Poly drugged, possibly kindled

[[he...]]

 

I use Benzos for years and I am on Valium after a cross-tapering from Xanax. I am more than 4 years on Valium and after some updoses I currently take 12.5 mg. I also take 100 mg of Luvox and 200mg of pregabalin.

The issue is that, after suffering so much time with sensory overload, not being able to see screens, listen to music, or even do phone calls.

Given so much time at such a state, I decided to try clonazepam with the approval of a doctor to see how I could feel. I took 0.2 mg plus the usual diazepam intake and felt great that night.

After that, I experimented some random days a part of clonazepam and a part of diazepam. But given the 0.2 mg updose of that night, I guessed I worsened tolerance.

Background noises became more annoying and sound sensitivity in general. The drug scared me so I stopped this. It was like 4 or 5 days.

Then, with me and my doctor having in mind a switch of antidepressants to anafranil given the pre-existing OCD, I became scared of an up-dose on diazepam due to the interaction of the drugs and increase in half-life. Given that, I decided with my doctor to switch from diazepam to clonazepam. This time, I started removing 5mg of Valium and adding 0.25mg of clonazepam. I wasn't feeling better, so I thought that maybe I wasn't giving the equivalent dose of clonazepam due to the probably longer half-life of Valium with Luvox in my system.

I then kept the daily 7.5mg of Valium, but up-dosed to 0.5mg, 0.55mg, and in one or other day even tried 0.75 or 0.85mg. This attempt of switching lasted 21 days. I then returned back to 12.5mg of diazepam with no clonazepam. Things were manageable despite the sensitivity to sound mentioned above.

But two months after that, 4th of April, I decided to pop 0.25 of Clonazepam because I wasn't even able to help an internet guy at home and I then got to the frying brain sensation that I generally have when I expose myself to stimuli. To think about what he was proposing was like too much. This made me overstressed and with a frying brain sensation too on the following day, which is the day I decided to pop Clonazepam because what crossed my mind is that I could be dependent on two benzos given the three weeks attempt and because I thought Kindling was class-specific and not benzo-specific.

I didn't feel very well when I popped, despite of the “burning brain”, feeling getting easier, actually, sound sensitivity got worse to the point it seems that I need to experience almost complete silence to not get irritated. Today, 5th of April, sound sensitivity seems still scary and it felt the right temple of my brain was going to melt. It only got better with the Valium Dose and with lunch.

Now I am in despair with the idea of suffering like this the rest of the tappers. I am asking a friend to write this and I wish I did it before the Clonazepam Dose.

What is the best option now? Will this go away and I just need to endure some days? Should I take clonazepam with the other meds from now on? Should I increase pregabalin? I appreciate any help. My Reddit user is mynormiemask and my bb user is fullofdetermination for more details.

 

[[Re...]]

 

Hello @[he...], welcome to BenzoBuddies,

I am sorry your friend has such difficulties with adding clonazepam to your medications and switching to another benzodiazepine. I am not sure why this happens at all as clonazepam might be a more "difficult medication" due to it's shorter half life. For some people this switch it is really hard and they are indeed hit by the symptoms you are describing. 

I am no expert in switching and switching to clonazepam, have you considered taking the original diazepam dose and wait until you stabilize on your original medications and have some patience until your symptoms dissipate (which they will) ? 

I hope our Buddies with more experience on this will comment soon. 

RR