tapered to .375 clonazepam

[[...]]

More on the joys of tachycardia. I've always had a fast pulse. Since starting to taper my blood pressure has dropped into the 90/60 range and sometimes even lower. Tachycardia at this BP is unsettling. I don't want to take atenolol to slow my racing heart down. Ironic that I've taken atenolol for high BP for years.

[[...]]

Hi KT

 

I am reading more and more posts from people here about blood pressure.  There doesn't seem to be any pattern to it.  People go up.  Other people go down.  I assume as a person for whom it is an issue, you have been paying close attention.  Can you make any general statements?

 

ntw

[[Pa...]]

Good Morning KT,

 

I'm pretty sure you're mumbling to yourself right now, what's good about it?  I'm including the instructions for your signature.  http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=9432.0

 

So, on to the real business.  I'm sorry about your sleep issues, I didn't use Trazodone during my withdrawals, so I don't know if it's effective.  One of our members TC used it and seemed to think it helped.  I was an idiot and reached for the Ambien, hope you're not looking to that again.

 

I know the nights are cruel to us when we can't sleep, try to stay away from the catastrophic thinking it creates.  I actually went to my Dr during the worst of my troubles and asked if a person could die from lack of sleep.  He almost laughed, almost (creep) and said no, you'll fall asleep before that happens.  Feel better now?

 

I hope yours and your husbands flu symptoms leave soon, is there anything else life can pile on you at the moment?

 

Pam

[[...]]

Hi Pam,

 

No, not Ambien, no way. And life issues don't go away in the middle of this. Got plenty of those. The worst thing at this very moment is the unbearable, intractable tension. Was it this way BK (before Klonopin)? I don't remember. I hope it wasn't this bad. It's hard to not awfulize. Will it ever be better than this?

 

KT

[[...]]

Hi ntw,

 

The only thing I can speculate about my BP is that it's gone low due to adrenal fatigue. Tachycardia perhaps due to adrenal fatigue as well. I do know without a doubt that w/d has been taxing on my adrenals, which weren't strong to start with.

 

KT

[[Pa...]]

Hi Pam,

 

No, not Ambien, no way. And life issues don't go away in the middle of this. Got plenty of those. The worst thing at this very moment is the unbearable, intractable tension. Was it this way BK (before Klonopin)? I don't remember. I hope it wasn't this bad. It's hard to not awfulize. Will it ever be better than this?

 

KT

 

The good thing about Klonopin withdrawals is it lets us know that whatever we took the Klonopin for initially was nothing compared to what we're feeling now.  Plus, we learn such great coping skills along the way, when we're finally healed we have no need to reach for drugs, isn't that just peachy?

 

Love your new word, awfulize!!  And by the way, you're going to get better I promise, you just have to endure this first.  It sucks to be so powerless.

[[...]]

It sucks, it sucks, it sucks! There. I'm expressing my feelings from my centered, empowered state of being. Hah. That's a load.

[[Pa...]]

It sucks, it sucks, it sucks! There. I'm expressing my feelings from my centered, empowered state of being. Hah. That's a load.

 

[[aa...]]

Hi KT... :)I to was on klonopin 2 mg a day for 3 years. I all so took up to 4mg or sometimes 5mg a day.When I tappered I did like you and and dropped to 1mg from a daily does of 2mg. You are so lucky to have .125 mg pills so you can tapper from a low doses I wish I was that lucky because I had to stop when I got stable on .125 mg. Try to stay postitive!!! You are doing a great job :thumbsup:Everyone here feels your pain!

[[...]]

Thanks, Aaliyah 

 

I've been reading your account too. You're going to be fine. You're a woman of amazing courage and determination.

 

KT

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It sucks, it sucks, it sucks! There. I'm expressing my feelings from my centered, empowered state of being. Hah. That's a load.

 

This is eloquence!!!

 

ntw

[[...]]

Poetry, even...

[[Sh...]]

Putting one word next to another that actually makes some kind of sense is worth striving for~

Now if I can just get them out verbally as well as I manage to do in writing than life would be so much better right now..

I need an edit button that can erase all my blunders I make while trying to talk..for example:

Trying to ask "where the bread isle" is at the grocery story is a huge feat! 

