Do receptors start healing while still withdrawing?

[[Fa...]]

Just curious. The slower the taper, the more they get the chance to heal?

Does it make sense to go slower (like -10% every 2-3 weeks) after you have already removed 50% of your drug?

I decided to slow down my taper enormously (I still have 0.5 mgs of Klonopin to remove) because of this.

[[El...]]

Really good question. I don't have an answer, but I really want to know the answer to this too.  I hope someone knows, and I hope the answer is yes.

[[so...]]

God I hope so. If not why the tapering? I don't know the answer to this either.

[[Sh...]]

Its hard to know. Some people think you only heal once off completely. I did a 9 month taper. Now im worried that it will take longer to heal cause I stayed on it for 9 months! All this shit is a puzzle with all the wrong pieces.

[[NY...]]

From my experience...yes, absolutely 100%.  I tapered around 10% every ten days from 8mg of Klonopin, and felt better as I got lower, and close to "done" by the time I jumped.  This was after 16 years of use, 15 of which were above 6mgs of k, suffering from tolerance withdrawal sxs like anxiety, depression, TMJ, blurry vision, heart palps, temperature dysregulation, on and on.  All of those sxs resolved as I tapered.  This journey is incredibly different for us all, but outcomes are generally positive after doing a thoughtful taper (meaning, you stabilize between cuts, and go at a pace that feels right to you).  Good luck on your last .5mg!  WR

[[bu...]]

No offense to anyone, but this question gets asked over and over, and frankly, its a silly question!

 

The only reason we taper is to allow the body to adjust to the gradual lowering of the benzo  presence in out body.

 

The body is managed by a process called homeostasis. * It is a system that keeps bodily functions and neurosystems in equilibrium.  If you introduce a foreign substance (benzo) that alters a bodily function (mood) the body will respond by lowering its response.  This is tolerance, a reduced response to the foreign substance.  The body has made changes (lowered receptor response) to the presence of the benzo.

 

If you begin to remove the foreign substance, this lowered response level no longer keeps the body in a state of balance, so it has to begin increasing its response, by once again  restoring the receptor network.

 

When are we "fully recovered"?...I have no idea.  But the  simple fact that we can minimize and/or control withdrawal discomfort by gradually lowering our dose is clear evidence that we are definitely recovering; the receptor network is being restored.

 

*

HOMEOSTASIS

 

"the tendency of a system, especially the physiological system of higher animals, to maintain internal stability, owing to the coordinated response of its parts to any situation or stimulus that would tend to disturb its normal condition or function. "

 

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/homeostasis

[[Fa...]]

I agree with builder, otherwise it wouldn't make any sense to taper. But sadly some people seem to fail to adapt while tapering and just can't stabilize, and that's where my doubt arose from.

I'm a Biologist so I know what should be behind these things (I even had a Human Neurophysiology exam with a large part about neurotransmitters and synapses!)

 

Thanks for your answers!

[[Sh...]]

No offense to anyone, but this question gets asked over and over, and frankly, its a silly question!

 

The only reason we taper is to allow the body to adjust to the gradual lowering of the benzo  presence in out body.

 

The body is managed by a process called homeostasis. * It is a system that keeps bodily functions and neurosystems in equilibrium.  If you introduce a foreign substance (benzo) that alters a bodily function (mood) the body will respond by lowering its response.  This is tolerance, a reduced response to the foreign substance.  The body has made changes (lowered receptor response) to the presence of the benzo.

 

If you begin to remove the foreign substance, this lowered response level no longer keeps the body in a state of balance, so it has to begin increasing its response, by once again  restoring the receptor network.

 

When are we "fully recovered"?...I have no idea.  But the  simple fact that we can minimize and/or control withdrawal discomfort by gradually lowering our dose is clear evidence that we are definitely recovering; the receptor network is being restored.

 

*

HOMEOSTASIS

 

"the tendency of a system, especially the physiological system of higher animals, to maintain internal stability, owing to the coordinated response of its parts to any situation or stimulus that would tend to disturb its normal condition or function. "

 

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/homeostasis

 

Why then does it still take such a long time to heal after a slow taper for many people?

[[Ju...]]

From my experience...yes, absolutely 100%.  I tapered around 10% every ten days from 8mg of Klonopin, and felt better as I got lower, and close to "done" by the time I jumped.  This was after 16 years of use, 15 of which were above 6mgs of k, suffering from tolerance withdrawal sxs like anxiety, depression, TMJ, blurry vision, heart palps, temperature dysregulation, on and on.  All of those sxs resolved as I tapered.  This journey is incredibly different for us all, but outcomes are generally positive after doing a thoughtful taper (meaning, you stabilize between cuts, and go at a pace that feels right to you).  Good luck on your last .5mg!  WR

 

This is encouraging, and you're not the first one who felt fewer symptoms well into the taper. How did you feel when you jumped?

