Protracted Benzo withdrawal

Are you taking an anti depressant now,because after 6+ years I am still getting worse,memory gone,muscles contract so strongly upon standing that I can't walk more than a few feet,tinnitus,head pressure,mental fog,and more and if an antidepressant fixed those issues,tell me and tell me which one! I am past desperate ,thank you.

@num1boxer1919 - For many years I accepted the diagnosis that I had a debilitating anxiety disorder and would likely need to be on medication forever. It was an easy diagnosis to accept because I felt so unwell. Exhausted, sweating and shaky, poor sleep. It never occurred to me that my constant state of
dis-ease was caused by the medication I was taking (Xanax, in my case). I finally started having such bad anxiety that I knew the medication was no longer working. But I was also physically dependent on it. What a lousy situation!!! My doctor wasn't terribly supportive of me discontinuing the Xanax. "Do you want to become housebound?" was one demoralizing quote I remember. Also, "this class of medication is almost impossible to discontinue." Geez, that's a helluva thing to mention after 13 years. And as if to prove her point (albeit not intentionally cruel) she put me on a waaaaaay too fast titration schedule. I almost agreed with her that, yes, this was too difficult. But I'm stubborn. I found the Ashton Manual's suggested titration schedule which recommended switching to a benzodiazepine that has a much longer half-life (Valium), stabilizing on that, then SLOWLY reducing the amount every two weeks. I switched from Xanax .5mg 3x a day to Valium 10mg 3x a day. I reduced by 2.5mgs every two weeks (easy to do by splitting a 5mg tablet). When I reached 10mg per day, I slowed the reduction to 1mg every two weeks. I am now at 1mg of Valium per day for three more days, then done! I don't expect any withdrawals from such a low dose. The whole titration process was more comfortable than being on my previous full prescription of Xanax. As in, no withdrawal symptoms to speak of. I used other means of help by way of diaphragmatic breaking, relaxation tapes, good sleep hygiene, etc. But it was the Ashton titration that made it painless. Best of luck!

Just to give you an idea of equivalencies: https://www.benzo.org.uk/bzequiv.htm So if you take 1mg klonopin twice a day, the diazepam (Valium) equivalent would be 20mg twice a day. You can then reduce by 2mg (or I did 2.5mg) every two weeks. If you stay with klonopin and reduce by .25mg, you'll be reducing exactly twice as fast as I did. IMHO, this is an unnecessarily traumatic route. Initially, I tried to discontinue directly from Xanax. Holy cow, what a mistake! Not only did I keel-haul my nervous system, but I failed as well. The benefit of valium/diazepam is that it has a long half-life, meaning it leaves your system very, very slowly. So there is no "between-dose" withdrawal. Post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS) is something you want to avoid. I think it can be avoided if you are careful and gentle with yourself.

Life does get better and my sleep is finally returning to normal. My withdrawal was last march I didnt realize I did it too fast but was only on .50 klonopin at night then, but for 14 years. My body felt like I was shaking all the time but it wasn't visible to anyone but me, anxiety was bad, and couldn't sleep and my vision seemed distorted. My worst issues were my mind was in a major fog all the time and my memory was so bad I thought I had Alzheimer's. It was almost 7 months for the fog to finally start to lift. I tried CBD oil to help with sleep and it helped some. Beware of adding any meds in withdrawal, my depression got so bad my dr added another antidepressant to my normal meds. All my fog and memory issues came back worse then before so I got off that med after 3 weeks and took another month to get back to where I was before it. About 3 weeks ago I realized I was feeling as close to normal as I had for years! What a relief all from a small does of such a horrible benzodiazepine!! They say to stay positive but I found that wasn't easy. I wish you all the luck because it can and does get better. I wish the drs would stop prescribing these meds for such an extended time and explain what they can do to you.

Thank you to much for your input.. So once I get off of it my sleep will eventual get back to normal after time? I know you've probably not been on Seroquel I'm only on a low dose just for the antihistamine effect so it can help me sleep, do you think I should come off the Klonopin first? I just wanna make sure I do it right & the safest way.. I think I may try to talk to my pharmacist because they know medications pretty well just to see if they can give me a little bit of input on the whole thing cause I sure a lot of them now almost as much or more than a doctor does on medications & what they can do..

The quantity and quality of my sleep has improved markedly as the level of diazepam in my system has decreased. In hindsight, I can say that the benzos had been negatively effecting my sleep for many, many years. It really is appalling. But I had been convinced that all my symptoms were a manifestation of a disorder.
You're correct, I have not taken Seroquel. My understanding is that it is an atypical antipsychotic developed to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. It is not a sleeping aid. It is a powerful psychotropic drug that has sedating properties as a side-effect. It's off-label use for insomnia is controversial. Do I remember you saying it made your heart race?

Sometimes we read to much and sometimes what we read is exaggerated. Remember there's all kinds of people on these boards and and they have mental problems that are worse than ours. Are you sure there isn't something else that is wrong with you? Maybe it's another drug you are taking. I really can't say, I feel bad for you and hope your problems resolve themselves soon. Take care.

Thank you so much for the advise. Mentel illness is a really terrible thing and so hard to deal with......it takes all your strength always and hoping you are feeling better. The strength comes from the MAN UP STAIRS and I pray to home daily. Hope you are having a Happy Valentine Day Patti