Forced Cold Turkey withdrawal.

I'm in quite a predicament here.  I've been on and off benzos (Ativan and Klonopin) since my Mom was diagnosed with Cancer in 2002.  I was up to 4mg of Ativan per day, then switched to Klonopin @ 2mg a day.  I slipped up and I started to abuse them because I couldn't deal with the stress of losing my mom.  My dad died two years previous, so I started to self medicate.

 

Well, my doctor figured me out, and refuses to prescribe any more benzodiazapines, so I'm in a forced cold turkey withdrawal.  I took my last pill yesterday, and I am starting to feel the twitches, headpain/eyepain.  I would love to hear any suggestions.  Right now I'm taking Bonine for the dizziness, but Bonine is really expensive, and only 8 pills come per package.  I take up to 4 Benadryl to sleep, and so far so good with sleeping.

 

I also take Effexor and BuSpar for anxiety and depression.  But from what I understand BuSpar is useless as far as helping out with withdrawal symptoms.  Any other suggestions to get through the cold turkey thing is appreciated. 

 

I JUST as I type this got a call from my doctor, he prescribed some kind of pain pill for the eye pain. (Thank GOD!!!!)  Starts with a P, I'll have to look it up when my husband goes and gets my script.

 

Thanks in advance

What if you talked with your doctor again? Be frank, and explain that you are fully understand that you have become dependant upon the benzos, but you'd like to taper off at a gentle rate. Explain that you have been researching benzo-withdrawal, and some can suffer very protracted withdrawal symptoms (lasting many months). Also explain that you have joined an online support group for those withdrawing from benzos.

 

Ask your doctor to strictly ration the prescriptions. You understand that you will have no choice but to make the pills last until the next prescription. Explain that you want to quit, but need your doctor's help. If they are not helpful, I'd seek another doctor.

Hi Blondiebear & welcome to BenzoBuddies

 

This is a great website to get support and education so you can best advocate for yourself with your doctor(s) and be in control of your own recovery.

 

I stopped cold-turkey 4 mg of ativan after being on it for about 3 years. I thought I had to because I had become pregnant. As well as being extremely sick during my first few months of pregnancy, I was going through terrible withdrawals.  I started seeing a psychiatrist because I thought I was going crazy.  I then had to quit my job b/c I could not function at work. To make a long story a little shorter, I was prescribed up to 35 mg of Ambien a night to help with w/d and sleep. 

 

Despite my doctor's best efforts, I declined physically and mentally during the first four months of my pregnancy. I eventually had to be hosptialized at five months pregnant due to drug-induced psychosis and severe depression. It was humiliating and terrifying as I was a respected mental health professional at the time.  Because I was pregnant, I could not be given any more drugs. To me and family's surprise and dismay, I had to be given a series of electric shock therapy treatments. I then quickly got well and felt good the last couple months of my pregnancy. But most importantly, I was terrified as to what the effects of all this hell was going to be on my unborn child.  Thank God, my baby was born healthy and has had no ill effects.

 

I now am a content stay-at-home mom (no hurry to go back into the mental health profession ), but, sadly, I went back to taking benzos & "z-drugs" for sleep.  For the last year I've been taking 60 mg Resteral plus a Lunesta or an Ambien to sleep at night.  Then, a few months ago I discovered Dr. Heather Ashton and began reading her manual on benzo withdrawal. I soon came to believe that I too could be benzo-free!!!

 

So, after lots of visits with my doctor, I was able to convince her to switch me to the Valium as a substitute (Valium has a very long half life) as our previous quick tapers with Resteral did not work.  I started my taper about a month and a half ago at 30 mg Valium, and I am currently taking 22 mg Valium per night and doing OK. I no longer take the Lunesta, Ambien, or any other "z-drugs."  I keep my dr. updated by voicemails to let her know that I am actually doing well and making progress.  I think I finally won her over to my side, or should I say the side of Truth!

 

I don't tell you all of this to scare you.  Obviously, my pregnancy complicated my already terrible cold-turkey withdrawal.  My point is that cold-turkey withdrawal is so dangerous and simply bad medical practice.  Please talk to your doctor. Print out Dr. Ashton's manual (it's free) and bring it to your doctor.  The website is www.benzo.org.uk. Have a serious support person (maybe your husband) come with you to your doctor and help advocate for proper slow withdrawal. Don't be intimidated.  If he refuses to do a slow taper, request to be referred to another doctor and try, try again. Be polite, but persistant. Remember with doctors, we are often dealing with strong egos.

 

Wishing you the best of luck,

Maggie

Hi, Blondiebear,

 

I lost my mom to cancer a couple of years ago, so I know how stressful it is to be in this situation. I'm glad you've realized that the benzos are part of the problem and not part of the solution.

 

Yes, I would again approach your doctor, but if he is not willing to help you, I would immediately see someone else. After you go cold turkey, it can happen that after a couple of weeks of withdrawal symptoms, reinstating the drug will not work to take the withdrawal symptoms away. And then you are stuck with horrible withdrawal symptoms for sometimes months, even over a year. The symptoms can be so bad that you are nonfunctional. There are no drugs that can take withdrawal symptoms away, despite what some well-meaning doctors have been taught. So if your current doctor doesn't help you, I *highly* recommend you get to another doctor immediately. Once you get back on track with the prescription, we can help you do a safe taper from your benzo.

