>Be confident and outgoing >Get new job >Prescribed Ativan to be taken “as needed”, doc was really vague >Take it every day to get acclimated >Become physically dependent >Kick it after a shitload of suffering >Confidence never returned, still too afraid to talk to anyone >Most of the time so terrified I literally can’t do anything, including eat, work, etc. until absolutely necessary and even then sometimes not
Am I just absolutely fucked? Is there any way to mitigate this? Talking to people is my life, I hate this so much. I hate thinking of things I would say that actually are funny but I’m too turbofucked to say. I hate being so paralyzed that I can’t even seek out real help to START getting better. Has anyone else dealt with long-term effects of benzo use? What’re some effective techniques to cope? I really can’t do this anymore, I’m just gonna kms if I can’t get better.
>he fell for the psychiatry drugs meme oh, America...
Cooper James
How long have you been taking benzos everyday? You should talk with your doctor, it was a really bad move to overdo the stuff and your doctor is a retard
Justin Howard
>take it as needed >Take it every day
Eli Lewis
I quit a while back, but retrospectively it was idiotically long. He didn’t warn me at all, and the job never got any less stressful, so I was taking them near daily for like 8 months, maybe? It’s been about 4 or 5 since then, and I’m still feeling horrible. I have talked with him, extensively, but he just won’t believe me. He literally says that people can’t become addicted/physically dependent on benzos, he’s honestly the most hippie dippie quack I’ve met.
Haha, yep. Stupid of me to trust him, huh?
Samuel Nguyen
Benzodiazepine withdrawal is characterized by sleep disturbance, irritability, increased tension and anxiety, panic attacks, hand tremor, shaking, sweating, difficulty with concentration, confusion and cognitive difficulty, memory problems, dry retching and nausea, weight loss, palpitations, headache, muscular pain and stiffness, a host of perceptual changes, hallucinations, seizures, psychosis,[1] and increased risk of suicide
Josiah Moore
The job wasn’t EVERY day, though, which is part of the line blur. More like every other day average. Guess I should’ve clarified. It got more frequent towards the end for extraneous reasons, though.
>Psychosis
Wow, that takes me back. Went to the ward cause I stabbed myself. Was totally outta my goddamn mind for a bit. I miss those guys, they were so easy and fun to talk to.
Cameron Taylor
>so I was taking them near daily for like 8 months Oh no that's bad
>He literally says that people can’t become addicted/physically dependent on benzos Your doctor is shit. Benzo addiction is pretty severe and everyone worth their salt knows it. Go to another doctor.
Angel Martinez
and it's a fucking bitch.
an idiot doctor put me on 2mg klonopin every day from when I was 16 and I finally forced myself off of them when I was 25 (28 now). 6 months straight of insomnia. 1.5 years of lingering insomnia. covering my pillow in sweat every night for those 2 years. I still get waves today where I have a hard time sleeping for a couple days and I wake up drenched in sweat.
fuck benzos. literally all I can tell you to do is persevere.
I can suggest gabapentin to help with all of the withdrawl effects. it also helps me for general anxiety when I need it. it's a miracle drug for me.
Mason Reed
I have benzos. I take them in anticipation of particularly stressful events, like a big job interview or something.
You should really not take them daily or even multiple times a week. The dependence you'll develop is similar to but also worse than that of alcohol, which can kill you with its withdrawals.
Also, do way more research before you start taking new drugs. A cursory search would have told you no to be taking them daily.
Daniel Johnson
Lil late on that, I’ve quit for months now and I still feel awful. You don’t have to worry about making me scared or regretting it, I do that every goddamn second of every day.
Hunter Rodriguez
Also, thanks for the tip! Where do you get it? It looks pretty prescription-ish, only seeing it for animals and from weird overseas bulk sites. Where do you get yours?
Bentley Taylor
>quit one GABAergic drug >get addicted to another GABAergic drug genius. absolutely spectacular plan. btw abusing gabapentin is a hundred times worse for you than benzos dont buy gabapentin you fucking retard, you will fuck your shit up even more. get a new doc and look into buspirone.
Landon Thomas
you don't know what you're talking about m8
it's literally used to help withdrawls
Jacob Perry
you do need a prescription for it, but it's not a controlled substance or anything.
Owen Foster
I'ved used it for years, there are no long-term effects from it. There aren't even any withdrawl symptoms from the drug itself. I'm certainly not dependent on it, but it absolutely fucking helps anxiety. You feel the effects within hours, even. As someone that has dealt with severe social anxiety since childhood, it's incredibly useful.
Look, I don't sell the shit, I'm just telling the guy what has worked for me.
