Clonazepam withdrawal - give me some hope please :)

[[Buddie]]

Hi buddies

I took 1mg of Clonazepam for a couple of months.

0.5mg twice a day.

Anyway, I’m down to 0.25mg in the morning only - every second day as recommended by my psychiatrist.

I’m not going too bad however I’ve noticed I’m not sleeping and I’ve had insomnia the last few nights.

How long does this insomnia usually last? I need some hope so please keep responses positive

Would love any natural remedies if you have any

I’m feeling a bit ordinary today - I think more so due to lack of sleep.

Thank you in advance!

[[Buddie]]

Many of us have had to pass through some rough insomnia before our bodies healed and learned to sleep without benzos.  I'm sorry you are expeiencing this - it is rough.  I had trouble sleeping for about a year but I sleep well now.  Can you move your dose of clonazepam to bedtime?  And I wonder if you would fare better if you were not skipping days with your med and keeping a more steady state in your system?

I found this link, written by one of our members, very helpful:

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=235100.0

 

[[Buddie]]

Thanks for your response. I did sleep a little better last night thankfully (I did take cbd oil and had Acupunture yesterday afternoon).

I was also thinking of moving my Clonazepam to night time but my psychiatrist did cut the night dose out completely a month or two ago. I haven’t had trouble sleeping until this day on/day off approach.

I also question the every second day. My psychiatrist had directed me to do this as part of my taper. I’m due to see him again at the end of next week but I understand it’s to adjust your body to not having Clonazepam in your system on the off day? I don’t fully understand it though.

[[Buddie]]

You might do better with the end of your taper if you dose your clonazepam every day instead of every other.  You could talk to your psychiatrist about this next time you go.

[[Buddie]]

I’m actually in the realm of insomnia now, however it’s not every night. Sometimes I’ll sleep okay, but a lighter less restful sleep and sometimes it’s hard to fall asleep and stay asleep. I’d imagine switching your dose to evenings would be the best. I won’t argue with the every other day routine because maybe that is better than being constantly on clonazepam however I take it every night even though I’m so low in dose it’s doing very little. Good natural remedies are chamomile tea and possibly lemon balm tea before bed, magnesium before bed and adaptogens in the day like ashwagonda. Hope some of this is helpful!

[[Buddie]]

I had a chat to my GP about the day on/day off approach, he wasn’t sure about it either so has suggested I dose everyday but half the amount so I’m now taking 0.125mg each day - I’ve also pushed it to night time so I’m sleeping through again

I’m interested to see what my psychiatrist suggests from here when I see him next week.

[[Buddie]]

This is great news!  I'm so glad you've made this change. 

[[Buddie]]

I had a chat to my GP about the day on/day off approach, he wasn’t sure about it either so has suggested I dose everyday but half the amount so I’m now taking 0.125mg each day - I’ve also pushed it to night time so I’m sleeping through again

I’m interested to see what my psychiatrist suggests from here when I see him next week.

Since almost all psychiatrists won't even recognize Benzo WD, your psychiatrist will more than likely push one or more Rx drugs to fix Benzo WD, which can only be fixed by time.  During the thick of my WD and after repeated visits, my PCP said he'd no longer see me until I saw a psychiatrist.  I did and she wrote me 4 Rx drug scripts and said I had GAD along with a host of other psychiatric "conditions" or "illnesses."  I never got the scripts filled and everything cleared up over time.  I never had any mental condition or illness, it was always Benzo WD, which she didn't believe in. 

She gave me the famous line..."the drugs have been out of your system for months now, so you have....(fill in the blank condition/illness). Her great learning made her puffed up and delusional with pride and a "know-it-all" attitude that I never respected nor followed and so thankful that I didn't.  Their cure for pretty much everything is to write you an Rx drug script!

I'd do a proper taper, Ashton style, no more than 5-10% every few weeks and then never take another Benzo again after you are off.  It won't be easy, but you can do it.

Good luck

[[Buddie]]

Actually the reason why i was put on Clonazepam in the first place was because I wasn't getting any sleep. I was experiencing panic attacks every night that disrupted sleep for three months. The Clonazepam killed the panic symptoms right away which I was thankful for but I also developed a "sleep ritual" every night to calm myself before bed. Of course, everyone is different. The idea is just to have a relaxing ritual that you do every night to calm yourself before bed. For me, I like to color. I have adult coloring books and color while soft music plays in the background. I try to slow down my strokes as I color. I noticed sometimes my anxiety shifts with the motion of my hand as I color. Sounds weird I know. I usually wait till I get sleepy, then I read my Bible and do prayers. I lay my anxieties at God's feet. I was sleeping fine but I am now off of Clonazepam and going through withdrawals so this routine hasn't worked nearly as well. So a few days ago I tried meditation (I focus on a single scripture verse)  and I was finally able to rest. I nodded off a bit. In general, I suggest trying a "sleep ritual" just any activity you find relaxing that can get your mind relaxed and back in the moment. That's what's helped me.