Cold Turkey Summer 2019

I became benzo free during the summer of 2019. I would like to find individuals who are within the same timeframe of withdrawal as me. A safe place to share our experiences, helpful coping techniques, how we manage our symptoms as well as provide hope and healing support for one another.

Hi there and welcome!  I was CT'd in August 2019.  Is that close enough for you?

 

B

Absolutely! I took my last benzo in July, however, I continued to cold turkey other meds over the summer as well. How are you doing?

CT'd August 2019.

Aug 2019. Cognitive impairment prevents preparing detailed Rx history. In summary taken only as prescribed: Ativan +/-10 yrs prn, Klonopin daily +/-10 yrs on daily Klonopin 3mg self reduced to 1mg for last two years. Brief memory lapse and falls with interdosing problems prompted my request to discontinue. Prescriber said "no problem" but required inpatient five day inpatient. I so regret not having done homework. Struggling. Scared I wont survive this.

Good for you. Hang tough and don't reinstate

It really does not matter how one gets off benzos. If one has to go cold turkey, so be it. It may not be the "safest" way. But what truly matter is how we heal from benzos.

I am GLAD I was forced to go ct off benzos and SSRIs. I know absolutely that I would not have been able to doing a taper. I was THAT far gone into benzo addiction.

Yes. I know that here on BB we avoid saying we are addicted. But I was. Physically and mentally. Thirty years of nightly benzos in huge doses WILL cause that. Duh! My story may be extreme, I know that. But YOUR story is just as important. Anyone who goes off benzos abruptly shares a lot of things. Its funny. In 7 years on BB, I have always checked the Cold Turkey Threads first. You guys are MY people. (LOL! Thinking of Avatar!)

east

It really does not matter how one gets off benzos. If one has to go cold turkey, so be it. It may not be the "safest" way. But what truly matter is how we heal from benzos.

I am GLAD I was forced to go ct off benzos and SSRIs. I know absolutely that I would not have been able to doing a taper. I was THAT far gone into benzo addiction.

Yes. I know that here on BB we avoid saying we are addicted. But I was. Physically and mentally. Thirty years of nightly benzos in huge doses WILL cause that. Duh! My story may be extreme, I know that. But YOUR story is just as important. Anyone who goes off benzos abruptly shares a lot of things. Its funny. In 7 years on BB, I have always checked the Cold Turkey Threads first. You guys are MY people. (LOL! Thinking of Avatar!)

east

It really DOES matter how one tries to w/d from benzos and c/t has been shown through empiracle evidence to be the most dangerous and injurious method of making such an attempt. I am shocked that this statement is permiited by the BB  Administrators on a benzo support group. best wishes

It really does not matter how one gets off benzos. If one has to go cold turkey, so be it. It may not be the "safest" way. But what truly matter is how we heal from benzos.

I am GLAD I was forced to go ct off benzos and SSRIs. I know absolutely that I would not have been able to doing a taper. I was THAT far gone into benzo addiction.

Yes. I know that here on BB we avoid saying we are addicted. But I was. Physically and mentally. Thirty years of nightly benzos in huge doses WILL cause that. Duh! My story may be extreme, I know that. But YOUR story is just as important. Anyone who goes off benzos abruptly shares a lot of things. Its funny. In 7 years on BB, I have always checked the Cold Turkey Threads first. You guys are MY people. (LOL! Thinking of Avatar!)

east

It really DOES matter how one tries to w/d from benzos and c/t has been shown through empiracle evidence to be the most dangerous and injurious method of making such an attempt. I am shocked that this statement is permiited by the BB  Administrators on a benzo support group. best wishes

 

Hello Fi Addendum,

 

It's only natural that a discussion of cold turkey would come up on a support thread titled Cold Turkey Summer 2019.  We have a forum full of members who quit cold turkey voluntarily or were forced to, we can't ignore the reality of their situation.  eastcoast62 is telling of her experience, she is stating what worked for her.  If she would have said if one wants instead of if one has, that could have been construed as tacit support for this practice, she did not.

 

Of course it matters how "one tries to w/d from benzos" but I have serious doubts anyone reading eastcoast62's comments would choose a cold turkey when in the next sentence she states its not the safest way.

