Benzodiazepines

Back in 2018, I diagnosed with what doctors thought was CDiff and they put me on vancomycin and Reglan. I had a very bad reaction to the Reglan and suddenly started having anxiety. It came out of nowhere. I had been on Effexor for 16 years when that happened and it had been working fine for 16 years and never had any anxiety or depression. When the anxiety started the doctors didn’t know what was causing it so they took me off of the Effexor cold turkey. I basically went into psychosis. I was in and out of hospitals for months and months and months with them trying to help me and they finally put me on Klonopin. That was in 2019. By early 2021 I had already reached tolerance and decided I would start tapering off of the benzo. I did that for nine months and it kept getting worse and worse and someone suggested that I try brain restoration NAD. I did that for 10 days and they switched me over to Valium to complete my taper. It didn’t help. I honestly don’t think I can do this for another nine months to a year every day. I wake up wanting to just die from the symptoms. I don’t have anxiety in my brain, I just have all these physical symptoms. Today I finally had a complete meltdown and told my family that I couldn’t do this anymore. I used to be a very successful business woman in Atlanta and traveled the world and did mission trips to Third World countries and now I’m curled up on the sofa wishing I could just fall asleep and never wake up. I know if I go into a rehab program they are just going to do a fast taper and then I will be left dealing with withdrawal symptoms. Someone please give me a recommendation. I can’t live like this anymore.

I went to treatment in 2019 because of the Effexor withdrawals. That’s how I ended up on benzodiazepines. I want off of them. As for my doctor, they were good at responding until I think they realized they can’t help me anymore. They are functional medicine doctors. I don’t have a psychiatrist because he kept insisting I take MORE of the benzos. So I dropped him. My GP is a small town doctor and is no expert on benzodiazepines. He knows very little. I think I’m going to just leave tonight while my family sleeps and check myself in somewhere.

Back in 2018, I diagnosed with what doctors thought was CDiff and they put me on vancomycin and Reglan. I had a very bad reaction to the Reglan and suddenly started having anxiety. It came out of nowhere. I had been on Effexor for 16 years when that happened and it had been working fine for 16 years and never had any anxiety or depression. When the anxiety started the doctors didn’t know what was causing it so they took me off of the Effexor cold turkey. I basically went into psychosis. I was in and out of hospitals for months and months and months with them trying to help me and they finally put me on Klonopin. That was in 2019. By early 2021 I had already reached tolerance and decided I would start tapering off of the benzo. I did that for nine months and it kept getting worse and worse and someone suggested that I try brain restoration NAD. I did that for 10 days and they switched me over to Valium to complete my taper. It didn’t help. I honestly don’t think I can do this for another nine months to a year every day. I wake up wanting to just die from the symptoms. I don’t have anxiety in my brain, I just have all these physical symptoms. Today I finally had a complete meltdown and told my family that I couldn’t do this anymore. I used to be a very successful business woman in Atlanta and traveled the world and did mission trips to Third World countries and now I’m curled up on the sofa wishing I could just fall asleep and never wake up. I know if I go into a rehab program they are just going to do a fast taper and then I will be left dealing with withdrawal symptoms. Someone please give me a recommendation. I can’t live like this anymore.

@wmbcat

I had the exact same reaction following a surgery where spinal nerve block anesthesia was used and antibiotics following the surgery. I had been on Paxil CR successfully for 17 years. Then, full panic that went on for weeks. Unfortunately, no medication, alternative treatments, or therapy has worked. I was prescribed Klonopin. Started having tolerance withdrawals and switch to Valium. Tolerance quickly on Valium. At that point, there is no other option other than to taper. But, since the original condition was never stabilized, I too am really struggling with constant severe anxiety, tremors , and depression.

I know this is an old thread, but if you see this , I would like to know how you proceeded.

Thanks,

@jschwing - I have not been on this thread for a little while so just saw this. Klonopin almost ruined my life as some idiot sleep disorder doc prescribed it and doesn't understand the drug at all. After 6 weeks the tremors started and he refused to believe it was the klonopin. After 7 months and only getting worse, I stopped cold turkey as I came to realize he was an idiot and it was the klonopin. Went to my primary and a neurologist and both said "NO" to this crap drug and couldn't believe he prescribed it for sleep period. Well I stopped almost 2 1/2 years ago and the withdrawal tremors lasted for 2 full years, so now you can see what you can be up against. Best of luck but absolutely no to this horrible drug which people are addicted to and don't realize it or say they can't live without it. (That's addiction) Not sugar coating it here, it's the truth.

