4mg Bupe IV
1mg Clonazolam, lately I've been able to get through a day using only 1-2 pills. When I start to panic, I do deep breathing exercises, along with transcendental meditation. I'm going to talk to my doc about tapering off the BZD's, and taking Gabapentin. Anyone have thoughts on how well said medication would work for anxiety?
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Caffeine
Newpz
Hey man, I hope all is well. I have a long history of benzo use, tapering protocols, seizures, etc. I went 7 years void of any benzodiazepines, and last year on Dec. 22, I caved in and got a Clonazepam script to help deal with the anxiety being around my family for the holidays. I knew exactly what I was getting into, and my intelligence and ability to "speak the language" in a medical setting always resulted in me getting scripted anything I desired. I left that appointment with (60) 2mg Klonopins to be taken twice a day i.e. 4mgs total, and here I am almost a year later still on the 4mgs. Throughout the past year, I've tapered off to completely nothing for a few weeks and then would have a bad day that would provoke taking benzos and ending up right back where I started. The past 6 weeks, I've tapered from 4mg to 2mgs and it has been HELL. I had a few rough days last week, and I'm back to the 4mg dose.
Gabapentin is a strange drug and I'm RX'ed 3,200mgs a day. The main reason it is used in combination with a benzo taper is because it prevents seizures. The mechanism of action for Gabapentin is still unknown, albeit I warn you now. If you get Gabapentin and need/want to get off, treat it like a benzo taper...Gabapentin withdrawal is unique in its own way and VERY uncomfortable. In regards to Gabapentin's relief of anxiety, its anxiolytic properties really only last about 3-5 days and then you just get a dependance to it. On a positive note, Gabapentin has minimal to 0 side effects.
Coincidentally, I see a new psychiatrist today to tell her that I want to taper off of the Clonazepam in a slow and steady fashion. They are nothing but a psychological crutch, and are truly the WORST drugs in existence. I could eat 16mgs of clonazepam at this point and get nothing but amnesia and cognitive decline. All of my problems before getting on benzos are now exacerbated.