Lovecraft
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2013
- Messages
- 284
I'm pretty new here. I've been lurking around and haven't posted much until last month when I cold turkyed an opiate addiction, got hooked on klonopin in the process, then no sooner after finishing my opiate detox, I went straight into benzo withdrawals. For those who care to read my thread of desperation when I turned to this forum for help, you can do so here: http://www.bluelight.org/vb/threads/736951-Need-Advice-On-Detoxing-from-Percocet?p=12625767
For those who don't care to read the gory details, basically what happened was shoulder surgery led to me being hooked on percoset for about 3 months. Then, when I tried to taper off, I couldn't and when I ran out started to panic. I got on this forum to try to find ways to ease the detox and read about Loperamide (Immodium) which I'd never in all my life heard about for opiate withdrawal. And though I was skeptical, it worked, too well. And I realized, with some help from some people on this forum, that I'm only prolonging my misery. And so I decided to bite the bullet and just stop the whole thing and get it over with rather than draw it out with a taper, which I'd been considering.
But what I didn't consider in all my concern about opiate detox was that I'd been eating klonopin - for a while: while I was on the percoset I began taking them (though I didn't quite remember for how long in my drug induced haze) and then when I ran out of percoset I started taking them every day to help me through. Well, just about the time I was supposed to be getting out of the acute opiate withdrawals, I stopped taking the k-pins. But then, I noticed that I was starting to feel worse and not better. But it was different - like nothing I've ever felt before. Just about the time I realized something was very wrong, since almost ten days had passed without taking any opiates, I put it together that I must be in benzo withdrawal. A quick check online confirmed this. I then tried to go cold-turkey from the k-pin but I almost lost my mind.
I then frantically started fumbling around the internet for advice on how to come off of benzos only to read horror stories of how difficult it was to do. At that point I got really, really scared and hopeless. I even started calling treatment centers and psychiatrists in a desperate attempt for help. But I just kept hitting dead ends with that. I didn't know what to do or who to turn to. I thought for sure I was finished. Finally, I stumbled upon something called the Ashton Manual, where I read about how to taper off of benzos. I started feeling some hope. And so, my wife and I got me stabilized on the k-pin and then created a taper schedule. I didn't have enough of them to go super-duper slow like the manual generally suggests. But the manual also said that if you've been on benzos for a relatively short period of time, you can taper more rapidly. So over the next 22 days I tapered my dose until I thought I could jump off and be OK. It wasn't easy by any means; I was in constant withdrawal, but manageable withdrawal, not freaking out panic withdrawal. And it worked! Today is day 7 off of everything and man am I thrilled. I'm feeling better and better every day after being constantly sick for 6 or 7 weeks. I got 6.5 hours of sleep last night and, here's the best part, I actually was able to take a little nap today for the first time in weeks (I'm usually a good napper but the benzo withdrawal prevented that).
I want to thank all the people who posted in my hellish thread which I linked above. They really helped me get through this difficult period with support and encouragement.
Thanks for reading.
For those who don't care to read the gory details, basically what happened was shoulder surgery led to me being hooked on percoset for about 3 months. Then, when I tried to taper off, I couldn't and when I ran out started to panic. I got on this forum to try to find ways to ease the detox and read about Loperamide (Immodium) which I'd never in all my life heard about for opiate withdrawal. And though I was skeptical, it worked, too well. And I realized, with some help from some people on this forum, that I'm only prolonging my misery. And so I decided to bite the bullet and just stop the whole thing and get it over with rather than draw it out with a taper, which I'd been considering.
But what I didn't consider in all my concern about opiate detox was that I'd been eating klonopin - for a while: while I was on the percoset I began taking them (though I didn't quite remember for how long in my drug induced haze) and then when I ran out of percoset I started taking them every day to help me through. Well, just about the time I was supposed to be getting out of the acute opiate withdrawals, I stopped taking the k-pins. But then, I noticed that I was starting to feel worse and not better. But it was different - like nothing I've ever felt before. Just about the time I realized something was very wrong, since almost ten days had passed without taking any opiates, I put it together that I must be in benzo withdrawal. A quick check online confirmed this. I then tried to go cold-turkey from the k-pin but I almost lost my mind.
I then frantically started fumbling around the internet for advice on how to come off of benzos only to read horror stories of how difficult it was to do. At that point I got really, really scared and hopeless. I even started calling treatment centers and psychiatrists in a desperate attempt for help. But I just kept hitting dead ends with that. I didn't know what to do or who to turn to. I thought for sure I was finished. Finally, I stumbled upon something called the Ashton Manual, where I read about how to taper off of benzos. I started feeling some hope. And so, my wife and I got me stabilized on the k-pin and then created a taper schedule. I didn't have enough of them to go super-duper slow like the manual generally suggests. But the manual also said that if you've been on benzos for a relatively short period of time, you can taper more rapidly. So over the next 22 days I tapered my dose until I thought I could jump off and be OK. It wasn't easy by any means; I was in constant withdrawal, but manageable withdrawal, not freaking out panic withdrawal. And it worked! Today is day 7 off of everything and man am I thrilled. I'm feeling better and better every day after being constantly sick for 6 or 7 weeks. I got 6.5 hours of sleep last night and, here's the best part, I actually was able to take a little nap today for the first time in weeks (I'm usually a good napper but the benzo withdrawal prevented that).
I want to thank all the people who posted in my hellish thread which I linked above. They really helped me get through this difficult period with support and encouragement.
Thanks for reading.
