Posted by SadDoggie on February 2, 2005, at 6:22:26
In reply to benzo tolerance, posted by med_empowered on February 2, 2005, at 4:02:03
Hi, I took Valium a long time ago which worked well but it poops out in a few days for me. I can raise the dose a little and get a good effect again but there's a limit to doing that, I don't like going to high doses. Klonopin, I've used recently and doesn't do that much for me, but it does help a little. Ativan is what I'm using right now and has been very good for a few weeks(I was surprised it worked this long) but is now going dead on me.
My psychiatrist didn't even want to go beyond the minimal dose with Ativan because he's a scared a**hole. Doesn't want to prescribe anything anymore. I told him I felt better at 1mg but he didn't want to give it to me until finally he said ok. I've never been an addict and haven't shown him anything that would make him think I would abuse them. So if I even *think* about wanting to try another benzo, I have to get a hold of them myself now, unless I want to beg for it and get turned down on repeated occasions. It's like pulling teeth from a whale.
I am now getting a hold of Xanax XR, some more Klonopin, and plan on rotating them, including Ativan. (Seems like I'm abusing them a little know though :) And I'll cross my fingers my little plan works(it probably won't). I should add Valium too later on, and am going to see what else I can add(this is to give the other meds more holiday time, I don't want to sound like a junkie :)
I would like to rotate them every 2 days, (or 4 days if I raise the dose of each one time). Believe it or not this is how fast they last, only a few days. What do you think about my little rotating plan? Is it dangerous? I don't plan on combining them together on the same days.
This is what I'll have to try if there really is nothing that can prevent tolerance to benzos, as they help me a lot when they're working. I will try the suggestions you gave me too. Thanks.
> Hi! I've never heard of anything that's been proven to prevent tolerance to benzos. Sorry. That said, you may be able to have your shrink work with you on this w/o coprescribing something to prevent tolerance. What benzos have you used, and which have been most successful? If one is taking them for a while, every day, the general consensus seems to be that long-acting benzos such as Klonopin are best used, whenever possible. Short-acting benzos such as Ativan and the original xansx (there's an xr version of that now) are now used mostly for sleep or on a relatively infrequent, as-needed (PRN) basis. That said, many perfectly capable psychiatrists still prescribe xanax or ativan for regular use b/c they work quite well, and some people have problems with Klonopin (depression with long-term use is a big one). If you drink regularly, take other sedatives, or even use sedating antihistamines on a regular basis, try taking your benzo(s) without these additional agents; if you potentiate your meds with additional sedatives, future doses will seem less effective/powerful. Prescription benzo "boosters" might help as well; propranolol and other beta-blockers, for instance, are believed to boost the effect of the benzodiazepens. Add-ons such as gabitril, neurontin, and sometimes, BuSpar (usually NOT coprescribed with benzos, but I've known a few people on the combo) can help with anxiety, too, and prevent a dosage increase. Good luck!
poster:SadDoggie
thread:451569
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050202/msgs/451591.html