Continual Insomnia

Hello. I posted my story here: http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=197671.0

 

I think I could handle all of the other w/d symptoms, but the insomnia is killing me.

 

I was only on klonopin for the month of January (daily .25 @ 6pm, .25 @ bedtime).

I stupidly stopped in the beginning of February from 2/2-2/7 not understanding the withdrawals.

 

By the time I realized what was happening I tried to reinstate - first not at the full amount for a couple days, then for a day I tried diazepam, then back to not the full amount of klonopin - and now (since things are not improving) my wife and I have devised a plan to reisinstate fully and then slow taper at the original dosage in a pattern that mirrors the Ashton method. (.125mg @ 10:30am / .125mg @ 4:30pm / .25mg @ 10pm). I started this yesterday.

 

Is it likely that my insomnia will let up at some point so that I can level off and taper? Is there any hope of that?

 

I cannot function like this and Im losing hope.  This is all I think about. Im loosing my mind, and I fear my job is not far behind. No one in my life really understands what I'm going through. Ive tried benadryl one night and it helped, another night and it did not. My doc Rx'ed me Seoquel 25mg but Im afraid to take it.

SeekingHope74,

 

A psychiatrist is only likely to prescribe more drugs.  The reason you are not sleeping is the Klonopin cannot shut down your Gabba receptors.  It has a longer half life, but from what you saying you reached tolerance. That is the current dose will not work as expected.  The other symptoms you are experiencing are typical with Benzo withdrawal. 

 

I would do a slow taper, the problem is almost all doctors and Psychiatrists do NOT understand Benzo withdrawal or simply dismiss it.  It is real and thousands of people on this site can attest to that.

 

I would stay far away from any and all Rx drugs.  Seroquel is an extremely powerful antipsychotic drug with a laundry list of side effects and its own withdrawal.  I would also stay away from anything OTC that has alcohol or anything OTC in general.  The only way to begin to heal is to get off of everything.

 

Your sleep will return, but it might not be as quickly as you would like.  I had all the same fears you did.  You won't die from lack of sleep.  Your body will get you what it needs before that happens. 

 

The only cure is time.  Unfortunately no one knows how much time it will take.  Since you were a short-term user, it usually doesn't take as long.

 

Lack of sleep is the worst, but you can survive and work on very little sleep.  I did it for months and months.

 

The other option you have is cold turkey.  (not recommended) but I did it and I was on for 3 months and a doctor told me I didn't need to taper. 

 

Unfortunately no matter what you decide, you will pay the price with insomnia and other symptoms.  But it WILL get better. 

Thank you for your reply.

 

If I consistently reinstate the way I started to yesterday (.125mg @ 10:30am / .125mg @ 4:30pm / .25mg @ 10pm) does my sleep return at some point if i hold it at that medication level for a week or more? I think I could taper and live a normal life if that would be the case.

It's hard to say.  I did not taper, so I have no experience with that.  However, ask yourself this question:

 

Do your current doses help you to sleep at night?  Yes or No?

 

If your answer is no, then a consistent reinstatement at those doses will not work for you!

 

You might need to "up dose" and then taper.  Up dose to an amount that will help you sleep.  But also be aware that as you taper, the insomnia kicks in more and more for most people

 

There really isn't a good way to avoid the insomnia.  Sorry, wish I had better news, but at some point the amount you cut/taper to will not induce sleep and you will be left with insomnia

 

The insomnia will begin to resolve on its own, but only after you quit all Rx drugs including benzos.

 

There is no "easy" path or way out.  Good luck!

Im starting to think that since Im still suffering with insomnia, mild daytime nausea and anxiety after reinstating, I might as well change my taper to substitute diazepam in the evenings (like in the ashton method) now. So:

 

.125c 10am | .125c 4pm | 5mg d 10pm

 

After reading a reply yesterday I did not take seroquel 12.5mg to sleep and last night was bad again. I cannot function without sleep.

 

I only ever reach the state where I have strange dreams for short periods but never feel unconscious. Its terrible. Does sleep begin to return during the taper?

Thank you for your reply.

 

If I consistently reinstate the way I started to yesterday (.125mg @ 10:30am / .125mg @ 4:30pm / .25mg @ 10pm) does my sleep return at some point if i hold it at that medication level for a week or more? I think I could taper and live a normal life if that would be the case.

 

I would bet money (a lot) that every time a person reinstates they end up compounding their problem in the long run. First off, increasing dosage during a withdrawal is like pounding your brain receptors with a hammer which does not lend itself to healing very well. Secondly, reaching for medication when things get rough is not good training for learning how to live a drug-free life. Unfortunately it is wishful thinking to hope that what caused your problem can also make it better.

So what should I do, then?

 

 

It seems like common knowledge to taper based on what I read here.

 

Looking at Ashton I should be able to begin go substitute diazepam for clonazepam and then in the next step begin to reduce the dosage.

 

Or should I just begin lessening the dosage? IT almost sounds like you're saying I should go CT.

 

I cannot live for months on end with no sleep.. I fee like Im going insane.

I would not advocate for cold turkey unless it was with a z-drug and only after tolerance withdrawal has already set in. Perhaps I read your post wrong, but you used the term "consistently reinstate" so to me that means increasing dosage in the hopes of finding stability. The bad news is that there is a pretty good chance that you are going to experience bad insomnia for some time and nothing other than larger doses of a benzo or a sleeping aid is going to help, but only temporarily. You can, and will, survive the lack of sleep. It won't be complete for any longer than your body can handle it and then enough sleep will slip in to keep you going. I know that it is hard to digest right now, but you will make the mental adjustments needed and find the strength that you will need.

Hi SeekingHope74,

 

Chessplayer did a crossover from Ativan to Valium (Diazepam) and was able to sleep and recover at the same time.  You might want to search his name or Personal Message him?  He did a very slow taper, about 1 year and even when he cut the dose, it was enough to help him get some sleep most of the time.  Not sure if you will be that lucky?  From what I have read on this forum, almost everyone starts to experience an increase in symptoms and insomnia at some point during their taper.  Not what you wanted to hear, but that is the reality.  You WILL sleep again on your own, but healing only really begins AFTER you have stopped taking ALL Rx drugs.

 

I wish I had better news, but as others have stated, why would you expect taking more of what caused you to stop sleeping be the solution?  K-pin has a fairly long half life (how long the active part of the drug is in your blood before the amount is reduced by 1/2) but valium is even longer. If you can't find a Benzo-wise doctor (very few around), then follow Ashton and try the crossover, you really don't have anything to lose if you are going to taper and your current taper with K-pin is not giving you the sleep you desire.

 

Most people get more sleep than they think they do, especially stage 1 light sleep.  Your body will get what it needs before it causes you any physical harm.  From my experience, most of not sleeping is tied to how you react to it.  I had a zero night this past Monday but felt "pretty good" considering that I had no sleep for about 40 hours by the time I went to bed again the next night.  Went to work, ran the clock for a basketball game that evening, went out to eat with my family then came home and got some pretty good sleep. 

 

You can do this, but only when you convince yourself that you are ready to.  God's speed for whatever you decide to do.