Hi. Taper needed and/or slow?

[[fi...]]

I'm looking for advice and thoughts about my current situation. (this is the short version)

I have been taking clonazepam for the past ~9 days -  because of a mess I made in the month+ prior with zopiclone and ativan, and nothing working for sleep, and already wanting to try going off the zopiclone, this "seemed" like the logical place to go to stabilize and then taper, and for sleep (at least to my GP whose insisting I stay on it right now)

 

I had been on zopiclone 7.5 mg nightly for most of the past 4+ years, and due to a few factors i can explain later, suddenly neither zopiclone, tryptophan, ativan (used <1 month), and/or any combination of those was working.

 

The problem is - i HATE this stuff (clonazepam)- it's making me feel ILL most of the time and it ISN'T helping with sleep. I feel nauseated and inappetent, i'm depressed and crying (was happy before!), groggy, and my memory has gone to hell in a hand basket.  I don't like how I feel and who I am (i swear there's a personality change and i'm also a bit more irritable).  Only positive thing (besides a lack of anxiety i would call more 'dullness' than anything) -  and this I find odd - is I'm more 'productive' (I have, as yet, untreated Adult ADD so I'm wondering about that connection- my IQ and memory and verbal recall has taken a hit while i'm on it, but overall i'm more "productive"- truly curious what that's all about.)

 

 

I'll give more details later unless they are wanted here - i'm new and not sure where or how everything works yet - still finding my way around.

Hope this is a good start and thank you all for being here

 

firefly1

 

i'm really wondering if I need a long taper or if I can go shorter.  I've not been on a benzo that long but i've been on zopiclone a long time. 

[Guest [ba...]]

Welcome to the forum, firefly1.  I'm glad you found us.

 

Prolonged use of benzos can have a myriad of impacts on your overall health.  It sounds like you've been experiencing some of them.  Tolerance and dependence are common.  I took benzos (klonopin then Ativan) for sleep, and it was great until I become tolerant/dependent, then it was most definitely not great anymore.

 

A slow taper is definitely the preferred method for getting off of these drugs, and this forum is a good place to get information on various tapering strategies. 

 

The Ashton Manual is an authoritative source on what to expect during 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.

 

Sleep may be an issue during your withdrawal (it definitely was during mine).  So here's a link to the insomnia thread...

 

Insomnia 

 

As for tapering rates, many people try to get off of these meds quickly only to find out that it's more of a challenge to go that fast than they thought it would be.  Slower usually works better than faster for the huge majority of individuals.  Try to be patient.

 

Explore the forum, get a feel for what's working for people (and what's not).  I hope to see your success story posted here someday.

 

Again, welcome!

[[fi...]]

Hi  badsocref,

 

thanks for the welcome .

And i know what you're saying is true....and I was prepared for a slow taper...but i wasn't prepared to feel so sick and depressed on the clonazepam (and it's definitely the clonazepam -it wears off in the evening - the nausea and mood and memory issues etc. 

i'm just not sure i'll find someone willing to use the ashton manual and substitute valium.

i hope someone can tell me if these symptoms will subside or get worse. I can't ...CANT do this level of depression for weeks or months - i was better off on zopiclone - mood-wise at least. even sleep wise i'd get a better quality for a few hours at least....anyway...i hear ya..and thank you!

and hope to post a success story one day too

 

firefly1