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Klonopin withdrawl.. need advice

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DingleMargoon

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Joined
Nov 7, 2016
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I took only .25mg of klonopin everyday for over 3 months. Then I started a taper taking it every other day for about 2 months, then once every 3rd day for about a month. So total time on the drug was about 7 months. After a month of .25mg every 3rd day, I quit. I felt almost no physical withdrawl symptoms other than maybe a headache. After 2 weeks though, my anxiety baseline was basically a constant panic attack all day. It's been a little under a month now since the taper and I feel like I'm mentally in hell. My question is..Was I taking enough to cause a long term PAWS?

It's also worth mentioning that I caved about 3 weeks into the withdrawl and received a 1mg dose at the hospital. Will that set back my recovery time drastically?
 
Benzo PAWS doesn't really kick in until around day 30-40 so it's not uncommon to feel fine only to have the rug pulled out from under you. Most of benzo withdrawal/PAWS is a phisologocal response to the dramatic decrease or cessation of benzos which then causes your body not to be able to regulate various chemical processes resulting in excessive glutamate which does neurological damage...once that happens only time will heal it. More benzos may temporarily help with the anxiety some (not nearly as effectively as prior to the first withdrawal) but benzos also slow down neurological healing so it's really a catch 22.

Ultimately if you want to feel better you're going to want to stop the benzos as they are not a long term medication anyway. Having 1mg shouldn't be a huge set back. Your taper wasn't sound which is why you're likely having the issues you are having now and PAWS is bad. Skipping multiple days and redosing is not a good idea because you are technically jumping off and then restarting.

Have a look at the Ashton Manual for how to do a benzo taper. Feel free to let me know if you have questions.
 
Moreaux said:
Benzo PAWS doesn't really kick in until around day 30-40 so it's not uncommon to feel fine only to have the rug pulled out from under you. Most of benzo withdrawal/PAWS is a phisologocal response to the dramatic decrease or cessation of benzos which then causes your body not to be able to regulate various chemical processes resulting in excessive glutamate which does neurological damage...once that happens only time will heal it. More benzos may temporarily help with the anxiety some (not nearly as effectively as prior to the first withdrawal) but benzos also slow down neurological healing so it's really a catch 22.

Ultimately if you want to feel better you're going to want to stop the benzos as they are not a long term medication anyway. Having 1mg shouldn't be a huge set back. Your taper wasn't sound which is why you're likely having the issues you are having now and PAWS is bad. Skipping multiple days and redosing is not a good idea because you are technically jumping off and then restarting.

Have a look at the Ashton Manual for how to do a benzo taper. Feel free to let me know if you have questions.
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I felt my anxiety build until it reached a steady constant level which took about a month so I see what you're saying about PAWS. The fact that I already started the PAWS means that it should start to get better right? I've already been having short windows of clarity but it's mostly just constant anxiety. Since I was only on a very small dose do you think the PAWS will be shorter than all the horror stories online?
 
In theory, it shouldn't last very long. Are you no longer taking benzos, that your last benzo was three weeks ago st the hospital? If yes, then you should be in pretty good shape and no, your PAWS shouldn't be like the horror stories you hear nor should it last a long time.

Try to eat as healthy as you can, get on a consistent sleep cycle, and exercise (exercise significantly helps). You may want to add a good multivitamin, a b-complex, and magnesium (helps with anxiety and muscle tension). Make certain to eat enough protein throughout the day as that will help with the healing process.

Your anxiety may get a little worse before it gets better. Breathing exercises and meditation can significantly help bring you back to the moment and reduce the anxiety. If you are having a really bad moment take deep long slow breaths and keep in mind the anxiety is temporary.
 
Moreaux said:
In theory, it shouldn't last very long. Are you no longer taking benzos, that your last benzo was three weeks ago st the hospital? If yes, then you should be in pretty good shape and no, your PAWS shouldn't be like the horror stories you hear nor should it last a long time.

Try to eat as healthy as you can, get on a consistent sleep cycle, and exercise (exercise significantly helps). You may want to add a good multivitamin, a b-complex, and magnesium (helps with anxiety and muscle tension). Make certain to eat enough protein throughout the day as that will help with the healing process.

Your anxiety may get a little worse before it gets better. Breathing exercises and meditation can significantly help bring you back to the moment and reduce the anxiety. If you are having a really bad moment take deep long slow breaths and keep in mind the anxiety is temporary.
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The anxiety of the whole withdrawl situation got to me. I think that's where a lot of the anxeity is coming from. My main concern was entering a period of long term depression and anxiety because of PAWS. Right now I am feeling windows of clarity but for the most part I'm anxious all day. I understand theres no possible way to predict a timeline for how long that'll last but just the thought that it could last months was fucking terrifying. I don't think I'll be suffering like I am for too much longer though. Thanks for reassurance. BTW I am currently clean of benzos.
 
DingleMargoon said:
The anxiety of the whole withdrawl situation got to me. I think that's where a lot of the anxeity is coming from. My main concern was entering a period of long term depression and anxiety because of PAWS. Right now I am feeling windows of clarity but for the most part I'm anxious all day. I understand theres no possible way to predict a timeline for how long that'll last but just the thought that it could last months was fucking terrifying. I don't think I'll be suffering like I am for too much longer though. Thanks for reassurance. BTW I am currently clean of benzos.
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if you're already having my moments of clarity then you may be on the up swing. I was on them for ten years and didn't get any clarity until after a year and a half of hell, just for some perspective. Let me know if you need anything. Best wishes!
 
The last 4 days have been hell. My anxiety got worse out of nowhere after being under control for almost a month. I went days almost forgetting I'm in withdrawl and returned to a normal life only to have my anxiety increase once more. I'm 2 months into the withdrawl. I've had temporary moments of feeling myself the past few days but they don't last more than 4 hours. I feel totally spaced out and I can't handle my thoughts (obsessive negative thoughts). I'm afraid this will scar me for life. I'm afraid I'll never be able to handle my anxiety. I'm afraid that only being 20 y/o that this did irreparable damage. Please assure me this isn't true.. When the anxiety gets bad I start to feel suicidal. Please help
 
Look, you're only 20 years old and your brain is still developing. You'll be ok. And please, whatever you do, don't kill yourself. I have suicidal ideation almost every day but I'm still here.

Have you tried the breathing exercises and meditation over the past 2 months? It really helps with my anxiety.
 
It definitely comes in waves... I feel a bit better now. I'm really scared that this is going to last a year or some shit. It's unbearable when these attacks hit. I was taking such a small dose that you'd expect me to feel better within 6 months right? I'm barely even 2 months in right now. I'm really stressing about this.
 
.25 is a micro dose and for that period of time I would question if it's withdrawals at all. I'm prescribed up to 2mg a day though usually only take a max of 1.5 in very stressful situations maybe once every other week, usually .5 every other day or so. I can be off it for days no problem, but I do get anxiety not from withdrawls, but because I have an anxiety disorder and the medications are needed. Your doc put you on them for a reason that you may also need to keep your anxiety issues in check.
 
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