New here, withdrawal symptoms help

[[Th...]]

I have been on clonazepam on and off for 3 years. I never took more then 2mg a day but probably averaged .5mg on and off. I’ve been fully off for 2 months due to me finally realizing/thinking that it has been making my anxiety and physical symptoms worse. I have muscle stiffness, shooting pain down legs, muscle twitch (mostly in my calves) 24/7 for like 2 years almost constantly and tremor/vibration through my body. The more active I get the worse the tremor seems to get. I also got brain fog during taking it and for a couple weeks after. I feel like my anxiety from coming off has mostly gone away but the physical symptoms are constant. I’m also frustrated because my primary and neuro who I’ve seen over the last couple years don’t believe benzo withdrawal can cause this and have done emg/nerve and muscle tests which all came back normal. I guess I’m writing this to tell my experience and to see if anyone has had similar experiences. 
 

sorry if this was lengthy 

Edited October 19, 2023 by [Th...]
Misspelling

[[ia...]]

Hello @[Th...], 

Welcome to Benzo Buddies. We are glad you're here; you're in the right place. I'm going to recap my understanding of your timeline - in the interim, would you be willing to update the 'about' section of your profile and detail the timeline of your benzo history? 

• You have been on Clonzepam for 3 years; took daily (?) did not exceed 2 mg any day; averaged .5 mg most days. 
• You stopped cold turkey (CT) estimated August 20th or so? (About two months ago)
• In the last two months since quitting cold turkey have you reinstated or taken any benzo? (I am not suggesting you do this.).
• How are you sleeping?
• Are you taking any other medications? 

To answer your question(s): Your symptoms are ALL in line and consistent with Benzodiazepine WD. I'm so sorry you're experiencing these symptoms, and want you to know it DOES improve. Healing from Benzos is not linear... it's a process with 'windows' and 'waves' that come and go. Like you, I was on benzos for three years, I tapered off two benzos for one year and recently jumped. I am also still experiencing many physical symptoms, but healing/improving every day. Also, we often hear from our members, that their physicians dismiss the barrage of symptoms that come with Benzo WD. We also have a resource of benzo aware physicians in the US- on the forum somewhere. LMK if you'd like to reference it. 

This is a great community of people who all have experienced some degree of Benzo use/WD. There are so many wonderful resources on our forum. We hope you'll stick around and get plugged in. Let us know how we can support you. 

[[Th...]]

Hey,

thanks for the response! I had been on clonazepam on and off for 3 years. The most I ever took it daily was for 2-3 months (which was .5mg 4 times a day) then would reduce my dosage and get off or take "as needed". I definitely think I tapered too quickly but attempted to taper never tapering below .25mg before getting off. 
 

I didn’t stop cold turkey but in hindsight I believe I tapered too quickly this last time as well. The last time I took .25mg clonazepam was august 26th. I haven’t taken anything since for anxiety. A lot of my anxiety comes from how terrible I feel physically and turns into a vicious circle. 
 

the first couple weeks was very rough on my sleeping. I took zzquil for a week or so to help me sleep and went to a 20:1 cbd to thc after that. My sleeping has been much better over the last 2-3 weeks. Still toss and turn and have trouble but nothing like before. 
 

no other medication at the moment the only thing I’m doing right now is occasional 20:1 cbd to thc

[[er...]]

11 hours ago, [[T...] said:

I have been on clonazepam on and off for 3 years. I never took more then 2mg a day but probably averaged .5mg on and off. I’ve been fully off for 2 months due to me finally realizing/thinking that it has been making my anxiety and physical symptoms worse. I have muscle stiffness, shooting pain down legs, muscle twitch (mostly in my calves) 24/7 for like 2 years almost constantly and tremor/vibration through my body. The more active I get the worse the tremor seems to get. I also got brain fog during taking it and for a couple weeks after. I feel like my anxiety from coming off has mostly gone away but the physical symptoms are constant. I’m also frustrated because my primary and neuro who I’ve seen over the last couple years don’t believe benzo withdrawal can cause this and have done emg/nerve and muscle tests which all came back normal. I guess I’m writing this to tell my experience and to see if anyone has had similar experiences. 
 

sorry if this was lengthy 

I'm 1 and 2 weeks from my last dose  .25 and I also was a 2mg a day for about 6 years...I'm currently at a 90 day program after completing a 10 day detox and 28 day program where they tapperd me off in that period of time... and I been on a Rollercoaster since... waves and windows...I'm currently feeling the same way as I write this... I'm experiencing those same withdrawals and maybe more.. I keep having to tell my self it's just withdrawals because I feel OK sometimes only for it to surprise me at any moment but especially when I get exited or mad obout something... I'm here with you .. 

