Benzo's

How long have you been on benzo's for? What dosage are you at?

I've not been on benzos for years. I found them to be unstabliing for my BP and propranolol was superior in handling my physical anxiety. But that's me.

I don't remember how long, but I'm on .5 mg as needed up to four times per day.

I was on them for years...with no bad side effects...and they really helped my anxiety. I would say the perfect medication. I never got hooked.

Now my insurance refuses to prescribe them. I have tried herbs and most recently pot (which is legal where I live) but it does not quell my anxiety like diazepam.

I used the drug responsibility and it was totally helpful with no side effects.

The fact that it is being refused for no good reason has turned me against the medical profession, and especially the mental healthy profession.

I have found that the best people to ask about medications are pharmacists. Of course MDs prescribe but it's really helpful to get the perspective of a pharmacist because they have different training and a unique insight into drug effects, contraindications, and concerns. I have called my local pharmacist several times to check things or get more info and he is so helpful and informative!

I took a very low dose benzo in the past. I found that it got me out of an anxiety loop (if you know what I mean) a few times but I was not able to get another Rx because they are not recommended for long-term use. They are very strong drugs, addictive, and dangerous when mixed. I've known a few folks who mixed benzos with alcohol (not knowing the risk or not realizing how serious the risk) which can actually cause a person's death by shutting down the brainstem which controls breathing...a person can feel fine when they go to bed and then never wake up.

It is frustrating when you find a med that helps but can't continue to fill the Rx. I also understand why MDs consider it best practice not to encourage longterm use of benzos. There is currently an opioid epidemic in the U.S and the medical community is working hard to reverse that and find safer ways to help people manage their anxiety and depression.

I am rx'd 2mg of xanax a day but usually only take 1mg per day it has been a godsend but after a few years I am starting to feel a little tolerance kick in.

People have been on benzo's longterm with no serious side effects. I drank alcohol while on a low dosage of valium with absolutely no ill side effects. I never increased my dosage. I never became addicted. The medication worked very well for me and it has been denied me now solely because of the policies of my insurance provider. An nurse on the "inside" even told me on the phone that the doctors said it was a perfectly fine medication to prescribe but that their "hands were tied." That's about politics, not medicine.


Big Pharma. Maybe it was Big Pharma that pushed opiods.

I have chronic back pain but wouldn't think of asking for opiods. I use OTC stuff, heat, exercise. In truth, benzo's would be great for lower back pain as they are a muscle relaxer...but forget asking for them. It ain't gonna happen. They are gone forever unless I order them online illegally, which I would not do. To speak about opiods and benzo's in the same breath is just...wrong.


Patients know what works and doesn't work. I have called pharmacists and have been given misinformation about certain drugs so I don't consider pharmacists reliable authorities.


It's all political. What is best is to be on the LEAST AMOUNT OF DRUGS POSSIBLE.

I would advise the OP to not go on benzo's because a prescription can be stopped at any time.

Holistic is best because Big Pharma can't mess with that. Herbs like valerian and passion flower affect the same receptor sites as benzo's. Medical marijuana can be tried, if legal. Yoga. Meditation. Swimming. Walking. Journaling. A diet free of processed food. No alcohol. Good sleep hygiene. All these things help.

Benzo's are a decent medication and work and this whole scare campaign is ill-founded. Stupid. I was on a very low dose. I never needed an increase.

I am lucky to have a benzo friendly doctor. I have quite a few extra bottles because I have only taken half of what I have been prescribed. So if I need to do a slow detox I have enough pills to cover it.

I am on 3mg xanax for sleep, and can take during the day if need to. Have been for years. I need it to sleep. Other meds fail. My doc is benzo friendly as we have tried tons of others.

I always say each to their own...if patient and experienced MD and pharmacist are comfortable with everything a person is taking, then they will of course do what works for them.

Pharmacists can flag medications that were prescribed my multiple MDs (they aren't always aware of other drugs the patient takes when people have a team of docs who don't communicate with each other) to the same patient which are actually not safe to take together. This was happening with my mother...we called the pharm and got it straightened out right away with her MD so she wouldn't be at risk from contraindications. The pharm was able to suggest an alternative which the MD approved and prescribed. Aside from that issue with a different Rx, my mother was taking a benzo and at her age (70 or over) there is a significant risk of cognitive changes so we found her an alternative.

I'm a proponent of holistic care but not everyone is open to that and so fair play to them for following their own path.

Peace and healing energy to all

Because of my situation I went cold turkey. My doctor retired and said nothing to me and naively I signed on with new insurance and just had to stop cold turkey. I think I was shocked because I was so naive at the time and knew nothing about the controversy.

I have to say going cold turkey was no big deal. But then I quit smoking cigarettes and because I no longer had benzo's I started to get panic attacks. I quelled that with a lot of wine...which I later stopped. I no longer drink alcohol. What really stopped the panic attacks was guided meditation sessions which I did with a CD for four months.

I am a big believer now in alternatives because you might have a benzo friendly doctor now...but you may not in the future.

My doctor, an endocrinologist, was so fantastic. I felt really cared for and by a real professional. Then suddenly he announced his retirement and things really went downhill after that. Now I try to stay on the holistic side...because I have control.

Good luck. I wish I had stockpiled.

I've never had them.

I have a friend who pops Klonopin like candy (and she drinks wine too, at the same time, and brags about it on Twitter no less).

I know other people who wish they had never tried them in the first place.

And some people say they work incredible for them.

I was on Ativan .5 3 times a day for a few years. Then my doctor decided to take me off it because he said they were addictive. I had no substance abuse issues or history of it. It took a year but he finally agreed to give me 15 Ativan a month. I only took about one a week. Sometimes I’d go 2 weeks without taking one. He got really rude after agreeing to the Ativan and I switched insurances and I switched to a new doctor.

My current doctor is very benzo friendly. And allows me two .5 Xanax a day. I usually just take one a day. I got my Xanax refilled on the 17th of December and I just started the new bottle yesterday since I had so much of the other bottle left.

I don’t like it when doctors say you can’t have benzos when you don’t have a history of substance abuse issues. Then it just seems like they are judging you on your intelligence or personality. My old doctor obviously had nothing to worry about. I can handle benzos just fine.