How do you know if you’re in tolerance withdrawal? Any Mods who can advise?

Hi

So my history is a mess.

Ct’d off various drugs last year, constant akathisia since, had it before when polydrugged.

Ended up on 6mg diazepam last summer, was holding four months to hope to stabilise. Then akathisia went off the charts suddenly and I ended up being crossed from the diazepam to 1mg Klonopin:/ end of Jan.

I started tapering it four weeks in as it was doing paradoxical stuff at times and causing massive depression, plus I regretted taking another benzo for akathisia.

I tapered to .80 by May then was holding and holding but akathisia was getting worse and paradoxical reactions to the k sometimes but then I was getting severe adverse reactions to the escitalopram 5mg and decided to hold on the benzo and cut that.

I cut the escitalopram 10% 20 days ago. It’s been rough. But I am never ever stable and have akathisia all the time.

Now when I take the Klonopin I’m sometimes feeling like I’m going insane either straight after taking it or an hour or two later. It either sedates me to zombie state or sets me off pacing, or makes me feel sick, panicky in my brain...

Dealing with akathisia the whole time too.

Is there a chance I’m in tw?

Could it be that because I’d tapered some and then stopped since May, I’m in tw from that?

Could it have been that the akathisia went severe in Jan because I’d hit tw on the 6mg diazepam Id been on for 6 months with occasional use before that?

Do I need to forget trying to get off the escitalopram (which does seem to increase the akathisia) and get off the benzo quick as I can?

I’m feeling pretty screwed on these drugs and with the aka and the strange reactions I’m getting.

Can any mods chime in please?

I feel so ill and don’t know what’s sxs, the aka, the ssri cut, wds in general, or tolerance withdrawal?

AP x

Hi, I'm sorry you're going through all this.  When dealing with multiple medications in a case like yours, it can be very difficult to know what is causing which symptom. 

"Tolerance" is when the previously taken dosage no longer works as before.  "Tolerance withdrawal" is when that is true and withdrawal symptoms set in as well.  It's perfectly normal to have symptoms when tapering, especially after a fast taper or a c/t, which are almost guaranteed to cause severe symptoms.  Time is the true healer. The only thing to do is to live one day at a time, distract yourself from obsessive worrying using anything that gets your mind off your symptoms even for a little while, and let time do its work.  Healing can take a long time for some of us.

We mods and admins are not "experts," though.  We can only relate our own experiences, as peers - BB is a peer support group.  I hope you start to see some improvement soon.