 

With regard to rationing...the doctor can write small scripts, for only a couple of weeks' time, and then have you come back for a return visit. This is a hassle, I know, but doctors feel like they can keep an eye on things this way. My doctor did this when he switched me to Valium. I think he wanted to be sure I wasn't going to abuse the drug at first, since he didn't know me. So for the first couple of months, I had scripts for two weeks only, and I had to pay the doctor another visit to get another script written--no refills.

 

Therese

Thank you!  I'm going to print this thread, as well as Ashton's taper method and show him both.  Tonight on the way home I had an emotional breakdown...and JUST stopped crying.

 

And so much for sleep being good.  I woke in a panic 3 times in the night ready to get my kids ready for school (which they wouldn't have liked had I woke em up at 2:30)  It took me a good couple of minutes for my brain to register that it was the middle of the nigh...followed that same cycle at 4am, 530am and basically before I was to get up anyway.

 

The headache pills did indeed work, but it's so bad that I'm taking them around the clock.  My doctor already suspects it and does indeed give me 2 wks dosage, bad thing is I don't seem to have the will power to 'take just a couple of extra, and leads on to two more till I'm hiding my bottle from my husband.  He was THE hardest to come out because he doesn't understand what is going on my head.  Is there any sites that I could print out for him to read so he knows I'm not imagining it?  Not that he does, but he thinks I can rely on sheer willpower, and it's been hard to do that.  If I have those damn pills I take them.

 

Once I come clean with my doctor and follow a scheduled taper, hopefully I'll be outta the woods to spend time with my kids.

 

Therese, I'm sorry to hear of your mother.  It sure didn't help that she grabbed my arm and said before she died, get the pills out of the top of the closet, you and your sister will need them.  I'd never even taken an opiate before then.

 

I've never been on anything so hard to withdrawal from.  I've talked to methadone and heroin users and they have a less of a time, not to mention it doesn't last long.

 

Thank you again so much for the help.  I'll go to see Doc tomorrow, and just come clean about the whole thing.  He doesn't even know I've been taking my husband's klonopin. (which he refuses to fill again, no benzos in the house unless they're mine)  And he's going to keep the pills and keep me on that taper.

Dear Blondiebear,

 

I'm not a site moderator, but I think your plan is a good one.  Before you see your doctor, try to take as much time as you can to read Dr. Ashton's manual.  It's a lot of information, but she is an expert on benzo withdrawal and ran her own benzo withdrawal clinic in the UK.  Also, make sure you bring the drug equivalence charts to your doctor.  There are different drug equivalence charts depending on what expert or manual doctor's refer to.  Dr. Ashton's chart was the first one I found and ended up working best for me, so that's all I can recommend.

 

If your doctor does switch you over to Valium or another benzo, the charts are critical to know. For example, my doctor switched me from 60 mg Restoral to 20 mg Valium. My doctor said that "her professional chart" listed that equivalent; however, Dr. Ashton's charts (among others) stated that 60 mg Restoral equaled 30 mg Valium.  Well, I tried the 20 mg and was having awful withdrawals-no sleep & bad anxiety.  It wasn't nearly enough of a dose. My doctor then admitted that there were discrepancies among the medical community's drug equivalency charts even in the US and finally raised my dose to 30 mg, which ended up being perfect for me. 

 

I believe on this website under the "BuddiesGuide" section & it's "Tables" subsection there are other resources listed regarding drug equivalences.  You may want to look into some of those sources and print out anything that you may find to support Dr. Ashton's manual to provide some "back-up" for her medical advice.

 

In regards to your husband, you may just tell him that you really need him to read Dr. Ashton's material so he can understand the critical nature of withdrawal.  (Him reading this site may be too confusing b/c of all the different sections plus threaten your privacy in the case he misunderstands what you post). On a side note, I don't know if this is a fact but one of my doctors told me that benzos were the hardest drug to get off of..like you said, even harder than heroin. 

 

Overall, since time is of the essence and you are going through so much right now, you may want to plan to just educate yourself the best you can so that you can best advocate for yourself with your doctor.  Perhaps with time your husband will begin to be open to learning more and then will be able to support you.  Again, I would suggest referring hubby to Dr. Ashton's www.benzo.org website and focus on getting yourself educated and prepared for your doctor's visit.  Knowledge is power! 

 

Good luck!  It's so good you found this website so soon. You're on the right track!

 

Maggie

Hi,

 

Maggie, your post has reminded me that I need to work on the equivalence table, as some information about the different sources is missing, and and an explanation of what it is all about.

 

Blondiebear, Professor Ashton found from clinical experience that an equivalent dose of Valium in substitution, rather a therapeutic equivalent, could be quite different to the stated equivalences from other authorities. I am not aware of an explanation that explains why this might be so, but as I said, this is borne out of clinical experience.

 

You doctor will probably look to local authorities for an equivalent dose - I guess this is understandable. However, some doctors are willing to to use Ashtons equivalences once they have read her manual. Another option is that you stick with your present benzos and, if needed, we will help you make up a liquid so that you can make small reductions to your dose.

Wow, I was told by the hospital withdrawl management here in Canada that I could DIE of siezures if i wasn't medically supervised and tapered down. your story is absolutely scarey. I do hope you get your doctors full support!!