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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Leland on May 20, 2006, at 10:51:08
In reply to BENZODIAZAPINE WITHDRAWL...please help!!!, posted by jodsteroo on May 29, 2001, at 2:33:26
I have been of of Clonazapam for one month after two years of use and have been going through withdrawl hell. The following is a list of my symptoms.
Light headed like floating. (severe at times)
Chest tightness.
Numbness over most of my body.
Jaw clenching.
Face flushing.
Anxiety.
weakness arms and legs.Any of these sound familiar?? I feel for you. I have read that this can continue for a long time, up to a year or more.
Leland
Posted by Squiggles on May 20, 2006, at 10:51:08
In reply to Re: BENZODIAZAPINE WITHDRAWL...please help!!!, posted by Leland on May 18, 2006, at 16:01:40
> I have been of of Clonazapam for one month after two years of use and have been going through withdrawl hell. The following is a list of my symptoms.
>
> Light headed like floating. (severe at times)
> Chest tightness.
> Numbness over most of my body.
> Jaw clenching.
> Face flushing.
> Anxiety.
> weakness arms and legs.
>
> Any of these sound familiar?? I feel for you. I have read that this can continue for a long time, up to a year or more.
>
> Leland
>
I just saw your post - got really distracted
on the board.Yes, I found it took me a long time to stabilize
from a small amount of clonazepam too. The way I got out of a really bad situation - symptoms you describe and extreme anxiety - was by reinstating and increasing the original dose (1.0mg to 1.5mg)
and gradually got better, but it took a long time and I believe that 5 years now, I still have one symptom left which never went away. I did not have the strength to withdraw altogether after a year and a half of trying. I was on it too long I think.Squiggles
Posted by idolamine on May 20, 2006, at 10:51:09
In reply to BENZODIAZAPINE WITHDRAWL...please help!!!, posted by jodsteroo on May 29, 2001, at 2:33:26
I'm on BZD withdrawal right now from Xanax. It's not easy, but I switched to valium and followed the schedule of .5mg reduction every 1-2 weeks, alternating day and night, without reducing my bedtime dose until the end- so you take your dose 3 times daily. I get depressed and anxious and have trouble talking, and some disturbed sleep, for maybe about 4 days after each taper. Mediation has helped me. You just have to stick through it and know that you won't always feel this way. I think neurotin may help also, I'm on lamictal now myself. hope this helps!
> has anyone gone through a benzo withdrawl? i tapered slowlet but still getting extreem withdrawl symptomed and its been almost a month since i stopped klonopin at 1/8th of a mg.im having extreem muscle tension and headaches...and tons of other psysical symptomes... has anyone else gon through this and if so how long did it last before you felt better?
Posted by ron1953 on May 30, 2006, at 22:57:15
In reply to Re: BENZODIAZAPINE WITHDRAWL...please help!!!, posted by Leland on May 18, 2006, at 16:01:40
Leland:
I see it's been 10 days since you posted. If your w/d is anything like mine, you're still pretty sick. Or maybe you gave up; I wouldn't blame you. I white-knuckled it last November after 7+ years at 2mg or more daily. It was the sickest I've ever been. After all this time I'm ALMOST fully recovered from this thing. Anyhow, I found a wealth of knowledge at http://benzo.org.uk/ Best of luck. Feel free to contact me if I can help.
Ron
Posted by helpme on June 30, 2006, at 17:10:17
In reply to Re: BENZODIAZAPINE WITHDRAWL...please help!!!, posted by ron1953 on May 30, 2006, at 22:57:15
After 2 years of 2 mg klonopin I quit cold after losing my bottle, and it was hell. Trying to get more I was treated like a drug addict, so I felt on my own. It made me so angry, to have someone prescribe such a dangerous drug without letting me know what i was getting in to! The worst hell was over within a week, after that it was tolerable severe distress- especially at night. Paranoia, wavy ground, panic attacks, inability to interact normally with people, suicidal depression lasted for that full first week. Sleep was out of the question for about two weeks. Lots of sleep jerks and scares. After that, severe vice-like chest constriction and breathing troubles continued at least another two weeks. Much better now, but I still can't say I'm normal.
I tried to flush myself with lots of excercise and water and antioxidants like blueberries- but I have no idea if that did anything. I heard magnesium can be relaxing, but I really don't know for sure.
Posted by bassman on July 7, 2006, at 13:37:22
In reply to Re: BENZODIAZAPINE WITHDRAWL...please help!!!, posted by Leland on May 18, 2006, at 16:01:40
I guess I must be fortunate-as long as I taper slowly, I don't get any symptoms with Klonopin or Ativan withdrawal. None-even after years of taking them...
Posted by helpme on July 9, 2006, at 8:42:34
In reply to Re: BENZODIAZAPINE WITHDRAWL...please help!!!, posted by Leland on May 18, 2006, at 16:01:40
I've gone through this withdrawal more than once, I'm afraid.
Lots of klonopin, about 3-4 years, I couldn't seem to make the prescription last all month becauseof rapid tolerance, addiction-n and a withdrawal effect is more WORSE anxiety- so I'd quickly gobble up anything I could find left. A lot. a lot at once. Typically, the first few days to week are worst: paranoia spels, severe anxiety, feeling too "odd" to deal with people normally, severe chest tightness, sleeping out.of.the.question. Severe crushing depression was another effect, as was seeing scuttely bugs and things out of corners of my eyes. Also, the floor often seemed wavy, and my balance was strange. Thank god, the worst was over by 4-5 days. I knew I could get some sort of sleep by night 5, 4 if extremely lucky. But the effects lingrered a couple weeks, gradually improving. I did my best to detox myself, stuff like lots of clean water to drink, excercise, etc.
NOT easy. Please, good luck. Most of all, if you get the crushing depression- what helped me was to repeat to myself as a mantra, "this is hardcore drug withdrawal". This is a withdrawal symptom." etc.My doc once explained, if a drug does something, like calm the nervous system, and you suddenly take it away- it floods and goes nuts until it resets itself. So you get flooded by the opposite of what the drug was supposed to do; ie, your nervous system goes into panicked, hypervigilent overdrive for a spell.
There is a good website- I think it is called benzo.org, out of the UK. If you can't find it, I think others on the Board might know it.
Posted by Squiggles on July 9, 2006, at 8:42:34
In reply to Re: BENZODIAZAPINE WITHDRAWL...please help!!!, posted by helpme on July 9, 2006, at 4:07:34
If you can, get to a doctor who understands
benzo addiction and can treat you.When is the medical profession going to learn
about these drugs? What is the problem?And when are the drug companies going to
take responsibility for the effects of their
drugs and do something about it, like treat
patients who suffer from the effects?I think it's due time.
Squiggles
This is the end of the thread.
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