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Tapering Off Benzos...


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Posted: June 4, 2015, 2:25 AM
Been 10 days decided to start tapering off klonopins, been on them about 4 years. Does nothing for my anxiety as I've built tolerance so I don't see point. Been at 2mgs/day for couple years was at higher dose before. I tapered down to where I'm at& didn't have any w/d symptoms that I remember except disturbed sleep. I was on methadone at time and smoking weed,so guessing that suppressed it. I'm also prescribed Ativan since quite methadone, been super careful with that, as I don't want to be dependent on yet something else. Is there anything that helps tapering symptoms? Physically nothing to cry about, I can deal with that. but the one minute/day so lethargic next super speedy,jumpy,fear,depression etc. I drank kava&took melatonin earlier&still felt spun with only the ill effects.


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Posted: June 24, 2015, 11:26 AM
Be very careful, as Im sure you know this since you have been prescribed for quite some time but that can be dangerous or life-threatening as it can cause seizures, even at relatively low dosages. Are you tapering under your doctor's supervision? And why are you mixing 2 different benzos and methadone??! If they supposedly do nothing for your anxiety then why keep taking them for over two years? If you were getting your methadone from a methadone clinic they should have warned you that mixing benzos and methadone is very dangerous and puts you at a strong risk of cardiac arrest or respiratory arrest. Mixing any kind of CNS depressants (alcohol, benzos, opiates...) boosts their effects enormously and escalates the chance of an OD. I'm not even sure if that is legal anymore in certain states, when I was going to the methadone clinic about two years ago there was people who were having to get off of their benzos because of certain laws and how dangerous it is to the body, they are really cracking down because people are dying from this and they don't want to be held responsible. I just had to post when I saw that you are on methadone too because I always heard how much of a no-no mixing benzos and methadone is because it can kill you. I hope you feel better soon and I wish you well. Good luck with getting off methadone too. I know its not easy and detoxing off methadone led me straight into relapse but now I have almost a year clean from everything. NA saved my life and continues to keep me clean one day at a time.


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Posted: June 24, 2015, 1:46 PM
Thank you for responding. I have been off methadone for exactly year and half. I was only prescribed the klonopin while on. The other after I quit. I've only been taking the one daily to avoid w/d. I jumped off methadone super quick. With this even though not high dose, gonna take it slower. Got down .25& after 2 weeks felt back to way I was feeling before. So that's a relief didn't drag out longer. -Mary


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Posted: June 24, 2015, 1:50 PM
I meant to say was prescribed just klonopin while on methadone, klonopin and ativan once off. Also congrats on your sobriety, it's tough to say least but can be done


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Posted: June 24, 2015, 2:51 PM
I have been off methadone for a year and a half too, I tapered off of it the right way, took me almost a year to completely taper slowly and I got all the way down to 6mgs, but I was smoking weed daily, and that kept me in contact with the wrong people, places, and things. And sorry if I pissed you off with the previous post, I just got confused when you said you were on methadone and 2 diff. benzos you didn't say you had been off methadone for a long time and your post was very brief and vague so I was worried. But careful with the whole smoking pot. I know you may think its harmless. I used to think so too until it let me into a full blown heroin relapse, you never think it will happen to you until it does. I just wish someone would have looked out for me when I thought I could handle just smoking weed every day and not have it lead to anything else. So how low mgs of methadone did you get to before you stopped taking it? and have you stayed clean off all opiates since you stopped taking the methadone? I know its hard, I relapsed not even a month after I got off methadone, but I also had surgery and I was also using it as a crutch, I wasn't doing anything to work on my recovery, I smoked weed everyday, and I wasn't serious about staying clean. I was still straddling the fence. I now have 10 months clean from everything, I go to NA meetings regularly, have a sponsor and am working my steps. Don't get me wrong I hated myself for relapsing but it made me realize that I want recovery more than anything else in the world.


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Posted: June 24, 2015, 3:08 PM
You didn't piss me off at all, I know was sort of confusing way I worded it. So for me I had tried tapering and only got down a little bit and dragged on forever. Year later I started dropping real quick and let 10mg. Be last dose. Honestly for me I don't think I would have succeeded with drawn out taper. I punched a wall broke hand during dropping,Dr gave me norcos but got rid of them, so no opiates since methadone. I actually quit smoking bud shortly after quit methadone felt it was messing with me psychologically. Strange you brought up pot smoking thing though, my b/f who has 3 years clean off heroin,pills etc recently smoked and I worried/worry about it making him miss other highs. Thanks for shedding some light on that situation.


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Posted: June 24, 2015, 3:41 PM
yeah of course, I really like going to NA because you get to hear other peoples stories and their opinions of things like this and it gets you thinking about how you should or would handle things if ever put in similar situations. But that's good you quit smoking, I always loved smoking pot. I mean sure it would be nice to smoke a joint but I just cant be doing that anymore, I cant speak for anyone else but I know for a fact that for me, it will ALWAYS lead right back to my drug of choice. and any time I even think about it or smell it in my apartment hallway (people in my building smoke regularly, you can always smell it) I just remind myself how far I have come and I completely lose interest. I never thought I could be this happy. I mean yeah, I have good days and bad, I have been depressed for a couple years due to my addiction and the things I did while using. Mostly just disgusted in myself and the person that addiction made me become, but working the steps and going to meetings helps a lot. Be careful with the boyfriend, If he continues to smoke you might want to watch out for that, don't let him drag you down. your recovery comes first! don't ever forget that!!!


