Posted by Quintal on December 28, 2006, at 12:05:35
In reply to Long term Klonopin?, posted by mattye on December 27, 2006, at 14:53:53
I was taking benzos for five years, mostly Klonopin. Like most people, when I began taking Klonopin I had no intention of abusing it and had no history of substance misuse. That soon changed when the miraculous effects began to fade as I developed tolerance - so I raised the dose and felt much better. The relief was so good I felt almost euphoric for a while. Tolerance set in again so I raised the dose, and this pattern continued for about two years until I was being prescribed 8mg daily along with other benzos and hypnotics such as zolpidem and zopiclone - I was still couldn't sleep at night. Eventually my old pdoc had a breakdown and his replacement coerced me into withdrawing from the Klonopin.
The withdrawals were bad and no antidepressant could seem to touch the anxiety, and the insomnia was ridiculous. I was sleeping less than an hour a night and starting to hallucinate. It was at that time I was seduced by those emails from online pharmacies and ordered Klonopin. From then on I still took my usual dose of about 4mg daily, but for some reason I started to abuse it around this time last year taking a whole blister strip of ten 2mg tablets (20mg) every day when I woke up.
I withdrew from Klonopin many times, but the final time was in July this year and I've not touched a sleeping tablet or benzo since. The benzo withdrawal was worse than opiates for me - main problems were nausea, loss of appetite, weight loss, sweating, tremors, headaches, insomnia, panic, feelings of doom and terror, severe depression........... the list goes on and on and includes some bizarre sensations that we don't have words for.
Also, for me benzos seem to have been a 'gateway' drug because I went on to abuse *many* other substances while I was taking them. They were a gateway drug in two ways - they fuelled my desire to get 'high' and gave me the confidence to go out and get them. Before I started taking benzos I was a hermit and pretty much housebound and would certainly never have had the confidence to approach a drug dealer.
I'm not benzophobic or anti-benzo in any way, but I'm no longer pro-benzo either.
Q
poster:Quintal
thread:716704
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20061224/msgs/716941.html