Micro Tapering/Daily Tapering off of Klonopin – Success Story -

[[Buddie]]

Oh, that's so wonderful to read, Kay!!!!!!!! I'm happy for your progress and healing!!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!! 

You're right about the doctors. You have control now. You know your body best!

[[Buddie]]

Thanks [...] that means a lot to me. 

I have returned here to my success story to report the latest. My set back that I reported is not quite a set back in benzo withdrawal it seems. This situation that occured was not a far out wave. No. It is drug induced akathisia. I am not sure if this susceptibility is from benzos.

I have had 4 reactions  in total like this to medications in my lifetime, two of which were before tapering, years before.

First one was compazine in an iv in the ER for food poisoning. I was taking klonopin not tapering. (12 years before WD) (lasted two weeks)

Second one was after eye surgery after waking up and going home and then going to sleep I woke up in sheer terror. I was taking klonopin as prescribed. (three years before WD) (lasted 3 weeks)

Third one was Klonopin WD.

Forth one was my blood pressure pill generic being changed out and I had this reaction.

The first two was a one dose reaction.

The last two had warning signs I did not understand, the rash being one of them started months before the big crash.

Each reaction was exactly like acute benzo withdrawal. So I wonder if acute benzo withdrawal as I know it, is it really akathisia? Some people taper off with little to no problems, are the ones with BWS really akathisia? I used to think akathisia was just a movement disorder, but I find that I was very much mistaken. I have joined akathisia forums and they are exactly like this forum with the same symptoms, questions and support. It blew my mind.

The good news is even with akathisia there is healing and I am healing from this. I felt like I was at square one in the beginning but when I removed the bp pill my recovery has been sped up. I no longer have symptoms or anxiety. I am tired. It's my only complaint.  And now things make so much sense.

This is good news in the sense akathisia is better or easier, it is just as hard as WD, there are fast healers and protracted people in akathisia, it is just like benzo withdrawal except they get in this state due to benzo and or other medications taken as prescribed.

Doctors I have come across do not believe it is benzo withdrawal when it is longer than a few months. Well they are getting to know the term akathisia. And I feel I have a solid ground talking to doctors when I use the word drug induced akathisia. 4 times!

I know I have healed from benzo withdrawal which is why this time around with akathisia it is not as bad as others and hopefully with doing what I can for myself I can put more time in for healing.

Hope Springs Eternal

Kay

[[Buddie]]

Wow 3 years and 8 months since my last dose of Klonopin.

I have learned so much.

I had a set back which I know a little bit more about.

I had been on blood pressure pill medication. Losartan. In 2017 I felt like I was back in acute wd. But had not touched a benzo. I was still on losartan. Then realized the manufacturer was changed. I could not gt back on the old one because it was out of business.  Back and forth with the doctors which were no help at all (I know shocking right?) was put on a channel calcium blocker which put me further in more hell. Taken off that then put on a water pill and has an allergic reaction, not acute type but a regular allergic reaction. I was taken off that and put on a Beta blocker and told to find another doctor.  Had an adverse reaction to the beta blocker and ended in the ER. ER said they could not help me because I could not take any bp medications they had to offer.  Meanwhile I could not sit still had to pace 18 hours a day., plus the terror and all that goes with akathisia.  Come to find out that I had Tardive Akathisia which they use benzos to treat as first-line treatment.

I don't know what the next step would have been because I took myself out of the medical stuff and was in full akathisia mode. I tried to learn as much about it from others suffering.  I know it was caused by the benzos, that it was brain damage and that others had it from different medications just as bad or worse than me. I know that the damage is the same as them which is why the symptoms are alike. Just like benzos withdrawal.  I read. I talked to and I listen to many and I used what I learned to help myself stay sane as I just let the akatisia run it's course. I come to learn that my past reaction which felt the same were previous akathisia reactions. From a IV in the ER, From the drugs I was given during surgery, From benzos and now finally from BP pills.  Two of those times were well before I ever tapered benzos or ADs.

So now I know .. and I meet so many. I do believe in protracted WD but I do now know some don't have this but they are stuck in akathisia, either by taking an offending medications like bp pills or thyroid pills or antibiotics and not even know it.

