How do you find a safe product?

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My (adult) son has a 300mg/d benzo addiction (diazepam). He has twice been in rehab, the last of which was for 90 days, with a relapse within a week. He would like to follow the Ashton Manual for withdrawal. I cannot find any withdrawal clinics that would provide a tapper for him. I believe he'd like to get a supply from a dealer and have me administer it following the manual. I am certainly desperate to help him, but condoning street-bought drugs seems nuts. We reside in the UK. Any guidance is welcome, please.

[[Br...]]

Hello @[...] - welcome to BenzoBuddies-

From what we see here at BenzoBuddies rehab/detox facilities are often fail to provide tapers that work well in the long run.  Almost invariably they taper patients way too fast which usually results in months of difficult withdrawal symptoms.  The prevailing view of benzo tapering experts, as you already know from the Ashton manual,  is that benzos need to be tapered gradually.  I'm glad you've found the Ashton manual.  

I don't know enough about the UK health system to know how you could approach this going through a medical provider. Hopefully members from the UK will give input here.  But it would be best if your son could get diazepam through a prescriber because it's the best way to guarantee the quality of the medication.  Have you and your son approached his doctor about this?

[[je...]]

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Firstly, thank you both for replying and my apologies for not realising you had!

I'm not sure if I know the distinction between addiction and dependency. I would assume the latter. He has struggled with mental health issues (sensorimotor OCD, anxiety and depression) for roughly 7-8 years. He was prescribed diazepam by his psychiatrist a few times over the years. Then, sadly, he was involved in an accident in Oct 2020 that put him in a coma for 11 days, during which time he developed seizures and was given high levels of benzodiazepam. He was discharged with a two-month supply of clonazepam. Since his recovery, he quickly raised his daily intake (with diazepam). I'm not sure when he started buying it from a dealer. He asked to enter rehab in July 2022 because of his addiction/dependence. I believe he resumed shortly after he left. Then, this year, he again requested rehab as his intake was so high (300 mg/d). 

We have spoken with his psychiatrist, who cannot assist and recommended Lifeworks, but they will not taper slowly. ProjectSctript360, a charity out of Bristol, reportedly follows the Ashon manual but feels anything above 40 mg/d is washed from the body, so they taper from 40. 

[[...]]

Firstly, thank you both for replying and my apologies for not realising you had!

I'm not sure if I know the distinction between addiction and dependency. I would assume the latter. He has struggled with mental health issues (sensorimotor OCD, anxiety and depression) for roughly 7-8 years. He was prescribed diazepam by his psychiatrist a few times over the years. Then, sadly, he was involved in an accident in Oct 2020 that put him in a coma for 11 days, during which time he developed seizures and was given high levels of benzodiazepam. He was discharged with a two-month supply of clonazepam. Since his recovery, he quickly raised his daily intake (with diazepam). I'm not sure when he started buying it from a dealer. He asked to enter rehab in July 2022 because of his addiction/dependence. I believe he resumed shortly after he left. Then, this year, he again requested rehab as his intake was so high (300 mg/d). 

We have spoken with his psychiatrist, who cannot assist and recommended Lifeworks, but they will not taper slowly. ProjectSctript360, a charity out of Bristol, reportedly follows the Ashon manual but feels anything above 40 mg/d is washed from the body, so they taper from 40. 

[[je...]]

Hi @[...]

I am so sorry to hear about everything your son and you have been through. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been.

I am going to try and explain the difference between addiction and physical dependence. Most people here on BB are physically dependent on the drug. It means we need the drug to be able to physically function. If we stop using it or we decrease the dose, we experience withdrawal symptoms that impact our normal functioning and it can be debilitating to non-functional at times. We do not crave the drug or get any psychological benefit from it. We have no desire to increase it (and most people will not not) other than to regain some level of physical functionality and decrease pain levels. It doesn't provide a 'high'. From what you're describing it sounds to me that your son's most pressing problem is addiction. He might very well have dependence as well.

The problem though is, in my opinion, people who struggle with addiction issues cannot taper. That's my opinion from what I've seen here on BB. I have never seen anyone with addiction problems complete a taper to be honest. I personally don't think following the Ashton Manual will work for him. My opinion is those who deal with addiction issues have the best chance of succeeding at in-patient detox facilities, under medical supervision, and they really need to have the willpower to succeed. I do know of people with addiction problems who have quit benzo's this way. Because of his history of seizures and his very high dose, it's really important to not make large reductions in his dose or quit cold turkey. If he's making large reductions, he needs to be under medical supervision. You might be interested in reading this thread - it's very similar to your situation, except it's a child trying to help a parent: