Connect
Endless withdrawal from benzos and pregabalin
Hi,
I’m at my wit’s end. I have been withdrawing for so so long that euthanasia is looking good to me. Since last November I have withdrawn from clonazepam and closely followed by pregabalin. Actually still struggling with the later drug. I am not sleeping, full of anxiety, fear and wanting to off myself. It feels like every week I reduce the drug, I lose hope that things will get better. I don’t have anyone in the medical system that understands withdrawal from these drugs.
It would be good to connect with people that have gone through this process and have improved their lives.
Also, I’m not sure if there is a discussion already in place for this topic.
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Addiction & Recovery Support Group.
Connect
Klonopin and Ativan can be excellent medications; and with all you've had to go through, you're fortunate to have been prescribed the med's. and it's a relatively small dosage that has helped you get on with your life. For some people (myself), these med's come with risks and side effects that cause the problems you had before your treatments. For the record, I always carry 0.5 mg of alprazolam in case I get a panic attack--the most horrible nightmare imaginable. Thank you for posting your story.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
3 ReactionsThe VA stopped prescribing ALL benzodiazepines because they put them in the same class as opioids, and don't want to kill service men/women who want to take even small doses for minor depression or anxiety (that includes those of us who experience panic attacks). Through Medicare, none of the primary care psychiatrists or NP's I've been to in CA will prescribe them either. I've saved up a few for when I do have a panic attack, can't even use them up for anxiety attacks, but until I leave CA, I suppose I'll have to do without. I'd been taking them, as needed-0.5 mg since I got back from Vietnam, but for now I'm cut off. I'm treated as if I'm a drug addict. I'm well beyond retirement age, have PD, and yet I still have to work full time to survive and have to hide my PD from my co-workers for fear of losing my job. As my cognitive abilities decline, and I've noticed they have been, which makes me edgy and even paranoid while on the job, I may just have to check out by my own hand. I refuse to be a burden to anyone. The government wants vet's such as me to die before giving us the help so many of us need and deserve. I'm doing the best I can for now without medication. I'm grateful for having studied Chinese martial arts for the past sixty years--doing Tai Chi regularly definitely helps to keep my illness from progressing. Without Klonopin and Xanax, I'm facing enormous challenges every day. At least I'm grateful for being old.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
7 ReactionsMy heart truly goes out to you I take two 1 mg clonazepam or Klonopin per day I used to take three and I stopped taking my middle of the day dose simply because I would forget to take it and I didn't really need it my doctor a psychiatrist that I've had for 10 years it works out of a hospital in Indiana is the one that prescribes my medication and my wife also takes clonazepam we haven't heard anything about problems or anything like that I had always thought that people that go to the VA get more benefits and better help I have a friend who's a diabetic and he gets all his diabetic supplies insulin and I'm a diabetic type 2 but I don't have to take insulin yet thank God I pray for you brother God bless you we have some challenges that I don't understand or don't have yet but maybe I will in the future I have checked into this CBD a little bit about my neuropathy I'm on gabapentin and my doctor says there's a limit to the Gabapentin that he can raise it to. they've raised it about three or four times in the last several years. I have type 2 diabetes degenerative disc in my back sciatica on both sides and neuropathy in my feet my doctor said that when I come to the end of being able to use Gabapentin that there are other drugs they can try that doesn't give me a very good feeling inside are in my mind I am checking into Loma Linda as far as being able to go out there and get the new neuropathy treatment that they say is Cutting Edge and that they've had success and rejuvenating nerves but it isn't paid for by Medicare yet has to come out of pocket I hope you can find something maybe you can get something out of Canada I have a friend at church that his mother in India has neuropathy and he has gotten Gabapentin online and send it to her just a thought God bless you you're in my prayers right now
I forgot to mention that I was disabled in 1990 with general anxiety disorder and that they put me on 3 1mg tablets of Klonopin per day also we live in Ohio I would imagine California would be a lot worse about anything .. like that when we lived in Arizona years ago in the Phoenix area there was a mental health clinic that they actually gave us our our Klonopin for free.
