Benzos HELP with klonopin W/D feeling like im losing my mind

[LonE1]

Its been 2 weeks since my last dose of klonopin. So far, i have gotten 1-2 hours of sleep a night. Trazodone does not work for me. Awful body aches. My brain feels like it ticks, SERIOUS heart palpitations, my vision just goes berserk at times, dont want to be around anyone, feeling paranoid, and my left leg keeps freaking out, I cannot get comfortable and the worst is I CANNOT CONCENTRATE on anything! Seriously school is suddenly the hardest thing in the world. I have to push myself so much its insane.

If anyone can please give advice, I have melatonin, L-theanine, and gabapentin. I was drinking alcohol to mask the symptoms but ive noticed it does not help and I still feel like my body has been hit by a fucking truck. Any tips would help. I dont know how much more I can take im losing my mind. Thanks.

 

[Janellflyshighh]

That's how I felt getting off of heroin, Somas and Seroquel saved me. Also you really just have to tell yourself the worst part will be over in about a week. Stay strong you can do it.

 

[AlphaMethylPhenyl]

A maintenance dose of the aforementioned three drugs might help you, but if you're having so much trouble a doctor could help you out a lot more than we could. Do you have health insurance?

Melatonin is a great sleep-aid.

 

[casualuser]

Pretty much what Ho-chi-minh said... Kava kava can help if you have access to it as well as yoga/breathing exercises. Drinking is a bad idea as far as I'm aware as the hangover increases your chance of having a seizure. Magnesium supplements have helped me with the muscle twitches. Were you able to do a taper, what dose were you used to taking, and how long were you on the klonopin?

 

[Halif]

Clonazepam is the worst thing I've ever had to withdraw from. I experienced everything the OP mentioned, and unfortunately -

Also you really just have to tell yourself the worst part will be over in about a week.

- it could take a lot longer than that.


Critical questions to help advise you, LonE1:

-How long were you taking the klonopin?

-What doses were you taking?

-Did you taper down at all before you stopped taking them?

 

[General Antonio]

Its been 2 weeks since my last dose of klonopin. So far, i have gotten 1-2 hours of sleep a night. Trazodone does not work for me. Awful body aches. My brain feels like it ticks, SERIOUS heart palpitations, my vision just goes berserk at times, dont want to be around anyone, feeling paranoid, and my left leg keeps freaking out, I cannot get comfortable and the worst is I CANNOT CONCENTRATE on anything! Seriously school is suddenly the hardest thing in the world. I have to push myself so much its insane.

If anyone can please give advice, I have melatonin, L-theanine, and gabapentin. I was drinking alcohol to mask the symptoms but ive noticed it does not help and I still feel like my body has been hit my a fucking truck. Any tips would help. I dont know how much more I can take im losing my mind. Thanks.

I was just in the position you were before.. I stopped taking Klonopin 20 days ago. I had taken 1 mg per day for 11 months, and tapered down to 0.5 mg and decided to cut it off from there. In retrospect, i probably should have tapered down more slowly as the first 10 days were near absolute hell. So for the first two weeks, I was taking a cocktail of Kava Kava, Valerian Root, GABA, Phenibut, melatonin and 5-HTP as well tons of Vitamin C, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B6 and Magnesium. For me personally, i was taking Kava Kava, Valerian Root, GABA and Phenibut nearly all day for the first 2 weeks.. obviously it didnt get rid of the withdrawal, but it did ease it to a more tolerable level and i would redose when the sickness intensified. i also drank for a few days, which does work for the time your drinking, but it makes you feel miserable the next day. I would suggest not drinking for 7 days, stay hydrated, work out if you can (highly suggest this one, it really helped with the insomnia), take vitamins/supplements and just try to keep your body as healthy as possible while your sick.

I know the pain is intense brotha, but you just got through the hardest part. For me, after 2 weeks I began to feel remarkably better.. within the next 5-7 days, you should be feeling much better. At 20 days, you're still not quite out of the woods, but you feel 100% better and the withdrawal symptoms continue to slow down in an intensity just a little bit every day after around 2 weeks. If you've made it this far, you'll be able to make it another week before things feel much, much better.. Good luck

 

[LonE1]

Clonazepam is the worst thing I've ever had to withdraw from. I experienced everything the OP mentioned, and unfortunately -



- it could take a lot longer than that.


