Alternative to benzos

[Steamer]

Hi guys, need some solid advice here...

My grandmother took a fall about 2 years ago, broke her wrist and had to go into medical rehab. Shortly after we started to notice that she wasn't in a good shape at all: she was very confused, unpredictable, had severe hallucinations, could barely move (let alone holding something in her hand),...

After a while, she was 'fully recovered' but we could see no signs of that. Her situation slightly improved during her time there, but we didn't feel comfortable taking her back home and she couldn't stay there. We even called the hospital to see what they could do, but they couldn't help her either as her health was fine. Back home it was, we did everything within our power to take care of her and she eventually started to feel better.

Long story short: after a few days my grandfather saw that her situation was taking a turn for the worst and quickly made the link with the sleeping pills (Temesta) that she started taking again after getting out of the hospital and were prescribed to her for the last 35 YEARS!!!!! We knew that she took sleeping pills, but not for such a long period of time. Her situation in the hospital now made sense to us, but well trained professionals who worked with her for over two months weren't able to see this. She was in medical rehab, but also drug rehab. And she had to do it cold turkey...

Her situation has improved a lot, until earlier this year when she had a minor thrombosis and ended up in the hospital once again. She's been suffering from palpitations and shortness of breath (not related to the thrombosis), usually in the morning after getting out of bed whilst every possible test at different hospitals result gave the same verdict: for an 87 year old, she's in remarkably good condition and there are no signs that anything's wrong. So in order to battle the symptoms, her doctor gave her another prescription. FUCKING XANAX

Again, she started taking these because why wouldn't you trust a doctor? I found out about this just yesterday, so now she's gradually lowering her dose again in order to kick this garbage once and forever. But we really don't know what to do at this time, doctors only seem to battle the symptoms and not the illness itself. What got me calmed down was the fact that there's probably nothing wrong with her and that she's been very stressed out (she's been like this for all her life), so they probably just wanted to take the edge off. But what they seem to forget, is that she suffers from all but one side effects found on every prescription. It took about 5 different types of blood thinners before she found the one that seems to give the least side effects...

We're exploring other options and CDB is one of them, but I don't have any experience with this. Because of the side effects are always there and most elderly people take a plethera of pills every day just to keep their bodies going, I'm a bit worried. Would it be a wise decision to at least give it a try and what are the most common side effects?


I for sure have lost my faith in classic medicine

 

[Vaporware]

The main thing to be aware of is that CBD (in a similar way to grapefruit) actually does have some drug interactions. I believe it ends up slowing the processing of certain drugs in your liver which leads to higher concentrations in your blood over a longer period which could cause an overdose if you keep taking it.

I’m not a doctor and I may be getting something wrong there, but I know it’s related to Cytochrome P-450 enzymes in the liver. That might help in your research at least.

Just make sure you check for possible interactions with things she’s taking, and if it’s all okay I think it’s worth a shot. It does help me with anxiety.

Good luck and I hope more people with more extensive medical knowledge can help you more.

 

[EverythingsHazy]

I read this post a few times, but it's a bit unclear to me..

1. What is she taking now?

2. What is she trying to treat with each medication?

3. What do you need to replace Xanax in order to treat?

4. By "CDB", do you mean "CBD"?

Also, be sure to run anything and everything you try with her, by her doctor. Almost nobody on these forums is a doctor, and a real M.D. wouldn't give personal medical advice to a stranger online for legal and practical reasons. It's difficult enough to diagnose things and judge reactions when you can physically meet with a patient.

Good luck!

 

[west-elec]

Is she requesting this herself or are you her medical power of attorney? Is she mentally competent and does she actively take part in her health care?
If it isn't being driven by your grandmother even if it might help, then morally you shouldn't be administering her anything.
You should probably look for a new doctor, go along if she permits, and openly ask the doctors about it. Many have been reading all about it in journals and might be only too happy to try some treatments. Often they only prescribe the same junk because of habit and convention and because the pharma rep is so nice.

 

[Steamer]

Just make sure you check for possible interactions with things she’s taking, and if it’s all okay I think it’s worth a shot. It does help me with anxiety.

We've been investigating this and it looks like nothing will interact with CBD. Whatever happens, we will always contact a doctor just to be sure.

I read this post a few times, but it's a bit unclear to me..

1. What is she taking now?

2. What is she trying to treat with each medication?

3. What do you need to replace Xanax in order to treat?

4. By "CDB", do you mean "CBD"?

Also, be sure to run anything and everything you try with her, by her doctor. Almost nobody on these forums is a doctor, and a real M.D. wouldn't give personal medical advice to a stranger online for legal and practical reasons. It's difficult enough to diagnose things and judge reactions when you can physically meet with a patient.

