Nearing the 1 Year Milestone!

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The one year marker is approaching and I thought I'd take a few minutes to write about my life after klonopin.

 

I am no longer noticing those side effects that were the most bizarre.  My sense of smell is still acute but perhaps 80% 'normal'.  Tinnitus has stayed with me, but truth is I suffered from tinnitus before benzos.  The sound just ramped up during w/d, and that new sound - the low, rumbling noise - is still rolling around in my head.  It isn't too bad.  I suffer from terrible insomnia - that is something new, and I can't with certainty attribute it to w/d and not simply old age (I am 66)!  And the cog fog  -  ah,that was the worst, and although it has lifted, I'd say I'm at about 70%.  I exercise regularly, eat fairly well, and try to keep my mind so active.  Some days I am very sharp, and other days, I can actually feel my brain trying to get started.  I know this will improve - I am more than hopeful.

 

 

I began taking klonopin after developing a good case of PTSD with palpable anxiety and after failing efforts with several antidepressants.  The klonopin was a godsend for me, quieting the anxiety so I could do the work needed to address the PTSD.

 

Now that I am off the klonopin, and after 5 years of almost weekly therapy with an exceptional psychiatrist, I feel the PTSD is resolved.  Unfortunately, my psychological ice is fairly thin, and anxiety is often (weekly) knocking at the door.  MRI?  - needed xanax prn.  Root canal  -  xanax prn.  Airline flights  -  xanax prn.    In August I was given 30 tabs .25 mg at my request.  I have taken six .25 mg doses in almost four months.  I wish I didn't have to, but I am not going to suffer - and I am NOT going to become reliant on this benzo. 

 

So  -  I am so much better than I was this time last year, and I am so thankful for BB, KK, and the wisdom I gained from communicating and reading in these forums.  I am amazed that the road to being benzo free was so incredibly uphill.  Getting to the TOP of that hill was definitely worth the effort!

 

Onward, buddies!  Don't despair.  Have hope.  You WILL get there, and your accomplishment will be one of the best of your life.  I am with you, all the way.

 

jgr2

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It is amazing what a year can do. Congrats on the HUGE milestone!