Tolerance Withdrawal and taper stablization

[[Lu...]]

Question: If i take the same dose for years I develop a tolerance and it takes more to get the same effect. BUT if I taper slowly then supposedly I heal some or stabilize. That doesn't make sense. Why wouldn't I always suffer from tolerance withdrawal in a taper? or, in other words, why would tolerance even exists if i can cut in a taper and stabilize?

[[La...]]

It may well be that you don't feel better while you're doing a taper. But the idea is that you're getting off the medication safely and allowing some time for your body to adjust to lower doses (i.e. "stabilize"). It may take a long while to feel better, but as far as we know, there isn't an easy way around the need to get off it safely and slowly. Everyone is different, and the factors include length of time on the medication, which medication, half-life, dosage, genetics, complicating factors (such as alcohol or drug use), age, etc. It's not always simple and straightforward. However, I think it's pretty much agreed that, in most cases, it's better to get off the benzos than to stay on them. "Healing" is a long-term thing.

[[Lu...]]

Thank you so much for your reply. Have a great day.

[[La...]]

I wish you all the best! Just keep your eyes on the prize, and know that you're doing the right thing.

 

[[Br...]]

Question: If i take the same dose for years I develop a tolerance and it takes more to get the same effect. BUT if I taper slowly then supposedly I heal some or stabilize. That doesn't make sense. Why wouldn't I always suffer from tolerance withdrawal in a taper? or, in other words, why would tolerance even exists if i can cut in a taper and stabilize?

 

Hello Lucid.  Good question.  Tolerance is very poorly understood by researchers but they know it does happen.  Some people get it much more significantly than others.  It's almost as if the benzos set in motion some mechanism is the body which makes it perform poorly unless more benzo is taken than is currently being consumed.

 

And, yes, tolerance does continue to exist even as you reduce your dose.  At 4mg you can be in tolerance and also at 3mg and even at 2mg and the chances are you will also be in tolerance at 1mg.  I know it seems strange. 

 

There are yet other stranger things about tolerance which I won't mention here because they may cloud the picture you are trying to see.

 

 

[[Bi...]]

Question: If i take the same dose for years I develop a tolerance and it takes more to get the same effect. BUT if I taper slowly then supposedly I heal some or stabilize. That doesn't make sense. Why wouldn't I always suffer from tolerance withdrawal in a taper? or, in other words, why would tolerance even exists if i can cut in a taper and stabilize?

 

Hello Lucid.  Good question.  Tolerance is very poorly understood by researchers but they know it does happen.  Some people get it much more significantly than others.  It's almost as if the benzos set in motion some mechanism is the body which makes it perform poorly unless more benzo is taken than is currently being consumed.

 

And, yes, tolerance does continue to exist even as you reduce your dose.  At 4mg you can be in tolerance and also at 3mg and even at 2mg and the chances are you will also be in tolerance at 1mg.  I know it seems strange. 

 

There are yet other stranger things about tolerance which I won't mention here because they may cloud the picture you are trying to see.

 

I was in tolerance for 2 years from 2010 to 2012 before I quit it July 2012.  Looking back those 2 years in tolerance were still happy and productive years for me while I got zero benefits from taking the pills.  I feel worse now than I did while in tolerance.  Still hoping to heal that last 10% and I'm just starting to realize now that the home stretch is going to be the longest part.  The more I heal the more I realize how far I still have to go :'(  Man-O-man this takes a long time :'( :'( :'(