Over 60 help and support.

[[2f...]]

Im sorry to too, dummer, Barbara. Im sorry myself because Im also alone. Struggling with Zopiclone, depression (that I hope is from taper). I feel like ive had it. Above that I started to feel ugly (and I was t 1 year ago). My hair is different, my face too. Im not a person who grow old in good way. I think its to late for everything, getting a partner for instance. Because I feel the way I do and it never stops...

Sorry for my swinglish.

[[Ba...]]

yes my hair, face and muscle wasting.  huge changes.

 

i am bedbound mostly and alone.

 

I just want to get stable.  If stable, maybe then taper.  but like this not unctioning not sure how to manage.

 

One theory is when off you heal; one is updose hol and hope for stability.  I gather if you do the latter you'd have to do it for a while?  You can't updose one time and now anything?

 

If looking for a dr (if i can move) no idea if a psych or neuro or who wouuld be best...  it so hard...

[[2f...]]

Im sorry for my post, it sounded so negative. But thats how I feel.

I was suppose to write Drummer NOT dummer...

 

Barbara Im so sorry, it seems to be a long taper you are doing? When did this bedridden thing began?

[[Ba...]]

2 1/2 years ago.

Then did somewhat better, now bac to being crap.

Just tried .25 updose in valium and... nauseaus.  Don't think this is the answer.  Would put up with it if got me my sleep, and it got me a bit but not enough to put up with this I don't think.  Stll bedridden...

[[Ma...]]

2 1/2 years ago.

Then did somewhat better, now bac to being crap.

Just tried .25 updose in valium and... nauseaus.  Don't think this is the answer.  Would put up with it if got me my sleep, and it got me a bit but not enough to put up with this I don't think.  Stll bedridden...

 

Maybe you should try for a week or so to see if your body adapts, just a suggestion 

[[Sa...]]

2foryone,

 

I’m certainly not growing old gracefully or in a good way with WD.  I doubt if it is to late for you to find a partner.  I believe there is someone for everyone.

 

I hope you have better days ahead.  We are healing.

 

SS

[[ea...]]

As long as you are still on a benzo, you will NOT heal. Being older does not seem to change much. I went CT at 62. I am now 69. Took 3 years to heal but was it worth the fight! I am so glad I stuck it out and did not give up.

The longer I am on BB, the more convinced I am that older people actually seem to do better than younger people. Why? Because we have more wisdom and life's lessons behind us and that knowledge helps you deal with an adverse condition like WD.

But everyone has to understand this: as long as benzos are still in your body/brain, you cannot heal.

east

[Guest [NM...]]

As long as you are still on a benzo, you will NOT heal. Being older does not seem to change much. I went CT at 62. I am now 69. Took 3 years to heal but was it worth the fight! I am so glad I stuck it out and did not give up.

The longer I am on BB, the more convinced I am that older people actually seem to do better than younger people. Why? Because we have more wisdom and life's lessons behind us and that knowledge helps you deal with an adverse condition like WD.

But everyone has to understand this: as long as benzos are still in your body/brain, you cannot heal.

east

 

This!!!! I just went through days of crappy sleep, anxiety etc. and the thought went through my mind to slow my taper a bit or hold for a few days but no. Life happens even during taper and I decided that if I cannot start dealing with “issues” during taper, how the hell will I manage when I’m not on benzos any more? How will I deal then? Start back on them again? “Hold” my current dose for 2 months or two years? Again hell no. I’m doing my own CBT with audio and books and putting it into practice and it’s not easy sometimes. It’s HARD but for me not doing this will keep me stuck. I know I cannot mentally or physically heal completely until I’m not taking benzos any more. End of story. Be what may, I’ll be off this drug at the end of June. 👍🏻 Thanks, Annie, for this post.

[[ea...]]

Exactly and very well said. This is something that some people just don't get. Tapers do not prevent WD symptoms. They can be just as strong as if you had gone CT. Tapers were designed to hopefully eliminate the possibility of a seizure. And that's about it, IMO. Learning to deal with your problems and negative feelings when off benzos can be daunting. And scary. But the neat part is that once you are off benzos entirely, you may find yourself BETTER able to deal with those things. Getting off these drugs may be the best and hardest thing you ever did.

[[or...]]

Barbara, updosing by tiny bits never helped me a bit. I just had to come down again. It lengthened my taper and lengthened my misery. And fwiw, I was never "stable". What the he** does that mean anyhow? We could wait forever to get stable. It took me over 3 years to heal. So 3 years on my taper and 3 years until I felt better. Oh, how I wish I had tapered faster as it really didn't seem to matter how slowly I tapered. Oh, and I'm 71. If I can do this, anyone can.

