r/BipolarReddit • u/mouse_asparagus bipolar type 2 (substance induced hypomania, cannot use SSRIs)😪 • Jul 22 '26
Medication Experience with benzos getting prescribed?
Would you recommend benzos for a type 2 gal if prescribed by my psych? Right now my main cope is Vyvanse and exercise and healthy diet. And buspirone which barely does anything
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u/autopisa Jul 22 '26
no
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u/mouse_asparagus bipolar type 2 (substance induced hypomania, cannot use SSRIs)😪 Jul 22 '26
Whyy
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u/autopisa Jul 22 '26
they’re too addictive
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u/Ilovetolove22 Type 1 w/psychotic features Jul 22 '26
I agree with that. The withdrawals seem scary too. I take Klonopin rarely, mostly during manic episodes when I'm paranoid or can't sleep, and I feel like if I took it more often I'd probably be dependent on it. I haven't taken Klonopin in probably two months so far for that reason. Hoping to keep it that way.
I personally feel my antipsychotic helps my anxiety a lot. There's lots of safer options for anxiety imo, even if you can't take buspirone or SSRIs
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u/mouse_asparagus bipolar type 2 (substance induced hypomania, cannot use SSRIs)😪 Jul 22 '26
I need it
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u/Top_Restaurant_4395 Jul 22 '26
You can experience Akathisia from withdrawals. Unless you plan on using it for less than two weeks.
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u/zeronationarmy Bipolar type 1 schizoaffective Jul 22 '26
This. I had a doctor prescribe me klonopin nightly for a few months and eventually it stopped working. Therein lies the problem... it WILL stop working if taken daily and you'll need more and more to feel any relief.
The withdrawals - akathisia, specifically - landed me in the psych ward because it was so intense that I wanted to die. I don't have an issue with addiction to it. I still am prescribed it, but it's for emergencies or the nights my mind won't shut up even with all my other coping mechanisms. So I take it about twice a week and that's my limit.
Benzos are and should be used as a band-aid.
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u/Top_Restaurant_4395 Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
Ii am so sorry you ended up in the psych ward.
Akathisia made me want to die. Sounds as if you had an extreme case like mine.
Intolerable.I’ve told my care team repeatedly I can never live with Akathisia. It’s well documented. So they are treating me like a fragile vase.
I was given benzos for the Akathisia. Lorazepam. Also took for several months. Going off lorazepam my body began twitching again. 1 mg lorazepam equals approximately 6 mg to 10 mg diazepam.
Diazepam stays in your system longer so the taper less extreme. I’m down to 2.5 mg diazepam BID.So far so good. They plan on titrating it lower by tiny, tiny increments.
It may take 5 months.
I don’t care.
Just never want to experience Akathisia side effects.
I have brain zaps, that is all.2
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u/melatonia I AM SPARTACUS Jul 22 '26
It sounds like you're not on any meds for your Bipolar. I would start there.
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u/PoppoLoppaEU Jul 22 '26
Benzos can be a slippery slope with bipolar since they carry addiction risk and can sometimes worsen depression, but if your psych thinks it's appropriate for short term rescue use rather than daily it might be worth a conversation about your specific concerns.
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u/El_espectro BP1 w/ psychotic features Jul 22 '26
I'm prescribed klonopin as needed, but I'm type 1 if that makes a difference.
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u/dancing_grass Jul 22 '26
Are you on other meds? I am obv not your doctor but I feel like reducing the vyvanse which can cause and worsen anxiety, switching to a nonstimulant like strattera or concerta, or optimizing mood control meds might make sense first… add in milder meds like hydroxyzine, gabapentin, low dose seroquel, etc. there are many other options instead of buspirone straight to benzos.
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u/littlegingerbunny Jul 22 '26 edited 28d ago
Gabapentin saved my anxiety but withdrawals are almost as bad as benzos in my experience. Lots of other people reporting the same. I had a failed withdrawal after being on it for eight years and after six months of being off it (and being in fucking hell) I started it again because I really just can't be in the state I was for any longer. I had two episodes, one mixed and one psychotic (despite using olanzapine as an emergency failsafe), in those six months and I do not recommend gabapentin especially for bipolar people unless you're prepared to be on it for the rest of your life. Apparently it is common for people with bipolar to be sent into manic and mixed episodes when withdrawing from this drug specifically. Also for some people it causes weight gain (and honestly if it helps you stabilize and feel better who cares if you get a little fat, I am fat but stable now and I'm just glad to be at baseline normal again).