Good luck!

1. Apart from the usual medication (blood thinners and cholesterol-lowering drugs), she's only taking Xanax.
2. The above mentioned drugs were prescribed for obvious reasons, but the Xanax was prescribed to battle shortness of breath and anxiety
3. Not sure what you mean by this, but Xanax is giving her serious side effects. So bad that they're worse than the actual symptoms that she wants to battle
4. Yes

Is she requesting this herself or are you her medical power of attorney? Is she mentally competent and does she actively take part in her health care?
If it isn't being driven by your grandmother even if it might help, then morally you shouldn't be administering her anything.
You should probably look for a new doctor, go along if she permits, and openly ask the doctors about it. Many have been reading all about it in journals and might be only too happy to try some treatments. Often they only prescribe the same junk because of habit and convention and because the pharma rep is so nice.

My grandparents are 87 and 88 years old, they have been taking the doctor's advice for granted but now they are in serious doubt. Every prescription that she gets usually results in more side effects than positive results. They really don't know what to do anymore and neither do we, but one thing's for sure: my grandmother is not a guinee pig so we're not trying something without consulting the true professionals, even when we don't really know if that's what they actually are.
As I've said before, I somehow understand why they went down the road of giving her benzos once again, it probably works very well for most people but absolutely not for her, so another doctor will probably be the right choice. I keep asking myself is how CBD could be worse than benzos, but at the same time we won't be taking any risk!

 

[Shadooz]

First, only THC act on the agmydala and "can" be a real benzo alternative, until it does the opposite by "overdosing" (sympathetic raise).

And 87 years old is really old for THC use, as she never get used to it. sympathetic stimulation will just be way too risky.

Cannabinoid Modulation of Amygdala Reactivity to Social Signals of Threat in Humans

The cannabinoid (CB) system is a key neurochemical mediator of anxiety and fear learning in both animals and humans. The anxiolytic effects of Δ[9] -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, are believed to be ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Now, about CBD, u will take interaction risk with no, or low, benefice...

Apart from the usual medication (blood thinners and cholesterol-lowering drugs), she's only taking Xanax.

Blood thinner are the most impacted by CBD !
They can be use together, cbd will potentializing the blodd thinner if done right.
but not without a doctor to control the blood thickeness, and so dose the "blood thinner" with its cbd increasing.
U can give her hemorrhage...

So she can only try CBD if her doctor follow her with chronic hemostase test.

 

[Muffinman252]

I'm very sorry to hear of your situation. I understand how stressful and difficult that can be. Similar story with my mother. They literally ended up killing her. Liver completely shot by age 60. After a lifetime of having a slew of trash doctors who threw every pill they could at her every visit with no concern as to what pills she was already taking or getting from other specialists. She had a giant tub full of prescriptions. Her GP also was so "great" he started prescribing me benzos first and then Ambien and then pain pills, yes pain pills. Starting in high school going on into college. But anyway I have experience with sleeping medication and that alone causes anxiety and heart palpitations especially in the morning when it wears off. It feels like you go through withdrawal every morning. And as for benzos, they can cause that too if doses aren't kept up with regularly, but I personally have found it best to take less when needed to balance out tolerance issues. CBD could help but it could also do the same thing. Especially if it is full spectrum. I recently started using CBD flower and it's been great but there are times it can feel a little edgey (sp?) So dunno if that would be something you want to risk cuz that can be rather frightening for someone of that age. You could potentially try valerian root. There is also an over the counter sleep aid called Alteril in a yellow box. And that was the only over the counter product I found to help me as a benzo replacement during earlier years. Make sure to check what's in it and interactions of course if you try that. Good luck. Take care.

 

[C No Ego]

@Steamer ProjectCBD - Drug primer

https://www.projectcbd.org/how-to/cbd-drug-interactions

not sure your location or what is avaiable ( politicaians are deciding our nature derived meds per state) but you can get Acidic form cannabis products ( THC-a / CBD-a ) that all act similar to CBD ... if ingesting cannabis raw it is basically that ... not many people know this and with laws being like they are real live plants are rare ... to live in such a world truly Sucks Balls

 

[Shadooz]

ProjectCBD - Drug primer

https://www.projectcbd.org/how-to/cbd-drug-interactions

Blood thinner are the most impacted by CBD !
They can be use together, cbd will potentializing the blodd thinner if done right.

