Alcohol to benzos

[[Dr...]]

Hello I’m Drew. I was first prescribed Xanax 14 years ago as I slowed down my alcohol content and was experiencing withdrawals because of it. Worked tremendously at first but as I built up a tolerance it stopped working. Dr switched me to Klonopin and I’ve taken that the last 13 years as I’ve grown dependent on it. I’m almost 3 years Alcohol free but am still working on a slow taper to get off this horrible benzo. Currently at 1.3 mg a day.

[[Pa...]]

Hello Drew999, welcome to BenzoBuddies,

 

I'm sorry to hear you're struggling to get off of the Klonopin but congratulations on being alcohol free for 3 years, I quit alcohol too and it was a piece of cake compared to quitting Klonopin, what a nightmare! 

 

We suggest reducing your dose by about 5-10% every couple of weeks but a symptom based taper is best to keep functioning.  How are you making your reductions, do you cut your pills or have you gotten creative?

 

I'll provide some links to help you navigate the forum but please let us know how we can help you.

 

Pamster

 

The Ashton Manual

 

Planning Your Withdrawal (Taper)

 

Withdrawal Support (during your taper)

 

[[Ka...]]

Ditto to what Pamster said - alcohol withdrawl was nothing compared to benzos. 

[[Dr...]]

Thanks everybody. Ya the alcohol was definitely a lot easier. I did go through a rehab inpatient back in summer of 2019 where they also quickly did a 10 day taper of Klonopin using Librium. Needless to say my last 20 days were a nightmare in there. I got out and literally couldn’t function at work so although alcohol free I decided to go back on 2 mg of Klonopin and taper at a more realistic pace. There was a few hiccups as I tried to switch to Valium but it really made me drowsy and made work much harder. So I went back on Klonopin. I’m currently at 1.3 mg a day. I’ve been tapering down .05 every 15 days which has seemed to work so far. I’ve read about a over the counter medication called Tyrosine which is suppose to help raise your dopamine levels and improve concentration and focus. Has anyone out there had success with Tyrosine during a Klonopin taper ?

[[Ka...]]

You can put your question about tyrosine on the Alternative Therapies and Supplements board and you can also search that board for threads that may already be there.  Here is the link:

 

Alternative Therapies & Supplements