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getting off benzos

schwiftee

schwiftee

Bluelighter
Joined
Dec 26, 2010
Messages
406
Location
The Chi
I've been prescribed klonopin for about 5 years now for social anxiety. I've never abused it - I actually can't stand it, it makes me so damn tired. The highest dose I was on was 4mg/day; average over the time was abour 3mg daily; and I'm now down to 1mg a day up from .5 mg/day last month that I was able to tolerate for about 2weeks before having to go back up again. It seems every time I get down to .5 mg I have problems again like not being able to function at work, insomnia, etc. my plan was to switch to diazapam once I got comfortable on .5 of kpin but cant seem to get over the hump. I'm made a ton of sacrifices to make this work; I'm eating right, exercising regularly, staying away from other drugs (used to smoke weed, and do opiates occationaly) and getting about 8 hours sleep a day. any folks that have been successful, I'd love to know your secrets and sugestions. Thanks.

I plan on posting my progress as I go along and hopefully I can find some support from the BL community.
 
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Thanks atm. I stumbled across that a while back and have also found it very helpful.

really thinking about it.. I know what to do, its more about what to expect and if I can. and I suppose this all varies so much between any one of us.

I just wish it wasn't so hard. for me its like someone opened the floodgate and I can't filter anything out; every sound, sight, etc is present all at once and between that annd the imsomnia, I feel like im going nuts at times.
 
Hiya Schwiftee.

I'd recommend posting this in "Other Drugs" if you want more replies (perhaps ask one of the kindly Dark Side mods to move it for you....)

Anyhoo...massive congrats for coming off klonopin. I've been addicted to benzos (including klonopin) for years and at present my doctors have compromised and give me 15mg of diazepam daily which at least keeps the PHYSICAL cravings at bay....(something to think about)

But for you I'd honestly recommend getting some group therapy right now. It's really fucking hard to STAY off a super-addictive drug like clonazepam without help so perphaps see if there's an N.A. (Narcotics Anonymous) group in your area...

To close, my big brother is a G.P. (Family Doctor) and reckons benzodiazepines (like clonazepam) are probably the most addictive drugs out there and certainly the hardest to detox from so every day you're off klonopin give yourself a massive pat on the back (if I was there I'd hug you) for what you're achieving.
 
thanks! how long have you been on the 15mgs of diazepan? do you plan on trying to lower it soon? if so, do you have a taper schedule in mind and do you plan on quiting all together? good luck to you.

and you mention physical cravings. for me, I cant say which is worse. Im inclined to say the mental fallout is worse. phuck, it seems like i'll be going though this forever.
 
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I've been on 15mg of diazepam for about 3 years and have no intention of coming off anytime soon.... it's ostensibly prescribed to help with muscle spasms I get as a result of having the generalized rheumatic condition ankylosing spondilitis which is for life so the Doctors are covered and so am I.

When/if I do decide to come off diazepam I'd plan to drop it by 1mg a week - any faster and you're asking for trouble but as I said, I'm happy with where I am right now: Im no longer getting benzos off the internet and taking 10mg of klonpin along with 5mg of xanax daily which is what I used to take when I was buying in bulk.

I went cold turkey off that, had an 8 minute seizure, went to E.R. and almost died. Fun times.

The argument over which is worse: physical or mental cravings could go on all day.... You've been using for what, 5 years you say? Be prepared for up to 3 months of physical withdrawals (see Wiki for benzo withdrawals for complete list of symptoms.... it's long) and the mental withdrawals...well, you may have none or they might last for years. Everybody's different.

But I wish you only the very best of luck and feel free to post here with any more queries or PM me and I'd be delighted to help: coming off benzos is sadly something of a speciality for me.

Hang in there.
 
I think that we can probably keep this here for the time being. Trying to help people get clean is certainly part of TDS's mandate.

I was never on anywhere near as high a dose, nor for as long, so my thoughts wouldn't be as useful as others'. My vice was mainly GHB, which was actually relatively easy to taper off as it has such a short half life.
 
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It sounds like you're taking good care of yourself physically. During your time on benzos have you been able to learn other ways of dealing with your anxiety? There are lots of different approaches it depends what works best for you. Therapy, meditation, journaling, becoming more comfortable with expressing yourself, etc. The more you are able to find other ways of finding the relief the benzos of provided you, the less you will need them.

'm not experienced with benzo withdrawal and I'm sure there may be some discomfort during the transition period either way, but for the long-term the more alternative tools you have the better.
 
I'm also on Klonopin, and my doctor has now upped the dose to at most 6mg a day. Quite a hefty amount, but not only do I suffer attacks, but they also prevent me from self-harm.

I would recommend staying on the taper as long as you need to. If .5 is giving you problems with important things in life such as work, perhaps stay at 1mg for a longer duration and then go down to .5 again. Either way, it's not going to be an easy task and definitely not painless. But for you to have gotten as far as you have already, I believe you will be successful in the end.

Benzos hold onto you like a vise. But you're loosening it gradually but surely.
 
Once your on them Benzos they are incredibly hard to get off. I am curious will your social anxiety cause more problems in your life then the side effects of klonopin? Can you tolerate caffeine?
 
5 years is a long time, congratulations on deciding to quit. It's a big change after being in a different state of consciousness for half a decade. Cold turkey is risky for your health so you are probably on the best path with tapering, diazepam and healthy life. It may never feel comfortable to make those leaps but the reward for enduring the discomfort is great. Close your eyes and dive in. =)

Have you gone without klonopin for a longer period at any point? The effect changes in many ways the longer you are on it and it's hard to judge from your own perspective how exactly because it's so gradual. Once you begin to notice things appear different when sober it might serve as motivation to stay off. Not that everyone is affected the same way but the body does get used to the drugs you take. We can't really imagine or remember another state of consciousness. We can only see those through the one we're currently in. My point is that to know the effects of long term use (if any) you have to return to 'normal' first.

