Debate: Is Klonopin withdrawal the absolute worst thing in the world?

[[Ju...]]

As I sit here trying to heal day by day, I have a question to myself, is Klonopin withdrawal the worst thing you can possibly go through in the entire world? I keep coming to the realization that it must be.

 

I have gone through a lot in my life to say the least, including Xanax withdrawal and valium withdrawal.

 

I have been shot at, I have been stabbed, I have been homeless with no shelter out in negative temperatures in the snow. I have been forced to suffer out in the summer heat in the Sun all day long everyday while homeless.

 

I've had to carry heavy backpacks for miles and miles with no water or food day after day. No bed to sleep on, no electricity, no end in sight. Nowhere to rest my feet and not even a legal place to go to bed.

 

I've been in and out of psychiatric hospitals multiple times, even the ones for the criminally insane. I've been in and out of jails even prolonged stays. I've been to many detox's for multiple things. And still, klonopin withdrawal is the worst. By far.

 

And then, I have had major surgeries like a broken ankle hanging off backwards by skin. I have herniated discs in my back, I have had back surgeries and I have had organs removed. I have had lots of stitches and I've been repaired by surgeons quite a few times in multiple places.

 

And I've been through bad marriages, I have taken lots of verbal abuse. I have lost children and gone through bankruptcies and divorce and all kinds of horrible stuff. I've been in and out of homeless shelters and Recovery homes as well.

 

I have gained and lost friends, multiple times. I've been wrongly accused and turned down for services within the system multiple times. I've been denied human rights even, multiple times.

 

I have been jumped by gangs, I've been in several fights, many car wrecks and motorcycle wrecks. I have worked many jobs doing hard labor, all kinds of different things. And I've worked really extremely mentally exhausting White Collar jobs as well.

 

But even to this day, I can't think of one single thing that even compares with klonopin withdrawal. Like even if I had gotten burned alive by fire, which I do have scars from ovens and other hot objects when I was younger, it would not be nearly as bad.

 

If I had been thrown in acid, it wouldn't be as bad because it would be temporary and I wouldn't have as much mental torture. It would be there, but not on the same level.

 

I tried to think of all kinds of different scenarios, and I've talked to a lot of veterans in my time and many of them are my friends, and some of them have been through benzo withdrawal as well. And none of us can think of anything that even compares remotely to benzo withdrawal. Not even being a prisoner of war and tortured for years.

 

And out of all the benzos I have come off of, Klonopin withdrawal is in my opinion at least ten times more severe than withdrawal from Valium and Xanax. I don't wish any of it on my worst enemy. But there is something seriously wrong with Klonopin and never again will I look at that ugly stuff that has no purpose in my opinion.

 

I don't know why I keep coming to this argument in my own mind, more like a question or debate with in my head. I just don't think there's anything that compares or could even be worse. Anybody else feel the same? And I'm not just being dramatic or venting, it's actually a serious question and topic.

[[...]]

I have seen my fair share of hardships, but I am definitely not going to try and compete with you, lol!

  I think that because K can completely control our perceptions with absolute horror, we could be sitting pretty in a penthouse suite and we would still go through unparalleled hell. The warped perceptions are what give severity to my suffering and it progressively fluctuates throughout each day. 

  I cannot figure out how to rejoin society, or even figure out if I should be doing that.  I have so much crap accruing and no ability to make definitive decisions about anything.

[[So...]]

Honestly, I think that is why it is so hard to get people to understand WD (if they have not lived it). Because there really is NOTHING in this world to compare it to....

[[So...]]

And ps for the record I have never taken K. Lots of other meds including xanax, Ativan, and librium.

But for me Ativan was my nemesis the way K was for you

 

So I don't think a specific benzo is worse than another , more like different people will have a different worse benzo individually.

Make sense?

[[de...]]

I am so sorry JustInTime.  :'(

 

I have been through my own hell with Valium withdrawal, and if K is 10 times worse than that I beseech the person who I *believed* was going to murder me, they do so. 

 

I sincerely hope you are getting better.

 

Dee

[Guest [pa...]]

In addition to having higher affinity at GABAA receptor sites, alprazolam and clonazepam are dirtier (they affect more receptors) that other benzos, which is what tends to make withdrawal from them worse. It's also why it's sometimes hard to swich someone from alprazolam and clonazepam to diazepam.

[[Li...]]

I've not taken any other Benzo besides Klonopin, but I can attest that the mental torture is absolutely unprecedented.

[[ca...]]

Well, if you have gone through benzo withdrawal two times before it will be harder the third time. The same goes for alcoholism. If you have been an alcoholic then stopped and started again, the withdrawal symptoms become harder the second time.

 

Would you be interested in writing your life story?

[[de...]]

I second that candysmandy. 

 

Write your story JustInTime. 

