Driving while you are going thru withdrawal

Hi BB's,

 

I am new here also and just stopped Clonazapam, .5 mg for 2 years. I see where many go to work during this time, so Driving a car is not an issue??

 

Did not drive for 3 weeks , I was really squirrley and scared to death of the car. I did have to pick up my car from the dealership after it was in an accident---Me on Clonazapam.  I really do not know how I did that,t I mean Brakek and Gas ., Was hard for me to distinquish. It took forever to get home and I am only 15 minutes away from the dealership

 

To think I drove for 2 years while I was taking this drug , this accident opened my eyes to  Clonazapam. I was so stupid did not even know my spaciness was drug related.  iI think I had been having withdrawal from this drug for 6 months, did not even realize I.needed to increase my .5 to 1.0. This is how blind I was to the effects of this drug.......and I am really glad I was ignorant or I would have been comming off 1 mg or more by now.

 

Today is 10 days off Clonazapam and what I did today was finally feeling confident in my driving ability.

 

 

 

 

 

I don't drive since i realized i reached tolerance. To scared id hurt someone and now only take uber or my spouse drives me. I can't even walk without a cane so i don't really trust myself to drive

I have driven a bunch.  I find that listening to the radio or an audiobook really helps.  I have also pulled over to do breathing exercises when I get super nervous while driving.  Short distances are much easier for me.  Long trips make me feel much more nervous.

I don't drive since i realized i reached tolerance. To scared id hurt someone and now only take uber or my spouse drives me. I can't even walk without a cane so i don't really trust myself to drive

 

Hi Josephga,

 

This is exactly how I felt for the one month of tapering (really bad dizziness), first 2 weeks after jumping  (was not to stable)...but now after 2 1/2 months I am taking the leap . Hope I can do it. Just cannot think of not driving, I would be homebound, and been home enough. Trusting oneself is the big issue,you are wise.

Thanks ,

May

 

I have driven a bunch.  I find that listening to the radio or an audiobook really helps.  I have also pulled over to do breathing exercises when I get super nervous while driving.  Short distances are much easier for me.  Long trips make me feel much more nervous.

 

Hi Greencup,

 

Well you are brave to drive even through withdrawal...but then again I drove for a year in tolerance and did not know I was loony.

 

Today will be my first day back after quitting. I feel ready, just do not know what to expect if I have an anxiety attack or some other withdrawal symptom. I do not know the deep breathing exercise--guess I better learn, Huh!

 

Thanks for your input.

It's crazy cause I've been in some sort of withdrawal for like 20 years with this stuff.  I remember when my husband and I had to leave a car at the airport and then go get it and I had to drive it back to my father's house, and it was like a four hour drive and it was snowing, and I kept having to stop cause I was so anxious.  And it went on till like 3 in the morning and I was taking xanax as needed, to try and calm down and then drinking coffee, and my husband was just so upset that I was taking so long and making so many stops.  I just remember not being able to calm down while driving. It was close to one of my worst driving experiences. 

 

The actual worst was when I was tapering TOO FAST, and my husband, who was my b/f at the time, got upset when I didn't want to drive him to the airport.  I felt guilted into it, and wow, it took me like 8 hours to the 1/2 hour drive back home from the airport because I became deathly afraid of highways.  In fact, I have often become afraid of highways, and bridges, though I manage over bridges much better. 

I find driving to be one of the least difficult parts of my day, even in the depths of Acute, because it's moving(ish) meditation for me.

 

The times I'm having trouble driving are related to not getting enough sleep - The car is so warm & comfy that my eyes want to close on me.

 

I've used this and taken a short drive then a nap in my driveway.

 

It's going to depend on what kind of traffic you're dealing with and your existing relationship with driving.

 

I hope you continue to feel less stress when driving.