Despite being told about changes in personality constantly, I wasn't able to notice them. I had developed a paradoxical reaction to benzos. They made me violent, anxious, paranoid, unable to sleep, antisocial and generally not in control anymore. Easily mistaken for psychosis. This was following heavy abuse but it becomes more likely to happen the longer you use them. Apparently tricyclic antidepressants increase the likelyhood as well. This leads to the medication feeding the symptoms which obviously isn't good.

If you can get time off easily you could create a scenario where your mind will be off such things for a week or two. Like a trip or some intensive project. Sex helps with acute distress at least for me, the anxiety might make it hard to find but if you have a girlfriend or fuck buddy that's perfect. Set & setting affects us every day and we can use that to our advantage. I can't stress how important it is not to rely on other drugs. I did that and it still feels like the same long string of habits that never stopped. Good luck and let us know how you are doing. =)
 
ColdNorth said:
5 years is a long time, congratulations on deciding to quit. It's a big change after being in a different state of consciousness for half a decade. Cold turkey is risky for your health so you are probably on the best path with tapering, diazepam and healthy life. It may never feel comfortable to make those leaps but the reward for enduring the discomfort is great. Close your eyes and dive in. =)

Have you gone without klonopin for a longer period at any point? The effect changes in many ways the longer you are on it and it's hard to judge from your own perspective how exactly because it's so gradual. Once you begin to notice things appear different when sober it might serve as motivation to stay off. Not that everyone is affected the same way but the body does get used to the drugs you take. We can't really imagine or remember another state of consciousness. We can only see those through the one we're currently in. My point is that to know the effects of long term use (if any) you have to return to 'normal' first.

Despite being told about changes in personality constantly, I wasn't able to notice them. I had developed a paradoxical reaction to benzos. They made me violent, anxious, paranoid, unable to sleep, antisocial and generally not in control anymore. Easily mistaken for psychosis. This was following heavy abuse but it becomes more likely to happen the longer you use them. Apparently tricyclic antidepressants increase the likelyhood as well. This leads to the medication feeding the symptoms which obviously isn't good.

If you can get time off easily you could create a scenario where your mind will be off such things for a week or two. Like a trip or some intensive project. Sex helps with acute distress at least for me, the anxiety might make it hard to find but if you have a girlfriend or fuck buddy that's perfect. Set & setting affects us every day and we can use that to our advantage. I can't stress how important it is not to rely on other drugs. I did that and it still feels like the same long string of habits that never stopped. Good luck and let us know how you are doing. =)
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How are you doing now and what was your benzo history? I got off benzos but my brain still hasnt returned to normal yet.
 
burn out said:
How are you doing now and what was your benzo history? I got off benzos but my brain still hasnt returned to normal yet.
Click to expand...

I was on alprazolam along with antidepressant and sleeping medication (usually temazepam) for about 3-5 years..it's hard to remember exactly. 6mg / day at most, them switched to clonazepam for a while, also 6mg. For a brief messed up time I had them simultaneously. Basic low income poly use the whole time, benzos seemed to make all of that great at first. I ended up taking benzos a few times after quitting the abuse but it always ended badly. If I take any benzo, I actually start to feel really bad mentally, like rotten inside..restless and angry about something but no idea what.

Some of the after effects haven't gone away. I can't hold my temper at all anymore so I try to avoid situations where it's tested. I was never naturally like that. My memory is finished, recently I have these sudden wake-ups where I can't remember the last 10-30 minutes (where I am, how I got there). This is roughly 15 months since last even touching a benzo. I've lived in seclusion for a year tapering off the drug use, can't tell yet whether anything is permanent. I don't see memory ever fully returning to normal anyway since I'll probably smoke pot as long as health permits.

What effects are you having and how long has it been?
 
I found that transferring to weaker, longer lasting benzos like diazepam and lorazepam helped me get off alprazolam and temazepam and flunitrazepam.

Also important is trying to get some time away from any obligations; this is probably the most important thing in all withdrawal.

Apart from that, stock up on every kind of natural sedative you can find: magnesium tablets, magnesium for baths (epsom salts), some of the amino acids (L-glutamine, L-taurine, SAM-e, 5-htp (these last two have interactions with antidepressants and so should not be taken concurrently)), and also generally things like potassium and zinc.

S
 
Also I think it is important to understand that although doctors like to divide benzos into 1) hypnotics (temazepam, nitrazepam...), 2) anxiolytics (diazepam, lorazepam...), and 3) muscle relaxants (midazolam) - they are ALL BENZOS! And the distinctions are really only doctors' way of keeping a handle on prescriptions and maintaining their monopoly. No benzo is better than the other, although some are perhaps less addictive. So although longer acting benzos can help to get clean, they are never a solution.


S
 
suessmayr said:
And the distinctions are really only doctors' way of keeping a handle on prescriptions and maintaining their monopoly. No benzo is better than the other, although some are perhaps less addictive. So although longer acting benzos can help to get clean, they are never a solution.


S
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What are you talking about? A muscle relaxer is much different then a tranquilizer. I find xanax to be more effective the klonopin. All of these drugs are very different- it is not just semantics as you seem to be suggesting.

I am not sure why there is so much hostility towards Doctors on this board. They are not out to get you and if you don't like like gp get another. Allot of addicts out there just use doctors to get their fix.
 
I think that he's saying that chemically they're all related. Physiologically they may have different overall effects, but chemically benzos are benzos.
 
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