Ours was a fluke...why do people stop benzos?

My husband had been taking anti depressants, klonopin and other benzos for about 10 years for anxiety, depression and insomnia.  I noticed behavioral changes along the way.  He became more impulsive, and flat.  At times he was cold and uncaring.  He started acting as if nothing mattered. Every time I would get him  to go back to the doctor they would up the benzos or change them.  He stared mixing alcohol and driving...way out of character.  Long story short...in 10 years he got 4 DuIs. The first time he went to treatment he got to stay on his meds.  The second time they said all the meds he was taking were highly addictive and he couldn't be in treatment on them. This was the same treatment center.    He titrated off and it has been 4 months of hell.  BUT he is the man I used to know.  He is kind, not impulsive, has emotions and doesn't even want to drink. In fact he didn't start drinking until he started meds, and then he would periodically binge.  The 4th DUI saved his life as he said...he never would have gone off benzos. He said it was like waking up from a fog...and loosing a decade of his life.  We never saw the benzos as THE problem...he never would have stopped...why do others realize they need to go off them? I hope these horrible withdrawl symptoms stop soon...but my husband says he is better now then he has been in 10 years.  This shouldn't have to happen when you do the right thing and follow a doctors prescription.  So...why do others stop?  Ours was a fluke...or rather by the Grace of God.

I spent 15 years on benzos, feeling really lousy, then had a change in health insurance in 2012. I had been wanting to quit klonopin, lamictal and adderall, and was worried that my insutance wouldn't cover the drugs, so decided to quit. My genius doctor gave me a taper schedule - about a month I think, and of course within 2 months I was in full blown withdrawal.

 

The doctors had no clue why I was having such horrible symptoms, so started testing me for cancer, sarcoidosis, heart disease, blood clots, MS, lupus, and all the time I was asking, "are you sure it's not withdrawal?" I decided to go back on, and immediately felt better.

 

I began doing the research we have all done, brought Ashton into my doctor, and here I am. 17 lost years, but at least I know what is going on now. btw - my doctors all work for one of the most respected teaching hospitals in the world - go figure. I guess when big Pharma donates money to add a new wing to the medical center, they control the research.

My husband had been taking anti depressants, klonopin and other benzos for about 10 years for anxiety, depression and insomnia.  I noticed behavioral changes along the way.  He became more impulsive, and flat.  At times he was cold and uncaring.  He started acting as if nothing mattered. Every time I would get him  to go back to the doctor they would up the benzos or change them.  He stared mixing alcohol and driving...way out of character.  Long story short...in 10 years he got 4 DuIs. The first time he went to treatment he got to stay on his medication.  The second time he went they said all the meds he was taking were highly addictive and he couldn't be in treatment on them. This was the same treatment center. He didn't drink much until he started medication.  Then he would have sporadic binges.  He titrated off and it has been 4 months of hell.  BUT he is the man I used to know.  He is kind, not impulsive, has emotions and doesn't even want to drink.  The 4th DUI saved his life as he said...he never would have gone off benzos. He said it was like waking up from a fog...and loosing a decade of his life.  We never saw the benzos as THE problem...he never would have stopped...why do others realize they need to go off them? I hope these horrible withdrawl symptoms stop soon...but my husband says he is better now then he has been in 10 years.  This shouldn't have to happen when you do the right thing and follow a doctors prescription.  So...why do others stop?  Ours was a fluke...or rather by the Grace of God.

Except that information about PAWS has been around since the '80s...

I started taking Ativan in mid-August of 2012 as needed for anxiety, and by the beginning of June 2013 I was already in the process of w/d and was really scared. After searching the Internet, I realized what was happening and tapered via Klonopin, an even nastier drug. Looking back, I had very few times of feeling good on Ativan. Right after I started taking it, I had nightly anxiety and soon after had my first panic attack. So goodbye and good riddance to both of those drugs. 

Why do people stop benzo's.

 

They become ineffective. Tons of doctor visits reveal nothing physical. Eventually people make the connection and begin a taper. Time for making the connection can be right away to 40-50 years, all depends on what tools the person has at their disposal and which avenues they keep checking until they finally land on benzo's. It has nothing to do with how smart or intuitive the person is, it has to do with pure chance on where their own investigation leads them.

