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  • BDD Moderators: Keif’ Richards | negrogesic

Switching back to Clonazepam from Diazepam/Cervical Dystonia/Possibly Kindled

U

UtterlyConfused

Bluelighter
Joined
Jun 27, 2016
Messages
77
Ahh, I found it. I was unsure whenever I made my new member introduction. I need some advice as I am in a "bit" of a predicament you could say. I have been on and off Clonazepam for 7 years. Originally for Agoraphobia/Anxiety w/motor tics.*Possible important note - Before I could afford Doctors visits I used to drink and have withdrawn from alcohol 4 times as well - I had not even had a referral to a neurologist until 2014, so my med management were GP's and Psychiatrists as they thought that it was just anxiety causing the muscle spasms and other motor tics. It's a long story but I'll try to keep it short but very specific. Before seeing my Neuro, I had been put on Clonazepam and taken off 4 times rapidly. Then In 2013 I was reinstated. I was taking Clonazepam 1 1/2 mg 3x Daily until 2015 whenever I was switched to 5mg 3x daily of Diazepam in Feb and Baclofen 10mg 3x Daily, (a medication that I am also getting nasty side effects from, but 2 attempts to taper have failed.). I am now taking Diazepam 10mg 3x (As of November 2015), daily but not really feeling like it is doing it's job. I'm not sure if it is my disorder progressing, if I am kindled, or if I am I am tolerant/developing tolerance. Now, my Doctor has discontinued my Diazepam and is putting me back on my Clonazepam 1 1/2 mg 3x Daily. No crossover. If I even need one? I am just going to have to start taking it once my prescription of Diazepam for this months runs out. So, literally, I'll be taking my night dose of Diazepam and in the morning starting back on the Clonazepam. To be honest, I am hopeful, but a bit scared. Actually, I am hopeful but very scared from stuff I've read elsewhere when it ranges to anything. "It won't work". "You'll have a paradoxical reaction". "You already have permanent brain damage.". "You'll just become tolerant to that too.". "You'll still have withdrawals from the Diazepam even though you're switching back.". <--- Only saw one person post that somewhere where someone was doing something similar. If anyone has any questions, I'd be more than happy to answer. But am I screwed, or am I just psyching myself out too much by obsessively researching this? My Doctor said I shouldn't have any problems, but there's always a chance it might not work the same, but that's with every med as he said, which is really vague, so.. Well, thanks in advance, and take care!
 
Clonazepam has a very long half life. You should not have withdrawals.

You will not a paradoxical reaction. Whoever said that is a fucking idiot.
 
theGirlWithBlueHair said:
Clonazepam has a very long half life. You should not have withdrawals.

You will not a paradoxical reaction. Whoever said that is a fucking idiot.
Click to expand...

LOL - I was wondering about that. I see so many horror/failed "this and that" stories by People with citations from I don't even know where, other than the Ashton Manual, and "Statistical Data". Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't. Maybe it's accurate. Maybe it isn't. But I really, though I did A LOT better on Clonazepam, since being on Diazepam, have gotten worse and now am in doubt that it will work from all I've read. I'm literally obsessed with this as if it is a life or death situation now, and living home alone most of the time doesn't help. Having to go out more frequently too for long car rides as my vertigo/agoraphobia has returned with a vengeance. Thanks for the reply! :)
 
Can you vary your kpins based on how you feel? If so it would help with possible future tolerances if you could take less on good days. I remember when any amount of alcohol stopped working to create some relief due to tolerance I cant imagine the hell on earth it must be once youve reached the point where any amount of benzos will not give relief.
 
I have to take them 3 times a day every 8 hours. In the past they have tried that and also one at bedtime before my diagnosis. It was an utter disaster. I'm just more afraid of possibly being kindled and developing a quick tolerance to it because even though people take a lot more, it's a relatively high dose I'll be starting back at. The thing for me that sucks is that I don't need it for anxiety, but for myoclonic seizures/spasms and the such. So, it needs to be taken long term and also 3x daily. And it's the most effective med for it. We've literally tried almost everything. People were telling me that I was going to have seizures and die and also that it isn't going to work at all and will have to go through a brutal withdrawal process all over again and potentially die, (again), due to possible kindling before I joined here to see what People would say.
 
What about topiramate? That should be equally effective, if not more effective.

You won't have kindling from benzodiazepines orGABA A acting drugs. That happens with drugs that act on the GABA B receptor.
 
Well, he already made the call and discontinued it at the Pharmacy. I have to wait almost a month to pick it up though as I just had my Diazepam filled. I wasn't expecting a switch, but he decided after talking to me to try it again. And I certainly hope not. I've read so much conflicting info that it drives me insane.
 
It's a lot. I just say Google it. I'm not being rude. A lot of the evidence for it is purely anecdotal, but I still have concerns over it.
 
I think it's possible that you are getting yourself worked up too soon. As girlwithbluehair pointed out, don't believe everything you read on the internet. At the end of the day, your doctor can make that call on whether you are going to have withdrawals. We can only tell you our experiences.
 
Good Morning. Just woke up a bit ago. Yeah, I think I am too. For the past year or so, I've been reading all sorts of stories.Apparently everyone appears to be kindled or having paradoxical reactions or whatever other horror story there is. LOL - I know I don't feel comfortable at this level of Diazepam that I am on, but then again, my Clonazepam is actually better for what I have than Diazepam. I tend to let all of that stuff stick in my brain, really, and I feel stupid for that. I wonder if most feel like that just from obsessing over it or just being anti-benzo, even though I know the dangers and whatnot about them. I think a lot of it is exaggerated, though withdrawals are never "fun". Far from it. But to a great extent, I think the People who go through it for a year or YEARS are either exaggerating it or something else is going on.
 
No. Rampant, unopposed excitotoxicity can cause neuronal death that can cause long term and permanent changes in behavior that people perceive as continued withdrawal.
 
theGirlWithBlueHair said:
No. Rampant, unopposed excitotoxicity can cause neuronal death that can cause long term and permanent changes in behavior that people perceive as continued withdrawal.
Click to expand...

Which makes me wonder if that has happened to me. With everything I've typed out in my initial post, I wonder if that's the case. I'm just hoping that the switch is smooth and works and worrying about it failing/not working the same etc for the next couple of weeks etc... isn't helping. I went to bed early last night. I didn't look any more stuff up and haven't this morning either.
 
There's a good possibility that it could have happened.

Especially since it's from a GABAergic. GABA directly opposes glutamate in the CNS, and glutamate is responsible for all the main excitatory actions that occur.

It happened to me from baclofen withdrawals.
 
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