Learning to manage my first and last Benzodiazepine W/D :-(.

[RepeatedIgnorance2c-74]

Hello all, I hope everyone is well.





We made a mistake 5 weeks ago by trying clonazepam. We stopped three weeks ago, and the withdrawal has been difficult. This is our first time dealing with this type of withdrawal, which has been more challenging than expected.





Week three has brought intense cognitive issues—memory lapses, word-finding difficulties, and mental gaps. We've also experienced heightened neuronal excitation, increased intensity of feelings, irritability, and quick anger. We feel overwhelmed and are committed to avoiding this substance forever.





With ADHD, symptoms worsen, adding to our mental and metabolic stress. We’re seeking advice: how have others managed these tough times? Any strategies or support would be appreciated.





Thank you.

 

[kris66]

Just to clarify, clonazepam was used daily for two weeks? What was the dose? Usually it’s recommended to taper off benzos. The use was short term so hopefully things will begin to improve soon.

Most say to avoid alcohol while tapering benzos. Exercise is usually helpful. Some find magnesium supplements helpful. A lot of people have found gabapentin helpful, just be aware it can be addictive also.

I’m tapering benzos currently but I don’t have experience with clonazepam specifically, someone else may be more helpful. Benzos are said to be the worst drug to withdrawal from so it was smart to stop now.

 

[RepeatedIgnorance2c-74]

Just to clarify, clonazepam was used daily for two weeks? What was the dose? Usually it’s recommended to taper off benzos. The use was short term so hopefully things will begin to improve soon.

Most say to avoid alcohol while tapering benzos. Exercise is usually helpful. Some find magnesium supplements helpful. A lot of people have found gabapentin helpful, just be aware it can be addictive also.

I’m tapering benzos currently but I don’t have experience with clonazepam specifically, someone else may be more helpful. Benzos are said to be the worst drug to withdrawal from so it was smart to stop now.

Thank you for your response. Apologies for the delay; I was busy today.
Yes, I took clonazepam daily for two weeks, dosed between 0.5mg and 1mg, usually one dose per day.
Some days exercise feels doable; others require more effort. I hope your taper is going well. We tapered to 0.02mg before stopping.
We’re checking magnesium doses for effectiveness.
This withdrawal experience is the worst we've faced—more pronounced and memorable. It’s strange pharmaceutical companies release these drugs, knowing the profits from initial use and withdrawal.

 

[lost weekend]

Thank you for your response. Apologies for the delay; I was busy today.
Yes, I took clonazepam daily for two weeks, dosed between 0.5mg and 1mg, usually one dose per day.
Some days exercise feels doable; others require more effort. I hope your taper is going well. We tapered to 0.02mg before stopping.
We’re checking magnesium doses for effectiveness.
This withdrawal experience is the worst we've faced—more pronounced and memorable. It’s strange pharmaceutical companies release these drugs, knowing the profits from initial use and withdrawal.

I took clonazepam for 5 years daily at doses between 4 and 8 mg give or take
I'm certainly no expert but 2 weeks of the dose you are describing should certainly not have any lasting effect
Lots of experts on the forum will swear by supplements as the ones you are describing, all they did was make my gastro issues worse
2 Weeks of any benzo use will only bring on mild symptoms, please don't think I'm being dubious about your concerns but the doses you are stating are very low plus you initiated a taper
Can I ask why you decided to take it in first place
Are you taking other drugs ,what was the reason for taking clonazepam to begin with
Could you explain why you think these drugs are prescribed, lots of drugs are addictive not just benzodiazepines

 

[kris66]

Your dosage was low and you only took it for two weeks so that is a good thing. I’m glad you tapered down before you stopped.

I took lorazepam daily for 10 plus years, but I’m tapering slowly and doing okay. If my symptoms get too uncomfortable I slow down my taper. I’m impatient with it because it’s so slow but after 10 years use this is what I’m stuck with.

I agree doctors are incredibly negligible. Reading on bluelight has helped me immensely. Many of the people on here have been on benzos and successfully stopped.

 

[lost weekend]

Thank you for your response. Apologies for the delay; I was busy today.
Yes, I took clonazepam daily for two weeks, dosed between 0.5mg and 1mg, usually one dose per day.
Some days exercise feels doable; others require more effort. I hope your taper is going well. We tapered to 0.02mg before stopping.
We’re checking magnesium doses for effectiveness.
This withdrawal experience is the worst we've faced—more pronounced and memorable. It’s strange pharmaceutical companies release these drugs, knowing the profits from initial use and withdrawal.

Sorry you tapered to 0.02mg before stopping, how exactly did you manage to split the lowest dose of clonazepam prescribed into 0.02mg
Am I being thick or are you telling porkies

 

[lost weekend]

Your dosage was low and you only took it for two weeks so that is a good thing. I’m glad you tapered down before you stopped.

