Tapering Has anyone felt benzodiazepines, despite being in withdrawal contributed to your anxiety?

[AlanaaBanana]

Hi all!
Recently I've been tapering my klonopin, to my own advise after my psychiatrist was rushing a taper, so I've decided to go at my own pace. I've been on klonopin for 9 years, daily, and had cut down 1mg (yay!), 3mg > 2mg. Though recently my pharmacy ran out of stock of my klonopin so I had to face some acute withdrawals for a few days.

Despite being in withdrawal, and the anxiety associated with it, I've noticed my OCD compulsion/rituals had actually lightened up/improved, almost getting better.

Which leaves me to question, was klonopin making my OCD worse here? Or maybe the panic/withdrawal symptoms seemed to have masked my OCD anxiety?

I've heard of paradoxical reactions with benzos, so I've been wondering others experiences with tapering and withdrawal, with anxiety improvements during it. What was your experience?

 

[WellTram]

U will see how it affects u 48 hours without it but u should drop 0,25-0,5mg every days, because u take it for 9 years. Other possible option is reduce by 1mg per week but will still script u with something anticonvulsant just to make sure u wont seize if u start to feel u stable, which Is possible with 1/3 total dose reduction but maybe less pronounced cause of klonopins half-life and blood levels. With other benzo, for example casual alprazolam this will be way too risky. Simply, i won't let somebody so addicted reduce potent banzos without prescribing then levetiracetam or gabapentin, maybe some kind of muscle relaxer and magnesium.

 

[Pissed_and_messed]

I have OCPD and I have experienced benzos lowering the inhibitions to execute the rituals. Also they made me numb causing the need to get kicks of something or do something.
(OCPD is egosyntonic, rationalizing, unlike OCD and it involves reward associated to rituals in addition to the significant anxiety)

 

[Pissed_and_messed]

U will see how it affects u 48 hours without it but u should drop 0,25-0,5mg every days, because u take it for 9 years. Other possible option is reduce by 1mg per week but will still script u with something anticonvulsant just to make sure u wont seize if u start to feel u stable, which Is possible with 1/3 total dose reduction but maybe less pronounced cause of klonopins half-life and blood levels. With other benzo, for example casual alprazolam this will be way too risky. Simply, i won't let somebody so addicted reduce potent banzos without prescribing then levetiracetam or gabapentin, maybe some kind of muscle relaxer and magnesium.

why should one taper that fast if they have been on them for 9 years?

 

[WellTram]

0,25mg -0,5mg per day, i Will not taper any faster...right Now i am out of alprazolam and i am glad i have tizanidine otherwise i would end up having seizure .

 

[Jabberwocky]

I do not have OCD, but sometimes have OCD like tendencies which are most likely just anxiety (repetitive actions).

Certain benzos produce a very strange mania/restlessness in me. For example, I will have a strong compulsion to clean the house or organize something. If I do not clean and just try to relax, I will have anxiety, depression, and restlessness... but if I start cleaning these feelings immediately go away.

I find it truly bizzare, because stimulants like adderall don't do this to me, they calm me down. No other depressant drugs do this, only benzos.

Its only certain benzos, too. This effect is very prominent for me with etizolam. I also notice it, but to a lesser degree, from klonopin and diazepam.

I do not get it at all from alprazolam, lorazepam, librium, and the few other benzos I've tried.

It's really weird to me. When I take etizolam I will usually end up organizing all my possessions... completely needlessly, because they will have already been organized. I will reorganize them for no reason. Super weird.

 

[AlanaaBanana]

I have OCPD and I have experienced benzos lowering the inhibitions to execute the rituals. Also they made me numb causing the need to get kicks of something or do something.
(OCPD is egosyntonic, rationalizing, unlike OCD and it involves reward associated to rituals in addition to the significant anxiety)

In my experience, it increases my compulsive rituals, I've been on them for 9 years though. I feel "less anxious" having to do my rituals, but more so they just are more apparent when my mind is more clear with benzodiazepines and was more content with completing rituals for that "reward" associated feeling when it just feels "right". While when I was in withdrawal it was the opposite where I was actually kind of driven away from my rituals, and not feeling the "need" to give into them as much as focusing on other anxiety

 

[AlanaaBanana]

I do not have OCD, but sometimes have OCD like tendencies which are most likely just anxiety (repetitive actions).

Certain benzos produce a very strange mania/restlessness in me. For example, I will have a strong compulsion to clean the house or organize something. If I do not clean and just try to relax, I will have anxiety, depression, and restlessness... but if I start cleaning these feelings immediately go away.

I find it truly bizzare, because stimulants like adderall don't do this to me, they calm me down. No other depressant drugs do this, only benzos.

