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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by tug_slug on July 24, 2005, at 16:11:19
Hi
Im new to this board and was wondering how many others are suffering either klonopin or benzodiazepine withdrawal?I was taking 1 mg for about a year and a half but after going thru tolerance w/d I stopped taking it sometime around November of 04 and am now drug free.
My biggest complaints are short term memory loss and depression.
I guess the question I have is how much longer am I going to have to live thru this hell?
Thanks
Tug
Posted by CAROLINA on July 25, 2005, at 15:55:28
In reply to Klonopin withdrawal, posted by tug_slug on July 24, 2005, at 16:11:19
hey tug-i have tried b4 to quit the klonopin and that didnt last very long.i finally realized that it wasn't the withdrawal that was putting me through hell but the fact that i have and have always had severe anxiety and when i would try 2 stop, i would get anxious again and stop "living" in the real world so i would then become depressed. it was a cycle that i couldnt break and i am a VERY strong willed person but this isn't about will for me. i wish i knew why some people have such awful anx. and others don't but trust me, u will see some pretty strong arguments on all aspects...some will make u smile :-D.....i honestly don't know of any1 that had w/d from klonopin for as long as u and didn't get back on a benzo so i don't have any answers 4 u-just wanted 2 share my input w/ya take care-Carolina
Posted by tug_slug on July 27, 2005, at 19:08:08
Hi,
I'm new to this forum and was wondering if there is anyone else going thru klonopin w/d? Im currently in my 9 month of w/d's and things have definitely gotten better I'm still not 100%
Posted by KaraS on July 27, 2005, at 19:08:37
In reply to Klonopin anyone?, posted by tug_slug on July 24, 2005, at 15:45:45
> Hi,
>
> I'm new to this forum and was wondering if there is anyone else going thru klonopin w/d? Im currently in my 9 month of w/d's and things have definitely gotten better I'm still not 100%
Hi,Welcome.
Yikes! I was just about to start on Klonopin. Mind if I ask you how much you were taking before you started tapering? How come the withdrawal is taking so long? Have you used any other medication to help with anxiety and the withdrawal?
(FYI, this message will be rerouted to the main medication board.)
Kara
Posted by KaraS on July 27, 2005, at 19:08:37
In reply to Re: Klonopin anyone? » tug_slug, posted by KaraS on July 26, 2005, at 4:14:22
Actually, it'll probably be rerouted to the "Withdrawal" board.
Posted by tug_slug on August 9, 2005, at 19:22:07
In reply to Re: Klonopin anyone?, posted by KaraS on July 26, 2005, at 15:13:24
Kara do yourself a favor DO NOT START TAKING KLONOPIN or any other benzo for that matter. I guarantee that you will regret the day you started taking it.
I was taking 1.5 mgs for about a year and a half and after 10 months of abstinence Im still struggling with w/d's.
I never had a problem with anxiety but now my heart constantly feels like its going to pop out of my chest, Im always dizzy, confused and light headed not to mention that my short term memory is shot.
Posted by KaraS on August 13, 2005, at 14:54:16
In reply to Re: Klonopin anyone?, posted by tug_slug on August 9, 2005, at 19:22:07
> Kara do yourself a favor DO NOT START TAKING KLONOPIN or any other benzo for that matter. I guarantee that you will regret the day you started taking it.
>
> I was taking 1.5 mgs for about a year and a half and after 10 months of abstinence Im still struggling with w/d's.
>
> I never had a problem with anxiety but now my heart constantly feels like its going to pop out of my chest, Im always dizzy, confused and light headed not to mention that my short term memory is shot.
Sounds like you've been having a really rough time of it. I'm sorry to hear that. I think you might have had an easier time of it if you had very slowly tapered off of the drug rather than quitting cold turkey. At any rate, I do hope your symptoms go away soon.K
Posted by Atticus on August 24, 2005, at 14:20:10
In reply to Re: Klonopin anyone?, posted by tug_slug on August 9, 2005, at 19:22:07
Hi Tug,
I can bloody well identify. I've been struggling for eight years to break free of Klonopin. I'm trying again right now, but even the taper is painful at this point. If there was ever a medication I wish I'd never been introduced to, it's sodding Klonopin. The longest I've ever held out off the stuff is three weeks -- at the end of which I was pretty much completely dysfunctional mentally and physically. Does ANYONE here know of a successful strategy for digging Klonopin's claws out of my skull and hide? The sense of my heart beating out of my chest, just as you describe it, along with crushing headaches and extreme sensitivity to light, sound and touch, all just seem to go on and on. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Atticus
Posted by terramuggus on September 17, 2005, at 8:42:29
In reply to Re: Klonopin anyone? » tug_slug, posted by Atticus on August 24, 2005, at 14:20:10
Hello all,
I was on Klonopin for 12 years and started having severe interdose withdrawal symptoms, intellectual and cognitive decline being the least tolerable. I started investigating Klonopin and found www.benzo.org.uk
The begining of 2005 I slowly switched over to valium liquid and have been tapering ever since. I am now down to 3.5 ml and am making a .10 ml cut every 6 days (I use a medicine syringe for this). The withdrawal symptoms are much easier to deal with at this level than previous attempts at withdrawing directly from the Klonopin. I'd tried that for almost a year and had gotten down to .125 mg of Klonopin tablet (I was quartering a .5 mg tablet), unable to make any further cuts without severe physical and psychological rebound symptoms.
I highly recommend your going to the benzo website in the UK. On the left side menu of the home page you can click on the Ashton Manual and beging reading. I also suggest you click on the Benzo FAQ page and read that.
Please don't cold turkey your Klonopin. At worst, you'll experience seizures and psychosis at worst; and at best, you'll suffer very painful and life-altering physical and mood symptoms.
Good luck.
Posted by shauna156 on September 24, 2005, at 9:59:14
In reply to Re: Klonopin anyone?, posted by terramuggus on September 17, 2005, at 8:42:29
Hello all,
I've been taking benzo's now for 11 years.. Yes, 11 years if you can believe it. The first time I discontinued taking them was about 6 years ago in a clinic setting as I wasn't sure if I could do it on my own. I thought I was losing my mind.. the floor was tilting, the lights were buzzing; hell, -I- was buzzing! Not to mention that for 1 whole day one of my pupils was larger than the other.. this day ended with a seizure and a trip in an ambulance. I stayed in the clinic for 14 days after which I returned home. The lingering wd was even worse (IMHO). The anxiety, agoraphobia and horrible nightmares were almost to much to bear. I couldn't drive (everything looks as though your watching a 3D movie without the glasses!), couldn't work and worst of all, didn't know when it would all end. I've been told by different docs that it can last anywhere from a few months to 2-3 years for full recovery!After 6 months on no medication and no relief from the wd symptoms I finally had a breakdown and began taking the meds again.
Now, 6 years later and a little wiser I've stopped the klonopin again. This time at home and after a much longer taper. It's still hell, but nowhere near as hellish as the first time. Perhaps because I know what to expect, or have a different attitude.. I'm not sure. 3 1/2 weeks ago I finished my taper. I haven't had a seizure and I've begun driving again already.
I was just wondering, do any of you have any suggestions for dealing with the residual wd's? Sometimes the anxiety gets so bad I can't bear being around the people I love or even answer the phone. Would also love to hear some wd stories from fellow klonopin survivors. You don't feel quite so alone when you read other's experiences. Perhaps it would also give me an idea as to how long this is going to last!
Thanks,
Shauna
This is the end of the thread.
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