 

Pamster

 

 

While not recommended, I am glad I did a CT.  I am not saying anyone else should do a CT as a slow taper is almost always the best way to get off of Benzos or other drugs, but it worked for me and if I had to do it over again, I would still do a CT.  As others have said, some people are "forced" into a CT via a detox center or their PCP stops prescribing enough Benzos to do a slow taper? And there are many other reasons why some decide to CT.  Everyone needs to do what they believe is best for them.  Good luck!

It really does not matter how one gets off benzos. If one has to go cold turkey, so be it. It may not be the "safest" way. But what truly matter is how we heal from benzos.

I am GLAD I was forced to go ct off benzos and SSRIs. I know absolutely that I would not have been able to doing a taper. I was THAT far gone into benzo addiction.

Yes. I know that here on BB we avoid saying we are addicted. But I was. Physically and mentally. Thirty years of nightly benzos in huge doses WILL cause that. Duh! My story may be extreme, I know that. But YOUR story is just as important. Anyone who goes off benzos abruptly shares a lot of things. Its funny. In 7 years on BB, I have always checked the Cold Turkey Threads first. You guys are MY people. (LOL! Thinking of Avatar!)

east

It really DOES matter how one tries to w/d from benzos and c/t has been shown through empiracle evidence to be the most dangerous and injurious method of making such an attempt. I am shocked that this statement is permiited by the BB  Administrators on a benzo support group. best wishes

 

Hello Fi Addendum,

 

It's only natural that a discussion of cold turkey would come up on a support thread titled Cold Turkey Summer 2019.  We have a forum full of members who quit cold turkey voluntarily or were forced to, we can't ignore the reality of their situation.  eastcoast62 is telling of her experience, she is stating what worked for her.  If she would have said if one wants instead of if one has, that could have been construed as tacit support for this practice, she did not.

 

Of course it matters how "one tries to w/d from benzos" but I have serious doubts anyone reading eastcoast62's comments would choose a cold turkey when in the next sentence she states its not the safest way.

 

Pamster

An article "Don't Harm Them Twice, Part 2":  https://www.madinamerica.com/2015/11/language-surrounding-ôbenzodiazepines-part-ii/  I would not expect a person in the throws of c/t to be able to discern a person's intent when saying "It does not matter how someone gets off benzos." But, Heather Ashton, the person most quoted on this forum makes it absolutely clear that it DOES matter. I encourage you and others to read the noted link and take to heart the phrase Don't harm them twice."

It really does not matter how one gets off benzos. If one has to go cold turkey, so be it. It may not be the "safest" way. But what truly matter is how we heal from benzos.

I am GLAD I was forced to go ct off benzos and SSRIs. I know absolutely that I would not have been able to doing a taper. I was THAT far gone into benzo addiction.

Yes. I know that here on BB we avoid saying we are addicted. But I was. Physically and mentally. Thirty years of nightly benzos in huge doses WILL cause that. Duh! My story may be extreme, I know that. But YOUR story is just as important. Anyone who goes off benzos abruptly shares a lot of things. Its funny. In 7 years on BB, I have always checked the Cold Turkey Threads first. You guys are MY people. (LOL! Thinking of Avatar!)

east

It really DOES matter how one tries to w/d from benzos and c/t has been shown through empiracle evidence to be the most dangerous and injurious method of making such an attempt. I am shocked that this statement is permiited by the BB  Administrators on a benzo support group. best wishes

 

Hello Fi Addendum,

 

It's only natural that a discussion of cold turkey would come up on a support thread titled Cold Turkey Summer 2019.  We have a forum full of members who quit cold turkey voluntarily or were forced to, we can't ignore the reality of their situation.  eastcoast62 is telling of her experience, she is stating what worked for her.  If she would have said if one wants instead of if one has, that could have been construed as tacit support for this practice, she did not.

 

Of course it matters how "one tries to w/d from benzos" but I have serious doubts anyone reading eastcoast62's comments would choose a cold turkey when in the next sentence she states its not the safest way.

 

Pamster

An article "Don't Harm Them Twice, Part 2":  https://www.madinamerica.com/2015/11/language-surrounding-ôbenzodiazepines-part-ii/ I would not expect a person in the throws of c/t to be able to discern a person's intent when saying "It does not matter how someone gets off benzos." But, Heather Ashton, the person most quoted on this forum makes it absolutely clear that it DOES matter. I encourage you and others to read the noted link and take to heart the phrase Don't harm them twice."