 

Dee

[[Ju...]]

Yes, I almost forgot about the repeated withdrawals or relapse or kindling or whatever you want to call them. I'm starting to think that might have played a part in it. Then again, the first time I ever came off of them seems to be just as bad.

 

I was put on them at 17, and tried to get off at 21, and it was living hell at the psychiatric hospital in Florida. I was off of them for nine days and it was so bad the doctor had to put me back on them.

 

And then at 24 I did a cold turkey detox at home and then another one a few years later and so on, every few years throughout my life. But either the time when I was 21 or this time has been the worst. Those times were clonazepam. The other times were Valium and Xanax so that could have something to do with it.

 

And I agree about life can be horrible even if you are in a penthouse suite. When I was living at the beach, I was suffering really bad even while walking on the sand looking at the waves. It was like a bad trip.

 

And I don't know if I would want to write my story or not. There's too much illegal activity and substance abuse and hardship, although there's a lot of high life luxury living and stuff as well. I just don't know if it would be appropriate for benzo Buddies. But I do wish everybody the best as well.

 

Edit:  #10 on: September 05, 2020, 10:50:43 am »

QuoteModifyRemove

I almost forgot, I'm the same way about not knowing whether or not I should re-enter society and not being able to make decisions. I haven't been able to make a single decision about anything without thinking about it way longer than I'm supposed to.

[[Ki...]]

Constant torture for such long period make it absolute worse of them , only thing worse than this would be condition people with terminal illness

[[Ju...]]

I think getting a terminal illness would have been much easier than klonopin withdrawal. First off, because there is medicine you can take for the symptoms if you have cancer or something like that. You could take pain meds and nausea meds and things like that, you just can't prevent death.

 

Whereas with benzo withdrawals, you are stuck suffering the most intensely you can out of anything for years and years. But most of us heal. However, there are some that don't supposedly.

[[Li...]]

In addition to having higher affinity at GABAA receptor sites, alprazolam and clonazepam are dirtier (they affect more receptors) that other benzos, which is what tends to make withdrawal from them worse. It's also why it's sometimes hard to swich someone from alprazolam and clonazepam to diazepam.

Hello, pacenik.  I wonder if you could provide citations to primary sources that support these claims about clonazepam? I’d like to read them. Thank you in advance.

[Guest [bl...]]

I've had CTs from alprazolam, clonazepam and librium.

 

Clonazepam was the worst. Alprazolam was mostly mental with black depression being the chief complaint (or at least I remember only that). Clonazepam was so complete and so devastating that I had nothing left in me to resist it. The sheer range and number of physical and psychiatric symptoms I had from the clonazepam withdrawal were mind-boggling. I would stumble around instead of walking around. That said, all three were intolerable. There is no tolerance threshold in these matters. All three made me suicidal. I'm so glad I won't have to go through those tortures again (at least I hope so). 

[[Jo...]]

YES YES YES THIS PILL MADE BY SOME NAZI SCIENTIST I AM IN HELL FROM THIS HORRIBLE PILL

[[Ba...]]

I agree with you Justintime. Klonopin is the worst substance, complete poison, unimaginable for anyone who has not experienced withdrawal from it themselves. You are not alone. I understand everything you said and agree with you. Very much appreciate your accurate description of the experience because sometimes I question my own but I see I am not alone here.

[[Ju...]]

One day I will write a detailed description of how it feels. The psychological torture and physical pain that we endured is ridiculous, not humane.

[[Ju...]]

Same with the Klonopin, it was so severe that I thought I was going to die, not just figuratively speaking, but literally. All day everyday for almost a year. And then it started to ease up.

 

And even now at 14 months, I have been having seizure-like activity but luckily I haven't had any recently. But I still have massive pain and everything else. But it does get better for sure. I'm halfway there at least.

[[pu...]]

i went cold turkey off klonopin daily use for a couple years and it was hands down the worse thing i’ve ever experienced in my life.

 

 

[[bo...]]

i went cold turkey off klonopin daily use for a couple years and it was hands down the worse thing i’ve ever experienced in my life.

 

I would say it's the worst thing I've experienced in my life.

 

How are you doing now pushthefeeling? How long are you off now?

[Guest [pa...]]

I would say there's one thing worse than benzo withdrawal. PFS. Permanent iatrogenic disease caused by anti-hairloss medication no less.

[[pu...]]

i went cold turkey off klonopin daily use for a couple years and it was hands down the worse thing i’ve ever experienced in my life.

 

I would say it's the worst thing I've experienced in my life.

 

How are you doing now pushthefeeling? How long are you off now?

 

 

4 years off! but my signature doesn’t tell half the story. i am a worse case scenario.

 

i’ve still got a little ways to go, but my life is better than ever. just trying to live the healthiest

life i can. thank you for asking!

