50 and over club- withdrawal and recovery issues for the aged :-)

[[Al...]]

HowdidIgetthere,

 

I have held for long periods of time especially when an event such as you describe is on the horizn.

I too want to appear as normal as possible to the outside world. I have also held for vacations, dental appointments etc.

We do what we have to do to get through.

 

The benzo you are on is a very difficult one to taper from. Many have done successfully however but if it gets too extreme you may want to, if you haven't already consider crossing yo a longer half life benzo like valium or Librium.

I was originally trying to taper off Ativan but could not get below .75 mg. at which point I convinced my Doctor to allow me to cross to V.

It has been easier, longer but easier ac the peaks are smaller.

 

Just a thought.

 

Take care and never give up hope.

 

ATU 🙏

[[ho...]]

All Tied Up you said that perfectly!  I really do not want to share this misery with anybody and I don't want to look different to the outside world. However I feel this has aged me terribly.  I look way older than I should. I'm relieved to see others such as yourself  still powering through this ordeal by holding for longer periods of time. Gives me hope. You are so right. I have white knuckled it through so many situations and occasions.

 

I have heard that this is a difficult benzo to get off of. Yes, I am strongly considering switching over to valium but I have heard mixed reviews about it. I know everyone is different, glad it seems to be helping you!  I will check into it after the wedding. Hopefully my doctor will consider helping me do that.  He just prescribed gabapentin for me but I have been too afraid to add another drug. Mixed reviews on that one as well.

 

Thank you for your kind words! I can't give up hope. I have too much to live for!!!

 

 

 

 

[[He...]]

All Tied Up you said that perfectly!  I really do not want to share this misery with anybody and I don't want to look different to the outside world. However I feel this has aged me terribly.  I look way older than I should. I'm relieved to see others such as yourself  still powering through this ordeal by holding for longer periods of time. Gives me hope. You are so right. I have white knuckled it through so many situations and occasions.

 

I have heard that this is a difficult benzo to get off of. Yes, I am strongly considering switching over to valium but I have heard mixed reviews about it. I know everyone is different, glad it seems to be helping you!  I will check into it after the wedding. Hopefully my doctor will consider helping me do that.  He just prescribed gabapentin for me but I have been too afraid to add another drug. Mixed reviews on that one as well.

 

Thank you for your kind words! I can't give up hope. I have too much to live for!!!

 

Hi everyone, first post in ages. Have been working on my health and focusing on that. The more I look into alternative health, I discover/uncover more about the simple fact that we need to cleanse our bodies and put the proper food and water into them. At age 58 I've been doing a lot of cleaning up. It's interesting because that process causes some discomfort but the payoff is worth it.

 

I've come to believe that many of us who struggle to get off benzos are more sensitive to pollutants and chemicals and are suffering from varied forms of poisoning. Autoimmune "illnesses" are a case in point. Even with a healthy diet in our society, we are barraged by poisons. So those of us who are older have taken in more poison....

 

How did I, JMO but Valium has allowed me to do a super successful mt so far. Check my sig. I feel better when I'm active in the mt, I held several times late last year for "colds" and the passing of my Mom. Decided that I'll just keep going and wow! Keeping in mind an improved diet, supplements, fresh veg juices and cleansing. Also JMO but a strong one here...don't take the Gabapentin. In my search in Cal for a sane doc, one idiot doc Rx'd that and I checked it on here. It's essentially an updose...and then you have to detox from that later.

 

The medical profession continues to churn out "doctors" who know less and listen less about our experience. The Rx pad is ready to come out; but how they bully us when we go seeking help for a taper. Pssh.  Pharmaceutical companies fund the medical schools. A lot of our suffering is due to past medical intervention, vaccines, etc. The less we give creedence to allopathic medicine and the more we return to health and holistic remedies, we take back our power. 

 

 

[[ho...]]

I try to eat a clean diet as much as possible and I do believe it helps. I love to work out but find it is almost impossible now with these awful muscle symptoms I experience not to mention feeling like I have the flu for a couple of days afterwords.

 

Thank you for your input on Valium and gabapentin.  I really want to try the Valium when I am ready to do some experimenting. I have heard more good than bad on that topic. As far as Gabapentin my instincts have been not to take it.  I was naive about the clonazapam years ago and didn't do my research. I don't want to make the same mistake again. I appreciate your advice.

[[Go...]]

57 and new here...how do I join?

I am just starting to stabilize after a doctor recommended fast taper from 1 mg Clonazepam down to .25 in less than a month. I'm holding for awhile (@ .33 mg)

Glo

[[Al...]]