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Posted: June 24, 2015, 3:48 PM
I have heard this saying before and it has stuck with me ever since, whenever you are having a bad day just remember, your worst day clean is still better than any "good" day using. :)


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Posted: June 24, 2015, 4:39 PM
Yeah that's what I don't understand about him, he has been actively involved in a.a. sponsor and all, so I thought it meant a lot to him. Me: went to a few and that's it. Honestly I had no intentions of quitting smoking, actually I never really enjoyed it until I did. I started becoming a daily smoker when I started tapering first time, just to be able to eat (we were not together through this time) I'm extremely tiny and was losing so much weight that pot was only thing that got me through, though tolerance built&and only helped so long. So got down some on the methadone but continued smoking as I then enjoyed and smoked all way up until almost a month off methadone for good. Several monthes after quitting both, my mood swings so intense I did want to smoke but me & b/f back together at that point and I didn't want to tempt him and I refrained maybe more for him then myself (not good I know ) anyway he smoked one time less month ago & I was pretty upset. I guess I feel stronger then him when comes to going back to harder stuff&we got clean completely different ways. Though that said I know as an addict, there's always gonna be that chance. Couple nights ago, was going through some stuff from my move last October. What do I find? Some nugs of weed that had turned to dirt weed. He wanted to smoke, i gave in & realize at this point it's not good idea to test waters for either of us, if we are going to be together we have to be on same page. Thanks for letting me vent that.






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Posted: June 24, 2015, 6:22 PM
You're welcome. It's good to get things off your chest even if its just typing it out and not actually physically talking to someone. And I know what you mean about the mood swings and having a high tolerance. I was smoking all day every day and I don't even think I couldve got "stoned" if I tried because my tolerance was so high. And you may think it helps with the mood swings but like any other drugs its a crutch or a cover up and we have to find other ways to cope with stress and learn how to handle our issues. Maybe you can try to find a counselor that specializes in substance abuse? That really helped me. Did your boyfriend tell his sponsor he smoked pot? Cuz if not there is a big red flag right there. Relapses start with lies and hiding things. Trust me i have had two relapses in the past and they taught me A LOT. If he feels like he messed up then he should tell on himself and everything should be OK and his recovery shouldn't be in jeapordy. But if he doesn't think he did anything wrong and doesn't think he should tell his sponsor then that might be a sign that he is thinking about doing it again or possibly even something much worse. I'm guessing you tried NA and not AA? I personally don't like AA, I have heard people say that addicts don't belong there and whenever I went I always felt like I was being judged and I never feel like that at NA, it is actually the exact opposite so I never went back to AA. But some people just don't like meetings... Whatever the situation, you gotta find something to put in place of your addiction, something to keep you moving forward in your recovery. We spent so much time and effort on drugs so we have to do the same for our recovery or we just don't stand a chance. Keep in touch and Just remember YOUR recovery comes FIRST!!! :)


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Posted: July 20, 2015, 3:09 AM
I was on 6mg of xanax and 30mg of valium daily. Usually taken in the dose of 1x xanax and 10mg valium 3 times daily. I read all the horror stories about withdrawal. On jan1 as a new yrs resolution i decided to quit benzos cold turkey ( i have gad, social anxiety and agorophobia) but i kept waking up sick of a morning and assumed i was semi withdrawing overnight, each night.
I was lucky to avoid seizures, tho at the time i was taking lyrica for pain, which is an anti seizure also med, which may have helped.
But you know what, on day 1 -2 of benzo withdrawal i felt crap, but i hope this helps some people, for me it never really got worse. I had the shakes, sweats, various sensations like burning skin, ringing ears, bright things, loud things but managable.
Currently i am 15 weeks into cold turkey oxycontin withdrawal, and u know what, this seems to be way harder and longer than benzo wd.
With benzo wd, i never had the aweful rls, figety etc, and opiate paws left me feeling sick, empty and uninterested in life.
U know what did help me in benzo wd was lyrica, and alcohol. Now im not a bit drinker, and during opiate wd alcohol makes me violently ill, but during benzo wd, i found just 2-3 drinks at night helped me settle and sleep.
Id suggest lyrica and clondine to anyone, and for me the benzo wd lasted 4-6 weeks but was managable. The opiate wd however, 14wks later im still not right. Btw the reason i cold turkeyed benzos was because i felt so sick, even if i tried to taper , i still felt just as bad, so i just wanted it over with. So i guess what im trying to say is be prepared for discomfort, all ur senses feel scrambled, but if u find ur tired and head to bed early, see it as a positive cause theres people out there quitting pain killers, rocking , shaking, fidgeting just wishing for a glimpse of sleep.
I dont condone benzo ct, this is just my story