Yeppers! This SUCKETH big time! 

But we are feeling sucky at the same time:P

XXXXXXXX

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It might be a starry night out, and the deer and raccoons may be romping in the woods, but I've got full-on insomnia and nothing helps. That, and my head is itching like crazy. I actually checked for head lice. Nope. 2AM. At least no waking up to a middle-of-the-night panic attack. Haven't grown a third limb or been abducted by aliens, at least... Eyelids so heavy I can barely type. I wouldn't care if I fell asleep face first into the laptop.

[[...]]

Going on 30 hrs. no sleep. Nothing is working. Here's the reality of my life situation. This is for real. I can't afford not to sleep. My health is shot, one son has inattentive ADD, I tend to the administrative issues involving the care of both my mother with Alzheimer's and my uncle with Alzheimers, and my nutty mother-in-law lives in an extended family setup with my husband, kids and me. I'm an only child. I got stuck with a lot. Help!!!!!!

[[Sh...]]

So sorry KT,

I went 12 days with NO sleep when I tried to C/T Klonopin and feel your suffering. 

I am praying that your body natural need for sleep takes over asap!

In the meantime, Just lay down and REST..turn off lights, noise..light some nice candles and make your home as sensory free as you can make it.  Its not sleep but your body needs the motions of rest right now:)

Your body is healing and the suffering is from your receptors screaming for klon....ignore the symptoms as much as you can and know that this wont last forever! Get MAD! 

A nice hot bubble bath will help calm your body as well:)

Take care and keep being the strong person that you are!

XXXXXXX

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Oh KT

 

Your situation sounds awful.  I wish there was some way we could help.  Over the years when I have had trouble sleeping, never as bad as you I admit, I found that it helped to let myself get really, really cold and then crawl under warm blankets.  Don't know if it will help, but it's all I can offer.

 

ntw

[[ad...]]

I wish you would talk to me Adelia.  But I dont want to hijack this thread.  I have adrenal insuffiency coming from my pituitary. 

But I will leave it alone.  I don't know what I'm really saying right now anyway.

 

Thanks,

Mamie

 

Hi Mamie,

 

Sorry it took me so long to get back here.  How are you?  I'll be very happy to talk to you!!!  I'm sure KT won't mind too much, especially if it's about the adrenals.  Maybe she can fill in with her expertise!  Do you have true adrenal insufficiency....as in, your adrenals aren't making any cortisol? 

 

Do you have a blog or someplace else you're posting to? 

 

adelia

[[ad...]]

Hi adelia!

 

Thanks! I'd very much appreciate the info as to how to put together a signature line. I'm particularly technologically clueless these days. I'd love to trade notes as to our discoveries, too.

 

Another interesting morning here. I'm now on day four of .125. Forget sleep. Trazodone doesn't help and appears to be causing rapid pulse of 100+. Could be that .125 is causing rapid pulse. Hard to say. Emotional backlog coming up relentlessly. Had a great 2am epiphany about taking on my Dad's pain, but the ways in which pain gets yanked out during the predawn no sleep hours is a bit much.  Also coinciding with tapering to .125 is a severe case of  flu. My husband has it too.

 

I hope things are going well for you! I'm going to crawl back to bed now and see if supplicating the sleep gods works.

 

KT

 

 

 

 

 

Hi KT,

 

So very sorry to hear about how rough things are right now.  To be honest, it sounds like you're having some major Klon withdrawals.  Did you just cut from .375 to .125?  EGADS!  That's a very huge cut!  That's about a 60% cut off your dose. 

 

I did a dry-cut taper off Klon.  At .25 mg and below, was when I really started to get sick.  And at DAY FOUR of every cut, was when all hell would break loose.  This is a typical pattern in w/d's.  And when all the major symptoms I had got worse: 

 

insomnia

tachycardia

flu-like symptoms 

burning aching muscles

severe muscle tension, spasms, you name it

brain distress

GI stuff (diarrhea etc.)

it's a very long list, need I say more......?

 

My tach. was also over 100, and I know how annoying it can be.  If anything, it GAVE me anxiety.  Once you get your taper under control, the tach. will come right down.  Funny how that works. 

