Paradoxical reaction to klonopin

[[Mi...]]

Hello - I seem to be having a paradoxical reaction to klonopin.  For 12 years it made me so tired.  Switched temporarily to Xanax (all of this dr approved but stupid I know) - had horrible inter dose withdrawals for 6 months - switched back to klonopin and trazadone - was a zombie - I don’t think I gave myself sufficient time to just hold once I’d made that switch.  So for about 6 months I kept trying to reduce klonopin, then I’d reinstate.  Reduced trazadone way too rapidly - took several months to reinstate.  Now it seems like klonopin is causing agitation, akathesia, nervousness, etc.  all looped in with a horrible tired but wired feeling.  Seems like I’ve done some damage.   Do you think a super long hold and letting my body get back to homeostasis will remedy this? Not sure what to do next. 

[[...]]

@[Mi...], hi. Your situation seems so familiar to me. I did lots of unsystematic medications changing and benzo switching as well as benzos dosage jumping up and down, which made me worse and worse. I also never tried to hold and stabilize for long enough. I just didn't realize it was worth trying and now, i think it is.

How long have you been holding to the same dose and medication? When did you have the last trazadone and benzo dosage changing? What doses of klonopin and trazadone are you on currently? 

And i'm sure you haven't done any irreversible damage but unfortunately a bit complicated everything. 

[[En...]]

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

Hello - I seem to be having a paradoxical reaction to klonopin.  For 12 years it made me so tired.  Switched temporarily to Xanax (all of this dr approved but stupid I know) - had horrible inter dose withdrawals for 6 months - switched back to klonopin and trazadone - was a zombie - I don’t think I gave myself sufficient time to just hold once I’d made that switch.  So for about 6 months I kept trying to reduce klonopin, then I’d reinstate.  Reduced trazadone way too rapidly - took several months to reinstate.  Now it seems like klonopin is causing agitation, akathesia, nervousness, etc.  all looped in with a horrible tired but wired feeling.  Seems like I’ve done some damage.   Do you think a super long hold and letting my body get back to homeostasis will remedy this? Not sure what to do next. 

Clonazepam made me a zombie as well. I had bad akathisia from it as well. In the beginning my Dr attributed this to my previous cannabis use and told me I was in PAWS from cannabis. He said i would feel better in 8 months. 

It wasn't cannabis. I had to educate myself on benzodiazepines. I read lots of articles and the Ashton Manual. I learned on my own what was happening to me. When I tried to explain this to my Dr he didnt agree. I then found this site and learned even more. You are in the right place. 

If I was you I would make everyday the same. I would hold at what I am doing until I stabalize which may take some time. I also messed around with my med doses and paid the price for it. Now I am keeping everyday the same until I make taper cuts. 

It's a hard road but in the end you will feel better and be a stronger person for the experience. Stay strong. 

[[Mi...]]

[[Mi...]]

1 hour ago, [[E...] said:

Clonazepam made me a zombie as well. I had bad akathisia from it as well. In the beginning my Dr attributed this to my previous cannabis use and told me I was in PAWS from cannabis. He said i would feel better in 8 months. 

It wasn't cannabis. I had to educate myself on benzodiazepines. I read lots of articles and the Ashton Manual. I learned on my own what was happening to me. When I tried to explain this to my Dr he didnt agree. I then found this site and learned even more. You are in the right place. 

If I was you I would make everyday the same. I would hold at what I am doing until I stabalize which may take some time. I also messed around with my med doses and paid the price for it. Now I am keeping everyday the same until I make taper cuts. 

It's a hard road but in the end you will feel better and be a stronger person for the experience. Stay strong. 

Thank you so much for your words of encouragement.  

[[...]]

46 minutes ago, [[M...] said:

Thanks @Kate - I just went through my past year history and it was like for 6 months I was in a lot of inter dose withdrawals from Xanax - I’d try to increase my Prozac (what I was taking at the time) but nothing was working - I switched in December to klonopin (Updosed to 0.75 - for years I only took .125); I also Updosed trazadone.  Then from January until now - I can say I’ve been a bad patient - I have just kept changing things, almost a week after updosing on the klonopin I tried to reduce it, I switched antidepressants, my biggest mistake was reducing trazadone by a large amount almost 50% of the dose in a short period of time.  2 days ago I reinstated the trazadone to the dose it was when I Updosed in December - and last night I slept through the night for the first time in a week.  So I’m hoping this was the right move - and now I just plan to stay here for a very long time and hope that I heal.  I am scared though.  I seem to all of the sudden have a very intense reaction to coffee - which was my lifeline all these years as a mom and dealing with this.  I very much don’t want to take klonopin during the day as I just feel awful when I take it - I’m hoping if I keep caffeine to very minimum (literally 6 ounces first thing in morning just so I don’t withdraw from that) - and I exercise - maybe I will stabilize and can resume only taking klonopin at night which is what I did for years.  I am prepared to do the slowest liquid micro taper in the history of klonopin.  Any advice appreciated very much.  