@arthur57 Read the label on any drug you are taking and you will be shocked at the side effects.
Please show me anyone that died of an overdose of Klonopin. Why don’t you talk about opioids that are killing thousand of people a day. How about heroin laced with fentanyl or cocaine.
What is your obsession with Klonopin?
If it brings relief from panic attacks and anxiety and helps with depression doesn’t that merit giving it some credit? Millions of people have been taking the same dosage for years. Let’s hear from some of you out there.
You can’t blame all your problems on one drug.
Just thinking out loud.

@arthur57 Read the label on any drug you are taking and you will be shocked at the side effects.
Please show me anyone that died of an overdose of Klonopin. Why don’t you talk about opioids that are killing thousand of people a day. How about heroin laced with fentanyl or cocaine.
What is your obsession with Klonopin?
If it brings relief from panic attacks and anxiety and helps with depression doesn’t that merit giving it some credit? Millions of people have been taking the same dosage for years. Let’s hear from some of you out there.
You can’t blame all your problems on one drug.
Just thinking out loud.

@daveshaw , @wmbcat
Dave makes a good point. I take a very low dose of clonazepam 0.25mg once or twice a day as needed to calm my anxiety. This BENZO works instantly and I’m not willing to take SSRI or SNRI for weeks waiting for them to work. And if they don’t, weening of them is also extremely painful.
I’ve been taking the Benzo for 6 weeks and don’t have any noticable bad side effects. However I am concerned about all the horror stories about physical dependency. But if you have any medical condition and you take medication for it, you effectively are dependent on it.
BTW, I have a very strange story. My 68 yr sister-in-law took .5mg twice a day or 18 years. She stopped cold turkey about a year ago because her anxiety disappeared (an event too unusual to describe here). No withdrawal symptoms whatsoever. Bizarre, I know.
Maybe @wmbcat was given too high of a dosage or her body just couldn’t take it.

@daveshaw , @wmbcat
Dave makes a good point. I take a very low dose of clonazepam 0.25mg once or twice a day as needed to calm my anxiety. This BENZO works instantly and I’m not willing to take SSRI or SNRI for weeks waiting for them to work. And if they don’t, weening of them is also extremely painful.
I’ve been taking the Benzo for 6 weeks and don’t have any noticable bad side effects. However I am concerned about all the horror stories about physical dependency. But if you have any medical condition and you take medication for it, you effectively are dependent on it.
BTW, I have a very strange story. My 68 yr sister-in-law took .5mg twice a day or 18 years. She stopped cold turkey about a year ago because her anxiety disappeared (an event too unusual to describe here). No withdrawal symptoms whatsoever. Bizarre, I know.
Maybe @wmbcat was given too high of a dosage or her body just couldn’t take it.

@daveshaw - Dave, I guess I have a thing for this particular drug since it caused extreme havoc with my CNS for 2 1/2 years. Seriously thought I had parkinsons coming on at one point, thus my appointment with a neurologist who found nothing, but after finding out about the Klonopin, he looks at me and says, "where there you go"! Yes, I know many love this drug and good for them, have at it. Just know that once on it for any length of time, dependency is pretty much a given for most whether realized or not. For some who plan on staying on it permanently, well I guess that's fine too but obviously many have to up the dose, no different than street drugs that you mention. I do agree with you, I am totally anti-illegal drugs etc., have never tried any and never will. It's sad what opiods have done - agreed. But this particular drug messed me up just as bad I'm certain. I have researched this drug until I was blue in the face, talked to pharmacists about it as they obviously know more about this stuff than most physicians ever will. Both agreed, not a good drug, one who is now retired, said he was surprised it was even dispenced, said it was a drug from the 70's. Talk to physicians, the younger ones, they will tell you it's a no no, the older guys are the ones mostly still prescribing. But Dave, if you were me for those 2 1/2 years you'd know why I was angry, mostly with the idiot who prescribed it and denied it's side effects, (yes old guy). Every day I just walked around with tremors & vibrations, feeling like I was sitting on a running outdoor AC unit. That was life. Sorry, won't post anymore, but I still say NO to benzo's just like opiods!