klonopin withdrawal - headache

[[to...]]

hello! thanks for reading this. I have a 10+ year long history with anxiety and I am a hypochondriac. I started having some headaches back in early march and after a really bad panic attack that caused some insomnia, my doctor prescribed me klonopin at 0.5 mg to help with sleep. after a few weeks on the pill, I was noticing a pins and needles sensation on my hands and feet. when I told my doctor this, he upped my dosage to 1 mg and told me this would improve the symptoms, but it did not. After a week or so, I went back to the 0.5 mg and after a few days, I came off the pill completely (about 2 weeks ago.)

 

After 2 weeks off the pill, I have noticed some symptoms that I believe are due to the withdrawal from klonopin. Weird sensations throughout my arms and legs and now within the last few days, my headaches have gotten more intense (throbbing, pulsing, buzzing feelings). These come and go every few minutes or so. I'm wondering if there are others with similar experiences that have had these symptoms when coming off klonopin. I am dreading having to go back to this specific doctor as I believe he will ask me to get back on with the pill. I would love to see if anyone has tried any natural herbs, vitamins, remedies that has helped their withdrawal symptoms, specifically headaches.

 

[[ma...]]

Hello tote100  Welcome to BenzoBuddies.

 

It’s good to have you here with us, you'll find plenty of information and receive lots of support here. Sorry you’re having a tough time. Have you been 10 years off and on benzodiazepines?  Stopping abruptly is not advised.  if  it’s only been 2 weeks since the last benzo and symptoms are unbearable you could reinstate and slow taper.  Tapering slowly off benzos helps to avoid some of the severe symptoms that often occur when people try to come off too quickly. If you want to tough it out, withdrawal symptoms are temporary and will go but it takes time. 

 

Supplements work for some, but not everyone, I was one that couldn’t tolerate them,  they revved up symptoms.  Distract yourself from the symptoms,  walking, reading meditation, anything to take your mind off symptoms.  Take a look around, read some success stories.  You’ve come to a great place for support, we know what you’re going through and we’ll help you through it.

 

Here are a few links to resources:

 

Post-withdrawal Recovery Support 

Cold Turkey, Detox & Rapid Withdrawal

Colorado Consortium Benzodiazepine Deprescribing Guidelines

Alternative Therapies & Supplements

 

When you have a chance, I  recommend that you take a look at The Ashton Manual, which is an authoritative source on what to expect during withdrawal and recovery.  It provides a great deal of information that can be very reassuring during any stage of this process, including a list of common  symptoms with helpful explanations.

 

The Ashton Manual. 

 

If you would like to add a signature (history of meds/doses etc) it will help members give you relevant advice.  Go to the top of the page and select PROFILE then choose forum profile then insert drug history into the text box and remember to click change profile

 

Welcome aboard

Magrita

[[Be...]]

They are all withdrawal symptoms. And they aren't specific to just Klonopin, they apply to all. I have yet to find a supplement, vitamin or herb that helps with benzo w/d. And not everybody tolerates any of that stuff. I plopped ice packs on my head, when the headaches got bad. I did get some benefit from NAD+ nasal spray while tapering, headaches and hyperacusis gradually abated. I jumped using iontophoresis NAD+, and the headaches returned with acute. Back to the ice packs in the freezer. They are gradually subsiding since then. I'm 3 1/2 weeks post NAD+, 4 1/2 weeks post stopping the benzo. I don't know anybody who's benefitted from any form of NAD+ once in post-acute, especially not c/t like you. If you were to even do that, if that option is even available to you, even that would need to be done ASAP, when you could still possibly benefit. You'd still go through acute, but things would turn around faster. It can be expensive, and not everybody is a candidate. It's also not widely available. Took me 4 months to finally decide, after researching the heck out of it. 

 

Yes, the doctor might (probably will) reinstate you. At 2 weeks out, the Klonopin is mostly out of your system. Reinstatement doesn't always work, but you might be in that window to do so, decide soon. If I were you, I'd reinstate at a lower dose, wait until you are stable, then taper. Otherwise... you are in acute w/d, and you'll just have to wait it out. At this point, you've already w/d from part of your dose. This depends on just how bad you feel. Do you have a history of prior benzo and/or z-drug use? It would be helpful to add that to your sig. It helps us with answering questions.

 

The worst is after you stop, if you can wait it out, you might want to do that. If it's too much for you to handle, reinstatement is an option. Then you can gradually taper off. You won't be free of w/d symptoms, but they will be less intense. Should you reinstate, you don't necessarily have to tell the doctor. Some of us taper on our own, and don't tell our prescribing provider. There are people here who can assist you in developing a taper plan directly off Klonopin. Save the extras in case you get cut off completely. You can use them to continue tapering.

[[to...]]

I have no prior history of using benzodiazepins until this year. I was always against it, but this year I gave in and now I regret it. I just added it to my sig.

 

I would like to avoid reinstating the pill, but the headache has gotten more and more intense the last three days. I can probably handle this for another week, but if it goes any longer or if it gets to the point where it becomes more intense, I’ll have no choice but to reinstate.

 

Thank you for the resources, I will take a look!

[[Be...]]

Your lack of a prior history is in your favor. And your use wasn't really long. If you can hang in over the next week, you might be over the very worst. I understand your not wanting to reinstate, I would probably not do so if I was in your situation. Whatever decision you make, there is support here. Either with tapering, should you reinstate. Or guiding you through acute and post-acute. Are you in the US by any chance?

[[to...]]

Yes I am in the US

[[Be...]]

Yes I am in the US

 

NAD+ is available in the US. People who do it shortly after stopping a benzo can still benefit from it. I did iontophoresis NAD+ to get off. Acute has been hell, but not nearly as hellish as it would have been without NAD+. If you really don't want to reinstate (I don't blame you if you don't), NAD+ may help. There are no guarantees it will, but quite a few here on BB, on Reddit, and some on Twitter's #PrescribedHarm community, have done well with help from NAD+. I still have some headaches since jumping with NAD+, but they are less intense now. Often they are transient if they do show up. Is headache your biggest symptom? Iontophoresis NAD+ is much cheaper than IV NAD+, and you can do it at home. NAD+ is a substance that is abundant in our bodies. With IV or iontophoresis NAD+, you are flooding your body with NAD+. NAD+ does two things; it knocks down the glutamate excitotoxicity that causes w/d symptoms, and it accelerates healing at the cellular level. You will still have acute and post-acute w/d, but recovery can be faster and less intense. Some insurance companies will cover IV NAD, partly or fully, it's expensive. Iontophoresis NAD+ is cheaper, much cheaper.

 

Here's a few threads from members who used NAD+ IV's to get off benzos.

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=171240.0

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=233843.0

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=218897.0

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=240581.20

 

 

This is my experience with iontophoresis NAD+.

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=277207.0

 

 

I plan on updating my thread with the suppliers I used and the prep I did, as I feel pretty confident now that this worked.