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[Guest [...]]

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Edited November 6, 2023 by Guest

[[pi...]]

@[Ez...],

You are on a pretty high dose of klonopin, a strong benzo. Stopping cold turkey could be pretty challenging. I had to stop a very low dose of Ativan for a vestibular wellness test and it was really brutal. I would not recommend this for anyone.

What followed was a merry go round of drugs that I could not tolerate as well as benzos. I knew the drug was making me sick and had a doctor who agreed with me. I did change to Valium for my taper but quite honestly, I was symptomatic throughout my entire taper. There were some days of less intense symptoms and days after the cut where they were strong. 

With your long term use, I believe the best plan is a very slow symptom based taper. You might still having withdrawal effects, but at least your body won’t go into shock with a sudden cessation. This is doable, I’ve seen many people successfully taper off long term use.

[Guest [...]]

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Edited November 6, 2023 by Guest

[[pi...]]

5 hours ago, [[E...] said:

My thoughts are just racing and making my thinking unreasonable. I tried going cold turkey 3 times before and ended up having hallucinations, balance issues, and jolts in my brain which was probably the beginning of seizures. I ended up in the ER each time. This is driving me crazy and I've just started a long journey and want it to end quickly, but I know that it's going to take a long time. I'm going to complete my profile soon and still continue to taper off very slowly. I'm 66 years old and have been on benzos for over 40 years. I can't thank you enough for your kindness.

The thing about benzo withdrawal is that it can’t be rushed. Of course you can, as you did, with a less than ideal outcome. I did that as well, not knowing enough about tapering and just cutting tablets in half.

No matter how badly you wish to be off benzos, the best plan is a slow plan. This isn’t a race, your cns can not handle extreme changes. Be kind to your system, plan a sensible slow taper. Developing acceptance and patience was key for me. I’m in my 70’s and coming off benzos was the best thing I’ve done for my health and wellbeing.

Ask questions, people will help you. This is doable.