LOW DOSE Dependence group.

[Guest [Be...]]

 

Also, recently my physician did a blood test for pheochromocytoma (adrenal gland tumor) wondering if my withdrawal from such low doses was actually not withdrawal but pheo.  I got the results today.  It showed very high levels of epinephrine, and high levels of dopamine.  This could possibly mean I have pheo, but he said the results are not conclusive (if the test was normal, he said it would confirm I did not have pheo, but when it is not normal additional testing needs to be done to find out what is going on).  He is following up with a 24 hour urine test.  Just curious whether anyone had any knowledge of whether alprazolam withdrawal can cause elevation of excitory neurotransmitters like epinephrine and dopamine.  The doctor seemed to not think so.  Anyone know whether benzos can counteract excess dopamine and epinephrine?  Is it possible for alprazolam to mask pheochromocytoma symptoms?

 

My doctor did this test on me as well. I had the 24hr urine test. He wasn't convinced my symptoms were just withdrawal and wanted to try and find something else, probably to vindicate himself who had prescribed the benzo in the first place. I knew I didn't have this but complied just the same. Of course it was negative and I am now recovering at 4months.

I think that benzo withdrawal can throw up numerous positive tests for one thing or another but once over everything returns to normal. The chemical balance of our bodies is so disrupted by this. I also have ketones in my urine which indicate I'm in third stage kidney failure  .  I've no doubt this will

also clear and refuse to worry.

[[St...]]

I was tested for various physical maladies that might be causing my symptoms too. All came back negative (normal). He tried Zoloft and by day four anxiety was through the roof. A couple of others didn't help either. At around 18 months my surgeon wrote me a prescription for 25mg of Elavil. I slept like a log. I was drowsy during the day which was welcome after being anxious daily for so long. After a couple of weeks I quit taking it. I had no withdrawal. Just wasn't drowsy anymore. After a few weeks I decided to try 10mg. That was just enough to take the edge off without too much drowsiness. I took it for about 6-8 weeks and quit. Once again, no withdrawal. I wish I'd have known about it from the beginning. I would have tried it first for the sleep alone. I hate drugs and I'm not recommending it but, it might be worth asking your doctor about it.

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Interesting about Elavil. It's not an option for my self as I'm already on an SSRI even though I know Elavil is a Tricyclic. I hate drugs as well but if there is any chance of helping anyone in any way it's worth a look.

 

Question to all ?

 

Cutting at such a small dose, at what point do you just stop?? I mean at this rate I'll be taking virtually nothing before I know it. I'm looking at having maybe another 4-5 months to go. I'm still debating weather I'm cutting too slow. I'm doing 1% every 4 days.. Using the syringe it's a quarter of 1% daily. It's such a slow ride, I'm a complete walking zombie now! I may post this in the main withdrawal forum as well. 

 

Cheers!

 

 

Fonz

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This is a great topic...

 

Dosage has certainly been on my mind lately.

 

Over the last 2.5 months I have reduced down to 0.375mgs from 0.625mgs of a clonazepam called Rivotril. I am doing a liquid titration tapper (100mL) so this is equivalent to -40%.

 

I had some pretty good w/d sxs at the beginning but they stabilized and now I get what I call fringe w/d sxs but they are manageable.

 

I am currently reducing 1% every 3 days with little or no w/d sxs and I am continuously debating if I should speed that up.

 

Cheers,

Adie

[[mr...]]

Hi all,

 

Glad to see there are other low dose users! I had originally been prescribed 0.25mg alprazolam 3x day four years ago, but NEVER took that much. Was using a pill or two per week the first few months, and grew to about every other day after year one. Never raised more than that until last year, where, in November, I began my plan to stabilize at 0.25mg/day, and stabilized well on that. I water titrate, and am currently drinking 73%(roughly) of the solution. I remove 1mL per day (from 250mL water with 0.25mg dissolved in it) for ten days and then hold for ten days, regardless of how I feel. 1mL per day is roughly 0.5% cut per day right now, and about 5.5% drop over ten days, which is perfectly in line with Dr. Ashton's manual. Some ten-day-runs are tougher than others, and ironically some of my ten-day-holds have been rougher than my cut days! I ever held once for six weeks because of symptoms, only to realize that I moved back into tolerance w/d and felt worse Once I resumed taper again after the six week break, I began to feel better! So sometimes listening too close to my body has been decieving at times, so most times now, when I'm in a symptom "funk" I just stick to my ten-day rotation plan and just choose to trust the professional advice of the Ashton manual. I still tune into my body, no doubt, but if I can answer yes to.the question, "can I stick this out for just a few more days?" then Ill keep on tapering :-) After all, the real healing doesn't commence fully until we're at Ground Zero!!

