Any positive stories about Benzo tapering? I need hope

Posted by sears @sears, Nov 9, 2019

Would love to hear some positive stories from people whom have tapered off benzos. Positive only please. Give me some hope. No horror stories! I need some encouragement!

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lindasmith1222 | @lindasmith1222 | Apr 18, 2022

In reply to @amandajro "Hello @helpthehelpless7 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Tapering properly is so important so its good..." + (show)

She said she is having tolerance problems. 1.5 mg lorazepam is a very small dosage. Tapering in 3 weeks off 1.5 mg can be done without a great deal of side effects according to the data I have read.

abc123xyz | @abc123xyz | Apr 18, 2022

In reply to @sears "They may not have known many many years ago. True. But they have known for a..." + (show)

Yes, that happened with my doctor, too.

sears | @sears | Apr 18, 2022

In reply to @abc123xyz "Yes, that happened with my doctor, too." + (show)

He abandoned you?

emmett1026 | @emmett1026 | Apr 25, 2022

In reply to @sears "He abandoned you?" + (show)

Ive been tapering off of Clonazepam for 8 months now! I was on 4ng for over 30yrs and what i have found is the in the beginning it's not that hard, i came down pretty quickly actually, butt (lol) what a pain getting off the last .5g!!! It's taking forever! However i'm ready to go to .25mg in June and then, God willing, be off by the beginning of August. I hope that helps anyone struggling with this very difficult task! Give the last bit plenty of time! 😊

Leonard | @jakedduck1 | Apr 25, 2022

@emmett1026

“Ive been tapering off of Clonazepam for 8 months”

I mean no disrespect however I believe your post is example of impatients.

8 months is ”forever”?
What do you consider “30 years” to be?

I tapered over 2 years and took it a much shorter time but my dose was much higher than yours.

I wonder if your rather quick taper to the .5 is catching up with you now.

Have you had any side effects from your taper?

Jake

cmd | @cmd | Apr 25, 2022

Sorry about the benzos. Just be very careful you can really get into trouble if you don’t taper carefully.

melissa163 | @melissa163 | Jul 21, 2022

In reply to @helenfrances "On Mayo Clinic Connect From Harvard: “Taking Klonopin for three to six months raised the risk..." + (show)

I'm doomed then. I started taking Ks at 26 and I'm now 36. I'll pretend I did *not* read this and I'll fully rely on brain plasticity. 🙂
I never liked when benzos were glorified, I don’t like they are being demonized now. I bet sleepless nights are just as detrimental or worse for our memories, but I’m no physician. They should educate us, and not the other way around. 🙁

melissa163 | @melissa163 | Jul 21, 2022

In reply to @sears "Do NOT try to do this in 3 weeks. Can you find another doctor? My doctor..." + (show)

I'd feel pretty confident with the Ashton Method. Her method is really based on "it's better to be safe than sorry". She did (so sad she passed, but what a legacy she left!) 5-10%, that can actually be slow to some organisms. If your doc will move you to diazepam, you should be even more confident, cause if you feel something adverse, it will be mild. I reduced quite slowly, but I was using clonazepam itself, and as a "semi-young" very anxious person I refused to go the extra mile and stopped tapering at 1mg. I might even go up to 1.5mg.
I wish you all the best getting clean! 🙂 And you'll make it at your own pace. Peace!
PS @grandmaj5 - 3 weeks is borderline criminal imho.

rubywitch67 | @rubywitch67 | Jul 21, 2022

In reply to @helenfrances "Thank you so much for writing! You inspire me and give me hope. I visited the..." + (show)

You asked yourself.............."why did I not read the pharmaceutical info!!"

We have ALL opened up the massive pharmaceutical information included with a new drug and attempted to understand. How many of us can raise our hands and say I read it. I understood every word. I feel very educated about this drug now and have no more apprehension about taking it. (If, by chance, you are a doctor.........put your hand down!) All I know FOR SURE is that when I get home from seeing the doctor, if Ive been given a new medication, I have to Google the damn stuff.
You also asked if there is a difference between being "addicted," "dependent," or "tolerant," with regards to benzo's. This can be a REAL can of worms to open at a party. Lots of opinions out there. I'm 71 and have been on Xanax for YEARS. This Autumn I will start seeing a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner to begin the arduous journey of tapering off. I also consider myself dependent. In all the years I've taken Xanax, I've only increased my dose by a total of 1mg. If I was "addicted," I'd be taking a much larger dose to try and keep having the "good feeling" I use to get when I first started. I'm not looking forward to the withdrawal process and I wish to hell the doctor who started me on this drug had read the part that says "THIS DRUG SHOULD ONLY BE USED ON A SHORT TERM BASIS." Good luck to anyone who didn't know the truth about these drugs but is sure paying the price now. Does anybody know if there is a "withdrawal" group on here? I'd sure like to go through my quit with some friends.

laurine7 | @laurine7 | Jul 22, 2022

In reply to @leah09 "My Doctor said he wants me to remain on this Benzo medication for life because of..." + (show)

We are in a catch 22! Once you start a taper and then stop, going back to try again is NOT RECOMMENDED AT ALL. I have read many articles that if you are not having any side effects and have been on it for a long period of time, just stay on it. However, the longer we are on them the more difficult it is to get off, whether you taper or not. We never know what effects might pop up!