During the time after taper and before this akathisia I had no bad symptoms,, things got better but something still didn't feel right. What is strange after akathisia and doing research about it I feel better than the two years after taper.  Only thing I can think of is being off the that certain bp pill. So I have the opinion since the bp pill caused the akathisia not only did the akathisia lifted (well after 8 months of 3 week windows and 1 week waves) but I have more progress now then over. I can report to having neural plasticity and it is amazing. I don't doubt that I was traumatized by the sudden set back. but  the progress afterwards is amazing.  When your in akathisia you can perceive this at all.  BTW I jsut saw a report of a woman who got Akathisia from losartan and a channel calcium blocker who never took a benzo or an AD or AP.

So currently the only symptom I have is the ringing in the ears. But no other symptoms since the akathisia has lifted. And so many improvements. I know this is an ongoing things and I hope to lose my sensitivities down the line. My goal is to not get further injured by the medical community.  And I'm in the middle of addressing the PTSD which is helping this situation.

Kay
Hope Still Springs Eternal 

[[Buddie]]

So true Kay, Akathasia is hell on earth. Like you mine was drug induced 18 hours a day pacing and zero sleep. The "inner turmoil" was unrelenting. I too was diagnosed with tardive dyskinesia (and Parkinson's) by neurologists. It was all drug induced!
So glad you came through it....many drugs can do many bad things to our CNS. Thanks for the help back in the day with my milk taper. Almost 21 months off myself and living life again!❤

[...]

[[Buddie]]

4 years off today, well yesterday. 

I had the reaction to blood pressure pill two years off and it caused akathisia. So after that let up I continued to heal. I have stayed off of medications and still want to know why and how to protect myself if I have to take medications. That is a main learning about drug induced akathisia damage and the aftermath stuff if there is any that is.

I have zero symptoms  currently 

The only fear I have is medications. No more panic attacks, no more anxiety, no more all the nonsense labels doctors threw at me when I started to worsen when medications were added or upped in dosage.

There were so many doctors dxing so many things and it was the reaction from the bp pill. So many wanted to put me on strong steroids and not one wanted to look at what I was taking. Thanks to the internet I ran across only 5 people with this reaction and they thankfully listed what symptoms they had. I took this information to an urgent care doctor who then said stop the bp pill and all the symptoms stopped.

The biggest lesson I learned is that when I'm not getting answers that make sense or feel that something is wrong walk away and never stop trying to get real help for the issue.

I no longer care what doctors believe me or not all I care about is the type of care I need.

Another thing I learned is some doctors are bullies, also some people online are bullies, there are people who try to control groups where ever you go. The beauty is we all can walk away from this type of treatment no one needs to take it or suppress their symptoms. No one has the right to tell you how you are feeling or label you with their opinions.

There is something to these set backs we are seeing, they are not just delayed late windows so don't accept someone else's reasons for it. Unless you want to.

I do think this all will come to light and there will be means to prevent these types of reactions and chemical injuries at some point.

Kay

[[Buddie]]

4 years off today, well yesterday. 

I had the reaction to blood pressure pill two years off and it caused akathisia. So after that let up I continued to heal. I have stayed off of medications and still want to know why and how to protect myself if I have to take medications. That is a main learning about drug induced akathisia damage and the aftermath stuff if there is any that is.

I have zero symptoms  currently 

The only fear I have is medications. No more panic attacks, no more anxiety, no more all the nonsense labels doctors threw at me when I started to worsen when medications were added or upped in dosage.

There were so many doctors dxing so many things and it was the reaction from the bp pill. So many wanted to put me on strong steroids and not one wanted to look at what I was taking. Thanks to the internet I ran across only 5 people with this reaction and they thankfully listed what symptoms they had. I took this information to an urgent care doctor who then said stop the bp pill and all the symptoms stopped.

The biggest lesson I learned is that when I'm not getting answers that make sense or feel that something is wrong walk away and never stop trying to get real help for the issue.

I no longer care what doctors believe me or not all I care about is the type of care I need.