PAWS or Champagne ? I think Shamo had a similar experience. I also hit tolerance and so had many withdrawal symtpoms for a few months until I got on the taper-train.

Justaman

[[Fa...]]

Again, that's why I asked. Reducing my dose to a half of the initial one in one month is already something and now I'm going far slower it should allow my receptors to heal. If nothing changes then I suppose I'm among those people who have to stop totally to start healing. But personally I don't think it's like this, the body is turning to a new homeostasis and half of the drug is already a change for the best!

[[sa...]]

I think so. I healed on the way down. My symptoms were at their worst before I started tapering and at the start of my taper.

 

As I went down they became better and I was about 90% at the time I jumped.

 

I think of course we heal as we taper down.

[[NY...]]

 

This is encouraging, and you're not the first one who felt fewer symptoms well into the taper. How did you feel when you jumped?

PAWS or Champagne ? I think Shamo had a similar experience. I also hit tolerance and so had many withdrawal symtpoms for a few months until I got on the taper-train.

Justaman

 

Hi Justaman.  I had a minor shift in sxs for a couple of weeks after my jump, which I assume was "acute".  It felt similar to how other BBs have described it - like I was recovering from a cut, so my lingering sxs increased (ear plugging, off/on fatigue, early wakings).  Overall I was still feeling really good though - well enough to go  camping/hiking the first weekend off.  Since then I have felt better and better each day.  Even my ear plugging symptom resolved which I've had since January. 

 

Like you pointed out, and others here have shared - many feel better as they taper and nearly healed when they jump.

 

Take care,

WR

 

[[bu...]]

No offense to anyone, but this question gets asked over and over, and frankly, its a silly question!

 

The only reason we taper is to allow the body to adjust to the gradual lowering of the benzo  presence in out body.

 

The body is managed by a process called homeostasis. * It is a system that keeps bodily functions and neurosystems in equilibrium.  If you introduce a foreign substance (benzo) that alters a bodily function (mood) the body will respond by lowering its response.  This is tolerance, a reduced response to the foreign substance.  The body has made changes (lowered receptor response) to the presence of the benzo.

 

If you begin to remove the foreign substance, this lowered response level no longer keeps the body in a state of balance, so it has to begin increasing its response, by once again  restoring the receptor network.

 

When are we "fully recovered"?...I have no idea.  But the  simple fact that we can minimize and/or control withdrawal discomfort by gradually lowering our dose is clear evidence that we are definitely recovering; the receptor network is being restored.

 

*

HOMEOSTASIS

 

"the tendency of a system, especially the physiological system of higher animals, to maintain internal stability, owing to the coordinated response of its parts to any situation or stimulus that would tend to disturb its normal condition or function. "

 

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/homeostasis

 

Why then does it still take such a long time to heal after a slow taper for many people?

 

The down regulation of the receptor network, and the resulting tolerance and dependency, are only one effect of benzos.  They also have other effects, both physiological and emotional.  The recovery of the receptor network resolves the physical dependency issue.  For some there are other effects that may take longer to resolve.

 

I felt normal, and had zero WD sxs once I was off of diazepam.  But over the past 2 years, there have been some obvious changes, both physical and emotional.  I am more calm, my memory and cognition are much better, I sleep better, my resting pulse has dropped, my BP has dropped, my blood glucose has dropped from "pre-diabetic" to normal, etc.

 

By the time I jumped (.5mg V) I was no longer dependent, and had no withdrawal issues.  But I obviously was still being affected from other benzo effects.

[[Fa...]]

Thanks for your answers!

 

I feel better than how I felt when was on 1 mg, my therapeutic dose I had developed a tolerance to and even paradoxical effects. Mostly on the psychological side. But sadly as withdraw goes one physical ones became more pronounced. Most of them were already there since the very beginning, like jaw pain and burning skin. Clearly showing my body didn't like the drug since the very first day I took it! Even those 'pin and needles' in my fingers and toes... While I had just started the drug!

I'll just give my body some time to adapt before shocking it going down to 0.4 mgs of Klonopin. Half of the poison is gone and I've been strong enough, I just hope I won't fail while closer to the end!

 

I try to be positive. I've not been on it for a long time. Three months if we don't count the tapering. And I was on a lower dose for some weeks.

[[2t...]]

I understand your concern, I started taking K end of last year 0.5mg and have been tapering from end of April so at this time 6 months on and 3 1/2 months taper, I think it will take me another 4 1/4 or 5 months of tapering so that will be 6 months on and 8-9 months taper. Although not for the last few weeks I have had periods of days before a drop where I feel really rather good and my spirit rises, I am hoping that this is my system repairing its self as I go down in dose?

 

All we can do though is taper down to the point where we stop using these drugs and hope for the best.