doing well on my own

i am want encouragement and to share what i am experiencing withdrawing from benzo medication.  i was taking 2mg of clonazepam twice a day. i have taken this kind of medication since january 2011. i have been tapering slowing from this dosage for 3 months. i started tapering with 1 mg in a.m. and 2 mg p.m.  the second month i started  taking .5 mgs in a.m. and 1mg at bedtime. today i started with .25 mgs in a.m. and .5 at bedtime. i hope to taper off completely this month with .25 mgs a.m. and .5 p.m. i feel ok with this due to proper nutrition and avoiding stress. i completed a tapering regimen from gabapentan 3 months ago. that dose was 800 mgs twice a day. that went well even though it was hard to do. i am determined to do this because at 63 yrs old i feel these have become a source of mood swings and lethargy. i am currently on 200 mgs of zoloft a.m. and 150 mgs of trazodone p.m. i also will eventually taper off these high doses in the future.

Welcome to BenzoBuddies!  We are glad you decided to join us.  You'll find a lot of support and information on this forum, which is the only one of its kind online.  Congratulations on your taper so far.  Imo it is a good idea for seniors to consider getting off this kind of medication if they are able, to prevent problems in the future.  I'm 69 now, 7 years off, and I'm glad I got off when I did.  We have many members in their 50's and 60's.

 

For those starting a taper, we generally recommend starting out at a rate of 5 to 10% every 10-14 days, then adjusting the taper to suit your own needs.  Note: very short term users may be able to taper faster.

 

Withdrawal symptoms, which vary widely but commonly include anxiety and insomnia, often occur during a taper, but these are temporary and will get better in time.  In general, first tapers are easier, but cold turkeys or multiple withdrawals may be more severe and longer lasting.  Here are a few links to get you started:

 

The Ashton Manual, a concise reference for tapering and symptom issues.

 

Withdrawal Support (during your taper)

 

Once again, welcome!

 

 

Welcome to the group! Congratulations on tapering yourself down so far from these awful drugs. Although each subsequent withdrawal can be more difficult  with more extreme symptoms it's not impossible to do. Please do take the time to read the important links that the moderators left for you it helped me a lot when I felt informed. So stay strong and hang in there you can do this!