@[Mi...], hi again)

Yes, it seems to be quite a rollercoaster. I mean all the medications/ dosages switching and changing. No wonder you feel so bad and unstable. I can truly relate to your condition. It was very similar with me. 

Sorry, i have to go now but will come back. Just one thing to elaborate. You're taking now klonopin and trazadone, right? Nothing else? What dosages? How often per day, meaning klonopin?

And, yes, the decision to hold for a while seems to be the right one.

Have a good day

[[Mi...]]

[[Mi...]]

[[PE...]]

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

Clonazepam made me a zombie as well. I had bad akathisia from it as well. In the beginning my Dr attributed this to my previous cannabis use and told me I was in PAWS from cannabis. He said i would feel better in 8 months. 

It wasn't cannabis. I had to educate myself on benzodiazepines. I read lots of articles and the Ashton Manual. I learned on my own what was happening to me. When I tried to explain this to my Dr he didnt agree. I then found this site and learned even more. You are in the right place. 

If I was you I would make everyday the same. I would hold at what I am doing until I stabalize which may take some time. I also messed around with my med doses and paid the price for it. Now I am keeping everyday the same until I make taper cuts. 

It's a hard road but in the end you will feel better and be a stronger person for the experience. Stay strong. 

Paws from cannabis lol!??

[[En...]]

7 minutes ago, [[P...] said:

Paws from cannabis lol!??

That's what my Dr told me. Had me convinced too lol. 

[[Ja...]]

Millie456 your describing exactly how I feel after my doses now,.I look and feel really run down,but with dilated dreary eyes,this paradoxical reaction is utter crap

you would think that take a bit of benzo after a bad nights sleep would make you sleepy,it feels more stimulating now

im the same with the coffee as well and it’s driving  me nuts as I love my coffee,.I got away with it 1 day,then the day after I was quite calm,had a coffee and boom,.some kind of overthinking stressful anxiety set right in

its Valium that I take that’s doing this,.I’ve found as well I’m better of going to sleep without my night dose,.I’ll wake up around 1 to 2am and take it then,.if I take right before bed I’ll get less sleep and not shut of as quick

[[Mi...]]

37 minutes ago, [[J...] said:

Millie456 your describing exactly how I feel after my doses now,.I look and feel really run down,but with dilated dreary eyes,this paradoxical reaction is utter crap

you would think that take a bit of benzo after a bad nights sleep would make you sleepy,it feels more stimulating now

im the same with the coffee as well and it’s driving  me nuts as I love my coffee,.I got away with it 1 day,then the day after I was quite calm,had a coffee and boom,.some kind of overthinking stressful anxiety set right in

its Valium that I take that’s doing this,.I’ve found as well I’m better of going to sleep without my night dose,.I’ll wake up around 1 to 2am and take it then,.if I take right before bed I’ll get less sleep and not shut of as quick

Thank you so much for sharing.  Do you feel any relief as your dose is lowered? 

[[Ja...]]

Millie I’m on a 5 week hold this Thursday,.it got to mutch for me snd family,but with the way it’s making me feel anyway I’d be as well dose droping very soon

[[...]]

@[Mi...], hi again. I can see you've started a new thread on possible ways of stabilizating. A good idea. I absolutely agree it should be your first priority right now.

And i also think stabilization means as little changes as possible in any medications taken by you as well as time of their intake. Otherwise, our unstable atm nervous system seems confused trying to figure out what to do about all the changes and can hyper react unpredictably. By others' and my experience, the nervous system should calm down, given enough time of no changes. And sometimes It can take quite long. I never guessed to wait long enough and, although i don't regret it now, my tapering was close to unbearable. 

Wish you stabilisation and healing! 

 

[[Ca...]]

I've done the same thing. I updosed my valium three months ago several days in a row and was persuaded to updose from 12.2 to 14 to stabilize. Haha. All I did was lose three months. I just restarted the taper today. It's going to be one mg a month daily microtaper until I get to 9 then reduce the percentage to 7.5. I also was prescribed 200 mgs of trazedone for sleep by my clueless prescriber. I thought it was a 100. So I tapered down to 150 and then was waking up three hours after going to sleep so I went back to 200 but now I am tapering it again very slowly with emory board slices. I add another slice every week. You know the problem is me...I think everything can be fixed with a pill.