Thanks you, C No Ego, i was looking the british word for french "potentialisant"

traductors gave me nothing back then... but it's "potentiate" and no one even corrected me

 

[Steamer]

Thanks everyone for your support and good advice!

Sadly my grandmother has been taken into hospital on Saturday with severe withdrawal symptoms. After consulting a (new) doctor we decided to gradually decrease the dose, but she doesn't seem to react very well to that... She's doing OK for now, let's see if they can give her the right treatment

 

[EverythingsHazy]

Best wishes for your grandmother, and for all of you, as well. Dealing with a family member's health issues takes a toll on everyone involved, so make sure you are taking care of your own mental health, especially these days. I hope it all gets sorted out as soon as possible!

 

[Shadooz]

Sadly my grandmother has been taken into hospital on Saturday with severe withdrawal symptoms.

talking about withdrawal, it's the Xanax ones ?
Because u never said how long she has been taken it, and neither she started a disaccustoming cure.
You sounded like she was just starting the Xanax.

 

[Steamer]

talking about withdrawal, it's the Xanax ones ?
Because u never said how long she has been taken it, and neither she started a disaccustoming cure.
You sounded like she was just starting the Xanax.

She's had Xanax since the beginning of this year. After we consulted the new doctor, we found out that there were previous warnings from colleagues that she's extremely sensitive to benzos, so he took the decision to cut down the dose.

 

[verdampersweats]

I found 80mg for me was a good subsitute for diazepam they are closely related right? You can not trust a doctor i made that mistake this year. Gave in during peak stress to try diazepam.

Results were libido dead, Numbness and lack of will to engage in conversation. Then followed after a week by feet and finger numbness. After stopping they all told me it was in my mind. It took like 8 weeks or more for the sensitivity in my fingers and toes to go away. I can say now a few months later it did go away but people have tried to kill themselves because thier sensations never went away.


Doctors are complete crooks tied to whatever thier computer screen approves as a treatment. At least if you are outside of the UK you got options. After getting diagnosed with the sort of anxiety that means in order to get a blood sample the arm has to be pinned due to tremors etc they basically told me yours free to go medication free because i reject the diazepam. So they force me onto sick benefits which actually doesnt cover it at all. Indeed the CBD [80mg] i keep for bad days and simply vape herb all day and manage about the same as the benzos or diaze. But they refuse to engage in such conversations its either take the pills or you leave the room.

In short, Its a protection racket for big pharma who leave the doctor with his hands tied behind his back.

 

[Robert-in-YEG]

Hi guys, need some solid advice here...

My grandmother took a fall about 2 years ago, broke her wrist and had to go into medical rehab. Shortly after we started to notice that she wasn't in a good shape at all: she was very confused, unpredictable, had severe hallucinations, could barely move (let alone holding something in her hand),...

After a while, she was 'fully recovered' but we could see no signs of that. Her situation slightly improved during her time there, but we didn't feel comfortable taking her back home and she couldn't stay there. We even called the hospital to see what they could do, but they couldn't help her either as her health was fine. Back home it was, we did everything within our power to take care of her and she eventually started to feel better.

Long story short: after a few days my grandfather saw that her situation was taking a turn for the worst and quickly made the link with the sleeping pills (Temesta) that she started taking again after getting out of the hospital and were prescribed to her for the last 35 YEARS!!!!! We knew that she took sleeping pills, but not for such a long period of time. Her situation in the hospital now made sense to us, but well trained professionals who worked with her for over two months weren't able to see this. She was in medical rehab, but also drug rehab. And she had to do it cold turkey...

Her situation has improved a lot, until earlier this year when she had a minor thrombosis and ended up in the hospital once again. She's been suffering from palpitations and shortness of breath (not related to the thrombosis), usually in the morning after getting out of bed whilst every possible test at different hospitals result gave the same verdict: for an 87 year old, she's in remarkably good condition and there are no signs that anything's wrong. So in order to battle the symptoms, her doctor gave her another prescription. FUCKING XANAX

Again, she started taking these because why wouldn't you trust a doctor? I found out about this just yesterday, so now she's gradually lowering her dose again in order to kick this garbage once and forever. But we really don't know what to do at this time, doctors only seem to battle the symptoms and not the illness itself. What got me calmed down was the fact that there's probably nothing wrong with her and that she's been very stressed out (she's been like this for all her life), so they probably just wanted to take the edge off. But what they seem to forget, is that she suffers from all but one side effects found on every prescription. It took about 5 different types of blood thinners before she found the one that seems to give the least side effects...