Anyways, just glad to see there are others out there who are like me, low dosers!!! I was beginning to feel a bit like a weenie, feeling symptoms like the others, but at a fraction of the highest dose they'd ever been on, lol!

God's peace is with you all!!

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lol I had a good laugh at that "feel like a weenie" haha..  The doctors around here make me feel like a weenie for sure! I know for a fact I'm not weenie and I'm sure most of us are not. I'll admit I cut slow to avoid going through complete hell but does that make me a wimp?? haha. I tried cutting faster 3 separate times, one of wish put me in hospital. I noticed on the main board there is discussion of sometimes cutting fast is alright. I have no doubt in my mind that this is true. I have seen with my own eyes people come off these drugs with little effort and very rapidly. We are all different. Anyhow, I decided to personally try cutting faster.. I have doubled my cut rate because I am suffering WAY too much as it is going slow.

 

I'd love if people would share their exact side effects in detail.. Specifically people on a low dose or cutting slow. I guess for some it's hard to explain in words but it would certainly be nice to hear from others.

 

Thanks for posting everyone! 

 

Cheers,

 

 

Fonz

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Hi Fonz and everyone:

 

I have been tapering for 19 months. Very, very , very slow taper. Currently am on 0.060g per day of clonazepam. Am also on sertraline but that will be saved for tapering after I'm off the clon. for a good while.

 

Faster, bigger cuts did me in early on so am doing the turtle-taper. This way I can work and not have to be bed-ridden.

 

Wishing us all the best of luck.......T2

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Teacher2, I know what you mean by bed ridden. I was wondering if you could share the side effects you get in detail?  I'm currently crawling off my clonazepam but I have never in my life felt so "out of it", reality has become completely distorted. I no longer seem to suffer from my original reason for being on this drug but now suffer from this ongoing fuzziness to the world.

 

 

Take care!

 

Fonz

[[te...]]

Hi Fonz

 

I started at 2 mg. of clon. in May 2010. Began taping in June 2010. It took me three long months of trail and error to figure out the right dose to taper! I stayed with my MOM and was bedridden....rubbery legs, brain zaps, feeling Twilight-Zonish, nausea, super tinnitis, insomnia, could not take a nap because when awakening felt toxicly ill. Burning/tingling skin, tremors.

 

I cut every 14 days.

 

Hoping others will chime in.....please?

 

T2

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Hi, I have been away.

 

Thanks for sharing Teacher2.

 

I like the word "Twilight" haha. It's so true.

 

I'm proud to announce that today I have reached 50% off the poison. It's been a long journey, I have finally gotten to 50%. I remember months ago dreaming of being half off.

 

I started cutting faster as I hate being on this garbage. I'm certainly feeling like hell possibly because of it but it was worth it to get to this point.

 

 

Hope all is well with everyone!

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Hi everyone,

 

I'm wondering how everyone is doing? Is anyone nearly off?  I have about 18% to go and it's gotten much worse, in fact the worst yet which is almost impossible to fathom.

 

Cheers,

 

 

Fonz

[[te...]]

Fonz....

 

I'm off clonazepam & sertraline, since April 17th. It's still not easy. Am awaiting my first window. Wd is not as intense, & a few symptoms seem to have left--tinnitis, rubbery legs, electrical brain zaps, adrenalin surges no longer last 3+ hours.

 

Symptoms that are prevalent now, at 4+ months off are: fatigue, apathy, agoraphobia, joint pain, insomnia.

 

So very glad to be free of the meds though, Fonz. How are you doing?

 

T2

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That's awesome to hear T2! 

 

I hope the rest of your symptoms go away very soon.

 

I'm alright, I mean the truth is I'm 5 times worse than when I first started this thread. I have learned a lot and I am remaining strong! I have promised my self I am not going to give up. I was VERY close to spending 10K to go to a benzo rehab center for a month... I managed not to go and fight this on my own. I decided all the therapy they would give me would go in one ear and out the other. If I were to go I'd rather go when I'm more "sober" and not so disabled.

 

I only have about 18% to go. I have been on a 2.5 week hold and I was feeling pretty great but today I'm back to feeling pretty miserable 

 

Make sure to update me with your progression!

 

Stay Strong,

 

 

Fonz 

 

 

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How is everyone doing ?? Any progress folks ?

 

 

Fonz

[[La...]]

Well, I am down to 0.105mg lorazepam which is undoubtedly low dose, and my wd sxs indicate I am still dependent. so, definitely in the low dose dependence crowd.

 

But getting much better. I can feel the grip of this demon drug loosening. Windows outnumber waves in duration and their severity is waning. Last week was comprised of 6 days of windows, 1 day of waves. And by the late night of that wave day, the window was already opening. don't want to get too confident here yet, as this week started out with a wave, though by no means as severe as that in mid taper.

