Resource Benzos & Z-Drugs, Uses in SN Protocol (Guide)

[athiestjoe]

Hey everyone!

As a little follow up/piggyback of the amazing @opheliaoveragain's post on checking benzo onsets, here is a general guide about benzo & z-drugs.

I'm highlighting a selection of popular benzodiazepines and Z-drugs, but there are plenty more out there. This information is meant for educational purposes. Especially since certain protocols (SN) recommend using benzos, I thought it might be helpful to include this. If you have access to Z-drugs, they could serve as a good alternative to benzos for the protocol. I'll include some brand names, but keep in mind that these can vary by country.

Benzodiazepines

Medication	Onset Time	Duration	Peak Levels (hours)	Half-Life
Alprazolam (Xanax)	15-30 minutes	4-6 hours	1-2 hours	6-27 hours
Bromazepam (Brozam)	30-60 minutes	6-12 hours	1-3 hours	10-20 hours
Chlordiazepoxide (Librium)	30-60 minutes	5-10 hours	1-4 hours	5-30 hours
Clonazepam (Klonopin)	20-60 minutes	6-12 hours	1-2 hours	18-40 hours
Diazepam (Valium)	15-60 minutes	8-12 hours (metabolites can prolong effect)	1-2 hours	20-50 hours
Estazolam (Prosom)	30 minutes	6-8 hours	1-3 hours	10-24 hours
Flurazepam (Dalmane)	30-60 minutes	6-8 hours (metabolites can prolong effects)	1-3 hours	40-100 hours
Lorazepam (Ativan)	20-30 minutes	6-8 hours	1-2 hours	10-20 hours
Oxazepam (Serax)	30-60 minutes	6-10 hours	0.5-2 hours	4-15 hours
Temazepam (Restoril)	20-30 minutes	7-10 hours	1-2 hours	8-20 hours

Z-Drugs

Medication	Onset Time	Duration	Peak Levels (hours)	Half-Life
Eszopiclone (Lunesta)	15-30 minutes	6-8 hours	1-2 hours	6-9 hours
Zaleplon (Sonata)	15-30 minutes	2-4 hours	0.5-1 hour	1 hour
Zolpidem (Ambien)	15-30 minutes	6-8 hours	1-2 hours	2-3 hours
Zopiclone (Zimovane)	15-30 minutes	6-8 hours	1-2 hours	5-6 hours

Summary Notes:

• Quick Onset (15-30 min): Xanax, Ambien, Lunesta, Sonata, zopiclone
• Moderate Onset (30-60 min): Valium, Ativan, Klonopin, temazepam, estazolam, oxazepam, bromazepam
• Short Duration (2-4 hours): Sonata
• Moderate Duration (4-8 hours): Xanax, Valium, Ativan, Ambien, Lunesta, oxazepam, bromazepam, temazepam, zopiclone
• Long Duration (8+ hours): Klonopin

Difference between Benzos Z-Drugs

Well, benzodiazepines, or "benzos," are a group of medications that share a similar chemical structure, featuring a benzene ring attached to a diazepine ring. Z-drugs, on the other hand, are chemically different but still work on the same GABA receptors in the brain. Both types enhance the effects of GABA, a neurotransmitter that promotes relaxation and sedation. The key difference is that Z-drugs tend to be more selective for certain GABA receptors and this selectivity can lead to effective sedation but may produce fewer anxiolytic effects compared to traditional benzos. While both are often prescribed for sleep issues, benzos are also used for anxiety, panic attacks, seizures, and muscle spasms. Typically, benzos have a longer duration of action and longer half-lives compared to Z-drugs. Between benzos they have different onset and durations of actions outline above. Meaning some will kick in quicker and some might last a lot longer. For SN Protocol, a quick acting will be the best of the benzos and since all have a duration of action that is far surpassed what is needed, any will do.

