Question on dosages

[[ry...]]

Hey there everyone, I’m new here. My question is around dosages, and what counts as a severe benzo addiction, I suppose. I was originally prescribed 1.5mg clonazepam per day for a panic attack in 2020. As I developed a tolerance my psychiatrist, and her successor (she gave me to a friend from med school when I moved cities), kept upping the dose until I was taking 6mg per day. I then sought treatment and tapered outpatient and then inpatient for 432 days, ending on Feb 25, 2023. I continue to suffer severe panic since, although I do not exhibit the other symptoms of PAWS. My question is: is 6mg of clonazepam a lot, relatively speaking? Am I still experiencing the panic because I was l blitzed out of my mind, or was it just luck of the draw? Thank you. 

[[je...]]

 

Hi @[ry...]!

Welcome to BenzoBuddies!

You ask about "severe benzo addiction". There is a big difference between addiction and dependence. Most people here on BB have developed a physical dependence on this drug and are not addicted. Dependence means your body needs the drug to function to some capacity. If you suddenly stop it, you go into withdrawal and your body struggle to function. The drug does not provide a 'high' and you don't crave it or have a psychological need for it like you do when you are addicted. It does not make you feel good, it merely makes you function. Some people however, do have an addiction to benzo's. It's up to the individual to determine whether they are addicted or dependent.

Tolerance means the drug stopped working and you need more of the drug to get the same therapeutic effect. I guess that's why they kept increasing your dose. 6mg of Clonazepam is a very high dose. And tapering that in approximately a year is a very fast taper. To give you an idea, I tapered 1mg Clonazepam in about 20 months. Your symptoms are very normal for someone who is just over 5 months off the drug. It can take many months for people to recover from this injury. Please don't be disheartened. The majority of people do recover, but it takes time. Keep reaching out to our community for support and encouragement to get through this. You are not alone. 

 

 

[[ry...]]

1 minute ago, [[j...] said:

Hi @[ry...]!

Welcome to BenzoBuddies!

You ask about "severe benzo addiction". There is a big difference between addiction and dependence. Most people here on BB have developed a physical dependence on this drug and are not addicted. Dependence means your body needs the drug to function to some capacity. If you suddenly stop it, you go into withdrawal and your body struggle to function. The drug does not provide a 'high' and you don't crave it or have a psychological need for it like you do when you are addicted. It does not make you feel good, it merely makes you function. Some people however, do have an addiction to benzo's. It's up to the individual to determine whether they are addicted or dependent.

Tolerance means the drug stopped working and you need more of the drug to get the same therapeutic effect. I guess that's why they kept increasing your dose. 6mg of Clonazepam is a very high dose. And tapering that in approximately a year is a very fast taper. To give you an idea, I tapered 1mg Clonazepam in about 20 months. Your symptoms are very normal for someone who is just over 5 months off the drug. It can take many months for people to recover from this injury. Please don't be disheartened. The majority of people do recover, but it takes time. Keep reaching out to our community for support and encouragement to get through this. You are not alone. 

Thank you very much for your kind words of support. I did not know about this distinction but now that you mention it it makes a lot of sense. I would say I was benzo dependent, as I was taking it as prescribed and not recreationally. I appreciate very much the kind community and definitely have been learning patience living with anxiety. 

[[je...]]

You're welcome. I sincerely hope you see some improvement in your symptoms. I am 8 months off now and still have symptoms, so yes, you're definitely not alone.