Tolerance Withdrawal

[[sh...]]

Hi:

 

I just had a difficult time after having lowered my dose of temazepam.  I went from 30 mg to 15 mg but I had to go back to the higher dose because of unbearable symptoms.  I went off the temazepam a couple of years ago at this dosage and I had no problem coming off.  However, I just got slammed by doing the same thing this time.  I don't get it. I guess I have a higher tolerance for the benzo this time than I did.  It can be really insidious how we change. 

 

I have done an extremely slow taper from klonopin as well. It has been a year since I started reducing.  I reduced down to 0.75mg from 2.0mg quickly, but I have been stalled out for several months.  I am now at about 0.28mg of klonopin.

I don't know why but I feel like I am in a constant state of tolerance and have had to stop my withdrawal.  I have low grade symptoms of shakiness and severe anxiety.  I sleep at night but it feels more like I am in a coma than achieving real rest.  I wake up hung over with tinnitis every day. I don't feel like I am rested slowly arousing from my coma with a state of semi-consciousness about an hour before I get up. I am getting frustrated with my symptoms. I know several who post here say that they have withdrawal symptoms right on down in their taper but continue to withdraw anyway. I plan to resume my taper as my symptoms are noticable but tolerable.  I plan to cut the klonopin by 5 % a week.  It is subjective as to how much I can take.  I also know that many on here have long term symptoms even when off the drug but they refuse to reinstate.  What to do?

 

Kendall

 

 

[[In...]]

Hello Shakey,

 

I'm not sure I understand your question. Good job getting to .28 klonopin 

 

Sounds like you have a plan in place to cut 5% week. Good luck in a successful taper!

[[sh...]]

Hi:

 

Thank you so much for answering.  I know that I rambled a bit in my post due to benzo brain fog.  My question for all at BB is I am wondering about people who have tapered and found their taper complicated with withdrawal all the way down.  How did they cope? Did it get better? Like I said I have been having worse withdrawals than I ever had before now.  I tapered the K from 2.0 mg to 0.75 mg fairly quickly. It has taken me several months to go from 0.75 mg K to 0.28 mg K and I had a messed up attempt to try and reduce my temezapam last week.  I am trying to make the decision to resume my K taper without inducing kindling.  I think my system is in kindling a bit right now. It is so hard to know, but I am impatient and I don't want to mess myself up.  Some seem to push forward in their taper even with some anxious withdrawals.  I am desperate for some support.  I have lost support from my family. My wife and children are out of my life for the most part. I am separating from my girlfriend. It is the holidays.  All things to consider.  I probably should stabilize but it just seems that I run the risk of causing more problems and I have stalled out.  Many thanks and prayers for those that have been ravaged.  I am terrified of life.  It feels as though I am being cut off from life a little at a time.  I am at a crossroads.

 

Kendall

[[In...]]

I see Kendall. Getting of these drugs is the hardest thing many of us will do in our lives. Unfortunately I have read many people here suffer while they taper off, while others go slowly and have milder symptoms. Perhaps someone in the tapering section here can assist you?

 

Since you are taking klonopin on a daily basis and steadily tapering this is withdrawal and not kindling. Kindling occurs when you take benzos for a few months, stop for 6 months, start taking them again, etc..... on and off use several times.

 

You are correct, many do push through their taper with anxious withdrawal and other symptoms as it can be their only way to get off the drug. Take care, I hope the remainder of your taper and recovery is smooth. 

[[OM...]]

5% a week might be a bit too fast as K WD tends to sneak up on people. If you do 5% every two weeks, you would still be cutting at a good pace and if you get hit with lag, where WD from previous cuts hits all at once, then it wouldn't blindside you as much as it wouldn't be 20% a month but half that. I've rarely seen people be able to taper K weekly with minimal to no WD. Generally, they get hit at some point (even sometimes cutting every two weeks causes a hit) and then they are stuck in some heavy WD for a while where they have to hold at their dosage until they stabilize which for some can take a bit.

 

I just want to give you a heads up about K tapering and help you avoid ending up with rough WD down the line. You are at a nice low dose now. Tapering from .25mg K at a safer pace could save you a lot of pain in the end. Going a bit slower now rather than ending up in bad WD down the line and having to up your dose or reinstate is always better. The BNF - british national forumulary (UK version of FDA) states that it is better to taper benzos too slowly than too quickly. I have seen that to be the case time and again here on BB.

 

 

Edited to add: it sounds like you are already in WD that looks a bit rough. Can you hold a bit to stabilize before resuming a taper?

Best of luck to you and I wish you a smooth taper and lots of healing.

[[Di...]]

Now that I'm below .5mg/day, I've had to slow down to 3% every two weeks.

 

That's a pretty small percentage, but I wouldn't think of tapering higher right now, or any faster.

 

Good luck.

[[sh...]]

Hi:

 

Thanks everyone.  My sleep is getting worse.  As you have all said, I should slow my taper down and stabilize for the time being.  It is just that going into a coma every night is not helping me.  I get a few hours but it is benzo sleep and it is not refreshing.  I have to pray to be delivered from the clutches of these terrible drugs.  If I go to the ER, they will just reinstate me or worse give me more drugs.  It really is a trap being hooked on these God forsaken drugs.  I really feel awful.  I need prayer.  I am even finding it hard to pray these days. I am sure it is withdrawal happening.  I will slow down. I find myself craving and not being able to wait until I take my nightly dose so I can escape for a few hours.

 

Kendall

[[ke...]]

Wow you have done a great job getting down in dose. Perhaps a low dose of remeron may help you get more refreshing sleep. Also it may be a better idea to get off the klonopin first and worry about the temazepam later.

[[Di...]]

I have some sleep issues too.

 

I can still sleep, but it is broken sleep, and I wake up frequently.

 

I think I do get some REM sleep though, as I do have dreams.

[[th...]]

shakey, I was on temazapam ( for sleep ) & Xanax at the same time ( both benzos as im sure you know ) my thinking was was to get off one then deal with the other , since the temazapam was not helping w/ sleep I decided it had to go. I think the combo of the two was not good. once I stopped the temaz. and got on a level dose of Xanax . I was getting that good r.e.m. sleep we all need. my personal opinion was to try to get to one poison and try to taper , that way im  " in tune " to what my body/mind is going through and i can isolate the symptoms to one med. and not be " poly drugged"....it helped me , but everyone is different....stay strong

[[sh...]]

Hi:

 

Thank you everyone for your suggestions.  I have been on remeron in the past and I don't think it will help as it lost its effectiveness for me.  I tried to go back on it a couple of years ago and it didn't work.  During that time, I was on temazepam, ativan, remeron, prozac, desipramine, and seroquel. Sheeesh! How much can one take.  When I was on all that stuff, I was having trouble writing my name and I couldn't even formulate a clear sentence.  I was in a delirium. I am still on too many medications, but changing anything seems to result in withdrawal. I went without taking any medications one night last summer and man, talk about a depression.  I dissolved into a pile of gooo. I have lost all my family support and I am currently separating from my girl friend.

I don't know what the future holds, but I feel like I have been abused by the system to say the least.  Thanks for everything. I have great compassion for all of you.  I find myself posting nearly every day now.

 

Kendall