Half Life Explained:

Basically describes how long it takes for half of a drug to be eliminated from your bloodstream. If a drug has a short half-life, it clears out of your system quicker. For our purpses, this is really not a big factor. So what does this mean for SN Protocol? Well, a medication with a quick onset is probably more important given these benzos all benzos have an long enough duration for SN purposes and for the most part have peak levels by the 1 hour mark. One might consider taking the benzos a few minutes before taking the SN to give it time for them to kick in, but be careful that high of a dose will cause drowsiness fairly rapidly and might lead to falling asleep before drinking the SN. We will discuss the idea of a trial run later in this post.

Does it Matter Which Benzo I Use?

No, not really. The specific benzodiazepine you choose might not be that critical, but it's important to pay attention to factors like how quickly it takes effect. It's worth noting that using benzos in the SN Protocol is a luxury item; they're not required for success. If you do opt for a benzo or a Z-drug, it can help ease some of the anxiety you might feel, allowing you to have a smoother and potentially more 'peaceful' self-deliverance.

Benzodiazepine Equivalence Chart:
The PPeH recommends taking 600 mg of Oxazepam for the SN protocol. If you don't have that on hand and are curious about equivalent doses of the benzodiazepines you do have, read on! Just a heads-up: this chart and calculators below are specifically for benzodiazepines, so it doesn't include Z-drugs, which are in a different class altogether.

Keep in mind. it is nearly impossible to determine an exact equivalent dose. Differences in pharmacokinetic parameters between benzodiazepines can be quite profound. Also, researchers have not consistently identified equivalent dosages between these agents (wide range of equivalent dosages reported). Using a range of +/- 25% for the result above yields the aforementioned doses below expressed as the median of the two figures generated.

Equivalance to 600mg Oxazepam:

Medication	Equivalent Dose (mg)
Alprazolam (Xanax)	20 mg
Bromazepam	120 mg
Chlordiazepoxide (Librium)	1000 mg
Clonazepam (Klonopin)	20 mg
Diazepam (Valium)	300 mg
Estazolam	20 mg
Flurazepam	600 mg
Lorazepam (Ativan)	40 mg
Temazepam (Restoril)	600 mg

Med Not Listed? Try a Benzo Equivalance Calculator:

• https://clincalc.com/benzodiazepine/
• https://psychopharmacopeia.com/bzd_dose_convert.php
• https://www.omnicalculator.com/health/benzodiazepine-conversion

Trial Run & Popular Substitutes in SN Protocol

These doses will be very large for ordinary folks with no benzo doses, would not suggest taking the large dose before the SN. Just my own two cents. Some of the most popular choices are Xanax, Valium, and Ativan, likely due to how frequently they're prescribed and relatively quicker onsets (see chart above). But ultimately, any benzo or even Z-drugs can be helpful for the protocol. Just be sure to check onset times and make the decision when you want to time it as although protocols say after SN ingestion there may be some value in doing some before SN ingestion to assist with any anxiety and help sedate you a little bit before. The ones mentioned above have onsets that are typically quicker than the onset of the PPeH suggested med of Oxazepam. Keep in mind, during the fasting for the SN Protocol, your stomach will be empty. Taking benzos, especially a high dose, will be rapidly absorbed by the body so the onset time will greatly go down when you flood your system with a benzo. These are typical onsets but with a very high dose of benzos they will work very quickly. If you do a 'trial run' with a regular or double dose of the benzo or Z-drug without SN for a test run and fast before it, it may give you a better idea of how quicky you feel the effects. Just remember, since there's a fasting requirement in the SN Protocol, you might find that the drug works faster during that time compared to a regular trial run—unless you also fast before your trial.

Individual Factors and Tolerance

For those without any prior tolerance to benzodiazepines, these medications usually work quickly and very effectively, which is why they're commonly used. Just keep in mind that individual factors—like age, body weight, overall health, other medications, and even stress levels—can all play a role in how well they work for you.