 

Look at NMsafe. Doing her own CBT, dealing with her issues! She's not going to stay stuck. Good on you, NM!!! I wish I'd had your gumption when I was pi**ing and moaning on my taper.

 

I know you are truly miserable, Barbara, and I know we've talked about this before, but you do not have that far to go. If it were me I would just get on with things. Also, if it were me, I would stop fooling around with little bits of this and that. Do they really help? Reading your posts it seems not. Make up your mind to (safely) get off everything.

 

I absolutely agree with eastcoast. You will not feel well until you are COMPLETELY off your benzo. (And other bits of stuff). So . . . ??

 

You know, one of the great things about being an old lady is what I've learned along the way (someone else said just that . . . forget who). And some of lessons I've learned have been from my taper. One of the most important ones is that with very few exceptions, what's wrong with us can't be fixed with a pill.

 

Life is great on the other side.

 

Katz

[Guest [NM...]]

Barbara, updosing by tiny bits never helped me a bit. I just had to come down again. It lengthened my taper and lengthened my misery. And fwiw, I was never "stable". What the he** does that mean anyhow? We could wait forever to get stable. It took me over 3 years to heal. So 3 years on my taper and 3 years until I felt better. Oh, how I wish I had tapered faster as it really didn't seem to matter how slowly I tapered. Oh, and I'm 71. If I can do this, anyone can.

 

Look at NMsafe. Doing her own CBT, dealing with her issues! She's not going to stay stuck. Good on you, NM!!! I wish I'd had your gumption when I was pi**ing and moaning on my taper.

 

I know you are truly miserable, Barbara, and I know we've talked about this before, but you do not have that far to go. If it were me I would just get on with things. Also, if it were me, I would stop fooling around with little bits of this and that. Do they really help? Reading your posts it seems not. Make up your mind to (safely) get off everything.

 

I absolutely agree with eastcoast. You will not feel well until you are COMPLETELY off your benzo. (And other bits of stuff). So . . . ??

 

You know, one of the great things about being an old lady is what I've learned along the way (someone else said just that . . . forget who). And some of lessons I've learned have been from my taper. One of the most important ones is that with very few exceptions, what's wrong with us can't be fixed with a pill.

 

Life is great on the other side.

 

Katz

 

Thank you. I’ve done a lot of pi$$ing and moaning and crying and being scared, but I did somehow let it push me to learn through this. I was kind forced to in order to just survive.  I did not post much if at all during the very worst of this taper. I truly believe that I will come out on the other side of this hellish experience a better and stronger person. I already am. This has been a rebirth experience. A painful and slow rebirth. I’ll make it. So will others. We are an amazingly resilient species.

[Guest [NM...]]

Exactly and very well said. This is something that some people just don't get. Tapers do not prevent WD symptoms. They can be just as strong as if you had gone CT. Tapers were designed to hopefully eliminate the possibility of a seizure. And that's about it, IMO. Learning to deal with your problems and negative feelings when off benzos can be daunting. And scary. But the neat part is that once you are off benzos entirely, you may find yourself BETTER able to deal with those things. Getting off these drugs may be the best and hardest thing you ever did.

 

Yes. This again. I went through December and January so spaced out from derealization and depersonalization during soul draining depression. I felt like a little more and I’d be psychotic. Life looked literally only shades of gray. I’ve been through depression before, but nothing like this. I had a lot of suicidal ideation and I didn’t talk to anybody about that except for my husband.

 

 

My back yard looked haunted and literally black. I barely slept and when I did, I’d wake up and hear a car or truck pass by outside and it sounded like something exaggerated from a horror movie. My white noise box fan also sounded like a funhouse fan. I thought I was losing my mind. The intrusive thoughts and memories were like a Stephen King book. 😓😓 I made it through that. I didn’t hold my dose or updose. I’m not begrudging people who do updose, but long term I don’t think it helps. Sigh. 

 

If I made it through that, I can make it through anything. I legitimately felt haunted in every sense of the word. This has been a Hell I’d never wish on anybody.

[[or...]]

I truly believe that I will come out on the other side of this hellish experience a better and stronger person. I already am. This has been a rebirth experience. A painful and slow rebirth. I’ll make it

 

You will, and it is, and you will.

 

Brother, I never would have wanted something this awful in my life but it sure woke me up! Was it worth the pain and anguish? Well, no, but I am a better, stronger person for it. And kinder and more tolerant, too (ha, not that you can always tell  ).

 

One way or another, we'll all get through this.

 

Onward.

 

Katz

[Guest [NM...]]

I truly believe that I will come out on the other side of this hellish experience a better and stronger person. I already am. This has been a rebirth experience. A painful and slow rebirth. I’ll make it

 

You will, and it is, and you will.

