Recovering from Benzo's later in life.

[[Ru...]]

On 22/03/2024 at 11:38, [[P...] said:

@[Ru...], so you're taking pretty much the same amount but at different times of the day, can you tell us what you're feeling, what symptoms you're experiencing and when in relation to your dosing?  I'd like to find out if you're dealing with interdose withdrawal.  This will help us figure out if resuming taking it the way you did before you were hospitalized is possible. 

I am now taking daily 0.5 mg at 10 PM then 0.125 at 1 AM and then 0.125 at 3 AM. My sleep has improved even though it is intermittent. I use an alarm to wake me at 3 AM. because I'm afraid to keep sleeping and miss taking the full 1.0 per night dose. I then go back to sleep until about 6 AM. 

Note: My pre-hospital Rx was ".05mg 2x daily as needed". So I was taking 0.5 mg at 10 PM then another 0.5 mg whenever I might wake up in the middle of the night, usually at about 1 or 2 pm when I had to urinate. I never had any negative reaction to this regimen. 

So now, I'm experiencing withdrawal symptoms starting at about 4PM. Skin tingling (head and upper torso), agitation to the point I can't concentrate on anything, rapid leg shaking, occasional random muscle jumps, hand tremors and a mild headache. The symptoms go away shortly after I take my 10 PM dose. It's probably too soon to tell if my symptoms will subside. I have been trying for several weeks to find medical help/advice but so far no luck. I do have a video appt with an APRN scheduled for next week  but I'm not optimistic.

[[Li...]]

@[Ru...]

It’s no wonder you are destabilized.  You experienced an unplanned/ involuntary cold turkey in December.  Your total daily dose has been reduced by 25%, your long-standing dosing schedule was changed, and you are now experiencing what sounds like interdose withdrawal. 

Have there been any other medication changes since your hospital stay?

Who is writing your clonazepam prescription?  Your GP?  Would they be willing to return you to your original dose and schedule to see if you can stabilize?

[[Pi...]]

I am 67 and was on .5mg Clonazepam (sometimes 1mg) for about a year but sadly during that time was kindled and ignorant doctors tried to yank me off 3 times. 15 months ago, they switched me to Valium and tapered me off over 7 weeks. I have been non functioning and in hell ever since, with about 50 different sxs and a life hardly worth living. Do you think there is any hope for me?

[[Br...]]

Hello @[Pi...] - welcome to BenzoBuddies! 

It's important for you to know that, Yes, there is definitely hope for you!  I'm sorry you have been through such a hard time including being rapidly tapered off Valium.  Recovery after a rapid taper or cold turkey can be rougher than after a slow taper but there's no reason to believe it affects one's ability to heal and recover.  Recovery takes longer for some of us than others.  Please know that there are many of us here who stopped benzos later in life and went on to recover.  I was put through a rapid taper myself when I was 65 - and I had very rough withdrawal symptoms but I'm close to 100% recovered.  So please don't lose hope!

You'll find lots of good information here and support from others who understand what you're going through.  We're glad you found us!

Brighterday

[[Pi...]]

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

Hello @[Pi...] - welcome to BenzoBuddies! 

It's important for you to know that, Yes, there is definitely hope for you!  I'm sorry you have been through such a hard time including being rapidly tapered off Valium.  Recovery after a rapid taper or cold turkey can be rougher than after a slow taper but there's no reason to believe it affects one's ability to heal and recover.  Recovery takes longer for some of us than others.  Please know that there are many of us here who stopped benzos later in life and went on to recover.  I was put through a rapid taper myself when I was 65 - and I had very rough withdrawal symptoms but I'm close to 100% recovered.  So please don't lose hope!

You'll find lots of good information here and support from others who understand what you're going through.  We're glad you found us!

Brighterday

Thank you so much for your quick reply, I am on my own and feel so afraid. Before this I was so healthy, happy and living a wonder life - was put on Benzo after adverse reaction to Covid jab - and so also feel overcome by grief and the fear of how long it will take to heal at my age as I am so damaged. Did you have a lot of sxs? It must be wonderful to be nearly healed, I can’t imagine that ever happening for me!

[[Br...]]

I had horrible symptoms.  Take a look at my History   

During withdrawal the brain sends out messages of doom and gloom and tells us we'll never heal:

Benzo Lies that have been busted

I never believed I would heal either.  It takes time, longer for some of us than others.

Please keep posting and reaching out for support.   If you feel discouraged, be sure to read Success Stories.

[[Li...]]

On 27/03/2024 at 13:00, [[R...] said:

I am now taking daily 0.5 mg at 10 PM then 0.125 at 1 AM and then 0.125 at 3 AM. My sleep has improved even though it is intermittent. I use an alarm to wake me at 3 AM. because I'm afraid to keep sleeping and miss taking the full 1.0 per night dose. I then go back to sleep until about 6 AM. 

Note: My pre-hospital Rx was ".05mg 2x daily as needed". So I was taking 0.5 mg at 10 PM then another 0.5 mg whenever I might wake up in the middle of the night, usually at about 1 or 2 pm when I had to urinate. I never had any negative reaction to this regimen. 

So now, I'm experiencing withdrawal symptoms starting at about 4PM. Skin tingling (head and upper torso), agitation to the point I can't concentrate on anything, rapid leg shaking, occasional random muscle jumps, hand tremors and a mild headache. The symptoms go away shortly after I take my 10 PM dose. It's probably too soon to tell if my symptoms will subside. I have been trying for several weeks to find medical help/advice but so far no luck. I do have a video appt with an APRN scheduled for next week  but I'm not optimistic.

Hello, @[Ru...].  We haven’t heard from you in a while.  How are you doing?  Have you been able to find a healthcare professional to help you?