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  • BDD Moderators: Keif’ Richards | negrogesic

When will the Hell of Benzo Withdrawal End?

D

DreamyDoe

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Joined
Sep 30, 2016
Messages
9
So I was on klonopin for like 10 years. Except for a short period during which I roundly abused it, I have taken no more than 2 mg/day. Which I know you're not supposed to do. But my doctors kept prescribing it when I asked and I kept asking. Now I am cut off because I moved to the East coast and doctors here are freaked out about prescribing anything that might possibly be perceived as fun or relaxing. I am down to .25 mg a day because that is all my remaining supply will allow for a taper. And I feel like utter shit. It has been nearly 3 weeks and I wake up with the shakes, then it proceeds to a day of weepyness, mild agoraphobia and general negative ruminating. Add some other weird things like constant painful bladder spasms and that's basically my day. I take benadryl for sleep and having a few drinks during the day to deal with the shaking so I can go about my day and get to work and such. Yeah, I know drinking is bad for this and I don't like doing it, but I actually need it to get out the door without falling apart, pathetic as that sounds. And I don't even like drinking at all and have always been a pill person. My question is how long will this go on? Benzo users who have been there, please share your experience and what helped you get through it. I don't have the luxury of doing a better taper.
 
You need to find a doctor who will properly taper you off the clonazepam. Explain what you've explained here to the doctor, and they should help you. If they don't help you, they'll be going directly against their training, prescriber information for clonazepam, etc. It's possible some doctor will be an A Hole and send you out the door, but if you explain that you've been prescribed clonazepam for 10 years and having trouble quitting, the vast majority will help you.

A proper taper will be way way healthier than boozing it up to cope.
 
I can't understand why they won't continue prescribing when you've been on them for so long. Benzo withdraw is Hell, sorry to say. I don't understand your comment though, "which I know you are not supposed to do". What aren't you supposed to do? Take your prescription medication? Why was it being prescribed? I've been prescribed clonazepam for as long as I can remember. Honestly wish I had some helpful advise, but I ended up in the er on benzo withdraw, and the funny thing is I had a bottle in my purse. Just had some things going on, wasn't having any major anxiety so just hadn't taken any, then BAM, thought I was having a heart attack. Really did. ER shot me up with some cocktail of valium, torodal and something else, told me to never ever go that long without taking my script again. I'm on it for life from what I understand. It's not a "feel good" for me, it's a necessary medication.
 
they might force you to go the detox,then inpatient rehab route. in fact i bet this is what will happen. but it will be worth it :)
 
It took me years to adapt but it gets better every month. You need to adjust to your 'new' you and that's tough.
Good luck! <3
 
I feel for ya. Just a thought can you get lyrica / pregabalin? I think the act on the same receptors gaba a these should help with the withdrawals
 
Malvadostorm said:
I can't understand why they won't continue prescribing when you've been on them for so long. Benzo withdraw is Hell, sorry to say. I don't understand your comment though, "which I know you are not supposed to do". What aren't you supposed to do? Take your prescription medication? Why was it being prescribed? I've been prescribed clonazepam for as long as I can remember. Honestly wish I had some helpful advise, but I ended up in the er on benzo withdraw, and the funny thing is I had a bottle in my purse. Just had some things going on, wasn't having any major anxiety so just hadn't taken any, then BAM, thought I was having a heart attack. Really did. ER shot me up with some cocktail of valium, torodal and something else, told me to never ever go that long without taking my script again. I'm on it for life from what I understand. It's not a "feel good" for me, it's a necessary medication.
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HI thanks for your reply. What I meant is that even though my doctor prescribed klono for 10 years, I knew very well that the literature advised against using it long-term (as in longer than 2 weeks) for anxiety/panic attacks. I knew that the literature said use of it long-term would result in tolerance and addiction, which was of course correct. THe reason I lost my prescriber is because he retired, and then I had to move from the Mid-west to the east-coast. Here, everyone who asks for benzos and opiates is basically perceived to be a drug seeker of the lowest order and is treated as such. IT's my nightmare for me to end up in the ER. I would basically rather be on it for life than deal with this shitty withdrawal for what seems like forever. I legitimately made it from 2 mg to 1/2 mg/day, which was working. But the supply I have left takes me down to 1/4th/day if I want to continue this fast taper. Wow, 1/4th has stunk from the get go two weeks ago and is not getting better! Thanks again for your response.
 