 

Many people end up going through the medical system for years and years trying everything, many people try lifestyle changes, others might drink excessively. A lot of variables are in place in life that delay the realization.

 

For me, it was when I was forgetting easy facts, couldn't crunch numbers in my head anymore and my I was getting ill after working out. This took years for me to narrow in on this drug.

Except that information about PAWS has been around since the '80s...

 

I guess my doctors missed the memo. FINALLY !! found one that gets it.

I stopped taking benzos because I developed severe akathesia . However my doctor took me off cold turkey and I went in a horrific withdrawal. When I told this guy I couldn't sleep he wanted to put me on his sleep study( he's at a medical school). 

Because I could see enough of a difference in the way I've been over the last year.

 

Long story short- Gall Bladder problem- misdiagnosed as other stuffs for the better part of a year. Not one Doc willing to admit that they didn't know WTF was going on.  But always 'more tests'. It took ME to figure out what was going on and being persistent enough to find a surgeon willing to yank it out.

Along the way I'd been getting more and more depressed, and anxious about the lack of concern from the medicos. Anxiety attacks in the middle of the night- Ativan cured temporarily.

However, I don't like pills.  It cost me a lot emotionally just getting off of the Percocets.  It's taking a whole helluva lot more to get off of the Ativan.

 

Benzodiazepines = Loan Shark.

I spent 15 years on benzos, feeling really lousy, then had a change in health insurance in 2012. I had been wanting to quit klonopin, lamictal and adderall, and was worried that my insutance wouldn't cover the drugs, so decided to quit. My genius doctor gave me a taper schedule - about a month I think, and of course within 2 months I was in full blown withdrawal.

 

The doctors had no clue why I was having such horrible symptoms, so started testing me for cancer, sarcoidosis, heart disease, blood clots, MS, lupus, and all the time I was asking, "are you sure it's not withdrawal?" I decided to go back on, and immediately felt better.

 

I began doing the research we have all done, brought Ashton into my doctor, and here I am. 17 lost years, but at least I know what is going on now. btw - my doctors all work for one of the most respected teaching hospitals in the world - go figure. I guess when big Pharma donates money to add a new wing to the medical center, they control the research.

 

So true! 

 

Yeah I spent like $60,000.00 for tests including 6 MRI's  -  Then I started thinking how much money they were making from all these tests.  Benzo's  w/d must make a MINT for the medical community at large! :tickedoff:

Only because one day I got bored and decided to google klonopin, and finally learned it was an addictive drug. Naturally, my old pdoc at the time never told me. And I didn't know either. So I decided that since I may have a propensity to addiction because of my bad alcohol behavior, I thought it best to get off. If I didn't google, I would not be here and still on 10 mg of kpin. Bets

I stopped the benzo because I'd already slow-tapered off a low dose of prozac directly beforehand (given to me because I developed akathisia from paxil) and consciously decided it was time to stop the clonazepam right afterwards.  I knew I couldn't be on the benzo for life, and I didn't want to be... only a few years in of "as needed" use (maybe 3x a week), I was already dependent on them and the tolerance w/d symptoms had reared their ugly heads.

 

It's been a continual hellride ever since, of course, but I thank God I am free of them - and all psych. meds - at last.  In my windows, I increasingly feel the return of myself, and I like who I am without this sh*t.

I only stopped these drugs because I had this little voice inside of me suggesting that they might not be good for me. It wasn't until I was off of them that I realized the full extent of the damage they had done and the problems they were causing while I was on them such as depression, reduced creativity and motivation and dramatically increased alcohol consumption.

 

So yea, I can relate 

FloridaGuy, why do you think you consumed more alcohol ? I did this in withdrawal and trying to make sense of it. I would appreciate any insight you can give.

Yeah, FG... I drank like a fish, too.  Lots of people do on this stuff, apparently.  I no longer do and don't crave it at all.

 

Yeah, FG... I drank like a fish, too.  Lots of people do on this stuff, apparently.  I no longer do and don't crave it at all.

