My health is really suffering

[[Qu...]]

Shayna, I’ve been taking unisom and Benadryl pretty much every night since I got off Klonopin last May and it works for me. Granted, I’m acute NOTHING helped the insomnia but in the year since I take 5 mg’s of melatonin and 25-50 ms’s of unisom at bed time and I really haven’t even thought about changing it up because sleep is so important and is one of the building blocks for the rest of our recovery. Everything is SO much harder when we aren’t sleeping well, let alone sleep deprived, but I don’t need to tell you that.

 

It’s my opinion that these microtapers are complete bullsh*t. It took me a total of four years to taper off 2.5 mg’s of Klonopin thinking I’d be able to “jump off” and avoid all the nasty symptoms I had gotten so scared of developing from reading the horror stories of others. Yea…aside from avoiding seizures that didn’t happen at all. Still went through an absolutely barbaric acute phase and then was left with full blown ocd. I think once we reach a certain blood level in our taper it doesn’t matter how long it’s taken us to get there. Not promoting CT’s but there’s something to be said for a realistic time frame for taper rates and a long, drawn out micro taper isn’t it. Ignoring the fact that taking so much time to taper while agoraphobic and inable to function saw my whole life completely fall apart. These factors matter. I feel that the people I was listening to on the forums put so much stock in the pills and in our GABA receptors and CNS and ignore the individualized factors in each our our unique situations. Just what I believe.

 

Hey SG yep I agree. We spend too long tapering thinking if we go slow we’ll be ok we’ll it certainly wasn’t true of my taper. I went so slow and still got slammed. Thanku for validating my thoughts on it. I’ve decided thanks to ur comments and couple of others that I’m going to get some sleep now snd have done by stacking unisom cbd and melatonin. I need to start becoming more functional. I’ve been sick 3 years almost and absolutely have tried my best to do it without much help but until my health improves a little I need to sleep. So Thanku for ur reply x it helped me see it’s ok to get some help x

 

Hi Shayna.

 

Perhaps I'm just exhausted, but I start thinking that a too long tapering may even add useless stress. Sometimes it feels like doing homework and being punished instead of rewarded.

 

Now I can't even say if switching from benzos to chronic use of OTC / RX drugs for sleeping is a great deal.  I just know that sleeping matters a lot. There can be no true healings without a decent regular sleep. I keep following my schedule. I have 3 months ahead before jumping and I'm very very tired. I just want my life back or something similar. I just want to feel better for my kids. I'm not asking that much!

 

 

[[Th...]]

In my experience being on this site for 5 years, Life threatening seizures rarely occur when getting off Benzos via a CT?  I didn't experience any and I was on 2 Benzos at the same time and high doses.  I know a slow taper is usually best, but sometimes a CT is the only way for some to get off of Benzos.

 

 

[[Qu...]]

Benzodiazepine discontinuation is known to produce minor as well as major new withdrawal symptoms. Table 4 reports most frequent minor new withdrawal symptoms [37-41], among them sweating, tachycardia, nausea, visual changes, tremor, confusion, restlessness. Major withdrawal symptoms, such as seizure [42, 43] and psychosis [43], are rare. Seizure usually occurs in predisposed subjects (i.e., history of brain damage, alcohol addiction, abnormal electroencephalograms) [44] or in those treated with drugs which lower the seizure threshold (i.e., TCAs, bupropion, antipsychotics) [45].

 

Link:

https://www.karger.com/Article/Fulltext/506868#ref98

 

[[Th...]]

Also, I was told by my PCP (doctor) that I could and should CT as I wasn't on long enough to have a seizure.

[[Sh...]]

I can absolutely say with total faith that slow tapering did not help my situation. I’m still in hell.

[[Sh...]]

Last night I took my combo and had 4 hrs broken. Awake after 2h45m then back to sleep 1h30m. Had adrenaline surge at 2nd wake up, havent had one of them for a while. Fun times. Feel like I’ve been drugged today. Ugh

[[Qu...]]

Also, I was told by my PCP (doctor) that I could and should CT as I wasn't on long enough to have a seizure.

 

Risk of seizure is overrated IMHO. Maybe tinnitus or some stress related side effect is more likely after going C/T or after large cuts.

[[Qu...]]

Last night I took my combo and had 4 hrs broken. Awake after 2h45m then back to sleep 1h30m. Had adrenaline surge at 2nd wake up, havent had one of them for a while. Fun times. Feel like I’ve been drugged today. Ugh

 

I'm sorry and I can imagine your pain. Broken sleep isn't much restful.

[[be...]]

