Anxiety, dizziness and fatigue- going on 10 months off Clonazepam.

[[He...]]

Are there any other members who have been off Clonazepam almost a year and still having trouble with awful dizziness, fatigue and fear? I used to love driving but even going 5 minutes causing me to have a lot of anxiety. I've been trying to push myself to do it because avoiding it will make things worse. I have some days where I feel extremely tired after just waking up and dizziness can happen at any time.

I've had some improvements (not nearly as much head rattling, I can sleep for hours at a time at night) but I'm starting to worry that I won't be able to find a good job when these issues are affecting my independence. My head sometimes feels like it's going to explode.

Also, has anyone flown and felt okay? I can feel sick to my stomach while my husband is turning while driving, thus the thought of flying scares me.

[[Pa...]]

Hi @[He...], I know 10 months is an awfully long time to suffer, its unbelievable how long it takes to recover from these medications but what you're describing sounds like common symptoms.  I was still in bad shape at 10 months and I remember being so disappointed at 6, then 9 and then at 12 months that I wasn't recovered yet. 

I didn't have dizziness or fatigue but I sure had the fear and like you, I pushed myself to do the things I was afraid of.  

How soon are you thinking about getting a job, can you wait a little longer to allow for more recovery? 

[[He...]]

@[Pa...] I feel the same way. That at 10 months, I wish I felt more like I did before I ever took the medicine. I was thinking of looking for a job in September but it appears I'll be looking for a work from home situation.

I could wait a little bit longer but I quit my job in early 2020 to focus on college. My husband supported us while I finished the 3 remaining years. Now I have a Bachelors but I've lost a year of time since I graduated last year from this. 

[[Pa...]]

I hope you can find a work from home opportunity while you recover @[He...], I worked while I was and it was rough being around people but it was good distraction.  Please know you're going to have every chance to use that degree, I know its difficult to see this now but you will! 

[[He...]]

@[Pa...]Thanks  I forced myself to go to three stores yesterday to get out of the house and socialize at least a little bit which felt good. I was looking at job listings but I know I need to allow at least this month. My 10 month anniversary is towards the end of this month and I'm so grateful for this website. It's helped me during the many months of healing 

[[Pa...]]

Hey @[He...], you sound so good, socializing is hard but it helps us feel a sense of accomplishment and we desperately need this to help boost our confidence because this process is so demoralizing.  Celebrate your victories, heck, when I was recovering I washed a couch cushion and when it came time to put it back on, I struggled with it for what felt like hours and when I finally got it back on, I was so proud of myself!  So yes, it was a small victory but I celebrated it like I'd cured cancer! 

And good for you for checking out some job listings, its important to test the waters emotionally, try that job out for size in your mind, it helps prepare us for the real thing which you're going to be amazing at. 

[[Ye...]]

@[Pa...] can I ask you how many months was anxiety difficult for you to manage until you started to notice real improvement?

I've been doing it for 16 months and it's been pretty bad without any apparent improvement.

thank you very much for responding 🙋🏻‍♂️

[[Pa...]]

34 minutes ago, [[Y...] said:

@[Pa...] can I ask you how many months was anxiety difficult for you to manage until you started to notice real improvement?

I've been doing it for 16 months and it's been pretty bad without any apparent improvement.

thank you very much for responding 🙋🏻‍♂️

Hi @[Ye...], I never experienced anxiety until I grew tolerant to benzodiazepines and but when I stopped cold turkey, well, I got a real taste of it and have newfound empathy for those who struggle with it as a normal condition.  

I felt anxiety all the way to my recovery, but that's because I was an idiot and started taking Ambien a few months into my cold turkey, the Ambien was providing a fresh source of it.  Once I stopped that cold turkey, I felt instant relief from the anxiety and haven't had it since. 

Was anxiety the reason you were put on benzodiazepines?  Are you dealing with the anxiety on steroids this medication heaps on us?

[[Ye...]]

Thank you very much for responding @[Pa...] 😘, I started taking Klonopin because of a bit of social phobia that I had in certain situations at the age of 24 and I was taking it until I was 37, in the end I was taking 6mg. Now I haven't taken anything for 16 months and the anxiety and social phobia I have now is much greater than it ever was. Even being alone at home "quietly" I have a lot of anxiety and this is something that has never happened to me.

You told a boy that the usual recovery time is between 8 and 18 months, but I am close to 17 and I do not perceive any improvement even though the months continue to pass. I've been locked up at home for 16 months, Pamster 😭🤷🏻‍♂️

😘

Edited August 2 by [Ye...]

[[Pa...]]

3 hours ago, [[Y...] said:

You told a boy that the usual recovery time is between 8 and 18 months,

I typically say long term users recover between 1 and 2 years, not sure when I might have said between 8 and 18, but either is too long. 

If your anxiety is worse than it ever was then I believe you're still recovering and it will revert to your normal when you do.  Or, you could end up like many who have been through this who have discovered that what they considered anxiety or discomfort before is nothing compared to this process and they live happily ever after. 

[[Mu...]]

After 17 yrs using Klonopin, I'm now 5 yrs benzo free next month. Month 10 - 12 was probably the worse. I'm now in a wave with dizziness, muscle tightness,  horrible fatigue with morning worry and anxiety. Each morning I tell myself it will be better in a couple of hours.

I ts sometimes like a CD in my brain with every F up , every bad decision,  person I wronged or regrets playing over and over. 

Don't get me wrong , I've had some good months, but a wave can come out of nowhere and take you down. I'm beginning to think we never heal just get better at tolerating our symptoms.

Music60 

[[Ye...]]

Thanks for responding @[Pa...]. Hopefully sooner rather than later I can tell you that things are starting to get better.

A kiss from a Spaniard from Spain 🙋🏻‍♂️👋🏼👋🏼