Venting Obtained benzos without even trying to...

[ElVato]

Today I went to my public health Psychiatric appointment. I booked this back in August, so you can get an idea of how things are with the system here.

I've already placed my order for SN and I'm waiting for it to arrive. I was kinda hopeful when I booked the appointment, not quite right now. Still, I figured I'd go because I can file it as paid absence from work.

The psychiatrist was pretty impersonal I'd say. Not rude or anything, just very as-a-matter-of-fact; he did ask weird stuff like "So why haven't you (actively) tried to kill yourself these past days?" and "why don't you like being alive?". I expected him to just prescribe the same stuff my psychiatrist did and, in a way, he did. He prescribed me fluoxetine (only because the health system doesn't have escitalopram), but then, he asked me how well I sleep. I said that I usually get around 6 hours of sleep, sometimes more sometimes less. And so, he prescribed "3 droplets of risperidone every 24 hours".

So yeah... now I have that. I've been reading about it too, side effects and experiences and it sound like a pretty shit drug.

But maybe it's fate, hey?

Has anyone been on it?

 

[HopingOnaMiracle]

Over a 1.5 years ago my doctor prescribed me lorazepam (another benzo) high dose against what he assumed was temporary anxiety/depression. It worked great but now 1.5 year later I still am struggling with tapering down on diazepam (psychiatrist changed it to the lesser active benzo). I'm addicted I guess. Later I heard benzo's are supposed to be subscribed for only 2 weeks. They are addictive and quitting them is not easy. Don't think it's good for sleep problems.

 

[bamster]

benzo's are NOT a long term fix and if you take them for long they will stop working and coming off them will be living hell.

 

[divinemistress36]

Over a 1.5 years ago my doctor prescribed me lorazepam (another benzo) high dose against what he assumed was temporary anxiety/depression. It worked great but now 1.5 year later I still am struggling with tapering down on diazepam (psychiatrist changed it to the lesser active benzo). I'm addicted I guess. Later I heard benzo's are supposed to be subscribed for only 2 weeks. They are addictive and quitting them is not easy. Don't think it's good for sleep problems.

Taper them very slowly

 

[Scorpio moon gal]

I'm considering using them as my ctb method but lord I feel like it's very risky....the last time I used diazepam and amitriptyline I was found...and to this day I wonder if I was dying or falling into a coma...but I really wish they take me out

 

[siouxsie]

Risperidone is not a benzo

 

[Unleashtherain]

Over a 1.5 years ago my doctor prescribed me lorazepam (another benzo) high dose against what he assumed was temporary anxiety/depression. It worked great but now 1.5 year later I still am struggling with tapering down on diazepam (psychiatrist changed it to the lesser active benzo). I'm addicted I guess. Later I heard benzo's are supposed to be subscribed for only 2 weeks. They are addictive and quitting them is not easy. Don't think it's good for sleep problems.

They took me off 4mgs of ativan in 10 days. I was on them for 4 years. I couldn't handle the withdrawal and I mean extreme. So I'm back on them and still in bad shape. Becareful.

Today I went to my public health Psychiatric appointment. I booked this back in August, so you can get an idea of how things are with the system here.

I've already placed my order for SN and I'm waiting for it to arrive. I was kinda hopeful when I booked the appointment, not quite right now. Still, I figured I'd go because I can file it as paid absence from work.

The psychiatrist was pretty impersonal I'd say. Not rude or anything, just very as-a-matter-of-fact; he did ask weird stuff like "So why haven't you (actively) tried to kill yourself these past days?" and "why don't you like being alive?". I expected him to just prescribe the same stuff my psychiatrist did and, in a way, he did. He prescribed me fluoxetine (only because the health system doesn't have escitalopram), but then, he asked me how well I sleep. I said that I usually get around 6 hours of sleep, sometimes more sometimes less. And so, he prescribed "3 droplets of risperidone every 24 hours".

So yeah... now I have that. I've been reading about it too, side effects and experiences and it sound like a pretty shit drug.

But maybe it's fate, hey?

Has anyone been on it?

Risperidone is an antipsychotic. Caused me a lot of problems but could help you.

 

[CantDoIt]

Risperidone caused me severe agitation, the opposite of being sleepy basically, and made my symptoms worse somehow.

 

[notreallybored]

ב''ה,
The most useful advice I can give is to look into how the brain converts dopamine to norepinephrine. Due to enzymatic activity probably necessary to be alive, every unit of dopamine that ever exists or gets created in the brain turns into norepinephrine. These chemicals serve all sorts of different functions but the shorthand is that dopamine generally feels good (or rewarding, not least because a starved creature forms more after finally getting nutrition), while norepinephrine is basically adrenaline.

While possibly oversimplified, too much dopamine on its own may promote mania or detachment from reality, but the ratio of dopamine to norepinephrine also matters, as the "no dopamine, all norepinephrine" created in a stimulant user "crashing" is intensely dysphoric and sends them seeking another fix or kicking airliner chairs etc.

If you get into this situation naturally, risperidone tones down the dopamine somehow (there's a lot of biochemical feedback loops this stuff twiddles so don't quote me) that somehow also slows the norepinephrine production, so hopefully it's mellowing and calms down any panic or "psychotic" symptoms.

The only trouble is that in the long term risperidone can have freaky hormonal effects, so that sucks for anyone who needs massive amounts daily. It would be prudent to go with the minimum effective amount, whatever that is for you, as can probably be subjectively determined by the difference between "mellow" and "stupor."

I had this ride decades ago when it was new and being handed out to anyone a bit upset. In small amounts as needed, it's not as "fun" as a benzo but won't give benzo withdrawals or benzo impaired decision-making, so it's not exactly the worst thing on Earth but it giving males stuck taking multiple milligrams daily breasts is a reason for concern. For those female/female-presenting at least they don't have to worry about that.

They took me off 4mgs of ativan in 10 days. I was on them for 4 years. I couldn't handle the withdrawal and I mean extreme. So I'm back on them and still in bad shape. Becareful.

ב''ה,
Ah, benzos, alcohol 'without the mess,' so particularly if around a culture of functional or dysfunctional alcoholics it seems fine and maybe often is, but they can also play like alcohol and be simultaneously relieving of anxiety yet inducing of low mood, 'melancholy,' Bukowski and every famous Russian author attitude.

Anyway, some possibilities if quitting them are kava kava and, if it's still around anymore, that weird supposedly Russkie medication turned workout supplement "Phenibut." The weird thing with Phenibut is that if you know from benzos, it seems almost placebo.. as long as you aren't mixing it with alcohol. Honestly, just don't mix it with alcohol unless you want to know what drunk heaves and spins for 24 hours are. But thus, "while it seems subtle," if not doing that it may have a place easing benzo withdrawal and demonstrating how much more potent twiddling the BZD receptor is than even getting excess GABA right to the brain.

TL;DR for the withdrawal period Phenibut probably won't feel like anything but may possibly give you the same effect and stave off the worst withdrawal symptoms, maybe. Not sure if this has been scientifically studied anywhere. It will be boring compared to an actual benzo.