Critical questions to help advise you, LonE1:

-How long were you taking the klonopin?

-What doses were you taking?

-Did you taper down at all before you stopped taking them?

I was on klonopin for about 9 months, about 4 mgs a day, and would take 2mg of ativan per diem, but I would take them more than I would like to admit, as they helped with coming off meth (I was doing meth everyday for 3 months, 1-2 grams a day, and ive been clean from meth for 3 weeks, and off klonopin for 2)

I started tapering very slow: 3.5, 3, 2.5, 2mgs, then 1.5 next day, 1 next day, 0.5, then stoped and noticed horrible side effects, so I stayed on 0.5 for a couple days, then split that, then litterally crumbs....I cant even describe how painful the first few days were, but it sounds like you know, and that gives me hope.

Its just a mess, even with the slow taper, its been hell, and the lack of sleep is really killing me. I have some ambien, but I dont think taking a Z-drug would be helpful, so I picked up some melatonin, hopefully this will help. Im also going to work out and cut alcohol out, as the next day you feel awful.

Appreciate the help guys, and just knowing there is others who have gotten off benzos gives me hope. The stuff is painful to the max.

Back when I was doing 3 roxi 30's a day, the kick was brutal, but this is just insanity because it litterally feels like (2 weeks later) that its not going to get better.

Hate this shit, just want my anxiety written self back, most people wouldn't say that but it keeps me off drugs, and not such a slave to this. Never want to go through this again.

 

[Halif]

I started tapering very slow: 3.5, 3, 2.5, 2mgs, then 1.5 next day, 1 next day, 0.5, then stoped and noticed horrible side effects, so I stayed on 0.5 for a couple days, then split that, then litterally crumbs....I cant even describe how painful the first few days were, but it sounds like you know, and that gives me hope.

You mean you tapered like that over just a handful of days? That's waaaaaaaaaaayyyyy too fast for how much you used and for how long. If I'm understanding you right, you went down really, really fast. Klonopin has a fairly lengthy half-life, and the nastiest withdrawal symptoms I've experienced from a benzo. In the past, before I realised the true power and pain that benzo abuse could bring, I abused diazepam (Valium), alprazolam (Xanax), etizolam (Etilaam), and clonazepam (Klonopin).

I overused those thing for the same reasons as you: stimulants. First it was for comedowns, then it just for maintenance because I had constant anxiety from the stim abuse. It's a terrible cycle to get into because it's all too easy to find yourself having a great old time, basically having your cake and eating it too. All the stim related fun, minus the horror of the comedowns. But it has to end at some point, and that's when you find out that you've got yourself into a seriously deep hole.

The bad news is that 4mg a day of clonazepam for 9 months is enough to warrant a horrendous journey back to sanity.

The good news is that it can be done, and it will give you a new found respect for benzos as well as a general appreciation for the basic cognitive function that we take for granted.

All I can think of is that in your situation you need a mild, long lasting benzo to taper down with. I know that taking more benzos is probably not something you want to do now, but I just think you are probably going to need some help because I was using similar amounts of Klonopin to you, for a couple of months less than you, and I found the recovery process took weeks. I also tapered too fast, but I had other short acting benzos to soften the fall. Even they didn't stop me from experiencing some of the most extreme and downright bizarre withdrawal symptoms; such as feeling unreal, recognising but not knowing who my friends and family were, extreme difficulty forming sentences and understanding anything written, full-body pain, and moments of psychosis.

PM me if you want to hear more or ask questions. But please keep us updated in this thread.

 

[General Antonio]

I was on klonopin for about 9 months, about 4 mgs a day, and would take 2mg of ativan per diem, but I would take them more than I would like to admit, as they helped with coming off meth (I was doing meth everyday for 3 months, 1-2 grams a day, and ive been clean from meth for 3 weeks, and off klonopin for 2)

I started tapering very slow: 3.5, 3, 2.5, 2mgs, then 1.5 next day, 1 next day, 0.5, then stoped and noticed horrible side effects, so I stayed on 0.5 for a couple days, then split that, then litterally crumbs....I cant even describe how painful the first few days were, but it sounds like you know, and that gives me hope.

