Baclofen to break Librium's grip

[Venom]

Hello community,

I will condense my introduction and my question along with my current plan of action.

I am 29 years old and I'm a psychology grad with a lot of psychopharmacology expertise. I have been on Librium for too long and I no longer have the same appreciation for psychotropic medicine as I once did. I do not judge people for using Rx medicine, but I'm sick of it. After a lot of deliberating during an existential crisis, I have concluded that I would like to feel the full spectrum of emotions as I once did before I dabbled into Western medicine to mask the unwanted issues. I no longer want to take a pill, because I feel nervous before going on a date or speaking in public. The DSM-V should have a few new and exciting changes to it and I think that it will appear as if we all have some kind of disease. Anyways, I don't care to argue or debate with anyone on here nor do I feel like trying to change the opinions of anyone. I humbly ask this community (hopefully my new friends) for your experience with Baclofen and help me with some sort of advice on my plan.

I don't mind taking Carbatrol for now at 300mg/2x a day. I will worry about that later.
I am taking .1 mg of clonidine hcl/2x a day and I will worry about that later as well.

I am down to 15-20mg of Librium/2x a day and I want off. Weening is not something I want to attempt again without assistance. I figure that I can accomplish this with temporary Baclofen 'therapy'.

I have an addictive personality and I do believe in the AAA concept of anxiety-alcohol-addiction, at least in my case.

I do not have the desire to drink, except under circumstances, but would rather learn to deal with these situations through cognitive behavioral therapy and experience. I feel that short term therapy (6 weeks maximum) and some natural adjuncts can aid in controlling withdrawal symptoms. I also believe that if Baclofen replaces Librium, it can at LEAST give my GABA-A receptors a fricken break and that it would be much easier to titrate off of Baclofen.

I have a very large supply of Baclofen with 5 refills and it's way more than I need. I would appreciate input from everyone, as the benzo continuous use is driving me into depression. Thank you.

-Venom (Kyle)

[Greg]

Baclofen to break Librium's grip

Hi Venom and welcome. I too have had benzodiazepine problems, firstly with Xanax (1 mg per day for about 10 years) then Valium (have managed better with it and been able to taper down to 2.5-5 mg/day, but not completely off). I get what you mean by saying these drugs deaden the emotions, and yes they can cause outright depression in some people.

There has been some debate around here as to whether a GABA-B agonist like baclofen can fully fill in for a GABA-A agonist. Others here have more baclofen experience than myself, so hopefully some of them will give you a more complete answer as to whether baclofen will be effective at helping you get off the Librium.

If by chance you find it doesn't work out with the baclofen, there are anecdotal reports of the non-addictive anticonvulsants Tegretol and Trileptal being useful for getting off benzos, and you don't have to stay on them forever, just a month or two from memory. I can dig up more precise details if you happen to be interested; a doctor wrote one article on using Tegretol to wean off benzos. Trileptal has fewer side effects, dangers, and drug-drug interactions than Tegretol and is supposed to work almost the same (maybe slightly less effective according to one doctor who treats bipolar patients using these drugs). By all means try baclofen first, as it probably won't have as much mental slowing as these anticonvulsants do, but I just thought I'd mention this as a backup idea.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Baclofen to break Librium's grip

Hi, Kyle and welcome.
I've read some of your other posts. I'm glad you started a thread!

I don't know the answers to your questions and couldn't really even begin to hazard a guess.

My experience with baclofen is related only to alcohol dependence. I am not sure that it works "short term" for that purpose, so I can't extrapolate even from that in terms of using it to get off of any other drug.

There is a consolidated thread with the studies that have been done. Some of the links don't work anymore, but they tend to be old ones anyway. The ones that do work, and the other research, is posted in it's entirety or with active links.

Good luck.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Baclofen to break Librium's grip

https://www.mywayout.org/community/f2...ead-50513.html

There is something in one of the studies related to bipolar disorder and treatment with baclofen. I can't remember which one. Terryk would know, if you want to send him a private message. Just from recollection, baclofen was contraindicated, as it seemed to exacerbate the symptoms.

Hope you can find some information that will help make an informed decision, Kyle!

[Venom]

Baclofen to break Librium's grip

Thank you guys for posting and helping out. It really is good to have the support. I wasn't sure why I haven't had the thread in my user CP, but I figured I'd just come back and manually search for it.

I know what you're saying about the GABA-A agonism being sufficiently replaced by GABA-B agonism. At this point, my life was becoming agony while on the meds. I feel like my soul wants to break free. For some odd reason, CVS and Walgreens have both said that they've had stocking issues with Librium generics AND non-generics. I said that I could drive to the next county and pick it up, but I took it as a sign from the universe that it wasn't meant to be. I'm doing this alone and I do all I can to keep a positive outlook.

Inside my head it feels like Hercules (Librium) vs. Perseus (baclofen) with the help of an army of l-theanine, 5-htp, taurine, pregnenolone (can enhance GABAergic transmission), and some herbs like ashwagandha. I am taking Carbatrol at 300mg/2x per day as well and that's probably helping a lot. My doctor Rx'ed me 150mg of Librium at one point and I didn't realize that it was making me so fatigued that I was getting depressed. I have been down to 40mg/day and titrated down rapidly due to a few factors and I would rather suffer than take another benzo or psychotropic again.

To be honest, I'd be better if I were at home and had my medicine, but I just ran out and am at my girlfriend's and ran out this morning. I'm stuck without anything until I get home and I have had Librium out of my system after such a low dose for 48 hours +. I could give into the suffering and admit defeat and say that I honestly feel like dog crap, but I keep putting mind/matter and try to think in a very positive manner. I must admit that the slightest bit of anxiety makes me feel like I could collapse and physically I'm a very strong and fit person, especially for being 29 years old. I have the option of taking a Klonopin if things get really bad, but I am just looking on the bright side of things and that I will come out victorious. Death would be a release, but that is not an option.

I'm out of Librium, but can my army hold the fort down while the rest of my brain has the chance to restore order and democracy? Or will this end up like Iraq and when it's all done, there is nothing left but ruin and rubble? It's a war that I signed up for in taking these meds and now I'm responsible for getting out.

In the end, I will make it out on top. I do get good vibes from the support of you guys. Thank you and God bless you.

Covenant: Lightbringer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6k5ZysMPfuE&feature=related[/video]]Covenant - Lightbringer (Spreedrun) - YouTube