Gone are the days of Free Clinics in CA or anywhere else for that matter. I've gotten better healthcare as a tourist when I was traveling in South or Central America and especially in European countries that have universal healthcare for not only their own citizens, but even for tourists. I had acute bronchitis when I was in Spain about 8 yrs ago and saw a physician and several nurses and the hospital visit was free. I only had to pay for the prescription at the local pharmacy and the cost of medication was at least half of what it would have been here in the U.S. Being Bipolar, I've learned to live with depression and even general anxiety disorder, mostly by avoidance which is not the best way to deal with it. We are social animals, not meant to be isolated from one another. I actually did well during the first couple of years of Covid, finding online groups to help me from avoiding situations which would have otherwise been emotionally difficult to handle. I could probably do well with a 1 mg/day dosage, but this abrupt discontinuation of what, for many of us, is a means to living a complete life without having to be on guard or threatened is too much to handle, especially when I'm in the office and have to keep up with learning the latest technology--cannot keep up with the 'kids' fresh out of college, who have hard-wired computer systems in their heads and feel greatly imposed upon when older people like me ask them for even the simplest of advice. As much as I dislike generalizing/being judgmental, the new generation seems unable to share compassion/empathy/or tolerance for us 'Boomers' who will never be able to retire and worse--be blamed for the economic situation.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
3 ReactionsThank you. We all need to slow down and feel the connection we share with one another.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
2 ReactionsThank you for your service (I mean this sincerely as I am sure you hear this a lot, at least I hope so). California politics have set the standard for many changes around the entire country. I experienced the same as you in Arizona, my friend in Wisconsin, same thing and she has severe PTSD, now I live in Myrtle Beach and I was treated like a drug addict here for wanting to continue my valium, at a low dosage mind you, to no avail. I went to mental health workers, NP, MDs and felt like I was 'doctor shopping' as the true drug addicted call it. Also, these modalities wanted to prescribe me expensive pills for sleep that were even more addictive than valium! t It took me nearly a year but now I am off of it. I saved a bottle for the times I have severe anxiety, too, but the reality is someday they will be gone. I cannot offer you any advice. All I can tell you from my experience is I had much anxiety when I quit, but it got better over time. I had to learn ho to go to sleep w/o. It isn't easy, but it was worth it for me.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionIt seems like I have to use more and more coping skills as I age. Have you tried EFT tapping? My MIL showed me the simple moves and I would find myself in the bathroom doing the simple tap pattern until I felt centered again. For other skills, I am foggy some days and B-12, a morning walk, hydration and lists help keep me on track. The silver lining is that you are off those awful meds, but there is nothing that does the job. I have some success with OTC gaba hydroxy 5, but you are likely in another realm? You are probably better off working to keep what sharpness you have. Here's info on tapping; plenty of demonstrations on you tube. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6381429/#:~:text=When%20measured%20against%20the%20standards,posttraumatic%20stress%20disorder%20(PTSD).
For your back pain, check out physical therapy; I learned stretches and strengthening moves for piriformis (hip/sciatica), hamstrings and glutes. I use much less pain medicine now.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
3 ReactionsThank you for your understanding and the info you provided. At this point I'm willing to try anything to stay positive and maintain my body & mind. I take additional B-12, keep mindful throughout the day using breathing techniques, and do my tai chi wherever it's convenient to do so. I haven't tried EFT tapping, but have met people who say it's helped them immensely. My biggest problem now is getting regular sleep; many PD people have insomnia and not being the athlete I'd been my whole life, I'm just not getting enough exercise to achieve a restful night of sleep. I was a pro surfer and surfed until diagnosed with PD--cause weakness and severe balance problems, and was an avid tennis player as well. It took months of physical therapy in order to be able to walk normally. I use all the coping skills at my disposal, having been diagnosed with a bipolar mood disorder, so at this point I'm doing the best I can--keeping a balance between mania and depression, which is not easy without the medication that helped me to remain stable for the past thirty years. Small doses of Xanax and Klonpin were lifesavers for me, and without access to these med's, I've become pretty much of a recluse.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
2 Reactions