 

Brother, I never would have wanted something this awful in my life but it sure woke me up! Was it worth the pain and anguish? Well, no, but I am a better, stronger person for it. And kinder and more tolerant, too (ha, not that you can always tell  ).

 

One way or another, we'll all get through this.

 

Onward.

 

Katz

 

Yes ma’am!!! We’re way stronger than even we ever believed... 💪🏼

[[ni...]]

 

Greetings to the 1950s and 1940s folks (any 1930s?). 

 

I'm new to the neighborhood.  Hoping to start my taper next week.  There seems to be a lot of math involved in these taper plans.  I had no idea I had gotten so bad at math, even with a calculator. 

 

And I'm starting to wonder if most of my isolation has been due to the benzos I've been on for so long.  Looking forward to connecting with the folks here.

Genevieve, welcome to this group. I've not posted in a while, but I keep up somewhat by stopping in now and then. My pcp told me last fall that a woman, who is 93, is tapering off of clonazepam and almost finished. I was amazed! I hope she is doing okay, because this journey is difficult. Doing the math for tapers is not easy and I goofed up a lot, but still made it through. My son loaned me a jewelry scales, which I used each time I tapered. It did help as I kept a running log each time I made a new cut. It also made me feel good to see the progress.

BTW your Swenglish is excellent. I took a year of Swedish at the university and still am illiterate. I think I have a broken foreign language gene.

I am from the 40s, by the way, and went off to college in the 60s. For a time I had a great life and hope one day to feel that way again.

Hang in there, this is a place for survivors. 

 

[[CA...]]

 

Greetings to the 1950s and 1940s folks (any 1930s?). 

 

I'm new to the neighborhood.  Hoping to start my taper next week.  There seems to be a lot of math involved in these taper plans.  I had no idea I had gotten so bad at math, even with a calculator. 

 

And I'm starting to wonder if most of my isolation has been due to the benzos I've been on for so long.  Looking forward to connecting with the folks here.

 

Genevieve,

 

I was lost on the math to do on my own, but I'm using the DLMT plan by Jim Hawks.  It's working great for this 1940s gal and I don't have to figure any of it, just draw it up in the syringes they recommend.  I don't discard any of the liquid either, so no waste involved.  Pretty awesome.  Here are the two links for the plan.

 

http://benzo.alwaysdata.net/titration/titrationHelp.htm?help=Readme+First

http://benzo.alwaysdata.net/

 

 

 

[[ea...]]

OMG. A 93 year old successfully tapering off clonazepam? Wow. That staggers my mind a bit. God bless her and bless all of you older ladies for doing this.

Many older people feel they may not heal well due to age. I have not found that top be true. Older people have wisdom and coping skills that younger people do not have.

[[Ma...]]

OMG. A 93 year old successfully tapering off clonazepam? Wow. That staggers my mind a bit. God bless her and bless all of you older ladies for doing this.

Many older people feel they may not heal well due to age. I have not found that top be true. Older people have wisdom and coping skills that younger people do not have.

 

That is totally amazing, makes me feel like a wimp

[Guest [NM...]]

OMG. A 93 year old successfully tapering off clonazepam? Wow. That staggers my mind a bit. God bless her and bless all of you older ladies for doing this.

Many older people feel they may not heal well due to age. I have not found that top be true. Older people have wisdom and coping skills that younger people do not have.

 

Yeah.... wow.

[[ni...]]

The next time I go to my pcp I'll ask abut the 93 yo patient's progress. I try not to go to doctor's as they are what got me into this benzo mess. It was the late 90s and I'm not sure google was around. I was both naive and trusted they knew what they were doing when she wrote out the script for Ambien and clonazepam for insomnia. Something I never asked for, but thought, well nice, now I can sleep. Little did I know the price I was going to pay.

Yes, bless that 93 year old woman! Age is a number that adds up, but we are still the same person we were when we were 20, 30, 40, etc., living in an aging body.

[[Sa...]]

Gardie,

 

A birthday?  I’m 60 (feeling much older tho).  Happy early Birthday!

 

SaraSue:smitten:

[[or...]]

We'll have a cake for you, Gardie. Or at least cupcakes!

 

http://happybirthdayworld.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/bon-anniversaire-chat-.jpg

[Guest [NM...]]

Aww I’ll be 58 in August! I made myan honorary member on this thread. 😬

[[Ma...]]

Thanks, guys! Will be back for my cupcake in August. (And, yes, I'll need 60 candles on it. )

 

:laugh:

[[2f...]]

Does anyone know if you can have hormonetrubble inspite of being 60? I have gone thru menopause 5 years ago. Some nights and even days I feel warm for no reason. I know temerature can fluctuate in w/d but I want to ask anyway, about hormones. Anyone?