I have been in Clonazepam 0.5mg TID for 18 years

I’m an RN as well, same story as yours! Shy, low self-esteem but boy did that change when it was fight or flight in the real world of nursing! I, like you, overcame a lot with help of meds, again, I stress I would’ve ended up with agoraphobia and remained antisocial. Keep going you got this! This is just another test but you know you’ve overcome so much more in the past and it’s your Dopamine/serotonin that’s imbalanced right now but not forever!

Who put you on these meds? Do you have a psychiatrist? You need to be reassessed and put on meds appropriate for your diagnosis. I have major depression with an anxiety disorder and a history of panic attacks. You probably weren’t on those medications long enough to be in withdrawal. The half life is only 12 hours…..relatively short acting. The half life of Effexor is also relatively short but you weren’t on it long enough for it to build up a therapeutic blood level. I am not a doctor so I suggest you find a psychiatrist asap. PCP’s in general don’t have the expertise for psychiatric med management.

After reading your stories I am just amazed how you physicians and nurse practitioners rule your life.
Everyone is different and what works for one person does not necessarily work for another.
If you truly suffer from depression you should realize that you will have to take an antidepressant for the rest of your life. If you truly suffer from anxiety you may have to take clonazepam for the rest of your life.
You can do that or make your life miserable.
Find a balance of medications that work. Life is too short to live like some of you are living.
Good luck to all of you. I really hope you become better advocates for yourselves and start taking control of your own lives.

Can’t get around the bureaucracy. Essentially practitioners and the government are killing people who really need the medication, just because people are overdosing. I am withering away in my apartment and there is nothing I can do. I am too old and feeble to keep trying modalities like magnets. I have essentially given up,

@daveshaw
@jeanne51
Dave, please be a little sympathetic to those of us who made a mistake by going off medication after a 30 year run. I was hit by a series of panic causing events after succeeding in being off the medication for 9 months. Since then I have been in hell trying myriad combinations of medications. The side effects were/are devastating to me. Anorexia and loss of hair are not pleasant for anyone to go through, especially a woman.

I am sympathetic and that sympathy comes from making the mistakes myself.
The descent into depression is very slow many times and unfortunately when you start up again it can take 6-8 weeks to get back to be where you are feeling well again.
I always try not to make the mistake twice.
Good luck to you.

So thrilled not to be chasing Benzos and doctors who will still write long term benzo prescriptions. They’re far and few between now.

You were on a really low dose for a very short time. I assure you’ll be fine!!

This is so tragic. Can you find a new psychiatrist? I agree with other posts here that you need to be under the care of a new psychiatrist. You are suffering needlessly and I feel so bad for you. My psychiatrist also retired after seeing her for 30 yrs. However before retiring she gave me the names of local mental health professionals. I ended up choosing a psychiatrist that I see remotely every 3-4 months for basically a med check in. I am on mirtazapine and Klonopin. I am weening off the Klonopin which was my decision not hers. She doesn't accept any insurance so I pay her fee of $250 out of pocket but I am okay with that as said I see her every 3-4 months and she has my records from the psychiatrist that I saw for so long. Try to see if you can't find someone remotely and if you have to pay out of pocket I would do that. Anxiety and panic attacks can't be helped by talk therapy so you need to at least feel as good as you did last year. Good luck.