Its just a mess, even with the slow taper, its been hell, and the lack of sleep is really killing me. I have some ambien, but I dont think taking a Z-drug would be helpful, so I picked up some melatonin, hopefully this will help. Im also going to work out and cut alcohol out, as the next day you feel awful.

Appreciate the help guys, and just knowing there is others who have gotten off benzos gives me hope. The stuff is painful to the max.

Back when I was doing 3 roxi 30's a day, the kick was brutal, but this is just insanity because it litterally feels like (2 weeks later) that its not going to get better.

Hate this shit, just want my anxiety written self back, most people wouldn't say that but it keeps me off drugs, and not such a slave to this. Never want to go through this again.

I guess I should also say that I didn't take 1 mg every single day; at various times it was more like 2-5 mg, but at points when I began running out I moved down to 1 mg (i was prescribed 2 mg per day). But I do agree with the guy above.. tapering slow can make a difference. I would drop down 0.25 mg every 2 weeks (after i had stabilized on 1 mg of klonopin) and although it sucked, it did help make the withdrawal a little more bearable. Then when I got to 0.5 mg, I just decided to cut it. So it sounds like you may have taken more for a shorter period of time, but you should not even consider going back on it now that you're this far. Since you've made it this far, not much is going to get worse than it is already. The only way to go now is up..

Benzo withdrawal is intense, terrible but easily doable, as long as you have the willpower to get through the worse of it.. and it sounds like you have. I also used to do 240 mg oxy and about 300 mg of brown for 3 years straight.. I guess what changed everything is that I got a good job interview at a law firm, and was eventually offered the job to start 3 months later. I ended up going to rehab and after a fun fun 60 days, i came out feeling brand new. The point is you can do it, no matter how hard it seems to be.. it's mind over matter and if you believe you can get over it, it's likely you will. Just be careful of benzos in the future... I thought i had learned my lesson in 2010 after coming off a nasty 3.5 mg Xanax habit. I ended up getting prescribed klonopin for anxiety and nearly the same symptoms built up because i took it for nearly a year. Just hang in there, give it another week... you will be able to do it if you really believe you can.

 

[LonE1]

Thanks for the support guys, its been an extremely rough day, just because I am unable to concentrate on anything. I think the meth might have something to do with that too, but I have kicked benzos before, but did so in an extremely great detox, and it was much easier. This is just hell. I am thinking I dropped down too quick as well....what you guys wrote makes alot of sense. I actually went to rehab for roxis, meth, and xanax, and had a year clean....started getting anxiety, so I HONESTLY thought I could handle klonopin, which I never thought was a big deal compared to xanax or ativan, which I abused like crazy. Boy was I wrong.

Ive been up for almost 2 days, completely sober, and I cant even close my eyes im so awake, but body is so drained. Tried working out, and did a few sets, but couldnt go hard at all as my heart was start with the palpitations again. Hopefully today will be better, ill keep you guys posted. Thanks seriously.

 

[chrisinabox]

LonE1, that slooww taper you described is NOT a slow taper, its a very fucking fast taper, ESPECIALLY with a long half-life benzo like clonazepam. Honestly, the only way to have a semi-painless withdrawal off benzos is to taper down for months (depending on how long you were dependent). People say clonazepam is worse to come off of than other shorter-acting benzos like say alprazolam which can be true, I think they are both horrible. Alp is more intense but faster, Clonaz is not as bad, but lasts fucking foreverr, not just the withdrawals, but the PAWS as well. In the end, it's the protracted withdrawal syndrome that will get you, IMHO.

I know what you mean about difficulty concentrating, fucking sucks, sometimes I have to stop what I'm doing and think really hard to remember shit, it's strange. But it was like that when I quit benzos for a few months and the same when I was back on, so I don't know exactly what is causing it. Just be glad you didn't have a major habit. My worst habit was 1.5 grams of heroin IV per day on top of roughly 16-18mg of alprazolam/clonazepam per day, surprised I didn't fucking die of respiratory depression after that shit (did have 3 seizures though), and worst part is I didn't get to taper, I went to jail and had to cold turkey that shit, nothing worse than cold turkey in jail IMO.

