It wasn't supposed to go this way

My trusted doc of 10 years prescribed clonazepam for anxiety/panic disorder that I was struggling to manage. I foolishly failed to do any research, and believed she knew what she was doing. Took clonazepam for four weeks, having tapered down from .75 mg to .5 mg, then .375 mg for a couple of days. After the first week and a half it made my anxiety and panic worse. My doc finally said it was safe to stop taking it, my pharmacist agreed, but now I know i basically quit CT without an adequate taper. Thus I'm suffering horrible withdrawl.

Hello, Ezralit - Welcome to BenzoBuddies!

 

Congratulations on  becoming benzo-free! Very often doctors and pharmacists are unaware of how the tapers they are advising are just too fast.  I'm sorry you feel that you didn't have adequate time on your taper.  Having only took it for four weeks, there is some hope that maybe you can get out of this with  few problems still, though there is no guarantee.  Sometimes, if you haven't been taking benzos for long, the withdrawal can run it's course quickly, and you could be okay in a few weeks or a month or so.  Unfortunately, there's no way to know in advance. 

 

I'm so glad you decided to join the forum - you'll find plenty of information and support here. Our members have gone through all aspects of benzodiazepine use and withdrawal, so you'll be able to connect with others who understand what you're going through and can tell you what has worked for them.

 

Please feel free to post to any of the specialized boards, which can all be accessed from the BenzoBuddies Community Forum homepage. Based on the information provided in your introduction, the following links may be a good starting place for you:

 

 

Post-withdrawal Recovery Support

 

 

Cold Turkey, Detox & Rapid Withdrawal

 

When you have a chance, I highly recommend that you take a look at The Ashton Manual, which is an authoritative source on what to expect during withdrawal and recovery, authored by Dr. C. Heather Ashton, who is an expert in the field. It provides a great deal of information that can be very reassuring during any stage of this process, including a list of common symptoms with helpful explanations on the reasons for their existence.

 

For those who are currently tapering, we suggest reducing no faster than 5-10% every 10-14 days, and some taper even slower than that. One exception: very short-term users of a few weeks or less may be able to taper faster than that. 

 

Please take the time to Create a Signature. This will allow members to see where you are in the process, so that they can better support you.

 

Again, welcome!

Greencup