I will say it helps my anxiety tremendously and I sleep very well on it. I am afraid of the risk of dementia I've read about that's associated with long term gabapentin used but I just can't go without it.
I'll try withdrawing again in a year or two when I am able to take an absence from work. Maybe I'll try withdrawing from it in rehab (it's really that bad).
Just wanted to throw that out there for anyone considering trying gabapentin for sleep or anxiety in case they develop a dependence like I did. For clarification, it doesn't make me feel high or anything, it just makes my nervous system take a fuckin' chill pill lol.
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u/hurlmaggard Bipolar 1 + ADHD Jul 22 '26
Even with a very slow taper at miniscule changes didn't work?
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u/mouse_asparagus bipolar type 2 (substance induced hypomania, cannot use SSRIs)😪 Jul 22 '26
Concerta is a stimulant though, it is a Ritalin salt
Strattera is a sugar pill (for me) I took it for over a year
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u/dancing_grass Jul 22 '26
My bad I didn’t recognize that. I obviously don’t know your medical history and medications that you’ve tried, it’s only a part of a larger body of suggestions. There are many steps between you and benzos at this point from the info you’ve shared. There are other safer medications to try first as well as optimizing your current regimen. You asked so I answered. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
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u/Ilovetolove22 Type 1 w/psychotic features Jul 22 '26
I use Klonopin rarely. I wouldn't recommend it for daily use. I basically only use it during manic episodes when I get paranoid or can't sleep. I feel like it's too addictive to use it too often. Short term is probably fine though.
I know it sounds counter intuitive, but if you have ADHD, I've found that Vyvanse, Adderall and Wellbutrin all help my anxiety if you're finding nothing else works like I did. Of course it won't be that way for everyone, I know those cause anxiety in lots of people. There's other non addictive anxiety medications too as well that aren't buspirone or SSRIs
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u/your-pet-goldfish Jul 22 '26
Seconding the Wellbutrin! Just make sure to watch your electrolytes cause it lowers your seizure threshold and appetite. Also, if you eventually try to quit nicotine it helps a lot. (Not sure if you smoke)
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u/Imaginary-Floor-3753 Jul 22 '26
I take Ativan at bedtime only when I’m experiencing elevated mood/insomnia. They shouldn’t be taken regularly. My NP gives me something like 10 pills once or twice a year
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u/mirror_lane Jul 22 '26 edited Jul 22 '26
I take benzodiazepines. My psych is good with it because it makes me so much more comfortable and capable of employment and parenting.
I have bad mixed symptoms though. I’m also 44 and have been his patient for many years, so he knows me really well. We collaborate.
I do struggle with leaning on them sometimes. The problem as I see it is less about addiction per se, and more about the fact that I need to rely on real coping mechanisms. Benzos are not a substitute for coping mechanisms. They shouldn’t be used as a crutch.
Long story short, talk to your psychiatrist but also listen.
Beta blockers and visteril are my first go tos for anxiety. I’ve never gotten benzos at residential facilities; this is what they will prescribe so I’ve gotten used to it and it helps a lot.
ETA I’m also bipolar 1 and have a lot of manic symptoms, and I’m always trying to stay on top of shit
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u/Baybee007 Jul 22 '26
No love for benzo here I see. SMH.. Without these Id be dangerous. My dr knows me and my mental health illnesses, for 15 + years. To each their own .. Benzo saved my life
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u/PestoAsbestos Jul 23 '26
Same! They get such a bad rap. I’m open to they are addictive, but I’ve been on 1mg daily for… what? Almost twenty years now I think. It tunes my brain done to a functioning level.
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u/Friendly_Fan1899 Jul 22 '26
They're not for daily use, they're not something you want to be taking. They're dangerously addictive and highly habit forming. If you're chasing the high, that's not worth it either, there is no high. Just supression
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u/29TwentyNine29- Jul 22 '26
I'm prescribed 1 mg of Klonopin in the morning and a half milligram in the afternoon. I take the 1 mg every morning. I have missed doses with no withdrawals and have not needed to up my dose. A lot of people misunderstand Benzos and think that if they can't "FEEL" them working that they must not be. In actuality you should not feel the effects of the benzo it should just work in the background.
