Help Needed

[[La...]]

Hello everyone. I'm dealing with the grueling process of benzo withdrawal at the moment, and I hope I can get some help from those who've gone through this nightmare. It just seems that no one understands what I'm going through (especially the doctors), and after reading through this forum; I finally feel like I found people I can relate too. So anyways, here is my story in a nutshell.

 

It all started 5 years ago when my pill pusher of a doctor told me I was having panic attacks and prescribed me Xanax. Over the past 5 years I eventually was taking more and more until 1 point I reached 8 MG of Xanax per day. Like the rest of you guys, I couldn't take the side effects anymore and decided I wanted to completely come off the medication. My old doctor switched me to 6 MG of Klonopin a day and never really gave me a taper schedule but told me to take a little less every week and I should be A okay in 6 weeks tops (well of course that wasn't the case). After basically going cold turkey, I reinstated to 3 MG of Klonopin a day and finally saw another doctor. She agreed that I came off way to quick, but after talking, it was obvious she wasn't to knowledgeable about benzo withdrawal. Well anyways I've been tapering off for a total of 5 months now, and am on .50 mg a day of Klonopin (.25 twice a day). I have been unable to work for the past 5 months, but I think the worst is over. Though I'm starting to go insane again because I literally can't sleep at all. I'm lucky if I've got 1-2 a day of broken sleep. My new doctor has tried Seroquel, Trazedone, Clonidine, Doxepin, and Remoron. Long story short, each medication worked for a week or so then I guess my body built a tolerance and the medication was ineffective (and I didn't care about the horrendous side effects because I rather deal with that temporarily then not get any sleep whatsoever).

 

I'm not at the point where I literally don't sleep and I feel like I'm about to lose it again. Is the worst over? How much longer until my sleep returns? What helped with your insomnia? Thank you.

 

 

For the sake of our membership, all references to self harm and/or harming others have been removed from this thread. Please click on the following link if you are thinking about suicide, self-harm, or harming others: Self Harm and Ideation - Revised Policy

 

 

 

[[me...]]

Welcome to the forum! We're glad to have you as a new member. 

 

You'll find lots of information and support here.  Our members have been through all aspects of withdrawal, and you're likely to find  people who understand what you're going through. For those who are currently tapering, we suggest reducing no faster than 5-10% every 10-14 days, and some taper even slower than that.  One exception: very short-term users of a few weeks or less may be able to taper faster. 

 

Having some withdrawal symptoms is normal, especially near the end of a taper and for a few months after discontinuing the medication.  First/only withdrawals after a slow taper tend to be easier than multiple reinstatements/withdrawals over time, which may make symptoms worse and longer lasting. The most common symptoms are anxiety and insomnia but there are many others. These are temporary and will go away in time.

 

Here are a few links you may find useful:

 

Withdrawal Support Board

 

The Ashton Manual is an authoritative source on what to expect in withdrawal and recovery.  Dr. Ashton is an expert in the field. Section III explains and describes symptoms, and there is also a section with suggested taper schedules.

 

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!