I took lorazepam daily for 10 plus years, but I’m tapering slowly and doing okay. If my symptoms get too uncomfortable I slow down my taper. I’m impatient with it because it’s so slow but after 10 years use this is what I’m stuck with.

I agree doctors are incredibly negligible. Reading on bluelight has helped me immensely. Many of the people on here have been on benzos and successfully stopped.

I'm a bit confused with OP

 

[kris66]

Lots of experts on the forum will swear by supplements as the ones you are describing, all they did was make my gastro issues worse

Do you still have gastro issues? My gastro issues have been terrible. I finally found an herbal supplement that helps a lot. I didn’t really put it together with my tapering from benzos, maybe it’s related.

 

[lost weekend]

Do you still have gastro issues? My gastro issues have been terrible. I finally found an herbal supplement that helps a lot. I didn’t really put it together with my tapering from benzos, maybe it’s related.

I'm fine now ,just took 3 months of hell
I quit an 18 year kratom habit at same time so that certainly brought something to the table
I think any drug stopped abruptly causes awful stomach problems ,
Time seems to be only cure

 

[lost weekend]

Do you still have gastro issues? My gastro issues have been terrible. I finally found an herbal supplement that helps a lot. I didn’t really put it together with my tapering from benzos, maybe it’s related.

I'm no expert but the relationship between the brain and gut is severly compromised when the brain suddenly has to start from scratch and learn new coping skills

 

[jose ribas da silva]

2 weeks , .5 will not be a big problem. Stomach problems are normal in this context, when noradrenaline, glutamate, cortisol are high, the stomach will suffer, if GABA signaling is too frequent/intense, brain will compensate

 

[FlouroAcytelated]

I'm certainly no expert but 2 weeks of the dose you are describing should certainly not have any lasting effect

This is correct. In fact doctors rarely prescribe more than 2 weeks of benzos now for this reason.

2 weeks will produce a bit of rebound anxiety as well a healthy amount of psychosomatic symptoms in people with genuine anxiety issues.

2 Weeks of benzos are not going to cause significant cognitive issues or other advanced withdrawal issues.

In my experience when you read up on withdrawal symptoms and are an anxious person, you can actually convince yourself psychosomatically that you are experiencing those symptoms.

In people with genuine anxiety issues, such as myself, we can trick ourselves into feeling worse than we actually feel.

 

[jose ribas da silva]

Believe me, during real benzo withdrawal, there will be no question whether it's withdrawal or not. It's unambiguous

 

[lost weekend]

Believe me, during real benzo withdrawal, there will be no question whether it's withdrawal or not. It's unambiguous

Your right
I stayed off bluelight.org for 3 months because I was terrified of interaction with anyone
I would love the OP to get back in touch to clear up a few things

 

[lost weekend]

Believe me, during real benzo withdrawal, there will be no question whether it's withdrawal or not. It's unambiguous

Your right
I stayed off bluelight.org for 3 months because I was terrified of interaction with anyone
I would love the OP to get back in touch to clear up a few things 'we " especially

 

[placebonaut]

Sorry you tapered to 0.02mg before stopping, how exactly did you manage to split the lowest dose of clonazepam prescribed into 0.02mg
Am I being thick or are you telling porkies

IIRC you can dissolve them in something (is it water or alcohol? I forget and I'm too fucked up to remember)

stick a pill in 1 ml of solution and then just take 0.2ml

though I agree with many of the posts in this thread, that seems like an an excessive taper for such a short duration of usage.

wonder if something else underlying going on of it other drugs involved.

gabapentin or pregablin could help yes, but I'd rather avoid substitution as it has it's own issues. would have thought you're already through the worst of it so toughing it out is an option with some nootripics support but these's are magic cures just aids.

i'm a fan of magnolia, lemon balm and camomile to help with sleep. vallerian for anxiety.

I'm no expert but the relationship between the brain and gut is severly compromised when the brain suddenly has to start from scratch and learn new coping skills

this have been shown in a number of studies, it's a grown are of research.

the general idea is that certain foods are better for certain gut micros, and the gut micros have a feedback mechanism to the brain to promote the desire to eat more of the food that is good for that microbe.

fascinating stuff but the science I've looked at so far seem a bit immature, my wife has looked deeper and she's utterly convinced by it

 

[jose ribas da silva]

Your right
I stayed off bluelight.org for 3 months because I was terrified of interaction with anyone
I would love the OP to get back in touch to clear up a few things

AS Peter Gabriel says, every pill I swallow make me smaller

 

[lost weekend]

AS Peter Gabriel says, every pill I swallow make me smaller

So true
Confidence in pill form ,but only for a day

 

[lost weekend]

AS Peter Gabriel says, every pill I swallow make me smaller

So true
Confidence in pill form ,but only for a day

 

[jose ribas da silva]

Life is unbearable by default. You get born, you die, there's no point. That by itself is enough to take a bunch of pills, plus all the extra bullshit on top.