Shayna, I agree with Pam, you take what is needed to get some sleep. I read your posts every time you post, do what you feel is best for you, this is your journey and no one else can make the decisions that you should make. That is something I had to decide when I joined BB and I do not regret deciding that I had to do it my way. I think you are such a special person and your humor and care for others is wonderful. You are so strong even when suffering so much. I am Praying that your sleep returns soon. 💖 Peace and Healing.💦

 

Oh be good x u are such a sweetheart x Thanku so much for ur support x yes I agree with u guys and I need to be less hard on myself for taking something to help. I think we all want to heal on our own but sometimes a little reprieve is all we need to gather our strength to fight some more. Sending u lots of love begood xx

   

[Guest [Se...]]

Shayna, I’ve been taking unisom and Benadryl pretty much every night since I got off Klonopin last May and it works for me. Granted, I’m acute NOTHING helped the insomnia but in the year since I take 5 mg’s of melatonin and 25-50 ms’s of unisom at bed time and I really haven’t even thought about changing it up because sleep is so important and is one of the building blocks for the rest of our recovery. Everything is SO much harder when we aren’t sleeping well, let alone sleep deprived, but I don’t need to tell you that.

 

It’s my opinion that these microtapers are complete bullsh*t. It took me a total of four years to taper off 2.5 mg’s of Klonopin thinking I’d be able to “jump off” and avoid all the nasty symptoms I had gotten so scared of developing from reading the horror stories of others. Yea…aside from avoiding seizures that didn’t happen at all. Still went through an absolutely barbaric acute phase and then was left with full blown ocd. I think once we reach a certain blood level in our taper it doesn’t matter how long it’s taken us to get there. Not promoting CT’s but there’s something to be said for a realistic time frame for taper rates and a long, drawn out micro taper isn’t it. Ignoring the fact that taking so much time to taper while agoraphobic and inable to function saw my whole life completely fall apart. These factors matter. I feel that the people I was listening to on the forums put so much stock in the pills and in our GABA receptors and CNS and ignore the individualized factors in each our our unique situations. Just what I believe.

 

Hey SG yep I agree. We spend too long tapering thinking if we go slow we’ll be ok we’ll it certainly wasn’t true of my taper. I went so slow and still got slammed. Thanku for validating my thoughts on it. I’ve decided thanks to ur comments and couple of others that I’m going to get some sleep now snd have done by stacking unisom cbd and melatonin. I need to start becoming more functional. I’ve been sick 3 years almost and absolutely have tried my best to do it without much help but until my health improves a little I need to sleep. So Thanku for ur reply x it helped me see it’s ok to get some help x

 

Glad to hear that, Shayna. I hope what I said was helpful. I’ve seen people advocating that lack of sleep isn’t a big deal, even when people are going days and days on little to no sleep because they’re getting “micro naps” or whatever and I just strongly disagree. Sleep is important for any human being, especially for those in a vulnerable and healing state. I know in acute that insomnia can be quite bad (there were several weeks to a couple months that I couldn’t sleep or nap regardless of what sleep aide I took) but if it continues past that…it needs to be addressed. And like any other thing just waiting for it to go away makes no sense to me. Anyway I hope you are sleeping better and that you are doing well.

[Guest [Se...]]

In my experience being on this site for 5 years, Life threatening seizures rarely occur when getting off Benzos via a CT?  I didn't experience any and I was on 2 Benzos at the same time and high doses.  I know a slow taper is usually best, but sometimes a CT is the only way for some to get off of Benzos.

 

Benzos are the only drug along with alcohol where wd’s can literally kill a person. I’ve encountered plenty of people that experienced seizures if they came off too rapidly. My point was that doing my entire taper at home, without any medical professionals knowing about it was really dangerous in retrospect. I spent a total of four years tapering off and in the end I still went through a barbaric acute phase. It didn’t make things any easier or gentler. I would 100% do things much differently if I could do it all over. All that time microtapering was just a waste of time that I can never get back and that I needed a lot of therapy to process since I thought my life was ruined and I’d never be a functional person again.

[[ne...]]

Have you had any breaks with sleep?

[[Be...]]

I had a seizure type event at work while still on the benzo's.  I didn't take a Xanax the night before and the next day around 10:30am I had to stop working and just stood there and couldn't move.  I had to go lie down in the ladies' room until I felt I could get up.  The boss was worried about my trying to drive home, but I did.  I had to leave work and was never able to work again after that.  It felt like my brain melted that day.  I haven't been able to work a day since then and that was in March 2012.  That seizure event caused permanent brain damage. 

[[Sh...]]

Have you had any breaks with sleep?

 

Hey nerd xx not yet unfortunately x maybe tonight xx

[[Sh...]]

I had a seizure type event at work while still on the benzo's.  I didn't take a Xanax the night before and the next day around 10:30am I had to stop working and just stood there and couldn't move.  I had to go lie down in the ladies' room until I felt I could get up.  The boss was worried about my trying to drive home, but I did.  I had to leave work and was never able to work again after that.  It felt like my brain melted that day.  I haven't been able to work a day since then and that was in March 2012.  That seizure event caused permanent brain damage.

 

Wow becks x I’m so sorry this happened to u x that’s terrible