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  • BDD Moderators: Keif’ Richards

Urgent question about clonazepam withdrawal

S

steal_yourphace

Greenlighter
Joined
Dec 6, 2014
Messages
20
Hey guys. I've been taking clonazepam for the past 2-3months, on and off. I've typically taken a low dose of about .25 to 1 mg - usually towards the lower end of that spectrum. Today is the third day I've gone without them and I am not positive but I think I might be feeling the withdrawals. I feel a little bit shaky, on edge, and lethargic. I know its difficult to tell, but can anyone estimate how long this will last? Will it get worse? Is there a risk of seizures? I knew about the risks, but I really did not think that I was taking all that much - that often, and I feel that this has kind of snuck up on me. To be honest I'm a little scared. I've read that clonazepam withdrawals can only start getting bad on days 5-10. Is there any truth to that? Am I just psyching myself out here since I was taking a small dose intermittently over a few months? Would really appreciate some answers. Next week is finals week, and then I go home to visit my family. I really dont want to be in withdrawals during my vacation! This is my first post here. I am legitimately afraid of what might happen to me, like a seizure. I've never experienced benzo withdrawal before. Please help...
 
Sit back and take a deep breath=D because your golden and you really have nothing to worry about except continuing to take benzos on a daily basis and then you will have to worry. If your going to use benzos use them only once or twice a week and you will have no problems due to them.

TDS --> BDD
 
Thanks for the quick reply, and sorry for posting in the wrong board. I'm only worrying because I feel really 'off' in a way that I haven't ever felt before. I even had a panic attack a couple days ago, which has never happened before. My head feels like its kind of in a fog, and my body just feels overly stressed for no reason. Also, my heart rate goes up at random times and I start to worry that something is wrong with me. Hopefully this is just very mild withdrawals or rebound anxiety, and there's not something worse going on. I will definitely be cutting back my kpin intake b/c everything I've been reading about benzo withdrawal scares the crap out of me. Thanks again.
 
I should mention that I've been addicted to a low-moderate daily dose of kratom for about two years now, with multiple failed attempts to quit. I've gone through withdrawal from that (and oxys a long time ago), which honestly isnt that bad, but this definitely feels different.....
 
I wish I knew the answer to that. I got addicted to painkillers through a friend when i was about 16. By the time i was 17 or 18 things I was actually shooting up, and things got so bad that I had to go to rehab. I used suboxone to get off it and was clean for a little while. Since then I've just always had this itch to use opiate-like drugs. I haven't touched an actual opiate in a couple years now, and have no intentions on doing so. Kratom, at first, seemed like a safe alternative to get that buzz without all of the troubles that came along with opiates. Obviously I was just lying to myself, because now I am just as addicted to kratom as I was OCs. On the other hand, kratom IS a rather harmless drug, besides the psychological impacts, and it doesnt have the soul crushing/life ruining effects on me that opiates did. I tend to have a very addictive personality (obviously), but find myself to be a very functioning addict. I get good grades in school (about to graduate with a BA) and work a steady job. The main reason I started using benzos was to negate the effects of kratom withdrawal. I tried to quit kratom a few times, and used it during the withdrawal to help calm my nerves. I feel like I CAN quit kratom, and absolutely plan on quitting in the near future through tapering. I'm very tired of needing this plant to function in daily life. At first I liked it because it helped me be social, reduce stress, and do school work, but recently many of the good effects have gone away, and it's definitely impacted my mood/anxiety levels. There's a great subreddit called /quittingkratom that has been really great in helping prepare me to quit.

Anyway, sorry for turning this into a novel! I guess I better stay away from benzos from now on and try to use lope and other supplements to quit. There's no way in hell that I want to develope an benzo addiction on top of a kratom one. I really appreciate your willingness to help.
 
I guess the good thing about my clonazepam situation is the fact that I do not even really like benzos that much. My tolerance has not gone up very much, and I don't get cravings to use them. I've just been experiencing these strange physical/psychological symptoms that I've never felt before, and it has been worrying me.
 
Bud,
Dont play with benzos. They are not the drug to start and stop. Ive seen people seize up coming off those more than once. Not pretty.
My friend showed up at my house one day with a totally red eye, I thought he had pink eye, he had busted a blood vessel in his eye from a seizure. He couldnt hardly walk because his calf had locked up as well.
From experience and talking to others, a common sign of bezo withdrawls is confusion.
Hard time thinking straight. Having to think extra hard to do simple tasks. Its a spacey feeling. Thats the "off" feeling I believe you are describing.
It can be days before real wd from benzos set in. A doc will tell you to always wing down off benzos very slowly.
Please, not trying to scare ya. Just want you to be informed. Panicking will help nothing and will no doubt make you worse.
Like NSA said, chill, and focus on breathing to calm down.
 
Thanks for the advice methamaniac. I wouldn't really say I've been feeling 'confused'...but I dont know. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day and I'm getting worked up for nothing. I have definitely learned my lesson, and will only use benzos when I absolutely need to. The not knowing part is just what's freaking me out a bit. I'll keep you guys updated. Thanks again.
 