We're exploring other options and CDB is one of them, but I don't have any experience with this. Because of the side effects are always there and most elderly people take a plethera of pills every day just to keep their bodies going, I'm a bit worried. Would it be a wise decision to at least give it a try and what are the most common side effects?


I for sure have lost my faith in classic medicine

I took benzos for a lot of years. After age 50, I was advised to wean off. For me, I slowly tapered down over 18 months; it was quite easy. However, for many, addiction to benzos can be a living hell. It was during this time that I started using medical cannabis.

Health issues get more complicated as we age. We need to work with knowledgeable doctors to make the best choices. Unfortunately, the system doesn't make this easy.

My brother in law is from China. He is a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). For me, TCM seems crazy and unscientific. Despite that, after 4 weeks of acupuncture three times a week, my pulse rate is slower, blood pressure is down, and no migraines. Western medicine is great at diagnosis. TCM focuses on the body healing itself.

Are there other doctors? Can you access alternative healthcare?

Robert-in-YEG

 

[andrew`124c41+]

Hi guys, need some solid advice here...

My grandmother took a fall about 2 years ago, broke her wrist and had to go into medical rehab. Shortly after we started to notice that she wasn't in a good shape at all: she was very confused, unpredictable, had severe hallucinations, could barely move (let alone holding something in her hand),...

After a while, she was 'fully recovered' but we could see no signs of that. Her situation slightly improved during her time there, but we didn't feel comfortable taking her back home and she couldn't stay there. We even called the hospital to see what they could do, but they couldn't help her either as her health was fine. Back home it was, we did everything within our power to take care of her and she eventually started to feel better.

Long story short: after a few days my grandfather saw that her situation was taking a turn for the worst and quickly made the link with the sleeping pills (Temesta) that she started taking again after getting out of the hospital and were prescribed to her for the last 35 YEARS!!!!! We knew that she took sleeping pills, but not for such a long period of time. Her situation in the hospital now made sense to us, but well trained professionals who worked with her for over two months weren't able to see this. She was in medical rehab, but also drug rehab. And she had to do it cold turkey...

Her situation has improved a lot, until earlier this year when she had a minor thrombosis and ended up in the hospital once again. She's been suffering from palpitations and shortness of breath (not related to the thrombosis), usually in the morning after getting out of bed whilst every possible test at different hospitals result gave the same verdict: for an 87 year old, she's in remarkably good condition and there are no signs that anything's wrong. So in order to battle the symptoms, her doctor gave her another prescription. FUCKING XANAX

Again, she started taking these because why wouldn't you trust a doctor? I found out about this just yesterday, so now she's gradually lowering her dose again in order to kick this garbage once and forever. But we really don't know what to do at this time, doctors only seem to battle the symptoms and not the illness itself. What got me calmed down was the fact that there's probably nothing wrong with her and that she's been very stressed out (she's been like this for all her life), so they probably just wanted to take the edge off. But what they seem to forget, is that she suffers from all but one side effects found on every prescription. It took about 5 different types of blood thinners before she found the one that seems to give the least side effects...

We're exploring other options and CDB is one of them, but I don't have any experience with this. Because of the side effects are always there and most elderly people take a plethera of pills every day just to keep their bodies going, I'm a bit worried. Would it be a wise decision to at least give it a try and what are the most common side effects?


I for sure have lost my faith in classic medicine

I spent several years in my early career as a physician, as medical director for a hospital based substance abuse treatment center. The benzo abstinence syndrome is the worst of all the drug classes in my opinion. Jordan Peterson, the Canadian Conservative Professor of Psychology spent a year trying to get off of them. He eventually wound up in a Russian addiction treatment center that had the expertise to deal with him.

He was given benzos to help with some medical issue, I don't recall the details. By his own account, it nearly killed him. Terrible anxiety, restlessness, insomnia and hallucinations are not uncommon.

Patients should be weened off by substituting a long acting benzo and weening the patient off by lowering the dosage slowly over time.

Patients not only go through acute withdrawal symptoms but some are secondary or post withdrawal syndrome symptoms. Insomnia and anxiety are symptoms that can persist for a long time

 

[Robert-in-YEG]

He eventually wound up in a Russian addiction treatment center that had the expertise to deal with him.

Likely because of incompetent doctors caught up in group think. For some, benzo's have a place, but they come with the cost of addiction.

I took benzos for almost 10 years, weaning off after age 50 because of the risks associated with early onset dementia. Weaning off took about 18 months. I was lucky. Some struggle far more than I did.