 

 

[[Be...]]

JIT, that was so very true what you wrote in the opening post.  I agree with it completely.  I've been in car accidents where my car was totaled two times and this hell doesn't compare.  I got off Xanax and am suffering horribly.  It's not just K that causes people to suffer the worst they ever have in their lives.

[[Jo...]]

As I sit here trying to heal day by day, I have a question to myself, is Klonopin withdrawal the worst thing you can possibly go through in the entire world? I keep coming to the realization that it must be.

 

I have gone through a lot in my life to say the least, including Xanax withdrawal and valium withdrawal.

 

I have been shot at, I have been stabbed, I have been homeless with no shelter out in negative temperatures in the snow. I have been forced to suffer out in the summer heat in the Sun all day long everyday while homeless.

 

I've had to carry heavy backpacks for miles and miles with no water or food day after day. No bed to sleep on, no electricity, no end in sight. Nowhere to rest my feet and not even a legal place to go to bed.

 

I've been in and out of psychiatric hospitals multiple times, even the ones for the criminally insane. I've been in and out of jails even prolonged stays. I've been to many detox's for multiple things. And still, klonopin withdrawal is the worst. By far.

 

And then, I have had major surgeries like a broken ankle hanging off backwards by skin. I have herniated discs in my back, I have had back surgeries and I have had organs removed. I have had lots of stitches and I've been repaired by surgeons quite a few times in multiple places.

 

And I've been through bad marriages, I have taken lots of verbal abuse. I have lost children and gone through bankruptcies and divorce and all kinds of horrible stuff. I've been in and out of homeless shelters and Recovery homes as well.

 

I have gained and lost friends, multiple times. I've been wrongly accused and turned down for services within the system multiple times. I've been denied human rights even, multiple times.

 

I have been jumped by gangs, I've been in several fights, many car wrecks and motorcycle wrecks. I have worked many jobs doing hard labor, all kinds of different things. And I've worked really extremely mentally exhausting White Collar jobs as well.

 

But even to this day, I can't think of one single thing that even compares with klonopin withdrawal. Like even if I had gotten burned alive by fire, which I do have scars from ovens and other hot objects when I was younger, it would not be nearly as bad.

 

If I had been thrown in acid, it wouldn't be as bad because it would be temporary and I wouldn't have as much mental torture. It would be there, but not on the same level.

 

I tried to think of all kinds of different scenarios, and I've talked to a lot of veterans in my time and many of them are my friends, and some of them have been through benzo withdrawal as well. And none of us can think of anything that even compares remotely to benzo withdrawal. Not even being a prisoner of war and tortured for years.

 

And out of all the benzos I have come off of, Klonopin withdrawal is in my opinion at least ten times more severe than withdrawal from Valium and Xanax. I don't wish any of it on my worst enemy. But there is something seriously wrong with Klonopin and never again will I look at that ugly stuff that has no purpose in my opinion.

 

I don't know why I keep coming to this argument in my own mind, more like a question or debate with in my head. I just don't think there's anything that compares or could even be worse. Anybody else feel the same? And I'm not just being dramatic or venting, it's actually a serious question and topic.

 

There is no debate in my mind.  Top 5 worse for sure if not top 3.  Maybe even the worst.  I took it every day for 20 years.  Before there is a comment of disagreement made... I’ll only allow comments in opposition from those who have taken Klonopin  every day for 20 years and still disagree.  JustInTime I’ve been through almost as much as you have... and I WHOLEHEARTEDLY agree.... and then some.  Klonopin has the strongest anti-convulsant properties... which causes me to believe that’s another reason why it’s such a terrible Benzo.  I don’t see how anyone who has taken Klonopin every day for 20 years could, in good conscience, disagree.

 

 

Kindly,

j

[[Kr...]]

Yes.

 

I've lost parents, friends, relatives, I've nearly died in a cold turkey seizure from alcohol withdrawal, I've kicked other drugs, been in innumerable accidents, cheated on, divorced, fired from jobs, and on and on and on and it almost seems silly recounting any of these things because they're like a warm hug compared to Klonopin withdrawal. There is not a close second. It's as close to hell on earth as anything I can imagine. It affects our entire being mentally and physically in such complete, cruel and insidious ways, to me it's shocking it's even legal.

 

People complain about getting off opiates and I just have to laugh. In my wilder years I've been on a few opiate benders; been dopesick for a solid 2 weeks and that's literally like a vacation in the tropics compared to what Klonopin WDs are like.

 

The good news is we do recover. I healed fully by September 2019 then reignited all my symptoms -  full acute withdrawals by using it again twice over 2 days in April of this year. I'm only now getting to a place where I can honestly say I'm very close to being completely healed again. I will never again think I can safely take any kind of benzo - not even once.