What made you decide you want to quit Benzos ?

[[An...]]

I want to know why you decided too stop? 

[[Go...]]

21 minutes ago, [[A...] said:

I want to know why you decided too stop? 

I’ll try to make a very long story into as short of one as I can. I was originally diagnosed with clinical depression when I was 12. I spent the subsequent 20+ years in and out of therapy and on and off more medications than I can count (at least 20 in the last 5 years - including 3 different benzos). My diagnosis changed 4 times over that period. Nothing was helping and I felt every medication only made me feel worse. Finally, after so many years of accepting medical opinion as gospel, I decided it was time to start questioning what was really going on and advocating for myself. I came to the conclusion that I was NOT mentally ill but rather had experienced a significant amount of trauma that was never processed, but instead invalidated and covered up. I realized that I did not need to be medicated but rather, needed to address some of this internal suffering and find a way through it. For me, returning to my faith in God and trusting and believing that a life dependent on medications and substances was not His will for me gave me the confidence to begin my journey to freedom. This Friday will be one year free of alcohol and non-prescription drugs (weed/shrooms). I also tapered off of all of the prescription drugs I was on, with only Klonopin left. Klonopin has been by far, the most difficult thing to come off of but there is never a day that I question if I am doing the right thing. I know there is a future waiting for me of complete freedom 🤍

[[...]]

The chemical poison made me sick.

[[vo...]]

7 hours ago, [[A...] said:

I want to know why you decided too stop? 

You must have been reading my mind! I was thinking of posting this, this morning! I was on xanax 6mg a day (approx. 40 years) and clonazepam (approx 10 years in between xanax scripts) to help my anxiety and panic attacks. In 2022 I was hospitalized for the first time ever, for 2 weeks after experiencing voices and seeing things. I thought they did exist at the time. Within a couple of weeks of being released I believed the long term use is what caused this to happen so I asked my psychiatrist to taper me off the xanax. Best thing I ever did for myself and my life.

[[pi...]]

My situation is such that I should not have been given a benzo at all. I was misdiagnosed by an ENT with a middle ear issue, given Ativan and was told that the problem would resolve itself. I had no idea what Ativan was, I am now much more informed about what I put in my body, and took it religiously every day. Of course I became dependent very quickly. I tried to skip doses to see if my ear problem was resolved and had terrible withdrawals. Again, I had no idea what was happening.

Fast forward to a cold turkey for a vestibular test and all h3ll broke loose. Suddenly I had an anxiety disorder and was given a plethora of drugs to try that I couldn’t tolerate. I sought an ‘expert’ to deal with this anxiety and panic issue and was given clonazepam. Tolerance ensued and I finally figured out the drug mask king me sick and sicker. I finally found a doctor who agreed, tapered and recovered.

[[Ro...]]

Back in 2015, I was prescribed 1 mg of Clonazepam to control an anxiety disorder.  After 7 years of using the drug, I reached the fringes of tolerance withdrawal.  The drug was also causing a low moderate degree of depression.

I had to make the decision in 2022 whether to increase the dosage or to taper off it.  I made the wise decision to spend the next a little over one year and a half tapering off it.  Once off it, the depression faded away.

Another reason why I quit benzos was that my psychiatrist at the time told me that it could increase the risk of dementia.

Edited July 16 by [Ro...]

[[...]]

I was originally prescribed benzo to treat insomnia. A few years later, found myself in a horrible condition and was like that for 1.5 years. Nobody could guess why. As soon as i found information on benzo, it was absolutely by chance, I started tapering, just in case. My guess seems to have been right.

[[ma...]]

I was prescribed clonazepam for insomnia, soon my insomnia became perpetual adding many symptoms.Additional things like muscle spasms and terrible shaking, By chance while researching I found the Asthon manual And I discovered my symptoms perfectly described as withdrawal syndrome.I was relieved that I finally knew what was happening to me and I started to go down.28 months after my last crumb I still have symptoms of a lot of insomnia and the benzo flu.

[[PE...]]

I had no choice they only put me in withdrawal because of total tolerance. 

If it wasn't for this I would still be on them.

[[WU...]]

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

I had no choice they only put me in withdrawal because of total tolerance. 

If it wasn't for this I would still be on them.

Same goes for me too. I knew it was tolerance (or should it be intolerance?) when I was prescribed a higher dose to take more regularly and became so much worse

[[PE...]]

2 minutes ago, [[W...] said:

Same goes for me too. I knew it was tolerance (or should it be intolerance?) when I was prescribed a higher dose to take more regularly and became so much worse

I took full blisters but still was in bad withdrawal. Poor brain..😁😆😊

[[WU...]]

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

Poor brain..

Yes that's what I keep saying, poor brain, and I am very, very sorry I didn't realise sooner. Goodness knows my brain was trying to tell me in so many different ways and yet the pills was the last thing I thought of!

[[ma...]]

Same here @[WU...]

[[En...]]

I had a bad panic attack from being prescribed amphetamines for what my Dr thought I had ADHD. Those pills are known to increase blood pressure. On the third day of taking them I felt my heart pounding in my chest. I checked my BP and it was very high. I went to the ER and had tests done. All came back ok. That experience put me over the edge for anxiety. My Dr prescribed me atavan to help with sleep and anxiety. I took them for a month straight unknown to what was in store for me. I hot tolerance withdrawal and had no idea what was happening. My Dr the  switches me CT to 2mg clonazepam and that's when it all hit the fan. I had to wean off I was going crazy. The worst time of my life. My taper was rough. I went to the ER a couple times and the crises center twice. 

[[An...]]

2 hours ago, [[W...] said:

Same goes for me too. I knew it was tolerance (or should it be intolerance?) when I was prescribed a higher dose to take more regularly and became so much worse

Same I feel like it’s paradoxical effects maybe