Cannabis is not a substitute for benzos, but cannabis helps.

Robert-in-YEG

"There's no such thing as a soul. It's just something they made up to scare kids, like the boogeyman or Michael Jackson."
~ Bart Simpson

 

[andrew`124c41+]

Likely because of incompetent doctors caught up in group think. For some, benzo's have a place, but they come with the cost of addiction.

I took benzos for almost 10 years, weaning off after age 50 because of the risks associated with early onset dementia. Weaning off took about 18 months. I was lucky. Some struggle far more than I did.

Cannabis is not a substitute for benzos, but cannabis helps.

Robert-in-YEG

"There's no such thing as a soul. It's just something they made up to scare kids, like the boogeyman or Michael Jackson."
~ Bart Simpson

What you did is remarkable. Ten years use is a very long time. 18 months may seem like a long time to those who never went through this but it is quite an accomplishment.

 

[Robert-in-YEG]

What you did is remarkable. Ten years use is a very long time. 18 months may seem like a long time to those who never went through this but it is quite an accomplishment.

Every person is unique when it comes to addictions.

When my mom had a stroke, she was told to stop smoking. Even after getting cancer, she could not beat tobacco.

When my dad had a heart attack, he stopped smoking the next day. For him, quitting was a decision.

I have been very lucky when it comes to physical addiction. I took Tylenol 3 and Tylenol 4 for years to manage migraines. I reached a point where I didn't know if I had a migraine, or if it was withdrawal. Quitting opiates, was maybe a week or two of discomfort. Benzos were a bigger challenge, but again, I adapted to the change.

Robert-in-YEG

"Each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible"
~ Viktor E. Frankl

 

[Steamer]

Thanks everyone for your comments and please excuse me for neglecting this topic a bit, it's been a rough couple of months... My grandmother has recovered a fair bit since she got back from the hospital but we're still awaiting further examination which has obviously been postponed due to Covid...

One thing's for sure: those benzos have messed her up more than I could ever imagine and I have no idea how I can deal with this. MDs seem to be handing them out like Halloween treats and don't inform you on how to deal with them, and it's all legal.

She's been doing very well with some natural extracts, which was actually proposed by the intern that took over from their regular MD during her holiday. I haven't lost faith in western medicine completely, but a lot of damage has been done already...

 

[Robert-in-YEG]

MDs seem to be handing them out like Halloween treats and don't inform you on how to deal with them, and it's all legal.

Benzos are one of the most dangerous drugs because addiction happens so quickly.

Going back to 2009, I was taking benzo's daily, but never thought much about it. Work required me to make a quick trip, I forgot my meds, and three days later I had a seizure and ended up in the emergency ward. When the doctor asked what meds I was taking and if I had missed any, he knew exactly why I was there. He gave me an Ativan and sent me home to take clonazepam.

The herb meds that helped me while on benzos were Valerian Root and Kava. For me, taking fish oil helps with everything, including mental heaalth.

Robert-in-YEG

“The moment you have in your heart this extraordinary thing called love and feel the depth, the delight, the ecstasy of it, you will discover that for you the world is transformed.”
~ Jiddu Krishnamurti

 

[Shadooz]

Cannabis is not a substitute for benzos, but cannabis helps.

THC is.

But not enough for some acute long term benzo withdrowal..

Requote of myself, forever(?) Pushing da boulder..

Cannabinoid Modulation of Amygdala Reactivity to Social Signals of Threat in Humans

The cannabinoid (CB) system is a key neurochemical mediator of anxiety and fear learning in both animals and humans. The anxiolytic effects of Δ[9] -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, are believed to be ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Cannabinoid-related agents in the treatment of anxiety disorders: current knowledge and future perspectives

Rich evidence has shown that cannabis products exert a broad gamut of effects on emotional regulation. The main psychoactive ingredient of hemp, Δ[9] -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and its synthetic cannabinoid analogs have been reported to either ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[mephisto]

Not that my suggestion would be suitable for your Grandmother, however there is some anecdotal accounts of Wild Lettuce extract working to address tension/anxiety issues. I have had good experiences with this herb. Please do your research as I have read concerns over this plant's impact on heart rhythm.
I would rather place my bets on Mother Nature than Big Pharmer as to safety and efficacy.

 

[Shadooz]

address tension/anxiety issues. I have had good experiences with this herb.

The best tension/anxiety reliever are orgasms..
After a lot of lurking, of medical expertise.. i recommend the sybian.



There is only one Mephistopheles, me!
"What's up doc... faust?"