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Great to hear LazerJet!

 

I jumped on the 31oct. It's been a VERY rough ride for me but I can honestly see hope! Like you I don't want to get confident yet but it's clear to me I'm slowly healing. I'm still FAR from being well but at least I have encouragement. It's been windows/waves for a while but besides roughly 8 hours illness total the last 4-5 days have been livable.

 

Cheers,

 

 

Fonz

[[Sn...]]

Fonz, great thread.  I too was on low dose off and on for years.  Couldn't believe such a low dose could cause so many problems.  Sometimes I think its all in my head especially after reading posts where buddies have taken mega doses and are struggling. I would think to myself how can I be experiencing the same symptoms as  them and as intense as them when I took such a small dose.  It helps to know I am not alone in this low dose club.

 

Peace and Blessings

Snufi

[[or...]]

As my sig indicates, I'm on a low dose.

 

I've been trying to get the hang of microtapering and have probably been going too fast as I have felt sick for a couple of days. I updosed to the place where I last felt well and that is seeming to help. I feel better today than yesterday. So I will continue holding. And continue hoping that I find the right amount to cut by so I can continue. I felt better at the start of microtapering than I do now . . . I guess the cuts caught up with me. I'll learn.

 

Okatz

 

 

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I was always a bit confused with why I'd be so sick on such a low dose. I finally came across a smart pharmacist whom explained it and confirmed my suspensions. She said regardless of dose size we are all different. She said some people are very sensitive to medication, period. One person could handle a high dose where as it could hurt another. Of course it's a bit less common so doctors get confused and think we must be mistaken or making up our symptoms.

 

The other side of the story is how long we have been exposed to the drug. A sensitive person being exposed to a low dose for a long time would be just as bad as someone with a high dose. I know it makes no sense at first but in reality it does make perfect sense.

 

Anyhow, the good news is no matter which category we fit in to we all seem to heal!! That is the main thing.

 

It's a tough battle for some of us,

 

 

 

May we all remain strong!

 

 

 

Fonz

[[Be...]]

I was always a bit confused with why I'd be so sick on such a low dose. I finally came across a smart pharmacist whom explained it and confirmed my suspensions. She said regardless of dose size we are all different. She said some people are very sensitive to medication, period. One person could handle a high dose where as it could hurt another. Of course it's a bit less common so doctors get confused and think we must be mistaken or making up our symptoms.

 

The other side of the story is how long we have been exposed to the drug. A sensitive person being exposed to a low dose for a long time would be just as bad as someone with a high dose. I know it makes no sense at first but in reality it does make perfect sense.

 

Anyhow, the good news is no matter which category we fit in to we all seem to heal!! That is the main thing.

 

It's a tough battle for some of us,

 

 

 

May we all remain strong!

 

 

 

Fonz

 

I agree completely with this.  Genetic anxiety runs in my family on my dad's side who was also diagnosed with it and drank alcohol to self medicate.  I was on an extremely low dose for a few years, am sensitive to it, and now am suffering from w/d as much as someone on a high dose who c/t'd. 

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Glad to see you are off the benzo's Becksblue! I read your signature, so did you jump off a bit quick or? 

[[Be...]]

Glad to see you are off the benzo's Becksblue! I read your signature, so did you jump off a bit quick or?

 

I'm starting to think maybe I did a bit of a c/t even on a low dose.  I tapered a little, but I was alternating days all the time, one day I'd take one, then I wouldn't.  I didn't know about benzobuddies forum and proper tapering until after I jumped.

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I understand. I did the same type of thing a few years back. I also had no idea about benzo buddies. It was only the 3rd time reinstating and getting off where the world caved in on me and sent me to hell!  My brain had enough of it 

 

 

 

[[mr...]]

I will stop in to say that things continue to get better and better on my end

 

My history is that I took only 0.25mg alprazolam (Xanax) PRN for a couple years. I was in tolerance almost this entire time, and it grew worse over time. I discovered BB, and began my water titration in Nov 2012, starting on a stable dose of 0.25mg daily dissolved into 250mL of water. I dosed an even split of this 250mL four times throughout my day, once every six hours. I am now over a year into tapering, and about 70% free from the drug. I am soooooo much better than I was a year ago today! This path has not been easy, and I still have more healing and tapering to do, but the future is so bright! Keep moving forward You will get better!

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Great story mrsalw!

 

I like how you split the doses and decided to drag it out a bit, I think that was a wise decision! I feel I jumped a bit too fast, I only let my self stabilize twice in 12 months. In the end taking the dose was making me sick and not taking it was making me sick    I had split my dose in two.

 

 

Best of luck with healing!  You'll be off the poison before you know it!  I jumped Halloween   

 

 

 

Fonz