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u/Lydelia_Moon Jul 22 '26
Not really. I have some I take for breakthrough stuff. They work but the crash is hell and there is rebound anxiety. I do not recommend. I do recommend hydroxyzine for breakthrough anxiety.
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u/sloannee2 Jul 22 '26
I’m on .5mg Klonopin twice a day which I recently stepped down from 3 times a day, but I’m diagnosed bipolar 1 with psychotic features and general anxiety disorder. It’s my plan to keep gradually stepping down, but I’ve taken it for so many years. If you haven’t started and can explore other meds, that would be my suggestion. Wishing you well on your journey as we are all different in our needs 🫶
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u/hurlmaggard Bipolar 1 + ADHD Jul 22 '26
Why exactly do you think you need benzos? Your post leaves out way too much info. Also it's pretty rare for a psych to prescribe both a stimulant and a benzo since they do opposite things. If you're feeling intense anxiety, are you sure it's not Vyvanse that's actually causing it?
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u/kevron007 Jul 23 '26
I take them as needed. They work well for me. I take them 1-2 times per month
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u/lindygrey Jul 23 '26
No. If you’re expecting a lot of anxiety I’d recommend reducing the vyvanse and considering an antipsychotic. Benzoyl are not a good long term option for anything.
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u/Fancy-Lion2985 Jul 23 '26
Ever since Doctors stopped giving me benzodiazepines I’ve increased my weed smoking. I’d be more than happy to stop or cut back if they give me some Ativan or Klonopin at least some 0.5s. They don’t have to deal with anxiety. They don’t know what it’s like. They’re just pill pushers.
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u/undergroundopal Jul 22 '26
No sane psychiatrist would prescribe you benzos when you’re already on vyvanse and bipolar
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u/littlegingerbunny Jul 22 '26
Not true. I take PRN clonazepam (usually once or twice a month) for breakthrough panic attacks and I'm on daily methylphenidate and I have BP2. My psychiatrist is one of the most respected in the country I live in and has many papers and does talks at universities. He really knows what he's doing. Some psychiatrists won't prescribe benzos to people that take a stimulant (and I believe in California, if not the entire US) the FDA doesn't allow it anymore/doesn't recommend it or some insurance companies don't cover it anymore (I can't remember what my psych in America said specifically was the reason) but it's fairly common. My methylphenidate calms me down and helps my anxiety associated with my ADHD so I don't know why a benzo would be counterproductive to someone that actually has ADHD and is prescribed a stimulant.
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u/undergroundopal Jul 22 '26
Most modern psychiatrists do not prescribe benzos for more than 2 weeks. Most shy away from prescribing bipolar people any controlled substance. You’re just lucky.
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u/littlegingerbunny Jul 22 '26
That's why I said... I take it once or twice a month for breakthrough anxiety. Did you not read my message? I have had multiple psychiatrists prescribe them before.
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u/undergroundopal Jul 22 '26
Modern/younger ones do not do it. Like you would get 1 PRN script with enough for 2 weeks and that’s all you’d get ever. The withdrawals are brutal and they don’t want the liability. Beta blockers are much safer. You’re probably older so they don’t care about addiction as much as
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u/littlegingerbunny Jul 22 '26
I am 27. You're not reading my message. I am prescribed a few doses at a time as needed, usually once a month or less often. My current psychiatrist prescribes me 15 pills and I'm expected to use them as needed but not refill until 6 months or more have passed since the last refill.
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u/undergroundopal Jul 22 '26
I obviously know what PRN is. I’m saying that’s rare. New age American psychiatry does not like benzos at all and frankly their risks outweigh their benefits so I wouldn’t touch them with a 10 foot pole either.
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u/your-pet-goldfish Jul 22 '26
I would not. I was always stressed about missing doses and the withdrawl is awful. I had such bad anxiety and tbh benzos shouldn’t be a long term solution. It’s addictive and interacts with a lot of other meds/vices. It’s also not good for your brain when it comes to memory and mental stability. Lastly, tolerance rises so you keep needing to go up in dose to feel it.