Looking for advice and reassurance.

I am 24 years old and I just need some reassurance. I have not been taking Benzos for a long time, only about a month, probably not even that long. I was taking Lorazepam for sleep at night and I was feeling very weird a few days later, as if I was in a dream or something. I was taking more than I was supposed to. But it was only over a very short amount of time. Maybe 3 weeks...then my doctor prescribed me Temazepam for insomnia and anxiety and it really helped me feel better and did what it was supposed to do. But he did not give me any refills. He wrote the script for 30 capsules and I was supposed to see him in a month. Now only pretty much a week later I only have a few of them left. I can't believe I did this to myself. I feel ashamed and stupid but I just hate withdrawals and I know that its going to hit me eventually. So I don't know what to do. My mother has Doxepin HCL 25mg but I don't know if they will get rid of the withdrawals from a Benzo. And I wouldn't even know what to say to my doctor, but I know I have to tell him about this.

Hello Jutsu88, and welcome to BenzoBuddies!  You'll find a lot of information and support here.  Most of our members are glad to share their tapering and withdrawal experiences.

 

As you know the best way to get off benzos is to taper off if you've used them for any length of time.  The suggested taper rate is 5/10% every 10/14 days.  Some taper faster and some slower than that, and the rate can be adjusted to meet your needs.  You can learn more about tapering on our General Taper Plans Board.  The second pink-highlighted post explains the three accepted taper methods.  Also:

 

The Ashton Manual is an authoritative source on what to expect in withdrawal and recovery.  Dr. Ashton is an expert in the field.  She describes and explains withdrawal symptoms, and there is also a section with withdrawal/taper schedules.

 

Members discuss their symptoms on The Withdrawal and Recovery Support Board.

 

Please take the time to Create a Signature.  This will allow others to see where you are in the process so they can better support you.

 

Again, welcome!

 

Hello Jutsu88,

 

Welcome to the forum from me too 

 

I'm sorry to hear about your situation. Sadly dependence on benzodiazepines can develop quite quickly, usually within a few weeks or months of regular or repeated use.

 

Not everybody has difficulty when withdrawing from benzos, some people have no trouble at all, you may be one of them. You haven't been taking the benzo for very long so we certainly wouldn't expect you to have a long drawn out recovery period, you may be a little symptomatic for a few weeks but hopefully you'll be fine after that.

 

I think it would be an idea for you to come clean with your doctor, I'm sure it wont be the first time he's heard this and he will hopefully prescribe you enough medication for you to carry out a taper. General tapering guidelines are to reduce the dosage by no more than 10% every 10 to 14 days but you may be able to taper quicker than this as you are a short term user and taking too long to taper would of course prolong the dependence, the length of taper normally shouldn't exceed the amount of time you were taking the drug.

 

Doxepin is a different class of medication, it is an antidepressant and would not really help with counteracting the benzo withdrawal effects apart from depression and antidepressants can take a few weeks to start working properly during which time they can make symptoms worse.

 

I'm glad you found us and I wish you well.

 

Debbie

Hey Deborah,

 

Thanks for replying to my post, My doctor has been in his profession for probably over 40 years so yeah, he most definitely had to deal with many times. Anyway, I know that its been a short time taking benzos for me, but when the Lorazepam was out of my system, I felt like I was in another reality, it was mostly mental. My back was a little sore but that wasn't anything I couldn't handle.

 

Do you know how long that "dream" feeling lasts when your getting off of these? I felt it for 3-4 days before I got my Temazepam.

Hi Jutsu88,

Theres no telling how long it will last. Wish I could tell you something, but I cant.

Try to forgive yourself for what happened. Many of us have done similar things in the past.

Trust me: there is nothing you can take that will take the withdrawal away. Taking your mother's Doxepin is actually doing the same thing as when you took extra Ativan or Temazepam. Please dont make this mistake. It will not make you feel better: no pill will. The only thing that will help is time, and learning new skills to deal with anxiety or insomnia or whatever. Good luck, and let us know how we can further help you.

eastcoast

Yeah....you're right. I'm not going to take the Doxepin. Although since I have a full time job and girlfriend. I think I am going to have to talk to my doctor and tell him whats going on. I can't fake being "okay" at work or in front of my girlfriend, it kills me.

Thats a tough situation, working.

Be super careful when you see the doctor....be wary of ANY prescription drug. There are none to help what youre going through, no matter what the doctor may tell you. Most doctors know precious little about benzos and their withdrawal.... sad, but true. And they dont know what to do, except prescribe a drug. Its all they have! But NONE will help. I hope you believe me....it is the truth.

east

Yea I hear ya man. The doctor that I am seeing is a Subutex doctor. He specializes in helping people with addiction problems to opiates and things of that nature. He is a really good guy and very understandable. Even though I haven't taken benzos long I want to do a quick taper if possible.

 

Love this forum/Love you guys.