^
Not knowing is scary.
I never really had too bad wds from bezos even when used for a extended period of time.
I mean my mind seemed to slow down when I quit and was more susceptible to anxiety and depression but that was it. I just felt like a "space cadet" generally.
I just figured benzos wds hit me "different".
Until ONE day.
I was coming off a binger and was probably like 5-6 days in and almost "passed out."
Maybe I did pass out for a sec and just didnt remember it.
Seemed like i was skipping moments in time.
I dont think i had a seizure, but was probably close as you can get without having one.
I was at work and made it to my car to go home early and next thing I remember I had people putting cold water bottles on my neck.
I was reclined all the way in my car seat, and
my friend said I kept saying I just need to lie down, but I WAS lying down.
I cant explain how disassociated from reality I was. I felt like I was fading to black. But somehow I could remember not completely passing out. Maybe mind was playing tricks on me.
Ive had some worse physical feelings of pain,
but never a more scarier "trippy" feeling.
Having absolutely zero control of reality is pretty freaking scary. As well as loss of time. This went on for like 45 minutes.
Needless to say I dont touch benzos anymore.
lol Learned my lesson.
 
steal_yourphace said:
I guess the good thing about my clonazepam situation is the fact that I do not even really like benzos that much. My tolerance has not gone up very much, and I don't get cravings to use them. I've just been experiencing these strange physical/psychological symptoms that I've never felt before, and it has been worrying me.
Click to expand...

i agree I dont think benzos are addicting. They dont not stimulate the mesolimbic reward pathway so they cant be addicting. Also once I got off them I have never even thought about them. They sure as hell can cause physical dependence.
 
Yes, what happens is that you change your modus operandis to become a calmer and most reasonable person.
If you rely on benzos too much you end up being a person that is not really yourself. And getting off that is horrible.
That is because you are always tense and don´t know how to cope with the easiest social situations, even together with your family.
Anxiety becomes a great part of your days and panicking starts showing. Next thing you do is stay away and fearful.
So that´s pretty bad. Not w/d but dealing with that for life is pretty shitty.
 
http://www.drugabuse.gov/news-events/nida-notes/2012/04/well-known-mechanism-underlies-benzodiazepines-addictive-properties

Benzos may be more "addictive" than u might think.

Whether benzos are "addictive" is really an "arguement " over semantics.
You can definitely become dependent on them.
They can be used as a "crutch"/aid and they can be abused to negatively affect one's life.
And certainly can be used to a positive effect.

This is how I would define "bad" addiction.
Does a drug or behavior negatively affect my life? Am I able to correct this on my own?
I mean we are all dependent on water but this is
not a bad addiction.
If you need a wheel chair cause you cant use your legs properly is rational.
If you need a wheel chair cause you're too lazy to walk is hard to rationalize.
Only an individual actually knows if something is addictive to them.
IMO pain is the ultimate judge of addiction.
And when one realizes the pain caused in self and loved ones, this becomes clear.
edit:
Why doesnt this thread "bump"?
 
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Posters saying benzos dont induce so bad cravings/"wet dreams" like opiates are right.Indeed the physical dependence is hardcore,but once you quit,you dont start salivating just from thinking about them(as you do with heroin f.e).

There is although a reason why benzos seem to always "end up" in ones "diet".Although (usually)not producing euphoria themselves,they do fill a gap when you feel like "somethings missing".Even when i have taken my regular opiate dose and feel normal again(or maybe even a little buzzed),theres a "little something" you know you can add to the mix to turn a good feeling into a great one.Thats where usually benzos come in,providing that "care free","breeze through life" "devil may care" sensation that completes your feelgood.

Thats the thing imo,benzos alone are mediocre for recreational use but they synergize so perfectly with most drugs.Its like theres alot of Batmans(other drugs) but only one Robin(benzos).
 
How long do you think this will last? I took a very very small amount of klonopin last night. Like less than a quarter of a 2 mg pill. I still felt kind of crappy when I woke up this morning. Now my head a little bit and I've the feeling of being "off" is more pronounced and it feels like there is this weird pressure. Definitely feeling a little on edge. Please tell me this won't last very long....I have a life that I need to get back to :(
 
If it gets worse I think I am going to see my doctor on monday and tell him about this. I've heard good things about Gabapentin easing withdrawals. Is there anything that i can do/take to make me feel better?
 
^
BK
Your probably not aware but the reason you "want" that benzo is because there IS something "missing". It's a chemicals.
After a certain period of time on an external opiate, the opiate begins to suppress chemicals that help you cope. The body produces "opiates" naturally--in the correct amount. When you give it extra opiates it reponds by decreasing the amount it produces. When you stop introducing opiates the net loss equals pain. Benzos allow you to "maximize" the opiates that are availble.
(I simplified process because of the symphony of chemicals involved)

In actuality, this process begins the moment you start an external opiate. You "crave" the benzo when you begin having trouble coping without the adequate chemicals needed to handle stress. For a while the opiate suffices by working like a ssri, but eventually the debt it creates becomes to much.
End result- Pain
 
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steal_yourphace said:
If it gets worse I think I am going to see my doctor on monday and tell him about this. I've heard good things about Gabapentin easing withdrawals. Is there anything that i can do/take to make me feel better?
Click to expand...

Synthetic GABA will help for definte sure.

I always used it for benzo wd.
As far as how long "it" will last?
Usually benzo wd lasted for about a solid week for me relative to when it began to get "intense"
hang in there
 
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I've heard that those GABA supplements are just counter-productive or ineffective. What kind of benzos were you on, and for how long were you on them?
 
Neurotin works!
No doubt about it.
If you were just taking beznos I would say you will definetly notice instant improvement.
Benzos dont necessarily make you "happy"
they remove "sadness" . Sounds like the same thing but its not
I was on all kinds. Usually xanies.
But I would throw in k-pins whenever needed.
I never stayed on straight for more than few months straight, and even then I would skip days.
I would purposely cycle off(lol sometimes unpurposely). Either way stopping sucked!

Neurotins during these times were a God send
 
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