Reinstating advice

Hello. Has anyone reinstated after stopping cold turkey or abruptly and then switched to the Ashton method and what was your experience? I stopped Clonazepam over 6 months but my dose cuts were huge, 50%, 25% and when I stopped I was in a constant state of sheer terror 24/7 and couldn't sleep. I reinstated and switched to Valium but I have never really stabilised and worry I have just prolonged the nightmare also my side effects are worsening especially the neurological ones. I'm wondering whether I should do the last 10mg over 10 weeks as a slow taper isn't helping me.Would really appreciate any advice on reinstating or from anyone who has been through a similar experience?

Don’t do it.  I did after 15 weeks with the assurance of my doctor that all would be back to normal and I could taper slow.  Its not.  I think he just sees $$$.  Here I sit 6 weeks later with a higher dose to taper.  Be patient.  It hurts, it’s hell.  But don’t do it.  I am in a hole I don’t know how to dig out of.

Ashton has written:

Reinstatement after withdrawal? Many benzodiazepine users who find themselves in this position have withdrawn too quickly; some have undergone 'cold turkey'. They think that if they go back on benzodiazepines and start over again on a slower schedule they will be more successful. Unfortunately, things are not so simple. For reasons that are not clear, (but perhaps because the original experience of withdrawal has already sensitised the nervous system and heightened the level of anxiety) the original benzodiazepine dose often does not work the second time round. Some may find that only a higher dose partially alleviates their symptoms, and then they still have to go through a long withdrawal process again, which again may not be symptom-free.

The more I read, the more I think I got lucky or something.

 

I went CT off of temazepam then clonazepam after becoming tolerant to both. At that point, I didn’t understand I was on benzos and had no clue the hell I was about to endure. After withdrawaling for over two months, a new psychiatrist had me put in a hospital and put back on a benzo, Ativan. It was 1mg and it immediately took me back into a normal state. I could eat, speak, not shake, no heart palpitations, it was amazing. It saved me. That was when I began to learn about benzos.

 

I have been tapering since stabilizing fully in June. Now I’m on less than .5mg of Ativan a day and there is just no way I would have made it without his help and going back on the pill. I do have WD symptoms still, especially when I bump a dose down. However, I now have experience in these WD feelings and I can deal with the anxiety way better with that past knowledge and suffering.

 

Admins, feel free to shut me down for this post. I wouldn’t want to say things that lead people in the wrong direction. This is just my honest experience so far. Like I said, maybe I'm just lucky 🤷‍♂️ Either way, I do hope you feel better and find the path best for you to follow :3 You can do it. We know you can.

 

Admins, feel free to shut me down for this post. I wouldn’t want to say things that lead people in the wrong direction. This is just my honest experience so far. Like I said, maybe I'm just lucky 🤷‍♂️ Either way, I do hope you feel better and find the path best for you to follow :3 You can do it. We know you can.

 

ThisBur

 

We have no problem with people sharing their experience as long as it's not prescriptive. Withdrawal is such an individual experience and not everyone reacts the same. So you're welcome to share what worked for you even if it might be contradictory to others. What you've shared above is perfectly acceptable. 

Woot ;3 Thank you

Plesse do not reinstate! It's hard to imagine but what you feel now will be bliss compared to what reinstating will feel like. Its hard to explain why this happens but you will feel kind of normal for a couple weeks and then BOOM!  i got violently ill throwing up and paranoid out of my mind! Had to quit my job which i was maintaining fine thru the initial taper. Could not leave my house unaccompanied out of paranoia. I couldn't even watch any violence on television... i gained 160 lbs trying to eat my way to a dopamine high every night. Long story short it sent me into a protrscted type withdrawal for 14 months... I had read about this horror but experiencing it is absolutely surreal and more cruel than anything i have ever experienced. This was on my 2nd withdrawal. First was xansx. 2nd was valium.. just find distractions and know your body is freaking out because its trying to re adjust. It is totally normal and you are not dying. It feels that way though. Its a 50/50 chance thst you make things worse for a very long time. Don't flip that coin. I did a rapid taper from 2mg xanax after7 years. Got off in 5 weeks. Took 6.5 months before i could go back to work and feel normal again. But man i felt reborn and alive like i was 14 again once i healed. The only way to the light is a long slow walk through a dark tunnel. Stay hopeful.

I reinstated on drs advice and now suffering so severely.  Big mistake and niw struggling to be functional,agsin. 

I reinstated on drs advice and now suffering so severely.  Big mistake and niw struggling to be functional,agsin.

 

Sabi, please start a thread of your own so we can help you, I don't know if you've stopped cold turkey or if you need taper advice.  I see you commented on the z-drug thread too, please start a thread so we can help, I feel so bad for you.

The more I read, the more I think I got lucky or something.

 

I went CT off of temazepam then clonazepam after becoming tolerant to both. At that point, I didn’t understand I was on benzos and had no clue the hell I was about to endure. After withdrawaling for over two months, a new psychiatrist had me put in a hospital and put back on a benzo, Ativan. It was 1mg and it immediately took me back into a normal state. I could eat, speak, not shake, no heart palpitations, it was amazing. It saved me. That was when I began to learn about benzos.

 

I have been tapering since stabilizing fully in June. Now I’m on less than .5mg of Ativan a day and there is just no way I would have made it without his help and going back on the pill. I do have WD symptoms still, especially when I bump a dose down. However, I now have experience in these WD feelings and I can deal with the anxiety way better with that past knowledge and suffering.

 

Admins, feel free to shut me down for this post. I wouldn’t want to say things that lead people in the wrong direction. This is just my honest experience so far. Like I said, maybe I'm just lucky 🤷‍♂️ Either way, I do hope you feel better and find the path best for you to follow :3 You can do it. We know you can.

 

 

 

 

 

How often do you cut down the dose in your taper off Ativan. So did you feel it helped pretty quickly?

I had to hold at first for about 2 months. After that, I would just play it by ear 🤷‍♂️ if I felt alright in 2 weeks, I would cut. If not, I would wait a bit longer. It took me a couple months to start feeling better. The first few days on it was just fine, but it dipped down for a bit after that.