This should be taken only as a reference for educational purposes only; please do a lot of reading and research! And as always, please feel free to make suggestions to this or share your personal experience if it can benefit others, keeping in mind that we all have individual factors at play when it comes to these drugs. Be kind & respectful to all, please!

I hope you all find everything you are looking for and get whatever peace & serenity you may be seeking.

 

[EmptyCurtainCall]

thanks so much for this guide . i'm trying to buy xanax rn but i'm trying to figure out whether to order 2mg or 4mg as someone who's never used a benzo in their life . i'm thinking to buy 2 , and drink it after sn if i don't throw it up

 

[divinemistress36]

This is very informative

 

[Romanticize]

yeah that is a nice guide. I am an expert and very experienced in benzodiazepines, I took (tested on myself, got addicted, and still taking huge doses daily) almost 25 different benzos, some not even listed above.
Important notes:
* benzos alone WILL NOT make you CTB, they only help with making your sleepy/drowsy/disconnected from reality a little bit. Also, as being also CNS depressant, they strongl potentiate the opioids, it's called synergy, (some people better understand the analogy synergy means that 2+2 does not equal 4, but 5).
* you know the pill they give you before the surgery. That's exactly a fast working benzo: midazolam
* as OP said, it does not really matter which benzo you use (the "radar" chart is very subjective, and even benzo-experienced people often cannot tell a difference which benzo they were given, if not told beforehand). The duration of action shouldn't be a factor as well, because you should take your CTB action almost immediately (let's say 5-30min depeneds on benzo type and dose) after ingestion. Most benzos will make you calm, relaxed and sleepy. What matters is the dosage. There are weak benzos like chlordiazepoxide or temazepam, where you should take gram+ amounts, and there are strong benzos (like clonazepam, alprazolam, lorazepam), where you could take 50mg or so
* the suggested table is a high dose (much smaller will work too), but in general, with benzos- the bigger the dose, the better (for your CTB journey of course)
* important note is that benzos have this discern effect of "illusion of sobriety" - where an individual after taking benzos can just feel some fatigue, but can feel SOBER, while the other people around him will clearly see he is drowsy, he's talking much slower, and generally looks like under an influence of high alcohol dose. But you will think you are perfectly fine!
* connected with above - don't wait until you "feel" benzo effects. Just go on with your CTB method, because benzos can make you pass out (benzos will make you SO sleepy and SO quickly, and WITHOUT prior "notice", that you will essentially black out, and after waking up, your memory will be cleared!)
* therefore, benzos are ofter used as a rape-pill (unfortunately...). It's not an only method, but it's a quick knock-out method, with memory erasement even prior to the ingestion
* if you don't have access to a big amount like listed above (let's say you found just 2 , 5 or 10 pills in your grandma's stock, i'd advise to still use it, because something is always better than nothing. It's simple: big benzo dose >> small dose >> nothing.

Generally, benzos are not a magic pill, but they are very reliable and potent to help you CTB, and overcome the SI. Do not be afraid that you got the "weaker" benzo, you can always increase the dosage, so a weak benzo with big dose will work exactly the same as a strong benzo with smaller dose. Just be careful not to be knocked out without you realize it.

 

[ctemourge]

thank you for this!!

 

[wren-briar]

connected with above - don't wait until you "feel" benzo effects. Just go on with your CTB method, because benzos can make you pass out (benzos will make you SO sleepy and SO quickly, and WITHOUT prior "notice", that you will essentially black out, and after waking up, your memory will be cleared!)

(emphasis added)

This is exactly what happened to me and caused me to fail to CTB at the end of August.

 

[rozeske]

(emphasis added)

This is exactly what happened to me and caused me to fail to CTB at the end of August.

May I ask what you took and how much? And do you remember how long you waited?

 

[wren-briar]

May I ask what you took and how much? And do you remember how long you waited?

First, let me preface this by saying that I had not done my due diligence reviewing all the information on this site, and that if I had done my due diligence reviewing all the info on this site, I would absolutely have done things differently!

