Road to Recovery!

[[cl...]]

Hi,

 

It's been a couple of weeks since I posted anything on Benzo Buddies. I've been avoiding looking at it to be honest, because some of the stories were scaring me. I started tapering off .5mg Clonazepam about a month ago. I had been on 1mg for about a year - took myself down to .5mg last year. I started experiencing some sleeping troubles (could go to sleep fine but would wake up at 4am and couldn't go back to sleep) about 3 or 4 months ago. The doctor told me it was a bladder infection, i was prescribed 2 lots of antibiotics and then the sleeping got worse. I now know that's because the antibiotics react badly with benzodiazepines.

 

Anyway, I tried to taper by going .5mg to .25mg then completely off the drugs. That gave me INCREDIBLE insomnia. I was put on stillnox, but that didn't work (I only took it for 4 days). So I went to a different doctor who put me on a different taper plan.

 

I went back up to .25mg for a week, then tapered to .125mg for about 10 days and was put on Valdoxan. I've been on Valdoxan for 2 weeks now and have been completely off clonazepam for 3 nights. The first two nights were a real challenge. I was given valium to get me through (I know that's not recommended with the Ashton manual - but my doctor has a different method that has successfully gotten many patients off benzodiazepines).

 

Last night was the first night in two years I have gone to sleep without a benzodiazepine. Sure it was broken sleep (I fell asleep around 11, woke briefly around 12.30, woke again at 3.40am couldn't go back to sleep. Got up, read, wrote, listened to music, had a cup of herbal tea, then at 6am I felt sleepy again, so I closed my eyes and what do you know, the next thing it was 8am!

 

I know it's not perfect, but it's a major milestone for me. I just wanted to share my story, to give people hope that it does get better. And not EVERYONE has protracted withdrawal symptoms. I've had 1 panic attack and many nights of not enough sleep, but with my doctor's taper plan, there have been no nights of NO SLEEP. (With the other doctor's method, I had 2 nights of absolutely no sleep which sent me mad and gave me a really, really bad panic attack and I almost had to call lifeline).

 

I've only been tapering for about a month and I'm already off the clonazepam and have slept by myself - no benzos.

 

Things that have helped me when I find it hard to get to sleep are:

 

-abdominal breathing (get the 'breathe to relax' app)

-herbal tea and a book. (I like lemonbalm, peppermint, lavender tea)

-podcasts about things that aren't related to benzodiazepines, sleep or anything - to take my mind off the whole tapering, withdrawal debarcle)

-listening to a movie with an eye mask on to stop the blue light from getting in my eyes.

-listening to music

-saying to myself, "I don't have to go to sleep, I just have to relax"

- A hot bath in the dark with a nice smelling candle.

- Putting on a French movie or podcast, closing my eyes and trying to pick out how much of the story I can understand without any subtitles.

-journal writing (writing down how you feel can help you detach from the situation I find.)

 

Also, the Valdoxan has really helped me stay more positive, has stopped me having dark thoughts, has enabled me to have more joy (even on nights where I have hardly slept, I will still be able to find at least one thing to make me happy the next day whereas I couldn't do that before)

 

I have also  been taking the supplements on The Road Back program. I really, truly, believe they have made my tapering process a lot easier. And furthermore, I was diagnosed with pyroluria during my taper, and since taking my activated B6 and zinc to treat the condition, I have felt a lot more emotionally stable. Pyroluria can also cause anxiety, depression and insomnia! So treating it is probably helping me manage those things which are also caused by withdrawal!

 

I will keep you posted about how I continue to go. But I'm off the clonazepam. HURRAH! :laugh: :laugh:

 

I may have some more rough nights ahead of me, but after being able to sleep ON MY OWN NO BENZOS last night for about a collective 7 hours, I know that my brain isn't broken. It does know how to go to sleep, and I will be alright. I won't have protracted withdrawal and I will be able to be a normal, happy, healthy, benzo free 23-year old!

 

KEEP GOING PEOPLE! There is light at the end of that long tunnel. Once you get off the drugs and over the withdrawal, life will be so much better. Your body will reward you with happiness, sleep and it will just work better. It'll work how God designed it to, not how these evil, horrible, insidious benzos want it to work.

[[bn...]]

glad you are getting much needed rest. It helps to be positive!! I truly hope that you continue to have many "windows" as the "waves" many experience are so hard.