Slow_Mobius said:
You need to find a doctor who will properly taper you off the clonazepam. Explain what you've explained here to the doctor, and they should help you. If they don't help you, they'll be going directly against their training, prescriber information for clonazepam, etc. It's possible some doctor will be an A Hole and send you out the door, but if you explain that you've been prescribed clonazepam for 10 years and having trouble quitting, the vast majority will help you.

A proper taper will be way way healthier than boozing it up to cope.
Click to expand...
Thanks,
I appreciate your reply. I agree about finding a good doctor. I'm pretty limited in what I have access to. It sucks. I am about to go home to Detroit and try the pain clinics there because the muscle spasms from withdrawal are highly painful, so maybe I'll get a script that will cover a normal withdrawal.
 
That really sucks man. I'm surprised that you're not being shown a little more compassion, considering you were on the Benzodiazepines legitimately, for years. Oh wait, I'm not surprised. This is exactly how things I work. Doctors swoop in, write the scripts, ruin lives and by the time people realize what's been done to them, the Doctor is already calling them an addict and accusing them of shit, preparing for a violent and painfully abrupt taper of the medication.

The truth is that it will probably last for a few more weeks at a similar intensity to what you are experiencing now. It's very hard to estimate these things and as you know, the withdrawal from Benzodiazepines and sedative/hypnotic medications in general tends to wax and wane in severity, as opposed to Opioid withdrawal, which is more predictable and linear. If you are going completely insane, I don't really see a problem with having a couple of drinks here and there. Alcohol and Benzo's are highly cross-tolerant so in really tough situations, it's not totally insane to take a shot or two to even you out.

The key is that you don't want to be introducing new sedative/hypnotic substances into your body. A little Alcohol isn't going to ruin everything and in fact, the relaxation it might provide could help keep you sane throughout the process. Say, in the evening, after work, that can be your time to relax and have, again, a couple of drinks. If you begin consuming sedative/hypnotics excessively, it's going to impact the length and severity of your withdrawal.

Do you have access to a prescriber currently? There are medications that I might recommend that are basically non-cross-tolerant with sedative/hypnotics. I'm with FemaleTrouble on this one.

Gabapentin (Neurontin)/Pregabalin (Lyrica) - Amazing for all withdrawal in my experience. Alcohol, Opioids, whatever. Can provide energy, tends to "quiet" the nervous system (helps with the feelings of inner restlessness) and can even provide some ambition for you. My top withdrawal med, hands down. If you need advice on its use, we're here.

Clonidine (Catapres) - Kind of a panacea. It lowers bood pressure, alleviating some of those tense feelings and can help with sleep and overall relaxation. I take as much as .3mg in a sitting if I don't have tolerance already.

I would advise against the sedating antihistamines though and go for something like Melatonin. The sedating antihistamines are frequently prescribed for withdrawal, but I really don't know why, as for practically everybody I talk to, they greatly exacerbate symptoms of RSL/Akathisia. 100mg Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) has taken me from minor RLS/Akathisia to "holy shit I want to cut my legs off" in under an hour.
 
Keif' Richards said:
That really sucks man. I'm surprised that you're not being shown a little more compassion, considering you were on the Benzodiazepines legitimately, for years. Oh wait, I'm not surprised. This is exactly how things I work. Doctors swoop in, write the scripts, ruin lives and by the time people realize what's been done to them, the Doctor is already calling them an addict and accusing them of shit, preparing for a violent and painfully abrupt taper of the medication.

The truth is that it will probably last for a few more weeks at a similar intensity to what you are experiencing now. It's very hard to estimate these things and as you know, the withdrawal from Benzodiazepines and sedative/hypnotic medications in general tends to wax and wane in severity, as opposed to Opioid withdrawal, which is more predictable and linear. If you are going completely insane, I don't really see a problem with having a couple of drinks here and there. Alcohol and Benzo's are highly cross-tolerant so in really tough situations, it's not totally insane to take a shot or two to even you out.