 

Fi Addendum,

 

In the bold sentence above, you say "I would not expect a person in the throws of c/t", in which case that person has already make the decision or was forced to quit cold turkey.  I would then think that this person would be heartened by eastcoast62's experience, letting them know recovery is possible.

 

Thanks so much for providing this link, it's an excellent article about the importance of language in regards to benzodiazepine use and withdrawal.  I'm confident that in the future, eastcoast62 will be more cognizant of the power her words wield  We all need to be more careful of the language we use while posting on the forum, I'm sure everyone is grateful to you for helping us do this.

 

Thank you for your contributions to the forum.

 

Pamster

Was not my choice, 5 months out, I don't pretend to know anything about it either way.  I just know I have the same sx as alot of people and I will support you either way.  Another Ground hog day today for me.  But I feel I m healing, the peeps on this board have had to point it out ALL the time to me.  Thank you all every day!  Warrior on!

 

B

Thanks Bnotafraid for hopefully getting this thread back on track because it has veered away from Iwant2breakfree's intent, to be a safe place for those who quit cold turkey in the summer of 2019.  While I don't qualify for membership in this group, (I quit cold turkey in the fall of 2007) I'm also glad I quit this way.  I'm not recommending it, but it was my choice and we should all have that.  That's the real harm in this debate, those who aren't given a choice.

 

 

I appreciate all who share their story of strength and survival with a cold turkey. Regardless of how we came off a benzo or psychiatric med we are all struggling through withdrawals together. I don’t spend a lot of time wishing I could have done things differently in how I came off of them. The side effects of all those medications were detrimental to me. I am grateful I am off the meds and even through all the suffering, I have my clarity back!

And Pamster you are always welcome! I find all your posts full of hope and healing!

eastcoast62 I hope you stay on here as well. I appreciate your support and all your stories provide me with much needed encouragement :-)

And Pamster you are always welcome! I find all your posts full of hope and healing!

 

Thank you, happy to.  How are you feeling?

It’s been a struggle but I am taking it day by day. Recently the last two weeks I have noticed fatigue has really set in. I notice many members struggle with this as well. I’ve been trying to find things to do while not having much energy and have been learning to crochet. I’ve also been coloring in adult coloring books 

I'm looking at your signature, what a nightmare for you.  Isn't it sad that it took a television program to finally understand what was happening to you?  Talk about educational TV, Lisa Ling hasn't been known for her public service announcements, but in this case, she did you a great service.

Yes, I cried when I watched it. After watching it and finding BB, my whole life finally made sense to me. I was finally able to remember who I was prior to medication. I was thankful to find out that all these labels I had accepted as part of my “mental illness” were drug induced behaviors. In fact, I never had a mental illness. They were all side effects, drug to drug interactions or withdrawal symptoms. I am grateful for the knowledge I have received and for knowing I will never medicate another feeling or emotion again.

I'm so sorry for your pain, but I see hope and strength in your words and your actions.  You're doing small tasks to try to distract from the symptoms, you're looking past this nightmare to say never again which says to me you're already seeing your future without the ridiculous drug induced label you were given.

 

The fatigue is rough, I remember it, like you're flat as a pancake. 

Pamster, iwant2breakfree east and all

 

We are CT survivor's and yes we are suffering as everyone does I appreciate your daily encouragement and reassurance that I will survive this.  It is hard and what's done is done.  Moving onwards and healing that's what I have to do.  Every minute every breath I m healing.  We will make it out the other side!  All I need is to stay positive and reassure each other as much as we can.  Thanks for all you do.

 

B

How is everyone today?  All us CT survivor's?  I m in the thick of it today.  Looking for what's better?

In the last six months I can say that my sleep has definitely improved, the internal vibration has disapated only coming back on occasion, and akathisia has gone away for the most part. I seem to be dealing with a lot of fatigue lately. I’m now focusing on keeping my self distracted with things such as crocheting, jewelry making and coloring. I’ve always been into crafts so I’m using this time to be creative. I’m also going to be starting therapy with an emphasis on mindfulness practice. I think it’s important to focus on what we can do here and now in the moment to make ourselves better.

 

What has gotten better for you?