Tips to stabilize

[[Mi...]]

Hello - 

I am trying to stabilize after a roller coaster year of changing medications and dosage too much.  For years I took klonopin only at night.  This is really my only option as it makes me feel awful if I try to take it during the day - 1/2 tired 1/2 agitated.  Switching to Valium is not an option for me.  I seem to be triggered by naps and caffeine.  Trying to slowly reduce caffeine as I don’t want withdrawals from that.  Any tips? Is there hope if I can stabilize I can then one day reduce my dose? I don’t think it is serving me at all.  Trying to “hold” but I’m scared this will never improve.  Thank you. 

[[Cr...]]

There are no real tips for stabilizing other than time and consistency. Take your meds at the same dose and same time every day. It could take a few weeks or months depending on how badly all the changes affected your brain.

Should no improvements come after a few months then that could be a sign that one of the meds has turned on you (paradoxical reaction) and a taper may need to be started regardless. In this case, you may start to feel better as the med is tapered lower.

Just keep in mind that becoming stablized does not mean symptom-free. Just that things have become more tolerable and somewhat consistent.

How long has it been since you last made any changes? (Different doses or taking at different times of the day)

[[Mi...]]

Thank you Crono - so I sat down and looked at my history of texts to my doctor and I’ve been a bad patient.  I switched from Xanax to klonopin (updosed klonopin) in December also updosed trazadone.  Then it was like a week later I was trying to reduce Klonopin / no success.  Then reduce trazadone no success.  In January and February I switched to cymbalta from Prozac, I increased that dose, I tried reducing klonopin again - no success.  Then made the worst mistake of all which was to reduce trazadone by almost 50% in about a week.  Despite telling my doctor I had paralyzing anxiety after doing this - My doctor encouraged me not to go back and updose trazadone because she said it’s pretty easy to withdraw from.  I felt ok then in mid March reduced trazadone by another 25% in one week - I know - horrible.  Ever since then I’ve had trouble napping, I’ll get random panic attacks - especially if I drink coffee.  Then just last week my anxiety seemed to hit a peak and I wasn’t able to eat much and was having trouble sleeping.  So last week we increased my cymbalta by 10mg AND I updosed trazadone back to my original dose in December which was 88mg.  I was able to sleep through the night last night so I am hoping this is a good sign. Now I’m on 70 cymbalta, 88 trazadone and 0.75 klonopin.  The crazy thing is - we were concerned this was inter dose withdrawals so my doctor had me try taking klonopin during the day.  It made me feel awful.  It’s been years since I’ve taken it during the day.  It made me feel half very drowsy and half agitated, akathesia, crying.  Please talk to me about the paradoxical response.  You seem to know more than my doctor.  Did all my messing with medication permanently affect how klonopin affects me?  I’ll take any advice you can offer.  I must stabilize.  I must taper very very slowly - like .01 at a time.  In the past I’ve been able to taper .03 at a time but so far I have not been able to do this.  Maybe it’s because I did not wait long enough before I started my taper.  I know I am rambling - I’m sorry - I’m very desperate and I’m praying that someone can help me.  Thank you.