2 Round of Benzo WD....Need informed help.

[CrazyPants]

Had 8 months off Klonopin....PAWS was just too bad, reinstated to 1.5mg Ativan....body stabilized, sorta, mind never did. Tried tapering Ativan, no luck, switched to Valium....Made major cut down to 5mg....Not stable, but tolerating, cut down to 2.5....I have been hovering around this site for awhile now as benzobuddies sweet loving nature and anti medication bs literally makes me wanna rip someones face off.....

Obviously I have gotten down to a pretty low dose for a couple weeks now, I've tried to stop, but I think there is bad kindling present...Stepped into the gates of hell (benzo peeps know whats up) The question is, what adjuctive meds can I use to either soften the blow or put me in such a state that I really don't care I'm in acute...I've been looking into trileptal and very seriously considering it.

My most awful symptoms aside from the crushing depression and derealization acid effect is the burning skin, nerve pain and rigid twisting spasm twitching muscles ALL over my body....I already have clonodine and hydroxyzine. Any other options would be greatly appreciated, especially if they can be backed by experience. Trying to put together a rational cocktail for the looming agony that awaits. Not against narcotics, but availability could be an issue depending on substance.

Keep in mind I'm so raw at this point after 8 months of agony from a horrific ct, I swear I'm suffering PTSD from the experience as well as in a SEVERE depression at the moment, I really need all the support I can get to skate through this. I know its unavoidable, but I need to make it as comfortable as possible...All options on the table. Lets hear it. And if you are gonna say taper or give me a link to some Ashton shit, play in traffic.

 

[Smoky]

Hi,
I have post trauma indeed just from the experience in itself of jumping off opiates and prior Diazepam. The derealization was the worst for me of all the symptoms. I wasn't on a short acting med like Klonopin though which is strong. Congrats on having 8 months off of it.
Benzos are the absolute worst ime to withdraw from, even worse then heroin, as you probably know. They all are a little different. The kindling effect can be strong. You seem to be well educated from your experience. That's great you have the Clonidine.

Have you tried seizure medications? Like Lyrica or Gabapentin? Trilyptal might be helpful as you mention above. I used seizure meds (with the Clonidine). Mood stabilizers helped too, like atypicals. Everyone is different. This is just what I have learned and experienced, medication wise to ease the pain of benzos!
I'm sure others will chime in. BTW, research Glutamine. Helped me as well.
Welcome to BL!
~Smoky

 

[CrazyPants]

I still can't figure out what to use to keep it tolerable....I tried gabapentin with horrible results back when I was clean and the nerve pain got awful...It's part of the reason I had to reinstate. Initially it worked, but turned on me and threw me into some crazy alternate dimension, gave me akathsia and had me dizzy and burning and crying all day. That's why I feel anticonvulsants could work, but I'm leery of the ones that work on gaba (trileptal doesn't) I'm also interested in something calming glutamate, but not sure that is the answer, plus those alzheimers meds scare me and taking cough medicine or DXM seems like a strange idea to me (I used to do that shit when I was young and am not sure how it would help) What is your thought with the antipsychotics? I have been on seroquel for three days and think its doing more harm tha good....Side effects seem to be really fucking with my physical state and my mood has not stabilized one bit (I have nasty crying fits most of the day and the deep depression) Also, seroquel lowers the seizure threshold and is not at all recommended for benzo WD. Although it is very good at knocking me out, I feel like it makes my symptoms worse....I also have Remeron and Trazadone.

P.S. I would CT opiates a thousand times if it got me out of this hell.

 

[Birc0014]

I say this shit all the time but have you tried pregabalin? Lyrica is the brand I use and its grrrreat

 

[CrazyPants]

I say this shit all the time but have you tried pregabalin? Lyrica is the brand I use and its grrrreat

I tried gabapentin with mixed results and pregabalin (lyrica) is just gabapentin on steroids. From what I've read they all work by creating more gaba, which would in essence only really mask the issue and not be good at signaling the body to upregulate receptors....Just my opinion. I wouldn't be against trying it in the short term, but I'd prefer something I could be on for a couple months and still be healing and trileptal seems to fit that bill much better as they are both used for pretty much the same thing off label (migraines and neuropatic pain) Trileptal is also said to be a better mood stabilizer as well.

 

[Allein]

hi Crazypants, welcome to BL

I'm always a little confused when people ask for advice and then dictate the responses they want :-

. And if you are gonna say taper or give me a link to some Ashton shit, play in traffic.

I appreciate your struggling but there is an unwarranted amount of aggression in those words almost as if you know the answer.

I've tapered from diazepam a number of times and from daily does in the 100s of Mgs so I don;lt speak from some ivory tower, if you want off them tapering is my recommended method, in fact it's pretty much the only safe method. It doesn't sound to me that you've been following any kind of planned reduction schedule and may well have been going to fast. I've never got bogged down in the dogma of reduction during tapers but I've always followed the rule of down but never up and when it got really uncomfortable I just held that dose for a week or 2.

You list a pile of other medication, many of these meds would take at least 6 weeks to get to optimum effect, what does your prescribing doctor have to say ?