 

[[be...]]

Hi,

 

It's been a couple of weeks since I posted anything on Benzo Buddies. I've been avoiding looking at it to be honest, because some of the stories were scaring me. I started tapering off .5mg Clonazepam about a month ago. I had been on 1mg for about a year - took myself down to .5mg last year. I started experiencing some sleeping troubles (could go to sleep fine but would wake up at 4am and couldn't go back to sleep) about 3 or 4 months ago. The doctor told me it was a bladder infection, i was prescribed 2 lots of antibiotics and then the sleeping got worse. I now know that's because the antibiotics react badly with benzodiazepines.

 

Anyway, I tried to taper by going .5mg to .25mg then completely off the drugs. That gave me INCREDIBLE insomnia. I was put on stillnox, but that didn't work (I only took it for 4 days). So I went to a different doctor who put me on a different taper plan.

 

I went back up to .25mg for a week, then tapered to .125mg for about 10 days and was put on Valdoxan. I've been on Valdoxan for 2 weeks now and have been completely off clonazepam for 3 nights. The first two nights were a real challenge. I was given valium to get me through (I know that's not recommended with the Ashton manual - but my doctor has a different method that has successfully gotten many patients off benzodiazepines).

 

Last night was the first night in two years I have gone to sleep without a benzodiazepine. Sure it was broken sleep (I fell asleep around 11, woke briefly around 12.30, woke again at 3.40am couldn't go back to sleep. Got up, read, wrote, listened to music, had a cup of herbal tea, then at 6am I felt sleepy again, so I closed my eyes and what do you know, the next thing it was 8am!

 

I know it's not perfect, but it's a major milestone for me. I just wanted to share my story, to give people hope that it does get better. And not EVERYONE has protracted withdrawal symptoms. I've had 1 panic attack and many nights of not enough sleep, but with my doctor's taper plan, there have been no nights of NO SLEEP. (With the other doctor's method, I had 2 nights of absolutely no sleep which sent me mad and gave me a really, really bad panic attack and I almost had to call lifeline).

 

I've only been tapering for about a month and I'm already off the clonazepam and have slept by myself - no benzos.

 

Things that have helped me when I find it hard to get to sleep are:

 

-abdominal breathing (get the 'breathe to relax' app)

-herbal tea and a book. (I like lemonbalm, peppermint, lavender tea)

-podcasts about things that aren't related to benzodiazepines, sleep or anything - to take my mind off the whole tapering, withdrawal debarcle)

-listening to a movie with an eye mask on to stop the blue light from getting in my eyes.

-listening to music

-saying to myself, "I don't have to go to sleep, I just have to relax"

- A hot bath in the dark with a nice smelling candle.

- Putting on a French movie or podcast, closing my eyes and trying to pick out how much of the story I can understand without any subtitles.

-journal writing (writing down how you feel can help you detach from the situation I find.)

 

Also, the Valdoxan has really helped me stay more positive, has stopped me having dark thoughts, has enabled me to have more joy (even on nights where I have hardly slept, I will still be able to find at least one thing to make me happy the next day whereas I couldn't do that before)

 

I have also  been taking the supplements on The Road Back program. I really, truly, believe they have made my tapering process a lot easier. And furthermore, I was diagnosed with pyroluria during my taper, and since taking my activated B6 and zinc to treat the condition, I have felt a lot more emotionally stable. Pyroluria can also cause anxiety, depression and insomnia! So treating it is probably helping me manage those things which are also caused by withdrawal!

 

I will keep you posted about how I continue to go. But I'm off the clonazepam. HURRAH! :laugh: :laugh:

 

I may have some more rough nights ahead of me, but after being able to sleep ON MY OWN NO BENZOS last night for about a collective 7 hours, I know that my brain isn't broken. It does know how to go to sleep, and I will be alright. I won't have protracted withdrawal and I will be able to be a normal, happy, healthy, benzo free 23-year old!

 

KEEP GOING PEOPLE! There is light at the end of that long tunnel. Once you get off the drugs and over the withdrawal, life will be so much better. Your body will reward you with happiness, sleep and it will just work better. It'll work how God designed it to, not how these evil, horrible, insidious benzos want it to work.

 

:thumbsup: