14 days off Clonazepam

[[Li...]]

I did a rapid taper due to moving and having no insurance.  I am 14 days out from jumping at .5 mg.  I have had the normal withdrawal symptoms plus panic attacks and facial numbness.  Am I  out of the woods  as far as seizures go?  How long will these horrible withdrawals last?

[[Ma...]]

2-6 months for acute WD. It depends on the person, your age, genetics, activity level...etc. You said you were on Klonopin for 8 years. As far as seizures you should be okay but I'm not 100% on that.

[[tw...]]

I think you should be okay as far as seizures at 2 weeks out.

 

For me personally, I felt pretty okay at 2 weeks, but weeks 3 & 4 were when everything came on way worse for me. (not to scare you, obviously; we're all different...)

 

However, in the PAST when I cold turkey'd off 2 mg of Klonopin, I was a-okay after 2 weeks. (days 10-14, however, were straight out of a horror film...)

 

Sounds like at 14 days out, you are doing pretty well! So, just hang in there!

[[Li...]]

Thank you! 

[[be...]]

I did a rapid taper due to moving and having no insurance.  I am 14 days out from jumping at .5 mg.  I have had the normal withdrawal symptoms plus panic attacks and facial numbness.  Am I  out of the woods  as far as seizures go?  How long will these horrible withdrawals last?

 

The chance of a seizure at this point is pretty slim.  It is nothing I would spend anytime worrying about.  Panic attacks are not uncommon when a rapid taper is done,  especially during the acute period. On average the acute phase of withdrawal lasts about 4 to 6 weeks, with some noticeable improvement felt after.  So everything at this point is fairly normal.

[[be...]]

2-6 months for acute WD. It depends on the person, your age, genetics, activity level...etc. You said you were on Klonopin for 8 years. As far as seizures you should be okay but I'm not 100% on that.

 

I personally don't think that age, genetics or activity level plays any significant  part of the severity of withdrawal.  The acute phase on average lasts about 4 to 6 weeks and for some even shorter.

[[Li...]]

Thanks

[[no...]]

It's impossible to know how long your symptoms will last. Your seizure threshold should be close to nil at this point but it's impossible to know for certain. Try not to make expectations. All you can expect is that over time you will heal. Some people have little to no residual withdrawal after acute. Some people have no withdrawal at all. Some people have a month of withdrawal and then it subsides. I myself took about 3 months to feel better. But it was my first time coming off and not a very long time. You can't compare yourself to others, because it's so individualistic. all you can do is deal with the symptoms as they come, learn distraction and coping mechanisms. I am better off now than I was pre benzo because withdrawal forced me to learn a new way to live

[[Li...]]

Thank you

[[Co...]]

LisaLu, I'm about two weeks ahead of you, and while I don't know a whole lot, I think I can reassure you based on what I'm experiencing.  As you can see in my signature, I was taking .5 - 1 mg clonazepam off and on for sleep.  I took my last dose sometime between Christmas and New Year's.  Didn't refill my rx... no problems at all for two weeks, then wham, I was hit with a tsunami of withdrawal symptoms.  It took this rocket scientist a few days to figure out what was going on.    I had two weeks of utter hell (those two weeks were weeks 3-4 after c/t).  Then two weeks of manageable hell (weeks 5-6).  I'm markedly improved now, but still definitely experiencing withdrawal.  I don't know the exact date of my last dose, but think I'm right at the 6 week point.  I've had WD sx for only the last 4 weeks, and the last two weeks have been more bearable.  I believe, based on my experience withdrawing from SSRIs that I probably have a year or two to go before I can say I'm 100% healed, but I do believe that I'm over the acute phase.  I hope this makes sense... I'm having difficulty getting my thoughts organized.

 

Once I realized I was experiencing benzo wd, I considered reinstating, but had fears of kindling at that point so I decided to stick it out.  Everyone is different, and you definitely don't want to take advice from someone who didn't even know clonazepam was addicting  but if your healing pattern is like mine, I'd say you're probably just about through the worst of the acute phase.  You've got this, girlfriend. 

 

Hope this helps.  Hugs. 

[[Li...]]

What were your symptoms during the worst of it?  My symptoms started 3 days after quitting and started with flu like symptoms then tinnitus and sweats. Day 10 has been my worst day so far with horrible panic attacks, these have eased every day since. 

Thanks for replying

[[Co...]]

Well, here goes...

 

Anxiety was the worst.  Four consecutive nights with absolutely no sleep.. in a state of full-blown panic, heart palpitations for hours, sweats, terrible, irrational sickening feeling of dread and hopelessness.  This was acute for a couple weeks, and has abated, but I still have moderately high anxiety.  I am however sleeping fairly well now  Better than I did while taking clonazepam.

 

Nausea, diarrhea, sharp stomach pains

 

Mornings with sharp spiking cortisol/adrenalin

 

Icy cold numbness in lower legs

 

Feet, hands, and face are numb

 

Really dark, twisted depression.  I've experienced "clinical depression" before, and it pales in comparison with this.  Intrusive thoughts, just horrible.  There's a post on this board written by Parker, that explains what's happening in the brain - that really helped me understand the symptoms.  Right up there with the anxiety is this awful constant re-living of bad memories. 

 

I haven't experienced a window yet, but I did have a couple days with the most lovely sensations of euphoria, but that was mixed in the oddest way with the still-present anxiety.  I can't put it in words.  But it did leave me with a ray of hope. 

 

Is this at all like what you're going through?  Do you feel up to talking about your symptoms?

[[Li...]]

I have had the crazy thoughts and dreams the past week along with  numbness is my face.  My main complaint for the  past few days has just been the high anxiety. Thank you  so much for sharing your symptoms with me. 

 

[[Co...]]

We'll both get better.  Take care. 

[[Li...]]

We'll both get better.  Take care. 

 

Thanks, you too!

[[Wi...]]

What dose were you on for 8 years?

[[Li...]]

I took 3 x 1 mg per day when I  started then went down to 2x a day Jan 2016 and down to 1 mg/ day in September then .5 in January before I had to jump.