Brand new to these findings..thanks Doc!

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Well, I was prescribed 1mg Klonopin five years ago because I told my doctor that after my father died, I sometimes have anxiety/hard time sleeping at night. He said he liked that one over anything else. He said take as needed for sleep. I took it on and off, sometimes daily, but very hit or miss. Last year, I started liking how refreshed I would wake up, so I started taking just a half .5mg at night. I still wasn't consistent all of the time, but would have bouts of stomach pain in the right side (which I of course thought was my liver since I drink)..liver tests later, everything looks normal. I now am trying to taper and am terrified I'm already ruined. I feel like over the last few months of taking nightly, I have benzo belly, still have pain in the right stomach, not going to the bathroom regularly and generally bloated. I am also now having nightmares to the point that I wake myself up in the dreams once I figure out I'm dreaming x 10 each night. This doctor never told me of any long term use problem, in fact, he tried to get me now to take two 1mg per day. I'm here to learn and hopefully ween off of this while minimizing the pain/side effects. I appreciate anyones help here!!!

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Hi  Welcome to BenzoBuddies!

 

I am glad you found us today.The recommended reduction rate is 5 to 10 percent every two weeks. A slow gradual taper is the best way to minimize symptoms.

 

 

You might like to check out The Ashton Manual it is an authoritative source on what to expect in withdrawal and recovery.  Dr. Ashton is an expert in the field. 

 

Please feel free to post to any of the dedicated boards, we have a wonderful community of people here, who will give sound advice. Members have been through all aspects of benzodiazepine use and withdrawal and are more than willing to share their experiences.

 

General Taper Plans

Withdrawal Support During Your Taper

 

 

Please take the time to Create a Signature.  This will allow others to see where you are in the process so they can better support you.

 

Again Welcome! 

 

benzos-R-cruel

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Hi Steered...

 

I just wanted to say that I had abdominal pain too (sometimes accompanied by lower back ache on the right hand side) and spent months thinking it was "my stomach" or "my liver" or "gallstones" etc., and trying to figure it and figure it - only to find that it was my Psoas muscle.

 

Your psoas muscle can react particularly pointedly to tension and anxiety and can cause utter confusion with symptomatic knock-on effects sometimes mimicking/being mistaken for "stomach" problems and other "organic" issues.

 

It is well worth googling and finding out more about it on your own terms 

 

All the very best - you can do this!

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Thank you so much for responding! I will definitely foam roll the psoas thank you for that tip!

I am taking .75mg right now (I of course wanted to stop completely after learning everything but understand I can't)

My pills are really small, so I don't know if I can cut them into smaller than .25mg every two weeks but I shall try.

 

The nightmares don't start until early morning (which I believe is when the meds wear off), it's very strange how I am aware I am in the dream and try to and do wake myself out of it. I then get panicked about falling asleep and having more nightmares that after more than 5 times, I give up and just go get coffee. I used to sleep 8 hours a night, now I'm at about 6 like clockwork jumping awake from a nightmare (always disturbing, murderers, being chased, intruders, voices)

I am just so upset that doctors are allowed to do this to us after now reading everything on here about all the long term effects!! They just give it out like: take it here and there.

I believe I was unintentionally putting myself in withdrawals this whole last year because i was never consistent with it nightly (some days skipped, some 1 mg, some .5mg, sometimes days in a row and sometimes days without) The entire last year I had all of these pain and symptoms on and off throughout the year that I attributed to being sick, car sick, etc.

 

Some things I forgot earlier were:

 

-Nausea for the last year (which a doctor said I had too much acid from spicy foods, alcohol, etc so put me on Famotodine (pepcid ac 2x a day)- AND also gave me Ondastatron which is an anti-nausea......sure why not MORE meds?!

-The side pain, after testing liver and kidneys, the Dr said it was just my muscles from working out and gave me a NSAID CREAM for my stomach which of course did nothing

-Voices I hear when falling in and out of sleep (felt like I was over hearing conversations of people I didn't know) I even went to my medium to see if I somehow were hearing spirits

-Weight gain over the last year of 15lbs...unexplained mostly stomach when I have not changed my workout and eat clean

-shakiness/trembling...I just assumed I was hungover or it was a drop in blood sugar

 

Other than slow taper, I plan to take GABA and 5-HTP to possibly help serotonin and the gaba may help relax me. I also started taking herb lax (senna and other natural herbs to help move things along) and may need a few colonics. 

Any other vitamin suggestions to help transition?

 

Thanks again for everyone and all the advice!!