Klonopin and bioidentical hormones

[[Be...]]

Hi - I was Rx klonopin 2010 .05 x2 daily. Did a slow successful taper in April 2011 returned in August 2011. Was taking klonopin as needed when symptoms were unbearable. This wasn't really working for me as I seemed to be going in and out of withdrawal. As of 3 wks ago was taking up to .05 2-3 times a week. Was referred to a compound Rx who recommended bioidentical progesterone for my anxiety. While taking the hormone my klonopin wasn't effective. My anxiety worsened and I needed more klonopin. When I discontinued the hormone I went into total withdrawal. It's been two weeks since I stopped the hormones but I'm worse now than ever. I'm back to taking 1 mg daily and am still having panic attacks. Has anyone else had a similar experience?

[[pi...]]

Hello benzosbite,

 

I am so sorry you are having such a rough time.  While I was on clonazepam (klonopin) I was put on bioidentical hormones.  Unfortunately I was was sick with tolerance withdrawal and interdose withdrawal that I can't tell how much the hormones impacted my symptoms. 

 

Perseverence has done a lot of research on how benzos affect the body and the interaction with other medications.  I am puttin a link to this thread, there is a lot of good information there. I do know that others have suffered mightily from the progesterone withdrawal because it is cross tolerant to benzos.

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=44150.0

 

Are you back to taking 1mg of hormones or 1 mg of klonopin? Often time reinstatement or updosing does not produce relief. Is there a doctor helping you with this?

 

I hope you start to feel relief soon, I know how awful the combination of these meds is.

 

Hugs,

 

pianogirl 

[[Be...]]

Thanks for your response pianogirl. I am back to 1mg of klonopin. I won't go near the progesterone again as it made things so much worse for me. I have a GP and a psychiatrist treating me but neither of them understand the benzo hell thing. From a medical perspective I'm on such a low dose that I'm not really taken seriously. It's so hard to be back here since It was such hell getting off. Anyway the dr wants to stabilize me on the klonopin and then start another slow taper

The nightmare continues.

[[pi...]]

Hi Benzosbite,

 

I was on an even lower dose than you and all my doctors said it was basically placebo and I could take it for the rest of my life, no problems, or just stop with no problems. I took the Aston Manual to the pdoc I was seeing and he thanked me for the information because he had never heard of withdrawal being so prolonged or painful.

 

Thats why this site is so important and gives validity to what we are going through.  Many people have tapered from klonopin, I could not. I finally found a doctor who agreed that the meds were making me ill and helped me with a crossover to valium.

 

BTW, 1mg is not a small amount of K, it is a very strong drug.

 

I do hope you can stabalize and begin your taper. Just take it slow, slow and steady wins the race. The nightmare will be over some time, the body can and will heal from this.  I wouldn't have believed it myself but I am experiencing it first hand.  While I still have sxs, I am so much better these days.

 

Hugs,

 

pianogirl