4 months off rapid taper klonopin

I’m joining because I need more help than I am receiving from my doctors and friends/family.

I was prescribed .5 mg of klonopin daily for 18 months for anxiety. Experienced tolerance and interdose withdrawals after a year and wanted to quit. My doctor told me I could CT, but luckily I knew better. But I didn’t know enough. I tried to taper over 4 weeks. It went very, very wrong.

I’m now 4 months off to the day, and still in acute withdrawal. I really need support. The akathisia is worsening it seems, and I can’t seem to find help anywhere. Nobody even believes me. This is debilitating.

Hello Elizabeth1820 Welcome to BenzoBuddies.

We are glad you joined our community and congratulations at 4 months off.  Withdrawal from benzos can be a lengthy process, a slow reduction is usually recommended.  I am sorry you are struggling right now, rapid withdrawal can bring on severe symptoms.  You will recover but it takes time for the CNS to repair after complete withdrawal, hang in there, it will get easier.  You will get plenty of encouragement and support here, any symptoms you are experiencing are temporary and will resolve eventually, time is our healer.  Please feel free to browse the boards and post questions to any of the dedicated threads.

I would suggest you read The Ashton Manual, reading this will give you a better understanding on why you feel the way you do.  It is a great resource for understanding the effect benzo’s have on our body, It also includes a list of common symptoms 

Here are a few helpful links

The Ashton Manual. 

Cold Turkey Detox & Rapid Withdrawal Board

Post withdrawal recovery support.

If you would like to add a signature (history of meds/doses etc) it will help members give you relevant advice.  Go to the top of the page and select PROFILE then choose forum profile then insert drug history into the text box and remember to click change profile

Welcome aboard

Magrita

Elizabeth: I am so sorry you are suffering. Your story is similar to mine as I was a rapid off of ativan. It's no joke and it has been rough.

But I want to give you hope. I am experiencing windows/waves. My windows are not like 100%, its more like better days/less symptoms, and then I will get a wave. Things have improved. I am far more functional now and am able to work a bit. I can be in public in moderation. I sleep again! My cognition is better (i still get brain fog from time to time but my memory is sooo much better). I have had days with laughter to the point of tears.

Healing is happening. You will get there.

There were days when all I would do is read the success stories on here just to find hope and focus. I still read them but not so diligently. Read them...theres some intense ones that you would think that member would never recover but they did.

But like Magrita wrote  - it takes time...we want to be well like yesterday! So patience and acceptance is key. Take it day by day..sometimes we have to go minute by minute. Sometimes we don't know how we make it through another day but we do:) And you will too.

Elizabeth: I am so sorry you are suffering. Your story is similar to mine as I was a rapid off of ativan. It's no joke and it has been rough.

 

But I want to give you hope. I am experiencing windows/waves. My windows are not like 100%, its more like better days/less symptoms, and then I will get a wave. Things have improved. I am far more functional now and am able to work a bit. I can be in public in moderation. I sleep again! My cognition is better (i still get brain fog from time to time but my memory is sooo much better). I have had days with laughter to the point of tears.

 

Healing is happening. You will get there.

There were days when all I would do is read the success stories on here just to find hope and focus. I still read them but not so diligently. Read them...theres some intense ones that you would think that member would never recover but they did.

 

But like Magrita wrote  - it takes time...we want to be well like yesterday! So patience and acceptance is key. Take it day by day..sometimes we have to go minute by minute. Sometimes we don't know how we make it through another day but we do:) And you will too.

Did you suffer from akathisia? I have it for almost two months, but very severely for the last 8 days. I’m really scared. It’s getting worse.

Yes a bit here and there but not really anymore..I feel like I get more of a mental akasthesia off and on.

Its kind of like we all generally get the same symptoms, but each of us differ in how hard they hit or how long they last.

I have two examples...One friend on here constantly has a problem with rashes...I only had that once. Another person I know is having a really hard time with air hunger and swallowing, whereas my air hunger is moderate and likes to come and go. One of my seemingly more constant symptoms for the past while has been the burning feeling under my skin in my torso and a very deep muscle ache (among other things...).

I write all that not to scare anyone, but to normalize how diverse this can be. Same yet different.

IMO it seems those who have CT'd or done a rapid taper suffer more with the akasthesia. I'm so sorry..it will diminish over time. Its a horrible feeling.

We ARE healing!