The science of benzo dependence/tolerance

[[xe...]]

No doubt a good number of people who wind up taking benzos have histories involving emotional and/or physical trauma. 

 

My therapists say there's a correlation but I never felt that way. In my mind there is no connection but for the sake of this discussion...I witnessed my stepfather murder my mother when I was 10 (she wanted a divorce)

 

Wow, that's like something out of a movie or something, I'm really sorry princezz.

 

I am absolutely certain all the drug use has fried my brain, especially Suboxone and the benzos themselves -- going all over with the dosing for a decade, and the last c/t pushed me totally over the edge with a super-sensitized CNS. I do not have any real childhood trauma.

 

When I was on 6 months, I stopped c/t, was totally fine in 3 weeks.

[[...]]

I have read all the posts on this thread, some are very informative, and some are very sad. But overall, it seems like debating the benzo issue is like debating (the chicken and egg theory).

 

We were all put on benzos for a reason, be it insomnia, anxiety or whatever. We all have had or are still having withdrawal symptoms. Some are suffering terribly from these drugs, and have been, for a long time.

 

The bottom line is that we all want to be done with this and move on to a place in the world where we can find what we have lost, and resume a fulfilling and productive life again, and above all,  be happy and confident again.

 

If nothing else, I believe that we all have become more aware of the human condition, and have gained a higher level of compassion and understanding from our benzo experience.

 

pj

[[xe...]]

I've got a current pet theory here.

 

Both benzodiazepine use (minor -- long term issue) and benzodiazepine withdrawal (major) cause neural death via excitotoxosis/aptosis (excess glutamate, hyperactive neurons.) I do believe in benzodiazepine withdrawal, many critical GABA neurons die. This would result in even further downregulation. It explains how harsh benzodiazepine withdrawal can lead to longer recovery times -- it causes far more neural death. It would also explain kindling, with less receptors to work on, more of the drug is needed to achieve the same affect, and the brain isn't going to heal from the loss of these neurons when it is being made comfortable with enough drug to leave a functional system.

 

It also explains the long healing times from these drugs compared to other physically addictive substances. To heal from this, new neurons would have to grow and/or new connections be made and/or new receptor sites need to be spawned. It would explain the long time frames involved, and how messy the healing process is.

 

It would also explain the faster recovery from a taper... the softer landing you have, the less neurons die, the easier it is to repair.

 

The good news is... they do seem to actually grow back in nearly everyone. 

[[dr...]]

That's an interesting theory.  I'm not sure how it would explain the great change and variability in withdrawal symptoms though.

 

Draftsman 

[[De...]]

Had a theory or thought I figured I'd share. So when somebody takes an SSRI, they are advised to take it atleast 6 months to a year. For some, the meds can also stop working after 6 months or they start to build tolerance at or past this mark, as receptors downregulate and the body adapts. So is it a coincidence that benzo withdrawl can take 6-18 months? Who says that upregulation happens any faster than downregulation? (i.e. upregulation of gaba vs the downregulation of serotonin) Sure people can build tolerance to benzo's pretty rapidly but I think its because glutamate and gaba are so in balance that a little change has long reaching effects.

 

Also I believe that as we are going through withdrawl, our bodies stop making as much of a neurotransmitter in order to try and balance and protect, and that is why there are symptoms such as crazy fatigue, and cog fog and depression (short supply of dopamine and serotonin)