Is this normal?

[[So...]]

Hi, I'm Someones mom.  New today.  My daughter has been off of Klonopin since February, after being on it for about two years, including the tapering time.  The withdrawal was horrible.  But she did it.  Then she started down on the Xanax which she was taking simultaneously with the Klonopin.  4-5mg/day for about a year, smaller amounts in the year before that.  She finished that more quickly, in about two months.  She felt good for awhile, started back to work, etc.  Then about two months after her last Xanax and about six months after her last Klonopin, she tanked.  Depression is the worst symptom, but anxiety, terrible thoughts, fatigue, muscle pain, tinnitus are present as well.  She started back on Xanax, .5 mg in the evening, for about the last four weeks.  Is this kind of terrible backlash after a season of feeling well normal?  Should she stop the Xanax again or do a slower taper?  Thanks for your opinions! 

[[Tr...]]

Hi Someones Mom,

 

How long was her taper off the Klonopin?  The two month taper off the Xanax is pretty fast.

 

TRY

 

 

[[So...]]

Thank you for your reply!  Her Klonopin taper was about nine months, starting last summer with 2 mg and ending in February of 2014.  She was on the Xanax all during the taper 4-5 mg/day.  We thought it best to get off one benzo at a time.  She took a month or two to stabilize on zero Klonopin before a rapid reduction of the Xanax.  She had been on Xanax before, here and there, not consistently over the years, and had not had significant problem getting off of it.  So she thought she would be able to do a fast taper.  But her Xanax use had become consistent at between 4-5mg/day over the course of at least a year, so I'm wondering if we were wrong to think a fast taper would be safe.  She got off of the Xanax entirely with some symptoms in about two months or less.  She felt pretty good for about six weeks, with twinges of anxiety and depression, muscle aches and tinnitus, etc.  Then she went through some stress.  A death in the family, a break up with her boyfriend, and some other normal life stresses on top of it, like starting a new job and going to a new church.  Now her symptoms are in full force.  It doesn't make sense to her that she could have felt so much better for six weeks to have such a terrible wave now.  What do you think?

[Guest [Mi...]]

Benzo withdrawal is notorious for the "wax and wane" type of non-linear withdrawal. That's why members refer to having windows with reduced symptoms and waves with worse (and sometimes new) symptoms appearing and disappearing.

 

I would advise her to stabilize on the Xanax and then begin a very slow taper of 5 - 10% reductions every 10 - 14 days.

 

My depression got so much better after I jumped off Klonopin, but then got much worse around 4 months out. It's just beginning to get better.

 

I hope your daughter feels better soon. 

[[No...]]

Someones mom ... good morning ... first, your daughter is off the drugs ... that is a wonderful accomplishment ... and it sounds like she has your support and encouragement during this process ... that is a precious gift ...

 

Probably one of the first rules of recovery from benzos is "non-linearity" ... that is, it is not unusual for things not to "progress" like you are recovering from another illness ... for many, this recovery will wax and wane ... this is the phenomenon of "windows and waves" many experience ...

 

I experienced a bit of a "holiday" when I finished my taper ... and then I experienced many side effects ...

 

I believe this process may run a course of three stages ... getting off the drug (no matter how one does it) ... a period of adjusting to being off the drug which many call "acute" ... and then a period of "re-entry" where we accomplish complete healing ...

 

And we are all unique ... this journey of recovery does indeed have some commonalities among those recovering ... and it seems the best we can do oftentimes is allowing time to pass ... at that may be the most difficult part of this process ...

 

Your daughter sounds committed to recovering ... that is good ... and it can be a very difficult process that may require great patience and acceptance ... there is no "one" quick remedy for our recovery ... we have all looked for it, hoped for it ...

 

"Stress" may contributed to our experiencing recovery as more difficult ... and of course some stress is unavoidable ... we acknowledge it ... do the best we can in the moment ... and move on ...

 

For many, this is a one day at a time journey, sometimes one hour at a time ...

 

There are groups under the "Support Group" thread that can offer information, encouragement and support ... one group than has been around for a while and has several daily members is the "6 - 12 Month" group ... folks are always welcome to join in no matter where they are on the time-line of this journey ... and there are several other groups ...

 

Patience, acceptance and kindness ... towards ourselves and each other ... that remedy does not "fix" anything ... and it is a daily blessing ...

 

Take Care ...

[[So...]]

Thank you so much for your replies!  I will pass them along to my daughter.  Could anyone direct me to discussion on the mental symptoms?  DP and DR, I think they are referred to? 

[Guest [Mi...]]

Thank you so much for your replies!  I will pass them along to my daughter.  Could anyone direct me to discussion on the mental symptoms?  DP and DR, I think they are referred to?

 

Colin wrote this awhile back - it contains a lot of useful info on dp/dr:

 

Derealization and Depersonalization - Colin

 

People periodically post about it, so I'm sure you'll come across other threads about it, as well.