4 ms·

Benzos are only used for short-term treatment of anxiety. You get withdrawal symptoms after taking relatively small dosages for a few days. There are also many

• Jhsto 10y ago
  > Benzos are pretty terrible. That second doc did you a favor. I knew that when I saw the GP, hence the "last resort". My experience with the drug was morbid as well -- the world felt soft for an hour, after which I would pass out. I would wake up in 4-6 hours feeling normal again. Only later did I find out that the aforementioned side effects with the additional and overlapping prescription of codeine, I could have died in my sleep. But the point being, I am no doctor and I was living in a confusing state of mind. So when I went to see him, I thought that benzos are the way to treat me. But instead of being referred to a mental health department or given beta-blockers as a less intrusive medication, I just received a no as an answer. It left me with mixed feelings. I mean, the doctor was right that the benzos were not the solution, but he should have told me what I need, instead of just declining what I want. Luckily enough I was able to accept the fact that I could be mentally ill, so I sought appropriate help by myself. Luckily, my case was handled by psychiatric who taught me how to treat the pre-cursor to my anxiety, the panic attacks, instead of the anxiety itself. When I learned that I could handle the panic attacks just like any emotion -- and without drugs -- I was able to shrug the anxiety away. Condemning a patient who seeks opioids as a treatment when they don't know for better is not much of a favor. I felt like I was treated like a drug abuser and my state wide profile most likely now states me as a possible one. All of this because I could not remember the translation of the drug and instead referred to it as what I have seen thrown out on the Internet from time to time. I would not be surprised if I would have received better treatment would I have had referred to the drug with its marketing name only, but I did not think that would have helped much in a foreign country. Also thanks for the smoking tip! Although, I do not smoke, but I do moderate the amount of caffeine I consume nowadays. Getting over the panic attacks did require quite a few lifestyle changes in addition to self-reflection.
  • oxide 10y ago
    >I could have died in my sleep. The risk is real, but it's more geared toward recreational users. Taking therapeutic doses of codeine (to which you become tolerant) along with whatever benzo that doctor gave you (ativan, xanax, clonazepam, whatever) also at therapeutic dosages doesn't present a huge risk of respiratory failure, IMO. Harm reduction communities shout DO NOT MIX because if you don't, the teenagers asking these questions on Bluelight and Reddit will say one of each is safe, why not two of each? etc until they're dead. They're abusing the drugs, see. That's the difference. If you weren't abusing them, you had little to no chance of dying in your sleep. At least not from 30-60mg codeine + 1mg of xanax. Anyway, this class of drug can steal your soul. I speak from experience. Abuse of them only leads to one path, a path that involve seizures and mood swings.