 

Are you dry cutting KT?  I can't remember.  Or doing a liquid taper.  The recommended cut is still 10%....although it will get harder to do a "10%" cut as you get lower.  You'll end up having to shave off pieces, and then...how to make all those pieces precise enough to "hold" that dose for 7-14 days? 

 

KT, you've been on Klon. so long, that it worries me a bit for you to taper so quickly.  No one knows better than me how long some of those symptoms can stick around, when one tapers too fast (like I did). 

 

Okay, on to the signature line!!  Need any more help?  You can always PM me, if I don't respond quick enough and you need some help.  Same for anyone.  I've been a little slow lately, what with teeth falling out, colds, a few computer probems, and such.  Sorry! 

 

adelia

 

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Hi Mamie,

 

Would you fill me in again on what your issues is, please? Sorry, but my brain isn't retaining a lot these days. Seems I recall that your pituitary isn't producing (any) ACTH. If that's the case, then the adrenals' response to the pituitary underfunctioning might be to produce very little cortisol. If you're depressed, that would be an indication that your adrenals aren't producing enough cortisol. Is there anything being done to help your pituitary produce ACTH?

 

KT

[[ad...]]

Hi again KT,

 

Here are the instructions for adding your signature line.  These instructions come from the link that Pam previously posted to you: 

 

Adding a brief description of your benzo history and current dosage, and updating it as you taper is extremely helpful to both moderators and buddies who want to keep up to date with your details. This will allow us to much better help and advise you. It can become quite difficult to sift through old posts looking for pertinant information.

 

Click on 'profile' in the green bar below the shoutbox.

Under 'modify profile' in the left hand column, click on 'forum profile information'.

From that page, scroll down almost to the bottom and type in your info in the signature box.

Make sure and click 'change profile' at the bottom. And that's it!

 

Can't wait to read yours!!! 

 

adelia

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Hi Adelia,

 

Thanks! Yes, I tapered way too quickly from .375 to .125. Did it over the course of 7 days. That was stupid. Yes! The shit hits the fan at .25 and below. It's clear to me from my self-created problem that I need to go very slowly. I also get that .125 and lower may be hell for me no matter how I do it. Your withdrawal symptoms and mine are a direct match. I wouldn't be surprised if the longer list is a direct match too. I've given myself another break day today to reclaim my equanimity and sanity. I can't do no sleep. I was starting to hallucinate at the 24 hour mark. My adrenals are too trashed to allow no sleep for any length of time.

 

I'm also probably dealing with the aftereffects of withdrawing from Ambien c/t. That, and the presence of Trazodone in my body, which I'd hoped to use for sleep and for its antidepressant qualities. It worked for a couple of nights and then stopped working. It causes a precipitous drop in BP along with the joys of 100+ tachycardia.

 

Looking at all this, I'm having to reevaluate my taper modality anew. I'm not sure that dry taper, although it remains my taper method of choice, no matter how slowly it's done, will be any different in terms of acute sleep deprivation once I hit the .125 mark. Same might hold true for liquid titration, which I admit to having reservations about doing just because of the inconvenience. Might it be wiser for me to cross-taper onto Valium to minimize w/d effects? I'm not enthusiastic about the benzo-for-benzo approach either, but it's beginning to sound sane. Whatever method I use, I'm having to accept that this will take me at least a year to accomplish.

 

Bummer about the tooth loss and colds! Oh them adrenals!!!

 

I definitely could use help with the signature line. Brain not retaining much.

 

Take care, and talk to you soon,

KT

[[Pa...]]

Have you slept yet KT?

[Guest [my...]]

KT,

Yes, I don't have any ACTH.  I'm depressed for a number of reasons.  No cortisol, detoxing Klonopin, and thyroid not working correctly because of lack of cortisol.  I'm going to explain further on my thread that Adelia posted too.  There is nothing that can bring back ACTH. 

 

Have you tried Magnesuim?  The best in called Natural calm.  If you are interested I will tell you where to get it. 

 

Mamie

 

 

[Guest [my...]]

Kt,

Are you taking anything for your adrenals?