The key is that you don't want to be introducing new sedative/hypnotic substances into your body. A little Alcohol isn't going to ruin everything and in fact, the relaxation it might provide could help keep you sane throughout the process. Say, in the evening, after work, that can be your time to relax and have, again, a couple of drinks. If you begin consuming sedative/hypnotics excessively, it's going to impact the length and severity of your withdrawal.

Do you have access to a prescriber currently? There are medications that I might recommend that are basically non-cross-tolerant with sedative/hypnotics. I'm with FemaleTrouble on this one.

Gabapentin (Neurontin)/Pregabalin (Lyrica) - Amazing for all withdrawal in my experience. Alcohol, Opioids, whatever. Can provide energy, tends to "quiet" the nervous system (helps with the feelings of inner restlessness) and can even provide some ambition for you. My top withdrawal med, hands down. If you need advice on its use, we're here.

Clonidine (Catapres) - Kind of a panacea. It lowers bood pressure, alleviating some of those tense feelings and can help with sleep and overall relaxation. I take as much as .3mg in a sitting if I don't have tolerance already.

I would advise against the sedating antihistamines though and go for something like Melatonin. The sedating antihistamines are frequently prescribed for withdrawal, but I really don't know why, as for practically everybody I talk to, they greatly exacerbate symptoms of RSL/Akathisia. 100mg Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) has taken me from minor RLS/Akathisia to "holy shit I want to cut my legs off" in under an hour.
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Thanks so much for your compassion. I think I will ask my doctor for Lyrica. I really appreciate your kind and thoughtful response.
 
^No problem at all buddy. It's like I tell other people: once you've been through the pain and intensity of serious drug withdrawal, it's such a powerful experience, that you can't help but feel empathy for people going through it. Literally, when I read about people going through withdrawal who are in misery, I can be in that place mentally and remember how truly bad it was. We're all here to help each other out.
 
Short-but-honest-answer: It's different for everyone. But it WILL end. Please keep telling yourself that when it feels like it won't. The duration of withdrawal doesn't always correlate with how long or how much you used either.

My withdrawal symptoms faded slowly over 2.5 years, but the worst of it was over after about 1.5 years. I quit cold turkey after abusing etizolam for about 11 months. I remember thinking I'd feel like that forever because it FEELS like forever when you're in it, but it does get better. Benzobuddies.org is a great site full of supportive folks and helpful info. And check out The Ashton Manual if you haven't already. It's amazingly useful for tapering or just educating yourself on benzos in general. Contains great descriptions of withdrawal symptoms and what's happening in your brain during healing.

Feel free to PM me anytime. Happy healing, OP!
 
Man, I'm moving from Okie to TN where I know I will be cut off from six years of klonopin usage. I read horror stories like this everyday so I already know I'm up a creek. Guess that's why my first provider died. God was like you ain't going to do that to him. But na, I have lyrica and gabapentin but still. I just went through a week withdrawal of gabapentin and used a pound of kratom to cope.


So in TN I know this is not an option. Idk what the hell im going to do. Not to say I'm going to find a bad doc. But I have a bad feelings about it all. Wulp I'll be in the same boat as in two months so I'll prolly be writing the same type of benzo withdrawal post.
 
sonicwhite said:
Man, I'm moving from Okie to TN where I know I will be cut off from six years of klonopin usage. I read horror stories like this everyday so I already know I'm up a creek. Guess that's why my first provider died. God was like you ain't going to do that to him. But na, I have lyrica and gabapentin but still. I just went through a week withdrawal of gabapentin and used a pound of kratom to cope.


So in TN I know this is not an option. Idk what the hell im going to do. Not to say I'm going to find a bad doc. But I have a bad feelings about it all. Wulp I'll be in the same boat as in two months so I'll prolly be writing the same type of benzo withdrawal post.
Click to expand...

Definitely feel free to PM me.
 
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