Without going into a lot of detail, my plan was a 3 stage plan in a publically accessible location, but in the very wee hours. Basically, I was planning to (1st) take way more than enough drugs to ensure that life would be pleasant for a few minutes (and enough that if I botched the rest of this, they would do the job on their own), wait to feel the first effects of that, (2nd) then eat something that I have a rather unusual anaphylactic response to (roughly 30 min after eating it I quickly go into anaphylaxis - this has bern confirmed by a well-regarded allergist), and (3rd) then quite violently end myself.

I've known that I wanted the OD option for decades, so I had basically saved every extra prescription med that I had for decades. (I didn't explicitly source them, nor did I need to question what I had or the quality.)

I honestly don't know what the final mix was, but I know it included entire bottles filled with clonopin, flexeril, oxycodone, and hydrocodone. In the end, I literally swallowed 6 HANDFULS of pills! (Roughly 20-40 pills per handful, so I'd estimate at least 180 pills) around 2am.

I then took a breath and wondered how long it would be till I "felt" those meds, so that I could enjoy a handful of the anaphylactic-inducing food and my violent ending.

That was my last conscious thought for the next several days.

Neither the police nor medical officials were willing to provide me, my next of kin, nor anybody who might share the information with us, any details about when I was found or when I was first given medical "care", but I was in a public place, so I'm guestimating that I was found sometime between 7-9am (i.e. roughly 5-7 hrs later) - but this is just a guesstimate!

I had two copies of my DNR by my body (the little bit of info that my next of kin was given by officials very deliberately failed to mention that I had provided those DNRs but did mention other documents that I had left in the same binder with the 2 DNRs.)

My next of kin was called around 6pm that night - i.e. 16 hrs after I had taken all those meds. He was told that I was brain-dead and asked what to do. He told them that my intentions and my DNR were clear, and directed them to take me off life support. They said they couldn't do that without checking with their lawyers.

For the next 2.5 days, doctors continued to tell him that I was braindead (and claimed that I was "lucky" to have been found when I was, otherwise they would not have been able to "save" me), then they would again ask whether to keep me on life support, and when he said "no" yet again, they would again tell him they'd have to check with their lawyers.

Obviously, my body started functioning on it's own roughly 2.5-3.0 days after I had been on life support.

I "woke up" shortly after that, and was apparently interacting with people, although I, myself, only have a single memory from the six days after that "I wonder how long until..." thought, so for roughly 3 days, I appeared to be functioning, but I clearly wasn't functioning enough for memories to properly form.

 

[rozeske]

@wren-briar thank you for this. It sounds like it was a sound plan that would have worked. I'm sorry for everything that went on after that. Sounds horrible. It really is a nightmare failing an attempt and landing at their mercy.

 

[pilotviolin]

i doubt it would act to the extent of something like diazepam, but is passionflower and other similar plants actually viable? using a dry herb vape with chamomile has actually helped me get to sleep with a mild mild body euphoria (its more relieving than anything else) but it acts on gaba with a low affinity. ill look into valerian root as well, but i wonder what a few bowls of valerian, chamomile. lemon balm, and passionflower could do, for those who dont have access to benzos. ive done some other research and other people online say things like emoxypine can potentiate gaba acting drugs as well but i havent tried it yet, only chamomile. only issue is dry herb vapes or getting all the ingredients and making sure what you get isnt bunk (the chamomile i find i legit just used whatever i had in the cupboard but more so the valerian and passionflower lol).

Apigenin is what is in chamomile and is also in dried parsley at a higher amount, feels sedative and calming (theres also other stuff in plants like chrysin), not sure how itd go for other people, for me its noticable but i guess its like other weird plants bored people find online, i never understood the deal with cloves/eugenol and im a bit scared of nutmeg so no guarantees, i dont effects from chamomile in tea form.

sorry if i derailed the thread a bit, just thought id chime in for anyone eyeing the passionflower.