Should I continue to cold turkey?

[[da...]]

Hi everyone, I'm a week and one day out from cold turkeying Lunesta (1-2mg per night for 10 months).  My symptoms are restlessness, depression, increased anxiety, and maybe a little of burning skin.  I had chills the first day but that was it.  The anhedonia I experience in the beginning was insane, could not find pleasure in ANYTHING, not even food.  

My taste for food has now mostly returned with a bit of appetite at times, but I am still incredibly bored.  Like I had interests when I was still medicated, and even before medication, and I don't see why I would just become disinterested now.  It's incredibly difficult to stimulate my dopamine receptors or something, but it does sometimes work (I especially had one 6 hour window a few days ago where I was kinda manically laughing, it was really weird).  At SOME random moments, I feel a bit of desire to do something, but then it usually goes away.  

Reading up on protracted withdrawals is scaring me.  Should I go back on and taper slowly?  I don't really know what my therapeutic dose is as I was trying to keep the dose as low as possible for as long as I could (so like 1mg on average a night, sometimes 1.5mg, sometimes 0.75mg).  I stopped because I was experiencing interdose withdrawals (more depression).  In hindsight, I was experiencing interdose withdrawals for a few months, it just slowly got worse.

Or do I ride it out and keep cold turkeying?  

I am so bored it is even making me a little anxious.  

 

Edited November 25, 2023 by [da...]

[[ia...]]

Hi @[da...] How are you feeling today? Thank you for your post - and while this is not your first post - I want to say welcome to benzo buddies. Congratulations on getting off Lunesta - HUGE accomplishments. 

Really good news, your WD symptoms are very mild; I don't say this to mitigate what you're going through - and, if you're able to perform your daily functions/tasks, like getting out of bed, showering, brushing your teeth and making your bed... (not that 'able' and 'wanting' to are two different things) you're doing really well. 

Given your current symptoms - I would strongly advise against reinstating and tapering. Reasons I (this is just me.... this is different for everyone) would potentially consider reinstating include: If you were suffering from severe insomnia, unable to work/provide for yourself, unable to keep food down, and severe depression causing thoughts of hurting yourself. Please note: These things do not need to be your barometer for potential reinstatement - these are things that would be queues for me personally - if I were considering reinstatement. 

I understand the desire to reinstate - but you're doing really well all things considered and likely over the worst of it (or it sounds like it). I would give it another couple weeks. I look forward to reading what others have to say also.

 

[[da...]]

@[ia...]thanks for the response!

Right, so far I've been experiencing just mostly mental symptoms and restlessness.  Though to be honest, I don't know how much of the depression and anxiety is just me catastrophizing over this.  I will still keep an eye on symptoms on the coming future.  I can still get up, shower, etc.  if anything, when I was taking the meds, I actually LOST my appetite for a day or two of the last week on it.  

Given that my symptoms do somehow get worse, what's the furthest out you would consider reinstating?  2 weeks? 

Edited November 25, 2023 by [da...]

[[pi...]]

Hello @[da...],

I echo what @[ia...] said, you are having symptoms and not to minimize them, but you seem to do doing ok. I would not suggest reinstatement. Your taste for food has returned as well as some appetite. It looks like you’ve had some windows of pure joy. This points to good healing. 

Try not to think of the worse case scenario, you are getting up and getting going. Try to distract from the symptoms and know that your nervous system will seek to find balance.

[[An...]]

I also agree with what the others have said. I would try not to reinstate if I were you.

[[Nu...]]

I'd tend to agree. Reinstating is a last resort in my mind and something I wished that I never did...

[[da...]]

I see.  Thanks for the replies, everyone.  I won't reinstate.  I'm not confident doing so would make my symptoms better anyway.  

Not too certain why my mood is still so low.  Perhaps it is the aftereffects of the meds still, I suppose time will tell.  

[[da...]]

Curious if anyone knows any stories of people cold turkeying Lunesta, and how long it took them to return to baseline?  

[[da...]]

Update, not sure if this is still the drug's effects or not.  I was feeling pretty good about a month and a half out from cold turkey.  Got a little overconfident and worked out too hard a few days in a row.  Proceeded to have bad nights of sleep and my mood slowly worsened.  Since then I haven't been feeling good.  A lot of anxious sleep, high morning cortisol, feeling agitated and restless in the daytime, ruminating thoughts about my mood.  I'm not sure if that was because of me spiraling or because I knocked myself into a wave (or both).  Is this a normal part of the recovery timeline?  I thought I was coming out of it fast but now it seems I'm back in it.  Never felt so empty, hopeless, low mood like this in my life.  No motivation or focus to do anything.  I do find I always feel more calm at night though.  Not necessarily happier, but just less exploding thoughts.  

[[Da...]]

8 hours ago, [[d...] said:

A lot of anxious sleep, high morning cortisol, feeling agitated and restless in the daytime, ruminating thoughts about my mood.

I have this and I am still tapering.  I think it is part of the process.  You are doing great in being off   Good luck and hope you feel better soon :). 

 

[[it...]]

Mine wd started also like 6 weeks out

[[Ha...]]

9 hours ago, [[d...] said:

Update, not sure if this is still the drug's effects or not.  I was feeling pretty good about a month and a half out from cold turkey.  Got a little overconfident and worked out too hard a few days in a row.  Proceeded to have bad nights of sleep and my mood slowly worsened.  Since then I haven't been feeling good.  A lot of anxious sleep, high morning cortisol, feeling agitated and restless in the daytime, ruminating thoughts about my mood.  I'm not sure if that was because of me spiraling or because I knocked myself into a wave (or both).  Is this a normal part of the recovery timeline?  I thought I was coming out of it fast but now it seems I'm back in it.  Never felt so empty, hopeless, low mood like this in my life.  No motivation or focus to do anything.  I do find I always feel more calm at night though.  Not necessarily happier, but just less exploding thoughts.  

Sounds like you set yourself back a bit by overexerting yourself. It can be a tricky line to walk for a while. Exercise is good, but your CNS is probably going to be a fragile for a while even if you feel ok. It'll pass and probably won't be long 

[[Be...]]

В 16.01.2024 в 17:59, hisjustme1994 сказал:

У меня тоже началось через 6 недель.

what benzodiazepine did you take?