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Re:The Other Epidemic: Trying to get off benzodiazepines by petesergeant on Wednesday October 21, 2026 @01:16AM (#50176347)
> The gates to hell are finally opened once a benzo is prescribed ... The amount of DGAF/YOLO these drugs give the user are very understated

... let's dial this back a little here. I've been a (prescribed) benzo user for ~15 years, across xanax, valium, and klonopin. I regularly go for weeks at a time without taking them or thinking about them. I have taken some very, very large doses before (as part of a now-resolved fear of flying).

Firstly, yes, obviously, they are addictive. This is compounded by the fact that people are generally prescribed them when they really need them, and they are highly short-term effective. If you have acute mental distress and someone gives you a drug that switches that off in the short term, you are going to really want more of it when that distress comes back. Many people seem to have at least some low-level mental distress, and so many people respond really well to benzos. They also cause physical dependence, so cessation if you've taken them chronically for as little as a few weeks is going to be somewhere between annoying and extremely rough, quite aside from the addiction.

Secondly, the "amount of DGAF/YOLO". Some users experience dose-dependent impaired judgement, probably similar to alcohol? If you've taken a serious dose, you'll know you've taken something psychoactive. This isn't something that needs to factor in to your risk profile for taking 5mg of valium. A very small number (1%?) experience severe impaired judgement. Test one first.

Overall, they are a drug to approach with a lot of caution, and with the help of a doctor who you think understands the risks, like opiates. But like opiates, they are a miracle solution to a very difficult problem. If your doctor thinks you need to carry some Xanax around in your wallet for panic attacks, don't assume all hell will break loose. If your doctor wants you to take klonopin for five days while you switch SSRI, that's probably OK. If you're terrified of flying, but need to make your once-a-decade flight, gladly accept a dose of valium. On the other hand, if your doctor is prescribing a four-week once-a-day schedule, urgently seek out a second opinion unless they sit you down and are very clear on the risks with you first, and even then do some of your own research.

But be aware that they are highly effective at removing your acute mental distress, and if that's an issue for you anyway, you might be about to feel better than you've felt in years, and you need to be sure you're not going to reach for them when you don't actually need them, and kick off an addiction that will be very, very hard to shake.

Bottom line: miracle drug, but be as skeptical of them as doctor-prescribed opiates.

Re:The Other Epidemic: Trying to get off benzodiazepines by throwaway2037 on Wednesday October 21, 2026 @03:15AM (#50177138)
Thanks for the share. I really like these first hand accounts on HN.

Can you theorise on why you are not (less?) affected by the addictive elements of benzos? I'm not here to doubt, rather to ask: What are you doing differently? Are you someone with (insanely) high self-control... so you can back off if you feel the pressure of addiction?

Re:The Other Epidemic: Trying to get off benzodiazepines by pjc50 on Wednesday October 21, 2026 @04:56AM (#50177830)
Parent post uses the word "doctor" throughout. People with serious addiction problems are getting their drugs elsewhere, usually from people who make money by selling them more drugs.
Re:The Other Epidemic: Trying to get off benzodiazepines by petesergeant on Wednesday October 21, 2026 @04:56AM (#50177832)
I'm not regularly taking them more than once a week, which is more than enough time for it to get out of my system completely. Risky profile appears to be when it's in your bloodstream for several weeks.
Re:The Other Epidemic: Trying to get off benzodiazepines by habinero on Wednesday October 21, 2026 @09:42PM (#50190097)
I use them too on occasion and have for years. It really is only on occasion, my last prescription of 15 pills lasted over a year. I've had several times where I used them for 3-4 days.

I don't think self control has anything to do with it. Part of it is probably genetic -- I don't have a family history of addiction but a lot of people do.

The other part is I use them for a reason, I like having them available for that reason, and honestly I don't find them that fun to take outside of those reasons. I just feel kinda drunk.

Re:The Other Epidemic: Trying to get off benzodiazepines by mesoman on Friday October 23, 2026 @02:19PM (#50213257)
These medications are not "addictive." That requires improper use, and specifically, getting high with them.

But they definitely create "dependence," which is very different and comes with proper user of them.

The meds can change one's life for the better and do so for millions. But they have to be used to treat a problem, not to get high.

Re:The Other Epidemic: Trying to get off benzodiazepines by devin on Wednesday October 21, 2026 @11:41AM (#50182865)
Isn't it fairly standard these days for docs to offer hydroxizine instead of a benzo for panic attacks?
Re:The Other Epidemic: Trying to get off benzodiazepines by petesergeant on Wednesday October 21, 2026 @12:12PM (#50183395)
Never had one even bring it up, although I've taken it before as a sleeping pill. I hadn't realized onset is as quick as Xanax, and the effect size looks good, but it's never done very much for me for anxiety.
Re:The Other Epidemic: Trying to get off benzodiazepines by devin on Wednesday October 21, 2026 @12:21PM (#50183540)
Fair enough. I call it out because I know that some docs are trying it for people who have a history of substance abuse, and as a first line instead of jumping straight to benzos because of their risk profile. A lot of the reports I've read about hydroxizine are "it just knocks me out, which is I guess better than panicking", but also "it just knocks me out" seems preferable to risking dependency and the hell that benzo withdrawal can become.

Edit: Granted, falling asleep is not really conducive to being able to work. So I imagine there a number of people where "it made me fall asleep, but I can't do my job like that" is a non-starter, and short-term benzos is the only way forward.

Re:The Other Epidemic: Trying to get off benzodiazepines by mesoman on Friday October 23, 2026 @02:16PM (#50213209)
One point: there is a major difference between addiction and dependence. Addiction is about chasing a high, raising the dose as one builds tolerance.

Dependence is about having problems when quitting after using for a bit. It is an issue with proper use of benzos, antidepressants, etc. A person who is dependent on, say, Xanax may be just taking it regularly in a low dose. But when they quit, unpleasant symptoms can arise - beyond just a return of whatever they were being treated for. So quitting these often requires a long tapering process - see my post on "hyperbolic taper" above.

That person is not addicted, is not an addict, but rather is the usual responsible user of the medication.