Another thing I learned is some doctors are bullies, also some people online are bullies, there are people who try to control groups where ever you go. The beauty is we all can walk away from this type of treatment no one needs to take it or suppress their symptoms. No one has the right to tell you how you are feeling or label you with their opinions.

There is something to these set backs we are seeing, they are not just delayed late windows so don't accept someone else's reasons for it. Unless you want to.

I do think this all will come to light and there will be means to prevent these types of reactions and chemical injuries at some point.

Kay

Kay,
Thank you for coming back to report your experiences.  Unrelated to benzo withdrawal, many years ago I had a toxic reaction to a medication.  Due to abnormal blood tests the Dr wanted me to take high doses of prednisone and azathiaprin. I asked if I could just come off the other drug first and see what happened.  He reluctantly gave me 2 weeks.  My blood tests improved markedly!  Then 2 more weeks, my blood tests were normal!  And he was going to load more drugs on top!  What a shame that would have been.  We really have to be our own advocates.

I will be ever more wary post benzo with your cautionary tale.
Thank you.

[[Buddie]]

Kay,
Glad you're doing well. You are so right about doctors, we are our own advocates! If you don't believe it's for your best interests by all means don't do it!!! I had a neurologist who diagnosed me with Parkinson's and prescribed a drug for it that had many serious side effects including giving you drug induced Parkinson's side effects including tremors, muscle spasms, etc. Since I was already having so many side effects including these prior to the drug I asked him about the side effects. He then refused to help or treat immediately and told me "if you don't do what I tell you without questioning me, I am not allowing you to see any other Neurologists in the practice". He blacklisted me when I was at my lowest and suicidal. I tried to see another neurologist and they told they couldn't treat me per the other doctor! I could have died!!
Fortunately looking back I was able to make it through and got off ALL drugs, no thanks to any doctor. I am well and doing great; with absolutely NO thanks to doctors. I can't help but think there are others that didn't make it through and are suffering BECAUSE of doctors. You are right Kay, Doctors can be bullies.
I've had nothing but tylenol since Feb, 5 2017, and am so glad I decided to get off drugs against doctors advice, and without any help from them.
Stay strong Kay!

[...]

[[Buddie]]

[...] and [...]!

Wow same thing happened to you guys! different drug but same kind of treatment, I think they call it gaslighting? Scaretactics! What I just don't get is them not understanding that we didn't have the horrible symptom before taking the drug!

[...] yes there are people who got in deeper and deeper its horrible.

I was lucky the doctor I saw said she won't medicate a hysterical woman, he is waiting for me to come to my senses. He could have dropped me. See when this was happening I was scared out of my mind and I was scared not to follow the doctors advice and scared to do so. Every time I did it got worse! Now that I am out of that fear I can think clearly, ask question be as difficult as I need to be to protect my brain.

But it was pretty hard when all hell was breaking loose. And everyone even benzo people doubting me. No one wants to look at the setbacks, they are real and not late waves. I'm still determined to know the best thing to do, to know why it happens I mean really know.  I'm not just going to sit her and be told its somatic or its a late benzo wave ... no because its more than that. But I also think deep down there is deep healing.

[...]: I am so glad you didn't take the parkinson's drugs, that is no little harmless drug. A dopamine antagonist right? I know a few people who did, some got way worse right away and others got stuck on the drug and then suffered DAWS (Dopamine antagonist withdrawal syndrome) and that is even worse than benzo withdrawal, its like another run down in hell, like all these things lead to hell. 

Kay

[[Buddie]]

Just read this entire thread and can only say thank you so much Kay for sharing your story and journey over 4 years - it is very very inspiring!

I am doing a slow DLMT and so happy after seeing your success that I chose that path - even if it takes a long time.

Thank you so much and congratulations!

[[Buddie]]

[...],
I know many people who taper this way and healed, they got off just fine. Its the safest taper anyone can do and I wanted to choose the safest options no matter what. I am very grateful that I tapered how I did and you will be to!  The one problem I always kept seeing is people chasing horror stories and get more and more anxiety. That's the one thing I made sure I didn't do.

Kay