Godsgirl,

 

There is no test that I am aware of,..you just joined! Welcome aboard.

 

ATU 🙏

 

[[Al...]]

HowdidIgetthere,

 

I too have been having terrible muscle issues mainly thus far with my shoulders and neck and even sometimes my throat.

I also have this unrelenting flu type thing going on that has no rhyme or reason to it. Lots of,.. well phlegm and chest pains associated with it. Thought it was a cold but it ran too long for a cold,..no fever so it's not bacterial. Nevertheless today a I started a short course of azithromycin for it to see if it helps. In a week if its not better I will go for an X-ray.

 

My sleep is broken and light at best.

 

This is now my miserable life at 1.5 mg.

 

Holding until it gets better! 

 

ATU 🙏

[[ka...]]

howdidigetthere -

 

I can totally relate to your holding as work towards stabilizing to make the most of your daughters wedding. It was one year ago this week that my son got married, a destination wedding in the virgin islands. I managed to make it to 3ml of V and was able to stabilize to my baseline and enjoy as best as one can with benzo's. So many wonderful memories were made and I cherish them. ( i hope i can rememeber them all  )

I truly believe you will be able to make the most of that time as well. Please keep us updated as we want to support you during this time. 

 

[[ho...]]

All Tied Up  I am so sorry you experience muscle issues as well. It must be awful to get those in the throat. My tongue at times has felt cramped.  These muscle symptoms are really getting me down.  I have had them in my neck and upper back as well. Very strange tight feeling and joints in hips crack when I move.  My left leg has given me the most trouble. It gets so tight.  My pelvis and lower back get very tight as well. Also have this very bizarre nervy feeling in my left leg and sometimes my left arm.  Very hard to explain the sensation. That leg, and to a lesser degree other parts of my body are so sensitive to touch.  Not the skin, like I will jump or jerk the limb that gets bumped.  I really haven't heard anyone else mention this. Muscles twitch EVERYWHERE! Cramping in ab muscles, leg, feet etc. The list goes on and on. Had I not had so many medical tests I would swear I have MS or I'm afraid to even say what else. Also have terrible insomnia. I sleep about 3 hours a night tops. Wake up with adrenaline rushes and have to get right out of bed or I will go nuts. This is sheer madness to think these medications given freely by our doctors could cause so much misery. The sad part is I have a ways to go to get off of this poison. Don't know how I will ever do it.

 

kasy Congratulations on your son's wedding.  That must have been a beautiful wedding.  I can't even imagine such a long trip feeling like this.  I guess we find the strength to do what we have to do.  I pray I don't get worse while trying to stabilize.  I really don't think stabilizing is going to happen at this point. I will get through somehow. Luckily my daughters wedding is in town. I just do not want her to know how bad I feel. She is my only daughter, this is not how I pictured her wedding day.  All things considered I know it will still be a beautiful day and I am so happy to have something to look forward too.  I hope I don't look how I feel in all of her pictures    Thank you for your kind words I will try to keep you updated.  I greatly appreciate your support.

[[la...]]

I am at 1.5mgs now and life has completely shut down

 

my dizziness/woozy/off balanced feeling is NON stop  I am very weak now

 

can not taper any more for now...simply can NOT

 

feel as if I will end up in ER very soon

 

sorry for the bad rant

[[Al...]]

Lainey,

 

I too am at 1.5 and feel the same way. On top of that I was prescribed Azithromycin for 5 days to address a respiratory infection and this is only day 3 of taking that and it is killing me.

 

I am in bed and feel weak and drained. All my muscles are tensed up and my gut is in a bad way probably from the Antobiotic.

 

Hang in there and hold, hopefully things will turn around for us soon.

 

ATU 🙏

[[bl...]]

I'm so grateful to have found this thread. I'm 62 years old, female. Off klonopin after 20 years. I was up to 2 mg/day. My last dose was 9 weeks ago. Did a taper. I feel like if I survive this, I hope to have enough time left to enjoy myself. I feel connected to things in a way I lost for 20 years. That's been the one positive of this. I decided to do this after 10 years of not feeling really engage in any given moment, and the new knowledge that these drugs are linked to elderly Alzheimer's, dementia and prevalence of falling. The bowel burning and pain is the worst. Next is the constant palpitations.  I have a low flecainide PIP prescription after experiencing 6 weeks of afib. aside from that no other medication. My autonomic nervous system is reacting very strongly to not being sedated. If my diet was any cleaner I'd be grazing off the lawn No animal flesh, organic as much as possible, filtered water, LOTS of vegetables, I'm not a big fruit eater. 3 emergency room visits later and cardiology tests and 3 bowel scans, I'm amazed that all my symptoms must be withdrawal related. I have a family member, PA, that has informed me, in this state, benzodiazepines can no longer be prescribed by the GP's. Fantastic news as these drugs are poison! Thanks again for this thread. I was beginning to feel like I was the only older person going through this.