Its only certain benzos, too. This effect is very prominent for me with etizolam. I also notice it, but to a lesser degree, from klonopin and diazepam.

I do not get it at all from alprazolam, lorazepam, librium, and the few other benzos I've tried.

It's really weird to me. When I take etizolam I will usually end up organizing all my possessions... completely needlessly, because they will have already been organized. I will reorganize them for no reason. Super weird.

I've noticed this as well, clonazepam and alprazolam more so than say ativan. Where I have a stronger desire to complete my compulsive rituals. It's an odd feeling as there's a disconnect from anxiety while on the benzos, but more of a feeling of needing to complete them. When in withdrawal the anxiety was there, but not so much the compulsions and obsessions, where I feel maybe just other anxiety was just covering it up? I'm just not sure, it's odd.

Strangely too, I don't get this way with adderall either which boggles my mind as well. Interesting.

It's extremely paradoxical, as I'd expect benzos to completely mute out my OCD, though as mentioned above I've been on them for 9 years. But even then the fact I had less OCD rituals during withdrawal/tapering, was interesting.

 

[AlanaaBanana]

U will see how it affects u 48 hours without it but u should drop 0,25-0,5mg every days, because u take it for 9 years. Other possible option is reduce by 1mg per week but will still script u with something anticonvulsant just to make sure u wont seize if u start to feel u stable, which Is possible with 1/3 total dose reduction but maybe less pronounced cause of klonopins half-life and blood levels. With other benzo, for example casual alprazolam this will be way too risky. Simply, i won't let somebody so addicted reduce potent banzos without prescribing then levetiracetam or gabapentin, maybe some kind of muscle relaxer and magnesium.

That is sadly a WAY too fast of a taper for the duration I've been on them. .25mg reduction per week sounds more reasonable In my case. I'm trying to plan a taper schedule though, hoping to find a doctor who'd get me possibly on a diazepam taper as soon I'm down to 1.5mg.

Though the effects I spoke about were about 60h tapering/withdrawal, which is why I find this so odd, as I'd expect my OCD to be heightened not dampened.

Magnesium though, is amazing for tapering I'd say, what form do you take, glycinate or citrate?

 

[neversickanymore]

I have never seen anybody with more anxiety then someone who has been treated long term with Benzos. You look at the pain inducing effects of long term opiate use and you see why. The brain adjusts to the medication and the stimulus becomes more potent. So the chemical relief ends up making the torment its intended to relieve much worse with chronic treatment. Very true imho with opiates and benzos.

 

[cdin]

I have never seen anybody with more anxiety then someone who has been treated long term with Benzos. You look at the pain inducing effects of long term opiate use and you see why. The brain adjusts to the medication and the stimulus becomes more potent. So the chemical relief ends up making the torment its intended to relieve much worse with chronic treatment. Very true imho with opiates and benzos.

any time you are damaging the same receptors that CAUSE an illness with meds, you are deepening the problem. It is really hard for people to hear. But I have certainly found that to be the case.
Medicate anxiety w GABA PAMS - GABA damage/worse consequences
medicate low dopamine/ADHD w dop agonists - neurotoxic long-term damage and just negatively rewiring dopamine systems
medicate pain chronically w opioids - DOPE SICK/ ALSO damages glutamate systems. which is part of why benzos/opioids feel so HELPFUL in the others respective withdrawals.

imo as much as possible I try not to take anything every day. Nicotine, propranolol and THC are stubborn, but ill get them too. got rid of ethanol, benzos, SO many Rxes... woof. been a ride.

 

[AlanaaBanana]

I have never seen anybody with more anxiety then someone who has been treated long term with Benzos. You look at the pain inducing effects of long term opiate use and you see why. The brain adjusts to the medication and the stimulus becomes more potent. So the chemical relief ends up making the torment its intended to relieve much worse with chronic treatment. Very true imho with opiates and benzos.

Absolutely true, as a former opiate addict, and now tapering benzodiazepines currently. I look back at my anxiety before use of benzodiazepines and honestly feel I was a lot more stable without any of it, than with it years later. As the years went by my anxiety took a steep decline. As with opiate medications, my back pain was A LOT worse on them, than when I finally had gotten off of them.

Where I feel tapering, after noticing this, in my post, it's very well worth getting the hell off of benzodiazepines. And work on the actual root of the problem of my anxieties without chemically damaging my brain with these any longer.

 

[ChemicallyEnhanced]

Hi all!
Recently I've been tapering my klonopin, to my own advise after my psychiatrist was rushing a taper, so I've decided to go at my own pace. I've been on klonopin for 9 years, daily, and had cut down 1mg (yay!), 3mg > 2mg. Though recently my pharmacy ran out of stock of my klonopin so I had to face some acute withdrawals for a few days.

