Benzodiazepines, benzos, trip killers, Xannies: whatever you call them, it’s important to know that these drugs are not all made equally. In fact, a benzo you get from a doctor is unlikely to be the same as one you might buy online, off a mate or from a dealer.
Recently, we’ve seen drugs sold as benzos turn out to be something completely different. This includes potent opioids like nitazenes, synthetic cannabinoids and different benzos.
In fact, most of the benzos we see sold on the illicit market in New Zealand, often contain ‘novel benzos’ rather than prescription ones.
‘Novel benzos’ are benzodiazepines that are newly made, generally not for medical purposes. There are new ones being developed constantly and sold on the illicit market. Often these are made to mimic the effects and even the look of benzos you’d get from a pharmacy. But novel benzos can be active at much lower doses, have stronger effects and more unpleasant side effects than benzos like alprazolam or diazepam prescribed by a doctor.
So, if you are buying benzos, what’s the go? Here are some things to keep in mind:
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If it’s not from a doctor, it’s probably not a ‘real’ benzo. A Xanax bar you bought off a dealer is unlikely to be alprazolam. In fact, most of the ‘Xanax’ pills we see in New Zealand are actually other, much stronger benzos like etizolam, flubromazolam and bromazolam. It’s a pretty good bet to assume it’s something stronger than what it was sold as and dose accordingly.
Get your drugs checked at a free drug checking clinic before taking them.
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There can be other stuff in your counterfeit benzos too. While your benzo might be a completely different benzo to what you thought it was, it can also have lots of other unexpected things in it too. Counterfeit benzos can have fillers like caffeine and MSM and can also contain other drugs from lidocaine to ketamine, to Aspirin to amphetamine. We have also seen drugs sold as benzos that contain potent opioids such as fentanyl or nitazenes.
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Your benzo might not be as good a ‘trip killer’ as you think. Some people use benzos if they are experiencing a bad trip from a psychedelic drug such as LSD, mushrooms (psilocybin) or DMT. The issue with using counterfeit benzos for this purpose is that unlike a prescription benzo, it can be very hard to know how strong it is, what else is in it or how you should dose it. People often end up taking a much larger dose than expected and then become very out-of-it, confused and groggy - which is one way to guarantee an early ending to your night, or worse. If there are other drugs in your counterfeit benzo that don’t mix well with the psychedelic you’ve taken, this can also lead to unpleasant effects or a potentially dangerous interaction.
We know that despite the risks, some people still choose to use counterfeit benzos. We’re all about harm reduction here, so we’ve put together some handy tips to keep you safer:
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Be conservative with your dosing. Not all pills sold as benzos contain the same amount of active drug as they say they do . So, it’s best to take a small amount to start and wait at least an hour before using more. Remember, with counterfeit benzos the drug is not dispersed evenly across the pill - one half could have all the benzo in it, and the other half could be all filler, so even splitting the pill in half doesn’t guarantee you are only taking a half dose.
You could crush and weigh the pill to distribute the drug evenly. If you are used to taking one type of benzo and are switching to another, consider using the benzo dosage converter to make sure you are taking the right dose. If you are used to taking one type of benzo and are switching to another, consider using the benzo dosage converter to make sure you are taking the right dose. -
Even though it’s hard to test benzos, it’s still a good idea to bring them to a drug checking clinic. Another tricky thing with benzos is that because the active ingredient in many benzo pills is often below 5%, the machine used for drug checking (an FTIR spectrometer) might only pick up on the binder or filler. However, with counterfeit benzos there may be more active ingredient than pharmaceuticals, so it is still worth bringing them into a drug checking clinic. They also can tell you what kind of filler is in it, whether there are other drugs in it, and perform nitazene, fentanyl and benzodiazepine test strips on it
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Test your benzos at home with fentanyl and nitazene test strips. Fentanyl and nitazenes have been detected in drugs sold as benzos all over the world, even here in New Zealand. The good news? You can order nitazene and fentanyl test strip packs completely free from The Level. They'll come in an unmarked envelope. Then read our article to learn how to use test strips.
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Take long breaks between using benzos. Tolerance and dependence can develop quickly with benzos, and potentially even more quickly with stronger, novel benzos How quickly this happens can depend on lots of things, such as how often you use them, how much you take and your individual body.; but it is important to know that benzodiazepine withdrawal can be very difficult and sometimes dangerous or life-threatening. Take long breaks between using benzos and monitor your level of tolerance and your dose.
If you have been using benzos regularly, it can be dangerous to stop cold turkey. Seek medical advice for how to do this safely and see the 'Making changes’ section here on The Level for more tips. - Sometimes it’s important to talk with your doctor. We know that some people use counterfeit benzos to self-treat conditions like anxiety, panic attacks or insomnia. This can be a tricky situation, but self-medicating with counterfeit drugs can be dangerous, especially as different batches can be different benzos altogether. It can sound scary but having an open conversation about your use with your doctor can help them to find a treatment that can work for you long-term. You have the right to be treated without judgement, and you can ask your doctor to explain how they keep your information private and confidential.
Whatever you do, it’s important to remember that the New Zealand illicit drug market changes quickly! Stay up to date with what is happening with dangerous drugs in New Zealand by following us here on The Level and signing up to High Alert.
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