Endless withdrawal from benzos and pregabalin

Well said! Thank you. I was thinking about trying ayahuasca as did a great deal of LSD in the 1960's and liked it very much. However, I am starting to think I may be too old for all the crap. I have been clean of benzos for 2 months. It takes a great deal of grit to do it. What helps me is when . . . I went to a new doctor to establish care for high blood pressure and hypothyroidism. I didn't put valium on my list of prescriptions I am taking. He asked me if I was still taking valium because HE would NOT be prescribing it for me. Like I was drug seeking. Doctor shopping. Does anyone know how to get the pharmacies to stop disclosing my prescription medication list?

If benzos no longer work, you definitely took them way too long. Honestly you can try whatever crap prescriptions your doctor will try to give you, but opiates have been the way I quit benzos. 3 or 4 weeks tops, then quit opiates. By this time you should be ready to kick benzos. If not, cut the dose and taper for a couple weeks. Then cycle opiates again and taper each and within 6 months or a year you will have the doses low enough that you can quit cold turkey. But you can skip the withdrawals if you cycle between these 2 they will offset the negative feelings of the other each time you switch. Just saying what worked for me. Not what a doctor would recommend, but I know the feeling. I had to do it on my own. Doctors never helped

You're medical record is in a database and no matter where you go every doctor will see it before they see you. Trust me I've tried many doctors. They will never give you addictive drugs, so don't even bother asking. If you want to taper or use your own method you will probably need to just go it alone. If I have friends that can get it for me that's one way, or dark web will be a for sure thing. Not telling anyone to do anything illegal. Do what you think is right. But if doctors can't help, then you need to do something when your health is at a critical level. Maybe Mexico? I'm sure you can get what you need down there

Clarification: I have never intended on asking ANY doctor for addicting drugs of any kind. I want to forget the past and having it brought up and feeling the need to explain that I never asked for valium in the first place. When my house burned down in Arizona, my doctor of 10 years prescribed me valium for sleep. I became addicted and he continued to prescribe valium for me and to this day he would. I weaned myself off, not an easy task, using the guidelines I found on this site. I moved to SC and being from Arizona, I am not interested in going to Mexico for anything. In the condition Arizona is in due to illegal border crossings and the cartels running the state, I would never recommend someone go to Mexico. Americans go missing all the time, it is no longer reported on as it occurs so often.

Cold turkey isn't a good idea unless you take them occasionally. You can die going cold turkey on two drugs - Benzos and alcohol. I had convulsions and was in the hospital. Be careful. Best of luck.

How long did it take you to come off the 4 mg a day ofclonazepam? I'm asking because I've been on lorazepam for 25 years. 3 mg a day. I'd be agoraphobic without them so my doctor said I could stay on them. But yesterday he told me it would take years to wean off the lorazepam! Years????

Ashton manual. It was my guide to getting completely off benzos. First, my doctor switched me from lorazepam to clonazepam. I shared the manual with my doctor. He approved. Then I followed the guide. It took me less than a year. The last 1/2-1 mg was the hardest for me because of 'mental gymnastics' and fear. So, the last small dosages I took my time and was kind to myself. It has been 3 months clean for me, but I do not have agoraphobia. I was taking benzos for sleep issues. I still have sleep issues, but I am retired so I get up in the middle of the night, do something, get tired, go back to bed and get up about 8:00 in the morning for the day. I hope this helps.

I admire you. Keep on keeping on.
Valleyb

I also have been on valium for 20 years for pelvic muscle spasms. It stopped working years ago but have been unable to stop. I decided to taper 12 years ago. My GP doc at the time told me to go from 35mg to 0 in 6 days. Had convulsions and ended in the hospital emergency room. Was reinstated at 20 mg by a psychiatrist but of course terrible disabling withdrawal. Got a UTI. Urologist put me on Cipro which displaced Valium so went thru cold turkey again. Have been going down ever since. Sometimes holding for awhile but always in the ups and downs of withdrawal.
I had gotten down to 2.4 mg daily. I got a yeast infection and was prescribed fluconazole 3 days then once a week for 4 months. Turns out it is like eating grapefruit. So the Valium had built up in my system so when I stopped thé fluconazole I was in terrible withdrawal again. My psychiatrist told me I had basically doubled my dose. So I have started tapering again.
I am currently on 3.4mg daily and sometimes feel like I can’t go on.
I feel that the medical profession has disabled me.
Almost no doctors know how to get you off Benzos only how to prescribe them. There were 92 million prescriptions written last year and increasing.
The best information I have found is the Benzo coalition. They were responsible for the new FDA guidelines. Dr Christie Huff is on the board. She is a cardiologist who has been damaged by Benzos. You are your own doctor and hopefully like me, you find a doc who will allow you to direct your own taper. And one day we will be Benzo free.

Hi kathy! What did you mean your cardiologist was damaged by these things? All I know was 25 years ago my doctor prescribed them and refilled and refilled and never once said "hey do you know what these are and what they'll do eventually "? Now I am terrified of withdrawal and already had a seizure after running out and unable to get more due severe snow. Mind you my mom took 1 mg a day and got tired of begging for refills without a lecture so she just stopped. No problem no symptoms. I just dont know. I'm on them for agoraphobia so may never be off them.