Loss of language skills

[[Fe...]]

Has anyone lost their ability to pay attention to what they read or hear on the radio with either anxiety or benzo withdrawal?  I can maybe pay attention to a newspaper article but not a magazine article let alone a whole book.  I was passably fluent in conversational Spanish, but last night I could barely order tacos at a taco joint and forgot the name empanadas although I grew up with them and made them a few months ago.  I am not sure whether this is due to social isolation ( I speak to maybe 3 or 4  people a week for only brief periods with the exception of my wife.

[[Fe...]]

I am  a 62 year old man on Clonazepam 0.5 mg before sleep started 10 months ago for prolonged panic attacks and anxiety going on for a few months and insomnia. tapered down from 0.5 mg twice daily.Insomnia better but anxiety variable.  Recent and long term memory fairly impaired.

 

[[Br...]]

What you describe is often called "cognitive fog" and it's a common symptom. It's a disturbing symptoms and like all withdrawal symptoms it takes time to resolve.   I experienced cognitive fog too.   As I healed from benzos my vocabulary, comprehension, attention span, problem solving skills, etc. gradually returned.  

How is your taper going in general?  

[[Fe...]]

I have not been withdrawing for 6 weeks as I started Paxil then and did not want to make 2 changes at the same time. I was panicking so badly before I started the benzos  that I had cognitive fog then. Thank you for the explanation.

[[Es...]]

@[Fe...]

Congrats on your nick first. Exactly how I feel. I understand you tapered the Clonazepam? Are you on Paxil? Paxil may cause huge brain fog. It's very calming, but one of the side effects is this cognitive fog.

I lasted a week on it and dreamt of Concerta daily, cause coffee had no effect on me😆 In my case, the less BZD, the less cognitive fog - this was always a rule. But everyone is different.

It's difficult to determine whether your inability to pay attention results from Clonazepam WD or from Paxil (if you take it). Some people get used to Paxil, you know the brain gets used to anything. So this side effect may fade over time.

[[Fe...]]

I did taper the Klonopin down to 0.5 mg.  I am not aware of others and knock into people and knock things over (just dropped a drink in a cafeteria, so i'm not their favorite customer) so I'm really out of it.  The Paxil did not seem to make much difference in terms of my being sedated but in theory could be the problem.  Thanks for the input and all the best.

[[Es...]]

I tell you it could be the Paxil and Klonopin combo. Paxil has strong affinity to the antihistamine receptors. 

"Four Types of Brain-Slowing Medications to Avoid if you Are Worried About Memory"

Here, besides the BZD, antipdychotics, mood stabilizers, opioids, this doctor mentions anticholinergics.

Here's what she writes:

"There is also one of the popular SSRI-type antidepressants that is known to be quite anticholinergic: paroxetine (brand name Paxil). For this reason, geriatricians almost never prescribe this particular anti-depressant."

When I was on Paxil (paroxetine), I was practically off the benzos. This is why I felt the sedative effect so strongly. With 0.5 Klonopin, you may not feel that side effect of Paxil.

Maybe you could talk to your doctor or consult another benzo-wise doctor on this issue. There are many other SSRI/SNRI ADs that would make cognitive fog more bearable. There is a possibility of slowly tapering Paxil and switching to another AD.

Your brain is telling you something is terribly off. Don't ignore it's message until it's too late. 

[[Fe...]]

It is very difficult as only the Paxil stopped my panic attacks as well as helping  irritable bowel syndrome (the upside of anticholinergic side effects )and I have already been through multiple AD including Prozac, lexapro, Cymbalta.  I need to talk to my doctor and get off the Klonopin . I hoped to get off the Klonopin for sleep using Paxil and not the antipsychotics that my PCP and psychiatrist suggested.  

[[Br...]]

@[Fe...] Are you still taking Paxil or did you taper off it.  This information could help us know how to help you. Like benzos tapering from SSRIs needs to be done carefully in order to keep withdrawal symptoms to a minimum.  If you're interested I suggest you start a topic on the Taper Planning & Adjustment board.  There more members are likely to see the posts and respond with helpful input.  We can help you with the rest of your taper.  

 

[[Fe...]]

I actually just increased the Paxil as I am trying to use it for sleep as well to treat anxiety and panic. When I reduced the Klonopin 0.5 mg by 50% as my psychiatrist reccemmended ( I now know that this was wrong but he considered this to be a small dose), I could not sleep. So I am not sure what to do. High dose SSRIs blur my vision and can make me more anxious. I am on 20 mg Paxil for8 weeks and just increased to 40 mg last night. I remain in 0.5 mg Klonopin.

[[Br...]]

I'm so sorry you got such poor guidance from your psychiatrist.  We see this a lot unfortunately. I went through a bad taper under the guidance of my poorly informed psych doc too.  

I imagine you're taking the 0.5mg Klonopin at bedtime - it would make the most sense.  My inclination would be to hold at your current doses of the 0.5mg Klonop-in and the 40mg Paxil to give your nervous system more time to adjust to all the changes and settles down. This may take some time.  Please don't rush it or it will only make withdrawal more difficult.

 

[[or...]]

I'm a little late to the party, but just wanted to add that I felt as dumb as a box of rocks on my taper. I absolutely couldn't read or pay attention to the news etc. Talking to people was extremely difficult -- on the phone or in person. All that cleared up  once my taper was over. Also I took Paxil for a short time (several weeks) and had a terrible time on it. My chief complaint was dizziness. I was working at an antique store at the time and lost my balance and fell into the rug display. Funny to recount now, but not then. And thank you Estee for your info on brain-slowing meds.

[[Es...]]

@Oregonkatz

I still believe BZD are the worst. And believe me, I have tried most of them. Stopped being pdocs' guinea pig like in 2016 after tapering antipsychotics and the psych ward nightmare. Antipsychotics should have never been prescribed to me in the first place, and I was given small doses "for sleep" since age 16. The effects are still to manifest themselves.

[[Fe...]]

I agree it is very difficult to find any meds that are both effective and tolerated. I am often as fearful of the side effects as of the disease.

[[el...]]

Difficulties to concentrate are absolutely obvious in my case. I see that clearly in college and hope i ca still make it this year. I already decided to use paper writing service https://academized.com/paper-writing-service, as all the papers assignments feel like a nightmare at the moment. I can't have again those sleepless nights with the books, that would drive me nuts probably.