Clonidine Discontinuation, HOW LONG IS IT?

[Ektor]

in the last weeks i have been using clonidine (bought without prescription for opiate withdrawal aid) not every day, but many times a week in doses ranging from 75 to 300 micrograms, averaging 100-150, big doses mostly in combination with stimulants to reduce side effects.
Tried to stay two days without clonidine and i was experiencing strange symptoms: dizziness, anxiety, fainty feelings combined with blood pressure higher than usual 80-130 instead of about 60-110 and strangely low heart rate: 60 bpm, i think my normal heart rate is about 70-75 as i am a small guy.

what would you suggest to do? can this be the clonidine withdrawal? if so should i start taking clonidine again and then taper? if so how to taper safely?
is maybe better just to treat anxiety with low dose benzos? i can understand why my BP is higher than usual but why my HEART RATE is LOW??

HOW LONG COULD IT LAST???

Afterall yesterday i took some benzo, and even if they were quite good for anxiety they exacerbated Restless Leg like symptoms, so i took also more clonidine and it worked, just to party a little with some coke weed and wine during the night. Went to bed late and now i'm just tired. This is it, but what do you think i should do now?

thanks in advance and great wishes for everyone!

 

[Swimmingdancer]

Clonidine should be gradually tapered, not stopped abruptly. It can cause weird effects on your cardiovascular system if you stop suddenly - normally "rebound" effects. A rise in blood pressure is normal when you stop clonidine, but I'm not sure why it would be slowing your heartrate when you don't take it, that is weird, perhaps your heart rate is still slowed from residual effects of the clonidine, or from other drugs, or your "normal" heart rate is not what you think it is (and did you actually take your heart rate while you were on the clonidine?)

Just try to taper off it over the period of about a week or so is what I would do.

Also how long since you stopped opiates? Much of your symptoms could potentially be opiate WDs that you just weren't noticing when you took the clonidine.

And I would be very careful with the benzos, they can cause rebound effects too, not to mention you really do NOT need a benzo dependence. Don't take them every day for very long.

Cocaine is a bad idea right now, I would definitely avoid it.

 

[Ektor]

Thanks swimmingdancer for the response, i went to methadone manteinance after trying to quit opiates unsuccessfully so my symptoms could not be attributed to opiates WD. I know the risks involved with benzos and luckily i dont like them much and dont use them almost at all beside when/after using stimulants or having bad panic attacks. Actually i used benzos in some periods of my life, even for something like a month in a row, without ever getting addicted or having withdrawal symptoms.
My problem, addiction wise, is more of a polydrug abuse than anything else, opiates being my biggest crutch.
Sometimes i feel i should really avoid using any kind of intoxicant for some months/years just to stop the habit of always being kinda fucked up, but there is a part of me that really likes to experiment with altered states and, oh boy, they are so difficult to integrate..
Ok i'm so tired now, i will go sleep... thanks