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Posted: July 20, 2015, 3:48 AM
Thank you, and awesome on your kicking oxys! opiate w/d is the worst..getting off methadone was THE worst..but best thing I could have done. I quit very rappidly and yes paws is the absolute worst! I think I freaked out with the klonopin thing, because I read all the horror stories. With opiates, you know the main s*** that's going to come your way..then you get some you weren't expecting, least for me. I currently am on clonidine. As far as lyrica, I've heard of but know nothing about. I've taken a pause in my taper, I have to much going on in my life. The good thing is symptoms only lasted about two weeks when I went down some. I ultimately want to be on nothing, clonidine included as I'm reading w/d with that..Ha, probably should stop reading so much! But I WILL look into lyrica if needed for when I'm at the point of nothing. Thanks again, and keep staying strong through the mental paws madness. -Mary


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Posted: December 13, 2015, 2:27 AM
Benzo detox is serious, but it can be done. So calm down as much as you can and be exact. This can be done, but it's important to be precise here.


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Posted: December 23, 2015, 1:55 AM
Thanks, yeah I've stayed at same (lowered dose) since last posted. Speaking of being precise..my doctor doesn't seem to get. I explained that I lowered myself to 1.75 mg and asked to get the .5's. But apparently he can't do math, so hes Kept me at same dose. So everyday messing with the pill cutter when it could be more simple if he listened. So i usually have leftovers BUT sometimes not because knowing that, I lag on getting script refilled. Recently went through that and took 1.5mg in a.m. then picked up script didn't bother with other 1/4 that day. Then by night I had that horrible headband headache feeling. thought s*** if just headache..ALL GOOD will keep rolling at that. Then thought about it and I've been an Emotional wreck through holidays so took regular dose next morning..and after holidays that's my goal. Thought why sabotage myself and ones around me..few weeks isn't going to make difference. But now least have a plan just wish I had better doctor!


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Posted: January 9, 2016, 2:59 PM
marykat,
said something to you in another post,then saw you started this about the benzos...
How are you doing with the cutting down? I'm still on Clonopin at 3 mgs/day from 6 mgs/day...I'm interested in your waening,because I've been scripted the Clonopins since 1988,and I know it's dangerous to cut off...Not thinking about cutting off,couldn't handle that,but my doc said to take 6 months to taper it...After 30 years of long term high dosing on MMT,I have been off of that since 2012,and my nerves and sleeping still aren't right...Didn't mention I picked up a hard oxy habit a few months ago,and trying to taper that now...Jeez,I feel like I'm going to be a "lifer"...
Thanks for listening...Does that 5htp help? never heard of it...QE1


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Posted: January 10, 2016, 12:16 AM
Since 88 yeah long time, so I wouldn't even know how to give advice on that :( I had one doctor say to cut a SLIVER off each day that was about three or four years ago I was given that advice. To me it seems rushing it pretty fast. Your on methadone now right? If so, if were ME I would focus on one or other..definitely not both!! Highest dose of klonopins I was at was 4..had eventually gotten down to just over 1mg. While on methadone..then went up to two..stayed there all up until kicked methadone. Hope I'm not being repetitive but doctor upped it to 3 after quit methadone..didn't do anything so I stayed at two and he prescribed me ativan after few months off methadone..I've been so careful with that..RARELY take, just want to be free of it all. any opiates scary as hell coming off but being on a benzo, dangerous especially long as you have just take slow. I explained 5htp, and something else on other one you posted, (long though was responding to original poster) -Mary


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Posted: January 10, 2016, 12:17 AM
Oh, at 1.75/1 3/4


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Posted: May 5, 2016, 6:16 AM

Hi,

Try this link: http://www.benzo.org/uk

Lots of info on tapering there.

Blessings and Peace.



--------------------
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Author: Jesus Christ


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Posted: May 5, 2016, 10:02 PM
Hey bearybad, I don't know if just my phone but that link in unavailable/not active. Just saw my original post which was almost a year ago and I've only gone down .25 mg more, so now at 1.5 that's ridiculous, should be long done by now! That was a month ago..I had same lethargic feelings but different physical symptoms then last time. No abdominal cramping which was horrible. The anxiety heightened more this time. My doctor has wanted me on an antidepressent for awhile but avoiding those. I did JUST get prescribed gabapentin/neurotin. For mood stabalizer..plus I know would help if I just get done with the klonopins. I've never dragged out getting off something this long. My concerns with gabapentin: what I've read (of course not told by doctor) can lead to physical dependence and withdrawal is horrible almost similar to benzo w/d) if that's the case I want to stop while I'm ahead rather then add another medication. Or maybe just hold onto and use ONLY when I'm ready to be fully done with klonopins. Anyone that has experience with, I'd love input. It has leveled out my mood swings but I don't know if the good outweighs the bad...


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Posted: May 16, 2018, 3:33 PM
Down to 1.25mg klonopin now. Not that anyone gives a s***..but thought I'd post. Damn..this dating back to 2015..actually seems kinda pathetic now reading! Anyone struggling..just go SLOW..not necessarily time frame, but dose wise.
I was going down .25mg at time. That may be ok for some..but not for me. Been doing half that at time and it's SOOO much easier. Still sucks for about a week..but w/d isn't near as bad or long lasting.
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