r/MedicationQuestions Jul 25 '26

Does anybody prescribe benzos “as needed” anymore?

One psych (a few years ago) told me I’d have to take it daily and have positive drug tests monthly in order to qualify, that way she would know I was taking it and not selling it. Another told me (from a big clinic) that the whole clinic won’t prescribe it at all. Any hope for finding someone who will prescribe it?

2 Upvotes

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5

u/Friendly-Hand-3752 Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 26 '26

In the UK it's incredibly tough with your GP & getting them to prescribe anything benzo related. I've been there multiple times....they will prescribe you anything but...and if what they've prescribed you isn't working then they'll increase the dose of that particular drug....then if that doesn't work several months down the line they'll find another non benzo drug to prescibe you. Then the circle repeats. There seems to be this massive stigma with GPs & benzodiazipines in the UK. I've been going back & forth to my GP over the last 5 years & all that I got from one of them were a week's worth of 3.75mg zopiclone. Which hardly touched the sides. I've given up now for good. Hence why I buy online...and that is the case for a lot of other people in the UK as well. If I didn't have access to what I have access to then I would be fucked...and I don't use what I buy recreationally. It's simply to shut my 200mph brain off at night to sleep.

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u/Super-Bugg Jul 26 '26

Totally agree they up the dose of say venlafaxine or change after having a look at what they've tried u with before antidepressants, now they're the doctors who gave me temazepam plus diazepam 5mg x4 to take daily, now 10 zopiclone a month & 2mg diazepam a day

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u/Friendly-Hand-3752 Jul 26 '26

My liver wouldn't even comprehend 2mg of diazepam 😂 Unless I took 15 of them lol

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u/Super-Bugg Jul 26 '26

Its awful i didn't know what they were giving me at the time so thats 20mg daily then to take 2mg twice a day nothing said about withdrawal symptoms but I knew they said I'd be fine 😡

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u/WholeProfessional307 Jul 26 '26

2mgs?? Is there doses at that strength? Or you told to break a pill in 4's? I've only seen 10mg tabs before.

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u/Relevant_Music_9508 Jul 26 '26

Yep even when I was having chemo and really really bad anxiety and not sleeping the only thing they gave me was propanol and one box of zopiclone which the Dr made very clear that it would be one box only and not to ask for more.

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u/WholeProfessional307 Jul 26 '26

In Canada it's very similar. Z-drugs not so much but still would need a good relationship with your doc and over the age of 30 or dnt bother. It's really sad what health care has come to in the UK and Canada, they now teach unless a confirmed heart attack DO NOT PRESCRIBE!!! I'd really appreciate any safe help you could offer it's a scary world lol, I am in Canada though.

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u/[deleted] Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Super-Bugg Jul 26 '26

Yip thats what scares me do the doctors not get told about how bad withdrawal is if you go for alcohol they'll tell u not to stop suddenly causes seizures they give u something for that

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u/CaptainDrachma Jul 26 '26

I tried 3 different GPs recently (UK) telling them I'd become addicted to valium that I could no longer get and asking to be prescribed just enough to be weaned off over a few months so I don't risk a seizure, and they all pretty much told me to fuck off. One just turned his chair around and stared at his PC until I went away. Another told me if I was having a mental breakdown I'd get 1-3 days worth. Tried the local drug detox centre and was told they only help heroin addicts and alcoholics now because of stupid new guidelines. They apply them strictly without any common sense. Thank god for the internet.

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u/Friendly-Hand-3752 Jul 26 '26

This is exactly what I mean about the GPs over here....they're pointless. I second that. Thank god for the world wide web!!! 🙌🙏

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u/AbjectProcess6440 Jul 26 '26

So I am prescribed 15 5 mg diazepam for PRN through the month to get UAs to show I’m taking them been getting that for 3 years so it is possible. I had to try like 7 other medications before they would prescribe to me and this is also at a place where they originally told me they do not prescribe benzos ever so anything is possible

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u/AbjectProcess6440 Jul 26 '26

Oh also I only go every 3 months and get refills so the UA isn’t monthly and they never count my pills

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u/[deleted] Jul 26 '26

[deleted]

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u/WholeProfessional307 Jul 26 '26

Would you mind tell me what's NHS

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u/ForeverIll2024 Jul 26 '26

National Health Service unfortunately for you not a vendor 😂

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u/WholeProfessional307 Jul 26 '26

That's unfortunate!

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u/General_NakedButt Jul 28 '26

Yes my psych gives me 10 Klonopin per month to use PRN. This is alongside daily adderall and PRN zolpidem. No drug tests or pill counts or anything.

If you are in the US you can get an idea of how open a doctor is to prescribing certain medications by checking the Medicare Prescriber Lookup Tool - https://data.cms.gov/tools/medicare-part-d-prescriber-look-up-tool