[[ka...]]

Girlie, I can promise you, you are not alone. So glad you found us! Congrats on the tremendous progress you have made and will continue to make. You will conquer this and emerge as a stronger person with a greater appreciate for well just about everything. 

[[Ju...]]

Hello Bluetruck;

That's Good news ! What State has banned GP's from prescr?

thanks,

J

[[bl...]]

I live in a small town in Idaho. I was told by the psych nurse who started the weaning that she could no longer prescribe benzo's and then my nephew in law(?) who is a P A told me he can't prescribe them. I don't know if this is an official ban, but I have a son who suffers from anxiety and another dr., a phsychiatrist, told him he would not prescribe a benzodiazepines for anxiety.

 

[[Ju...]]

That's good to hear ! There are so many alternatives to help control anxiety that are non-pharmaceutical.

They have existed for many decades. I wish my doc back in 1990 would have turned me on to

nutrition and anxiety coping skills, instead of putting me on Benzos for 20 years.

I take a 'stress vitamin' pill about every day that seems to help. Some days I don't even need it.

-Justaman

 

[[Do...]]

I'll be 62 next month. Getting off has been a long journey. I feel like my life has just begun, although lately the symptoms make me fear Alzheimer's. Feeling a bit better. Yesterday quite dizzy. In Vancouver doing very little but walking, listening to life rebuilding tales & enjoying the green beauty.

[[Vi...]]

I'm 56 years old and coming off benzo is the hardest most painful things what I ever done in my life.

More than 13 months out and still suffering bad burning thingling head/scalp, anxiety dep. fatigue, tinnitus and many more symptoms.

I'm so scared I never going to heal. I can deal with all my symptoms but the head symptoms is very painful and I'm loosing hope I ever going to be heal

I'm so thankful for BB atlist I see I'm not alone in this hell.

Love you all

Vica

[[MT...]]

Vicas, that fear voice in our head that tells us we won't ever heal drives so much of the anxiety we all feel. It seems to just be part of the wd experience-the voice of our doubt will be there but we don't have to believe it. Mine tries to tell me I'll never sleep normally again or feel good again but it's full of it. This takes a long time but the evidence from those who've gone before us is solid-we will get better.

[[bl...]]

Thank you for the reminder, that others have walked this journey towards successful healing. I came to this site to be reminded I can do this.

[[Vi...]]

Hi MTfan, thank you for coming back and try to encourage me. I'm in such a bad place. I thought I was on this drug only 2 x 2 and half months..... I will be better by 13 months. Did not happen. 

My hole left side of my body is numb and my head pain is killing me. I don't know how long this hell going last or why I'm not getting any window. I do have somewhat better days here and there but thepain never goes away. I'm so upset of the doctor who give me this med and myself bc I never did any research on it. To late now.

Praying to God to give you s some nic window

I see your history.. you been trough hell too. I'm so sorry to see that. Imsending a big hug for you :hug:

Vica

[[MT...]]

Vica, whether it's with windows or a slow, gradual recovery, your time will come. Take it one day at a time.

[[Vi...]]

Vica, whether it's with windows or a slow, gradual recovery, your time will come. Take it one day at a time.

[Guest [Te...]]

Hello all...

 

Been looking for a "niche" thread, and this very well may be it. 

 

I have made 9 or 10 attempts at getting off this poison and can tell you from personal experience each time is harder than the last.

 

But off I must get.  Totally off.  I'll be 55 on my next birthday.  Starting at a high dose is going to take a while, but hopefully I will get there.

 

Looking to hear from others and gain encouragement that it's "not too late" at 55 to be going through this process.

 

I hope everyone is faring well today.

 

P.S.  I need to clean up and simplify my Signature so it's not so "busy" and confusing.

[[wa...]]

Welcome, Texan Mike!  It seems that Klon is a real monster for enough folks that they have a thread on it.  It's actually their 2nd thread since the original maxed out.  They may also help you.  I started tapering at 56.  You can do it.  WBB