Are there persons who do not get tolerant/dependent on benzo?

[[te...]]

Wasn't quite sure where to post this and a search came up blank.

 

Conventional wisdom is that benzos poop out after about 3 weeks so that you have to raise the dose to maintain the same effect.

 

However, I have heard folk who swear that benzos 'carry on working' for them over a much longer period.

 

Is there any truth in this?

[Guest [ba...]]

It seems to vary a lot from person to person.  There are lots of people here who c/t'd without difficulty earlier in their lives, but somehow get reinstated later in life and find they now need to taper.  So age and/or prior exposure seem to have an effect.  I'm sure genetics plays a big role too.  There's also a psychological factors and dependencies to consider. 

 

It's complex.

 

I took klonopin for sleep for over 4 years before any noticeable tolerance occurred.  I'm sure that some low level tolerance was slowly building before then, but no up-dose was required.  Lots of people take the same dose for 10+ years, while some find it wearing out after just a few months.

[[Th...]]

I believe it's all over the map.  I took Benzos for 3 months, CT'd and didn't experience anything.  I went off for 6 weeks, then went back on for another 3 months, but at much higher doses.  Tolerance quickly set in after about 3-4 weeks of use, but being unaware of any possibility of WD, I took them for another 2 months and then found BenzoBuddies.  For some reason, some people are able to stay on them for years or even decades without experiencing tolerance WD or symptoms. 

 

I believe that is why they are so widely prescribed because a certain percentage never experience WD no matter how long they were on or how they get off (a CT, detox or taper)?

 

Prescribing guidelines say 2 - 4 weeks max, but that is routinely ignored. 

 

IMO the goal should be to live drug free even if you can tolerate Benzos or other drugs for years and years.

[[te...]]

Thank you both for your kind replies. It concurs with what I have experienced personally and read about on these forums

 

I'm not opposed to the use of benzos since some folk need them to survive. However, I believe like all of us here that we should try and taper off when the moment seems right.

 

Teru