Flying and benzos

Flying and benzos 
Author: Jackcrack 
Posted: 06/11 05:06 AM 
 
I am leaving to go to NY tonight for vacation. By the time I get there, it will be 15 hours straight of either driving, "airporting", or flying. i.e. 15 hours door to door. I used to love flying but I have done this trip at least a dozen times. As I have gotten older, I have a more and more difficult time with it. The last flight, my husband and I both vowed to only fly first class and get benzos for the trip. We had a flight half full of Amish people and screaming/crying children for 5 hours straight. It was horrible.

Well....we are flying JetBlue which I love because they have wi-fi and television and everyone has leg room. However, I get so anxious every time I do this. I can't smoke for 15 hours.

So I asked a friend for 4 xanax which I now have in my possession. I have never been a fan of benzos. Don't like my head being cloudy. HOWEVER, I prefer my head being a little cloudy over the intense anxiety and feelings of clausterphobia I get on the airplane. BUT...I still feel guilty for doing it. I know it can be a dangerous mix but I have taken a xanax while on sub before and it was not a problem. I am pretty sure my system is used to being far more bogged down than one xanax will do to it. I am also hoping I will sleep. Also, over the counter sleeping aids give me restless leg. I have tried taking benadryl on the flight before hoping to sleep through it and just ended up with restless leg and reminders of withdrawal the whole time.

I know I am not supposed to take ANYTHING when I am on suboxone. I didn't ask for a script from my doctor because I hate that feeling of being accused of drug seeking when I know I am not. I also know she believes HIGHLY in meditation and would expect me to use meditation to get through it. Quite frankly, I probably could use meditation and will probably still HAVE to but I WANT the easy way. I don't want to have to work at it. I don't think I should feel guilty for wanting a xanax for the exact reason they exist. I have 4 pills. Will use 2 on the way up and 2 on the way back. My sub appt. is 5 days after I take the last one. Will it be out of my system by the time I take my drug test? Should I just tell the doctor I did it anyways? (I would tell myself yes but I am not sure that I will).

Cherie

have a good vacation! 
Author: ginger61 
Posted: 06/12 12:49 PM 
 
Hi Cherie,

First of all,I hope you have a good vacation! I'm sure you are looking forward to it! I don't like to fly much either and it always seems like every flight I have ever been on has some sort of problem. The worst was when the air conditioning was not working and we sat on the ground for over an hour ON the plane while they worked on it. I honestly thought we were going to cook to death, it was the worst, scariest experience ever. Finally, someone really freaked out, so they had to let us off, and got a new plane, but I'll never forget that.

As for the xanax, first of all, just where you posted this almost feels like you feel you need to tell on yourself and that you think you are doing something wrong. If you are concerned about what your doctor will think, maybe it is not worth it. I mean will you worry about it??? I know that benzos stay in your system for a long time. I was tested for benzos once by a doctor and it showed up for weeks after I had taken it, seriously. It was oxazepam though and I do know that it has a long half life, not sure about the xanax. I just wanted to warn you about that, should you not be honest with your doc.

So, have a good time, really! I'd ditch the xanax though, I think it will cause you more problems than the 5 hour plane ride. but that's just my opinion!

Take care,
Ginger

 
Author: Joseph 
Posted: 06/12 04:51 PM 
 
Hey Jackcrack whats up? First of all I would like to wish you a great vacation. I'm jelous as NY is my hometown and I'm long over due for a visit. As for as the benzos are concerned I think they stay in your system from anywhere to 2 weeks to a month depending on your body (metabolism), but don't quote me on that. Now what you said about over the counter sleep aids giving you restless leg syndrome I thought I was the only one. Soma I have found also does the same thing. When I take more than the recommended dose. When I take these types of meds I feel like someone is hooking my toes up to a pair of jumper cables that are connected to a car battery!! Its almost as bad if not worse than the similar feeling caused by WD's. I wonder why this is?

If you check online you can probably find the exact time frame that benzos stay in your system. If you decide to travel upstate while on your vacation you can PM me and I can recommend some great sights and activities. Well I hope you have a safe and comfortable flight and all is well Very Happy

~Joseph

 
Author: shelwoy 
Posted: 06/13 03:20 AM 
 
Quote:
Also, over the counter sleeping aids give me restless leg. I have tried taking benadryl on the flight before hoping to sleep through it and just ended up with restless leg and reminders of withdrawal the whole time.


I am sympathetic to this problem. While I was on the come down from stopping sub, these were not options for me. My doc prescribed Ambien-awful. When all you want is peaceful rest, you are willing to do almost anything.
I know that when I first started sub, I was UA'd for three weeks before the benzo's I took beforehand were out of my system. Like you said, you want the easy way out and that is your choice- many of us are so use to just popping a couple of pills to ease our symptoms, many may ask, "Why not take advantage of it?" If you honestly feel it is in no way detrimental to your chosen path, then so be it. If you know that it is a slippery slope which is what I think you were trying to express, then you should consider alternatives for the future.
We have this ability to justify our behavior because we want to protect our choices. If your doctor discovers the drug in your system, there may be consequences- but you know that. By just writing this post, you are healing and that is a good thing. If it were me, I would just come clean with my doc- I did have a similar experience and my honesty ended up costing me more money for extra appointments, drug screens, and prescriptions because my doctor insisted I see him weekly for a month until he was certain I would not do it again.... From suboxforum.com