William Thompson
as benzos are used for alcohol withdrawal. or benzos used for barbiturate withdrawal. gabapentin affects the gaba system just not exactly like benzos. that's why it's used for withdrawal, not because it's a benign magic drug. alcohol can be used for benzo or gabapentin withdrawal, it does not mean it's better for you. gabapentin is almost as addictive and has very similar withdrawals. plus it fucks up your REM sleep way more. but it's your choice man. if you want to fuck your life up with gabapentin, who am I to stop you btw it's not a controlled substance because it's relatively new and it took a while for junkies to figure out that they can get high off this epilepsy med
Robert Cooper
I know it helps anxiety, literally every gabaergic drug helps anxiety from zopiclone to phenobarbital. Gabapentin is still not better for your brain, no matter how much you would like it to be the case. it's just like taking some xanax from time to time
Jack Nelson
you *literally* have no clue what you are talking about
Nathaniel Cooper
Why are you so hostile towards this drug? Like, do you have some personal experience with it?
You seem to think that taking a drug as prescribed is "abusing" it, and I don't really understand why.
Dylan Thomas
holy SHIT I just realized you are bashing gabapentin, yet you suggest BUSPIRONE of all things?
Okay, OP, he's just trolling you. don't listen to this guy.
Landon Wood
explain why. I'll get my medical degree in 6 months and I am already done with my psych and neuro rotation. I'm curious about your reasoning and knowledge about the subject. I am not hostile towards this drug. It's great for epilepsy and neuropathic pain. But suggesting that it's a better drug for someone with social anxiety and already hooked on benzos is like telling an alcoholic to switch from wine to beer. I was addicted to benzos for 3 years and tried gabapentin too. Very similar. Look into fucking buspirone, it actually helps and is not addictive. explain to me, in your own words why you think gabapentin is better for anxiety than buspirone
Elijah Wilson
Right, you tried it and had a bad experience with it, so you think that everyone else will have the same.
You're supposed to be getting a medical degree and you don't know that drugs affect people differently?
Jordan Morgan
no, that's not what I wrote at all. nice strawman tho post some reasons and facts next time if possible
Alexander Anderson
>claims strawman as a strawman
nice
David Sanders
WITHDRAWAL Gabapentin withdrawal occurs when stopping use of the drug after becoming physically dependent on it. It is possible to become physically dependent on gabapentin even when using the medication only as prescribed, particularly if it is used on a long-term basis.
NLM lists the following symptoms of gabapentin withdrawal:
Anxiety Difficulty sleeping Nausea Pain Sweating
Symptoms of withdrawal typically begin within 12 hours of the last drug use and may last up to a week. If gabapentin is being used to treat a seizure disorder, stopping use of the drug too suddenly can cause the frequency of seizures to increase.
Gabapentin can cause changes in mood and may trigger depressive episodes, as well as compulsive thoughts. Withdrawal can also trigger mood episodes and other mental health problems, including anxiety and suicidal ideation. This is more likely in young adults and children. These symptoms of gabapentin withdrawal can last longer than acute physical symptoms, sometimes lasting weeks or months.
hmmmm sure sounds a lot like benzo addiction to me
David Wilson
I really don't know what you're trying to do.
Every single drug in existence has side effects. Every single drug also has uses. Every single drug also affects people differently.
a fucking med student and I'm explaining basics a child should know.
Landon Robinson
but how is it better than being addicted to benzos you bellend? it literally has more side effects and fucks you up more and it's just as addictive. it's the same fucking shit as being on benzos. it affects the same neurotransmitters. fucks your memory, fucks your REM you havent posted a single argument except >gabapentin makes me feel good and I like it
Cameron Nelson
Okay let's go over this.
>but how is it better than being addicted to benzos? First of all, the withdrawl effects from benzos can last literally months to years. Gabapentin "withdrawl" can last up to a week. Second, why do you keep using "addicted"? Just because *you* were addicted, doesn't mean that people using the prescribed dosage of drugs are abusing and/or addicted to them.
> it literally has more side effects You understand that every drug has hundreds of potential side effects? Literally all of them. That doesn't mean you'll get them all, if any.
>fucks you up more Ah yes, the classic medical term "fucking you up". I can't really say I get more "fucked up" on Gabapentin.
>it's just as addictive Anything can be addictive if you're a weak person.
I've been on benzos. I've been on gabapentin. I've been on both at the same time. I've gone off benzo and gone down that horrible, horrible withdrawl path. I've gone off gapatentin multuple times and I've never once experienced withdrawls or negative side effects. I'm offering my personal experience to a guy with similar symptoms to my own. I dropped the name of a drug that personally helped me and you seem to think that it's the devil's medicine or something. You clearly had a very opposite experience from me with Gabapentin. Which is fine, because *that's how medicine works*. Everyone reacts differently to certain medications. If you're going to be in the medical field, that's one very important thing you're gonna have to get in your head.
Liam Evans
Also, can you please explain to me what exactly is wrong with >it makes me feel good and I like it
Because that's kind of the fucking point of taking medications.
It makes me feel normal, with no negative side effects or withdrawls. OH fucking NO
Aiden Smith
>this is your brain on gabapentin >I-I'm not addicted to it I swear enjoy your gabapentin and brain damage friendo, I'm out