 

[Smoky]

My thoughts on antipsychotics vary depending on individual and my own experience. Of course there are the dreaded side effects, as you say with Seroquel. It helped put me down at night for sleep purposes only, not for therapeutic mood management. If even 2-3 hours, but caused more RLS. There are those that are less sedating of course.
Lyrica helped me more than Gabapentin which I really disliked, although Lyrica had intense rebound itching. Folks are starting to notice the withdrawal effects from it. It is longer acting than Gabapentin.
One thing to add for sure is Biotin. Long term use of benzos can deplete biotin in your body. It's important to add Amino acids if you can too!
You might be doing ALL of this and isn't your question - but it did help me, and studies are out there. The Glutamate did help me a little actually, although of course won't be as strong as something prescribed.

Of course it's best to have a contingency plan with a doctor, and if you can't due to insurance or other realities, just keep working towards what works best through trial and error.
It's possible to be free of benzos, and worth it … whatever it takes. Hang in there!

 

[Smoky]

BTW Clorazepate might be best for a taper. Longer acting than Diazepam.

 

[CrazyPants]

My thoughts on antipsychotics vary depending on individual and my own experience. Of course there are the dreaded side effects, as you say with Seroquel. It helped put me down at night for sleep purposes only, not for therapeutic mood management. If even 2-3 hours, but caused more RLS. There are those that are less sedating of course.
Lyrica helped me more than Gabapentin which I really disliked, although Lyrica had intense rebound itching. Folks are starting to notice the withdrawal effects from it. It is longer acting than Gabapentin.
One thing to add for sure is Biotin. Long term use of benzos can deplete biotin in your body. It's important to add Amino acids if you can too!
You might be doing ALL of this and isn't your question - but it did help me, and studies are out there. The Glutamate did help me a little actually, although of course won't be as strong as something prescribed.

Of course it's best to have a contingency plan with a doctor, and if you can't due to insurance or other realities, just keep working towards what works best through trial and error.
It's possible to be free of benzos, and worth it … whatever it takes. Hang in there! ?

Will look into the Lyrica....Am working with a very helpful addiction doc willing to prescribe within reason, which is awesome. Biotin is a GREAT idea....my hair skin and nails are utterly fucked. I get most aminos from protein supps...my diet is pretty on point and has been for a while. I try to exercise too, but my muscles are shot, and i feel like I'm walking on the moon floating in the ocean at the moment....If i tried to run id fall on my face lol

 

[CrazyPants]

hi Crazypants, welcome to BL

I'm always a little confused when people ask for advice and then dictate the responses they want :-


I appreciate your struggling but there is an unwarranted amount of aggression in those words almost as if you know the answer.

I've tapered from diazepam a number of times and from daily does in the 100s of Mgs so I don;lt speak from some ivory tower, if you want off them tapering is my recommended method, in fact it's pretty much the only safe method. It doesn't sound to me that you've been following any kind of planned reduction schedule and may well have been going to fast. I've never got bogged down in the dogma of reduction during tapers but I've always followed the rule of down but never up and when it got really uncomfortable I just held that dose for a week or 2.
You list a pile of other medication, many of these meds would take at least 6 weeks to get to optimum effect, what does your prescribing doctor have to say ?

Not exactly dictating the response. Just not interested in a taper....I'm down to less than 5 mg of Valium a day after having not stabilized really on any dose of anything...I've been using for about a month, only 2 weeks of that at 1.5mg Ativan. A long taper, imho, is not warranted here. I want the poison out, but am literally too weak to handle acute, tapering will only draw out the inevitable. If I am going to spend my last energy and hope suffering, its going to be off benzos.
I did the last 7 months of suffering with a clean diet, exercise, positivity and not a single drug, guess what? It broke me in half and fucked me in the ass.....Give me drugs. I don't even want to know my name this time. I already don't feel real, why not be fully unaware and drooling?

 

[CrazyPants]

Perhaps I posted in the wrong section....Maybe this was better suited for OD

 

[Allein]

Perhaps I posted in the wrong section....Maybe this was better suited for OD

I can move it there if you prefer shoot me a PM if you want it moved

Jumping off at 5mg of Diazepam wouldn't require drawn out taper IME, I did find the Ashton schedules far to protracted but I guess they were written up by a medical professional so would be based on the lowest risk method. Due to the absolute mess I got into with illicit benzos 5mg does seem a low dose but I'd still halve that for a couple for weeks before going CT.

If you need other meds to deal with your general mental health I'd try and see this as a desperate issue rather than attempting to replace benzos or have an expectation that various combinations of pills are going to make all your problems dissapear in the way benzos tend to make you thing they're doing

 

[CrazyPants]

I was originally put on benzos to come off suboxone by and uneducated "addiction specialist" was told it would be "no problem" stopping the Klonopin after a month....They were never used OR abused to make any problems go away, but I do need something to help make this problem go away....Aside from reinstating prescribed medication for unbearable hellish pain and suicidal mental torment in withdrawal, I have still been totally clean and sober for nine months from all previous drugs I used to abuse, despite the suffering....I'm beginning to rethink avoiding conventional narcotics. As I said....load me up. 8(

 

[Allein]

TDS >>>>OD as requested by OP

 

[CrazyPants]

TDS >>>>OD as requested by OP

Thankya kindly.

 

[CrazyPants]

Thankya kindly.

No help from OD?