[[Br...]]

Hello @[er...]- Welcome to BenzoBuddies and thank you for giving support to @[Th...]!  You're welcome to start a thread for yourself on the Withdrawal, Use & Recovery forum too.  

[[Th...]]

11 hours ago, [[e...] said:

I'm 1 and 2 weeks from my last dose  .25 and I also was a 2mg a day for about 6 years...I'm currently at a 90 day program after completing a 10 day detox and 28 day program where they tapperd me off in that period of time... and I been on a Rollercoaster since... waves and windows...I'm currently feeling the same way as I write this... I'm experiencing those same withdrawals and maybe more.. I keep having to tell my self it's just withdrawals because I feel OK sometimes only for it to surprise me at any moment but especially when I get exited or mad obout something... I'm here with you .. 

thanks for responding. I agree. It’s just hard sometimes to believe that benzo withdrawal can be doing all these things. Super frustrating. I hope things go smooth for you and your progress. 

[[Th...]]

Update on my symptoms. I’ll be 3 months off in 5 days. 
 

lately I’m still getting the 24/7 muscle twitch in my calves. Random muscle twitch other parts of my body, I also seem to be getting injured randomly for example I pulled my back the other day. Additionally, I woke up a week ago with sharp shoulder pain that is still lingering. I’m also getting tingling/burning sensation on my hands and feet. Cognitive issues and tremor still present as well. It seems like I’ve been getting more symptoms then a month or so ago. Does anyone else have all these symptoms at once as well?

[[Br...]]

Hi @[Th...] - Sorry to say these are all common withdrawal symptoms and in the first months of benzo withdrawal it's common to get bombarded like this all at the same time.  I had the same experience of randomly injuring myself, pulling muscles .  Many members describe the twitching, tingling, burning and tremor as well as cognitive issues. All normal in benzo withdrawal I'm sorry to say.  

If you haven't looked at it already Chapter III of The Ashton Manual talks in a lot of detail about withdrawal symptoms.  It isn't totally comprehensive but it's pretty close. Here's the link: https://www.benzoinfo.com/ashtonmanual/chapter3/ 

[[Th...]]

3 hours ago, [[B...] said:

Hi @[Th...] - Sorry to say these are all common withdrawal symptoms and in the first months of benzo withdrawal it's common to get bombarded like this all at the same time.  I had the same experience of randomly injuring myself, pulling muscles .  Many members describe the twitching, tingling, burning and tremor as well as cognitive issues. All normal in benzo withdrawal I'm sorry to say.  

If you haven't looked at it already Chapter III of The Ashton Manual talks in a lot of detail about withdrawal symptoms.  It isn't totally comprehensive but it's pretty close. Here's the link: https://www.benzoinfo.com/ashtonmanual/chapter3/ 

Thanks for the response. I’m just trying to take things one day at a time and force myself to be active and continue to try to do normal daily activities. 

 

 

[[Br...]]

10 hours ago, [[T...] said:

Thanks for the response. I’m just trying to take things one day at a time and force myself to be active and continue to try to do normal daily activities. 

That's a really good attitude @[Th...].  Having a somewhat predictable routine each day can help keep your system on an even keel. Keeping active and distracting yourself with normal daily activities is also a good way to shift your focus away from your symptoms. I'm a big believer in moderate exercise during withdrawal but you have to find your own tolerance level.  Pushing too hard can backfire.  It's hard to find the balance between staying active and not pushing yourself too hard.  

[[Th...]]

Updating my symptoms/how I’m feeling. I’ll be 5 months off in a week. Currently I’m in a rough patch. Started about 3 weeks ago. I feel like I’m getting more symptoms not less. Which has been difficult to handle. Feeling a lot more frustrated, confused and hopeless. Convincing myself that it’s not benzo withdrawal it’s MS or something like that. 
 

current symptoms below

cognitive issues: brain fog, difficulty thinking short temper, anxiety elevated over last 3 weeks

physical symptoms: tremor, internal vibration, vertigo, muscle twitch in calves (24/7 for longer then my withdrawal), weakness, stiffness, cramping muscle, coordination issues  

Does anyone else have all these symptoms at once? Anyone have success talking to neurologists about this?

[[Ra...]]

Next week I will be four months off a short term Ativan usage. My physical symptoms are still there although the pins and needles in my feet and hand tremors have lessened and the windows are getting a bit larger. The muscle twitches can be gone for days and then return strongly, especially after stress like having a medical appointment. When I worry about MS I come to this site and remind myself I didn’t have these symptoms before I started Ativan. I find recovery is very slow but my stress levels have been quit high. I try to think positively and remind myself of my gains.