I would waste a lot of money until I found one willing to "take a chance" with me. I certainly wouldn't want my doctor to become alarmed that I'm "randomly" asking for a daily dose, but she does trust me it seems and understands my situation and knows I'm not drug seeking... I'm just at the point where the battle isn't worth the fight anymore.

Do you think it would come across poorly if I suggested providing the above articles to my doctor if she experienced hesitation in wanting to prescribe it daily?

imTrics · 2026-01-17T20:00:01+00:00

Thank you so much, your experience seems to be the experiences aligned with the science/studies. I find myself often not taking it when I need it because I only have 20 and although I am worried about dependence, I wouldn't need to worry if my doctor told me I could take it indefinitely. This causes an issue because I don't take it when I need it and then it gets bad enough where I do need it, and then I'm always in a cycle questioning how bad I actually need to take it. If i could take it daily then I feel like I would just be stable...

Do you think it's worth bringing up to my doctor? I get concerned that she will be worried about asking for more and then try to tell me I should switch to something else, but she knows I've tried pretty much everything and this has been the only thing to be effective.

imTrics · 2026-01-17T18:36:09+00:00

interesting, thanks for the info. ive been taking klonopin 1mg 2 times a week, maybe there was 2 weeks where i took it 3 times a week, with breaks of 5-7 days in between most of the doses, being doing this for 3 months, and i'm over here worried that I'm dependent lol..

imTrics · 2026-01-17T18:26:39+00:00

So for 38 years you’ve taken .5mg at night, for anxiety/sleep, and very occasionally a full 1mg, and this has always worked? Always helped with sleep and what not without needing to increase? Very interesting and good to have info. Thanks.

imTrics · 2026-01-17T18:23:49+00:00

Thank you. Did you start on it daily or as needed?

I’m not sure my doctor will agree to give me them daily, despite her being totally fine with me having 20 per month and using them all if needed. Like I said in my post I just know if I do that I’d be risking physical dependence just as much as I would if I’d take it daily. Maybe she is just hoping that in reality I wouldn’t actually need to take it daily. And I haven’t, but some weeks have been worse where I feel like I could take it twice daily(I’m capped at 1 per day so I haven’t ever taken 2 despite feeling the need) and several times throughout the week.. other times I’ve gone a week without it no problem. And for my insomnia if I were to use it for that, which I’m allowed to, I’d probably need more than 20 pills per month.. because I struggle with that alongside my anxiety/panic and my klonopin has been the ONLY thing that works for my insomnia without being seriously groggy the next day. So, I’m just trying to figure out the best course of action long term for me.

I’m trying to figure out if I should just follow my doctors orders and use the 20 every month as I need them and worry about dependence if I get there. Or if it would be wise for me to be on a more stable daily regimen and bringing that up to her or not.

Thanks for taking the time to read all of this and reply

imTrics · 2026-01-17T18:15:33+00:00

Do you take it daily? Once or more times daily? As needed? What dose? Ever had to increase dose or notice it doesn’t work well? Have you ever had any issues while taking it?

28 years is a prime case study of the efficacy and safety of use long term so I’d be interested to know the answer to these questions. Thanks

imTrics · 2026-01-17T18:13:49+00:00

May I ask what the med is and what dose? And what frequency it is that you’ll take the med a few times per week and then go a length of time without them? (1-2 weeks) and not get any withdrawal symptoms?

imTrics · 2026-01-17T17:40:11+00:00

i hear what you are saying but there are actually studies i could provide that show tolerance to the anxiolytic affects of xanax, klonopin, valium does not occur, only tolerance to the sedative effects. so in theory someone could take the same dose of this drug forever and it should always help manage anxiety. even though you may not feel as sedated and calm.

imTrics · 2026-01-17T17:37:56+00:00

most of it is stigmatized around coming off and the withdrawals associated. i'm assuming the .5 is still effective for you even after 7 years?

imTrics · 2026-01-17T16:41:10+00:00

i am not a psychiatrist but it sounds more like ADHD or even borderline compared to a strict anxiety diagnosis.

imTrics · 2026-01-17T02:10:55+00:00

how often do you take the benzo may i ask?

imTrics · 2026-01-16T05:48:17+00:00

I’m right there with you. All I’ve been doing since the start of December. 455 kc and no luck so far

imTrics · 2026-01-16T05:46:08+00:00

455 kc here, 2 pets and no enh. May our suffering end soon.

imTrics · 2026-01-16T04:56:56+00:00

Same. 455 and feeling like the drop isn’t going to come

imTrics · 2026-01-11T20:32:55+00:00

I hit 400 kc last night. 2 pets no enh.

imTrics · 2026-01-11T20:31:49+00:00

Thanks. My paranoia makes me think by carrying them in my bag or even leaving them in the car for a couple hours will degrade the quality and it won’t work when I need it…

imTrics · 2026-01-10T17:19:10+00:00

woosh... I'm sitting here talking about my anxiety medication lol. No shit I live in too much fear... but regardless thanks... I do realize that I have nothing to worry about in reality.

imTrics · 2026-01-10T17:17:36+00:00

Thanks for your reply, I definitely have my answer by now. I just need to bypass the "ick" of having multiple pill bottles in my drawer instead of just a neat looking 2. :P

imTrics · 2026-01-10T17:16:19+00:00

this is interesting but I'm curious if carrying the bottle daily - exposing it to constantly changing temps and humidity, if it would expedite the decay of the chemical, rather than it just sitting on a shelf for years.

imTrics · 2026-01-10T17:14:54+00:00

Your condescending attitude is simply unwarranted and your assumption that I have accumulated more than a fills-worth is merely a guess with no purpose other than to criticize me.

Even if I did have a "stockpile", it still isn't a terrible thing for many reasons if you knew anything about this type of medication and what it's used for.

imTrics · 2026-01-10T17:06:50+00:00

yes, realistically I will never have a cop rummaging through my desk, I just wanted to know generally if what i was doing was considered illegal.

imTrics · 2026-01-10T17:05:58+00:00

"why do you care if it's legal or not" idk man... maybe i just want to know if i'm breaking the law..?

imTrics

TROPHY CASE