How long does it take for benzos to leave your system?

[[Buddie]]

I am actually good with the cold turkey.   This all started with insomnia and I knew that when I started taking the Restoril 7 years ago that it may have been a mistake.  I went with it and finally became a benzo junky in the end.   I don't sense that a seizure is in my near future from the sudden withdrawal.   Sleep is an issue though and I continue to take an over-the-counter Advil PM for that.   I sometimes wish that I had tried some of that PM stuff in the early days of insomnia, but I opted for a "doctor's" treatment.   Today was a major fatigue day after stopping the benzos.  No energy, no [...], no care about what may happen next... might be labeled as "depression".   Since I know that the depression is caused by withdrawal, I can deal with it.   Otherwise, I am still okay for the most part.   I wonder what my cells are thinking? 

[[Buddie]]

[...],

Glad you are still doing O.K.  [...] you stay that way.

[[Buddie]]

The only thing that is really bothering me is extreme fatigue.   Doesn't matter what I do (sleep 7-8 hours or drink coffee) I am unable to feel much energy at all... hard to sit up straight at work.   I've noticed my joints creaking and popping a lot too (Valium is a skeletal relaxant) and now that the relaxant has been taken away, I sound like a bag of bones!  I think that the last time I did a withdrawal (about 2.5 years ago) my liver was saturated with benzos & benzo-related garbage because I took a lot of pills around the clock for about 4 years and there were a lot of problems stemming from that.  This time I think my intake was much lower and I have done a couple of liver cleansings in the past year.   If I hadn't, I might be on the floor right now, but I'm not.

Moving into the 72-hour range since I took the last 10mg Valium.   

[[Buddie]]

[...],

Good luck with your cold turkey.  Really [...] it works out well for you and that you come out of it unscathed.  Worried a lot about you though.

[[Buddie]]

Hello [...],

I'm at the 144-hour range since I stopped the Valium.  I did succumb to what seemed like an intestinal virus & fever for a couple of days, but I am feeling much better now.  After 2 days of ingesting nothing but water, I am starting to eat again.  I had to skip work for a day, but I may be able to go back tomorrow.  I don't think that this ailment is related to stopping the Valium intake.  Sleep is okay with the Advil PM for now.

Thanks much for your concern.  It means a lot. 

[[Buddie]]

this is really interesting - i don't think i read this before - [...] - you are our lab rat.

i have a concern here - if this does hit you hard - that is not good.

i [...] you make it finish ok - i am interested in the outcome.

there has not been enough research on this subject - i suspect most of the research has been done w/o a heart - ashton was the only person i felt had a handle on this issue.

but you may well open another pardyme for us to see gee i just hate it when google can't spell a word - you have to sound out paradym - to see what i meant.

[[Buddie]]

Hi [...],
I read that you take advil pm. You know, unless you actually have a pain problem that is keeping you from sleeping, you would be better off taking plain benadryl or Unisom (that stuff is great! half a pill used to knock me out). There's no sense in taking the extra pain med of advil, As it can be hard on your kidneys if taken on a regular basis. Same goes for tylenol pm, which is hard on the liver.  Just a suggestion
[...]

[[Buddie]]

I was having a lot of joint/muscle pain from taking the benzos it seems.   It followed me right into the W/D period.   Now that I am 20 days into it, I don't feel any more pain.  The Advil PM doesn't work very well anymore.  I need to take 2 of them with some natural sleep capsules that contain some melatonin just to get to sleep for more than 5 hours.   Insomnia is always a problem, thus the need to turn to meds which is what got me into the benzos in the first place.  I've taken Unisom in the past with not much success.  There is also Alluna which contains valerian and hops which doesn't do much.  Maybe Unisom plus Alluna would work, but neither one alone will do the job. 

[[Buddie]]

i find what used to work for me isn't working that well anymore.

i do better with liquid forms of stuffs - enters your system faster.

i have some real smelly valerian tea - Valerian hops is the strongest form of Valerian - it may come in a tincture somewhere.

i have gone back to smoking - i am smoking indian spirit filtered.

[[Buddie]]

It's true, anything you take for sleep, whether it's "natural" or otc, prescribed, will tend to lose effectiveness. Rotating, or carefully combining, I suppose might do the trick. I guess we have to experiment on ourselves.

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