Endless withdrawal from benzos and pregabalin

Looks like you tapered from 4 mg clonazepam in just 3 months : Nov-Feb? After 30 years? If this is accurate, that is amazing, and nice job!! I was in withdrawal from 1 mg clonazepam after 15 years, and 2 years into the taper was in agony and not able to sustain the withdrawal, it was super traumatic, still is b/c I'm still taking a drug that no longer has therepaeutic value other than keeping me out of high withdrawal, which was destroying me. I thought I was dying. You should feel marvelous for your accomplishment, I appreciate the difficulty and determination involved. Lyrica/gabapentin have their own nasty withdrawals, I took 100-200 mg for 2 months to help with sleep during benzo withdrawal, it stopped helping after that, and I had to do a water taper from 100 mg, after just 2 mos., massive night time head zaps. Most doctors, and clearly pharmacists don't know shit about withdrawals from this stuff. They are experts at putting you on them, not so good at warning you about what will happen when you try to come off them, and are just dismal at knowing how to help you come off them. I know you don't feel well, and I know what that feels like, but you are doing an amazing job. I envy you, you are free of clonazepam. Keep it up!!

You can read about her on google and also go to the Benzo Coalition site. You will get more information than you can get from your doctor. Most go through some withdrawal and around 40-50% have difficult withdrawal symptoms. But there are some people who don’t like your mom. I guess you won’t know how you will react until you start a very slow taper.
My psychiatrist prescribes 3 months at a time. Getting a supportive doctor is critical. Most are pretty uninformed. Benzos are more difficult than opiates to get off of and much more dangerous. Take care and hopefully you can start your slow journey.

I went to that Coalition site and it scared the pants off me. I noticed a lot of people are coming off clonazepam. I'd be coming off ativan. Is that any easier?

For every chaos, disorder, disenchantment, there is another side to these condition in this life. Since I do not see much else than a very specific need, all I wish to offer you what I know what works for staying in a Disease-Free life. And these things are all free, immediately available to almost everyone, and each one one us is gifted with at birth: the pleasures of curiosity in the world -- in sight, sound, smell, taste (the maple syrup waffles with blue berries I bought on sale) and touch (the smooth fur on my cat) ; play using body (kicking fallen cones on my brisk 30 min. walk to coffee shop with my white-bearded face) and mind (I wanted to figure out if I could help the construction trade workers who have a third of all opioid overdose deaths among all workers as I've worked in construction all my life, so it pains me they are usually young adults); and spiritual pleasure such as the wonder this life is: fragile yet so dear.
Depression and anxiety are often the other side of the same coin of the free pleasures. The more we claim these the lower the need for intervention with therapy or meds. And did I mention the pleasure of good Sleep. I go to bed knowing what I will do the next day that will not only help me but ALSO help others. I sleep well because I'll otherwise compromise my abilities to do what I wish to accomplish.
I may be off what u r after, but I thought it might still help with what u wish. The other (at least) half of health is often in OUR control. Gook Luck, my fellow human.

I think Xanax is the worst. Not sure that Ativan is harder than the others. Longer acting is generally easier. There is a link to the Ashton Manual. She is the British doctor who first recognized that Benzos were difficult to discontinue. Lots of good info. That might be reassuring. We’re all different and there are ups and downs.

It scared me to, to the point I’m not sleeping, I’ve been taking a very low dose of clonazapam for about nine years and scared to death to come off after reading all the stuff on there. Very worried.

There is strength in giving in. You are brave.

Boy, I feel your pain. Yeah, euthanasia ain’t a bad thought at times. Lol. I’ve been taking meds for sleep for twenty years- primarily baclofen and temazapam and try as I may, cannot wean from them. My life has been miserable trying to get off them. I thought the benzo would be the hardest but the baclofen is worse in my case. It took years to finallyfind a great doc to get me off one benzo but we have since moved and I’m with a new guy. He seems insensitive to the fact that I’m really struggling. I’m 75 and have always been a poor sleeper but I should never, NEVER, have been convinced to take them. My fault for not doing the research. I just want you to know you’re not alone in this endeavor.

I was put on Ativan in 2012. After 7 years something needed to happen after asking to go off them or if I could be prescribed something else, to no I ended supplementing my own 90 .5 mg 3Xdaily with klonapin 1 mg 3x daily and 5-10 Xanax 1 mg per month. I was popping benzos like tic tacs.

I feel the same. There are days when I feel like I am dying than others that are not so bad. I am on 3.3 mg daily and tapering very slowly. I’m 78 and not sure I can do this. My doc is great but can’t take away the brutality of getting off valium. I wish all of you luck.