Despite being in withdrawal, and the anxiety associated with it, I've noticed my OCD compulsion/rituals had actually lightened up/improved, almost getting better.

Which leaves me to question, was klonopin making my OCD worse here? Or maybe the panic/withdrawal symptoms seemed to have masked my OCD anxiety?

I've heard of paradoxical reactions with benzos, so I've been wondering others experiences with tapering and withdrawal, with anxiety improvements during it. What was your experience?

I think it's possible. Gabapentin makes my OCD way worse if I take a lot of it, so I can see benzo's doing that to some people, too.

Your back pain is a definite thing, Opioid-Induced Pain happens to some people where it makes their pain worse,

 

[PtahTek]

Certain benzos produce a very strange mania/restlessness in me

Higher doses of alprazolam will have this effect on me. More than likely I will end in bad situations from it.
Some benzos will just put me to sleep or drop inhibitions and go grab some speed or something of the sort.
But yes alprazolam does cause a mania in my abuse of it.

 

[elgoucho9]

Higher doses of alprazolam will have this effect on me. More than likely I will end in bad situations from it.
Some benzos will just put me to sleep or drop inhibitions and go grab some speed or something of the sort.
But yes alprazolam does cause a mania in my abuse of it.

Agreed. Alprazolam makes me manic. And any hypnotic ones temazepamz, midazolam etc all make me likely to seek other drugs to pick me back up as they're so heavy.

 

[PtahTek]

Just wanted to add that if possible taper this substance slowly there will be less "angst" if you will.
Whoever posting drop everyday is lunatico. This long acting benzo will take time to taper off. If you drop one mg you may not feel any changes for a week or longer. My experience, anyway.
I would try a 10% drop in total daily dose and wait three weeks before another drop but there is always room to play here if things go sideways.
If a 10% dose drop is too much after a week or so make it a 7 or 5% drop instead. Get stable on dose and keep dropping at each stage one feels stable.
But please do not drop doses everyday to get off this medicine. That is madness. Talk to your Doc about it.
9 years? Just sayin' be careful, yeah?

 

[AlanaaBanana]

Just wanted to add that if possible taper this substance slowly there will be less "angst" if you will.
Whoever posting drop everyday is lunatico. This long acting benzo will take time to taper off. If you drop one mg you may not feel any changes for a week or longer. My experience, anyway.
I would try a 10% drop in total daily dose and wait three weeks before another drop but there is always room to play here if things go sideways.
If a 10% dose drop is too much after a week or so make it a 7 or 5% drop instead. Get stable on dose and keep dropping at each stage one feels stable.
But please do not drop doses everyday to get off this medicine. That is madness. Talk to your Doc about it.
9 years? Just sayin' be careful, yeah?

Thank ya snap! You're awesome as always.
I've been doing %15 decrease, I stabilized from 3 to 2, so I'm happy with that! Whoever said everyday, yeah, not sure what they're thinking.

My current plan though as follows
2mg > 1.75 > Two week break > 1.5 > two week break > 1.5 and @ 1.5 I hope to jump over to diazepam to continue at a slower pace.

At the current moment, I'm trying to find a doc who would taper me smoothly, as this current psychiatrist is rushing stuff, cdin told me the DEA is up doctors asses at the moment right now for long term use scripts, so she's trying to rush me off.

 

[SpiralusSancti]

You’ll feel significant improvements in many things, following months and years after stopping or drastically lowering use of benzos.

Thing I most miss etizolam is for the push to make things done. Be it I had a chance to get it or something really similar I think I would be able to use it responsibly as needed. I had a huge (maybe not so much by BL standards) etizolam habit and when I was near stopping I was able to sip on juice with 15mg over short time to jump-start day. What was maximum dose I took in a day I’m not sure as after weighting out 5 – 15mg I often eyebaled some (a lot) more trough the day and finished with a hefty amount for an instant sleep. Even with a such use when years after I took 1.5mg max I got great effects, I guess in part my life got more stress-free so less worked almost better then previously without tolerance. No other benzo does so as for example alprazolam can be quite uplifting but at dose I find enough too much negative side-effects kick in, on the other side more calming stuff like clonazepam might give me that anxiety-free-push but at does that’ll usually make me too relaxed or sleepy to actually work. I 100% understand how etizolam fits in great with Japanese work culture.

 

[PtahTek]

cdin told me the DEA is up doctors asses at the moment right now for long term use scripts, so she's trying to rush me off

cdin is right.
And so are you about the push from docs taper plan; it is not optimal in this case... just an opinion from rando jo.
How are things going at this point?

 

[SpiralusSancti]

They must be preparing for DEAling something new.