 

I have a feeling that the reason why a lot of people end up drinking more while on the benzo is because our bodies are subconsciously trying to compensate for tolerance withdrawal. We were told by our doctors to only take x amount and our bodies start to crave alcohol to stave off tolerance withdrawal symptoms. In my case this was completely subconscious- I didn't attribute my depression and reduced functionality to the benzo when I was on it and I didn't feel "ahhhhh....relief!" after drinking alcohol but I think it was providing some kind of relief.

 

Or maybe it is a psychological thing that the benzos trigger an "addiction" to another substance? Hard to say. All I know is that I have always liked alcohol but before I started on the benzo and psych drug train 2 beers and I was good to go. While on clonazepam I started drinking vodka and was drinking about a 1.75 liter bottle every couple of weeks, and that didn't include any alcohol I drank when I was out on the town. Not a huge amount of alcohol by some people's standards but way more than I was used to drinking.

 

I reduced my alcohol consumption some when I came off the benzo but I continued to drink until about 2 years off. At 18 months I started noticing that my tolerance was dropping and I had less and less desire to drink. By 2 years off it was making me physically ill (2-3 days of hangover type benzo symptoms after only 1-2 beers).

 

I tried a small amount of alcohol a few times after that but I stopped altogether maybe April of last year and didn't try it again until just a few weeks ago when I had 2 beers while out of town on a mini vacation. Surprise surprise- even after only 2 beers I slept terribly and woke up feeling like hell. It wasn't as bad as last year but it was enough to let me know that I won't be doing that again for a long time, if ever.

Thanks Floridaguy, that was helpful

klonopin made me crave alcohol.  I would binge drink at least once a week.  Usually morning drinking till I passed out.  Quit klonopin, and I haven't had a drink in over a year and don't really care for one.

 

 

I was pretty much fine on the drug for years... although that said, in recent years I was aware it was dulling not just the bad stuff but the good also, which kind of sucked but my partner had cancer (recovered now) and yet that was a very stressful time in my life, I do actually believe the benzo's helped me through that as well as handle the loss of quite a few pets over a few years.

 

I decided to get off benzo's when I quit drinking and went to AA, I only drank once a week or fortnight and on alcohol night I simply would not dose but needed alcohol in some form by 7pm and no later... it was a pretty silly way to carry on but I NEVER mixed alcohol with my med, I know many who did and do and it's really dangerous, I don't know why anyone risks doing that but some do.

 

After being sober for 3 months I felt bloody great and yet decided I wanted to be "clean" of my med also and basically, that was the start of all my problems... once I got into my taper the AA meetings were not possible for me... the last one I went to was 3.5 years ago and I was sweating like crazy in the room and although withdrawal had not really kicked in, I wasn't feeling great and the sweating was just embarrassing.

 

So, in a nutshell, I quit because I wanted to be a top student in the AA fellowship... but I also had IBS which I suspected for some years to be the drug and yet for the most part, I was fine on it, really wasn't a problem for me and I only dosed at night time, never gave it a thought during the day, which, after many years on the drug is kind of surprising...

 

I know someone else who was on 2 mg valium every night for sleep, never needed it during the day and was absolutely fine as far as I could tell, went to the theatre and acted on stage and everything, I think there must be many, many people that take benzo's long term, wish they did not have to but suspect that getting off will be too hard and so they never make the attempt, when I started there was no internet, it was years ago and yet now, anyone and everyone who is on a med tends to google it and so generally people seem to be a bit more clued up to withdrawal, some literally never even want to try and to be honest, sometimes I can't say I blame them.

 

 

About 15 years ago, after being prescribed 6 mg Klonopin for years for anxiety I started having horrible anxiety attacks. My psych. Just kept saying I must keep taking the dose of Klonopin. About 3 years ago I started having severe pain in my spine that could only be helped by aggressive pain management. The Anethesiologist Pain specialist was unable to help me because he knew from long term operating room work that it could be deadly to mix pain medication with high doses of benzodiazepines. I had to find a way to get off the benzodiazepines. My physicians tried, but didn't have any idea how addictive they were. I didn't either until I started. After months of mistakes I discovered videos of Dr. Ashton speaking about benzodiazepines several places. Then found benzobuddies. With this I found a chemical dependency department in a major hospital where I hooked up with a psychiatrist who had been working with patients withdrawing from benzodiazepines for years and would work with me as long as needed. She listens!