I hate to say this, but it pretty much takes around as much time you were using the benzos to come off the benzos, fully. The main withdrawals not so much, but the protracted withdrawal yes.

 

[bdomihizayka]

I was NEVER a drug abuser. Took 1mg klonopin daily as prescribed for 2 years. When I was taken off of klonopin, I became addicted to dope just so I would get the fuck out of my head and stay sane.

Benzo withdrawal is HELL. No way to describe it. It can last months, even years. You NEED to taper. It was the hardest thing I have ever done in my entire life, and my baseline anxiety is still messed up.


You NEED to reinstate and taper for at least 4 months IMO with the dosages you were on.....

 

[Znegative]

I feel your pain OP, withdrawal from clonazepam IMO has been as bad as Xanax withdrawal, it just takes a bit longer for it to hit. I can usually get by 48 hours just feeling rather edgy, sometimes I'll even feel a bit stimulated in a cracked out way, but by the third day, things start getting really gross-exsessive sweating, incredible muscle stiffness as well as spasms and jerks that happen through the day and night, rushing sensations in my chest which make me feel dizzy and nauseous and though it's a bit hard to admit, I start acting psychotic. My emotions become so rattled, I'll start crying and hyperventilating over the smallest argument or problem and then start gagging while all that's going on and hyperventilating some more. It's disgusting. With opiate WD I feel more physically 'sick' and me tally just incredibly depressed and nervous, benzo withdrawal is more painful in certain ways.. All I can say is that you might need to think about getting back on a low dose of a benzo like diazepam to taper yourself further..clonazepam withdrawal seems to last a long as time...I've yet to get to the other side.

 

[Longhauler]

All I can say is that you might need to think about getting back on a low dose of a benzo like diazepam to taper yourself further...

^^ This is the best advice you were given yet. I was addicted to Xanax for years. I do understand your ordeal... IMO The ONLY way to treat a STRONG benzo addiction (many years on a therapeutic dose, or a few months of high recreational doses) is to use a valium taper. If it's too painful, talk to your doc about a super slow valium taper. Not only is it less painful during the detox this way, your neurons also heal better: the PAWS is less awful or even absent this way. Talk to your doctor.

 

[rsmith309]

I went from 10mg zanax cold turkey and ended up in ER after 3 days. Dr switched me to 1mg twice a day, tapered by 1/2 mg a week down to 1/2 mg. Then switched to 5mg valium day for 2 weeks, felt ok for 2 weeks then withdraw hit again like a ton of bricks. Switched to 200mg of Gabapentin 3 times a day & 50mg Trazadone at night for sleep the last 2 weeks and doing ok. Going to wait a few weeks before tapering off them.

 

[Stargazer]

Hi Lone1...I'm feel what you're going through 8(8( Its horrible. Something that surprises me is that I haven't seen, or don't think I've seen, anyone mention the ungoldy, sickening headache that accompanies this w/d. It is so horrible and sickening, on top of everything else...

My brain feels like it's bleeding it hurts so badly...and that's on top of the horrible psychosis and sweating...the act of speaking is enough to make me gag and vomit...

The advice given above is great. This is only my second post here. I was very pleasantly surprised at the group of supportive and knowledgable ppl are here...we're all w you.

I told my Dr. to stop writing rx's for #90 3x/day with 2 refills that I promptly refilled every 15days. On top of the horrendous w/d, I had lots of bridges to mend when I went through my hiatus every month...apologizing over and over for things I had no recollection of. Apparantly, I start arguments, and think I'm superior to the human race while on Klonopin.

Due to Klonopin taking so long to start working while I'm panicking still 20mins later, I over-took it. My mind is racing during a panic attack, and naturally I"d take more....then more...you know the drill.

Ok, thankyou to everyone for tollerating this post. My cognitive abilities are comprised right now. I really just wanted to say Hang on Lone1. Taper. Please keep us up-dated on your progress. All the best -S