tingling in hands and feet

Hello to all! I am new to this forum and have a question for you. I have been on Lexapro for four years. The past two years of my life have been traumatic with the loss of my mother and separation from my husband. I have taken Klonopin "as needed" during this time. My last dose was a little over two weeks ago at 4mgs. I decided not to take it anymore as I dislike the memory loss and vivid, violent dremas I experienced while on it. (I also noticed that my dreams returned to normal after stopping.) Now I am experiencing tingling in my legs\feet and hands. It's driving me crazy. Can this be from the Klonopin? I've seen this as a withdrawal effect on many websites but I'm not sure as I wasn't on it for an extended period of time just "as needed". Yet I certainly had the other unpleasant side effects mentioned above. Your help is greatly appreciated as I'm really concerned about this. Thanks.

Deb13

Hello to all! I am new to this forum and have a question for you. I have been on Lexapro for four years. The past two years of my life have been traumatic with the loss of my mother and separation from my husband. I have taken Klonopin "as needed" during this time. My last dose was a little over two weeks ago at 4mgs. I decided not to take it anymore as I dislike the memory loss and vivid, violent dremas I experienced while on it. (I also noticed that my dreams returned to normal after stopping.) Now I am experiencing tingling in my legs\feet and hands. It's driving me crazy. Can this be from the Klonopin? I've seen this as a withdrawal effect on many websites but I'm not sure as I wasn't on it for an extended period of time just "as needed". Yet I certainly had the other unpleasant side effects mentioned above. Your help is greatly appreciated as I'm really concerned about this. Thanks.

 

Deb13

Hi Deb,

How often did you take the klonopin? Did you always take 4mg at a time? The tingling could be w/d effects from quitting the klonopin. It is usually suggested to do a slow taper from this kind of med. If you only used it ocasionally you may not have been addicted. Others should be by to help you with their comments and suggestions. Hang in there!

T2

Hello to all! I am new to this forum and have a question for you. I have been on Lexapro for four years. The past two years of my life have been traumatic with the loss of my mother and separation from my husband. I have taken Klonopin "as needed" during this time. My last dose was a little over two weeks ago at 4mgs. I decided not to take it anymore as I dislike the memory loss and vivid, violent dremas I experienced while on it. (I also noticed that my dreams returned to normal after stopping.) Now I am experiencing tingling in my legs\feet and hands. It's driving me crazy. Can this be from the Klonopin? I've seen this as a withdrawal effect on many websites but I'm not sure as I wasn't on it for an extended period of time just "as needed". Yet I certainly had the other unpleasant side effects mentioned above. Your help is greatly appreciated as I'm really concerned about this. Thanks.

 

Deb13

 

Hi Deb,

 

How often did you take the klonopin? Did you always take 4mg at a time? The tingling could be w/d effects from quitting the klonopin. It is usually suggested to do a slow taper from this kind of med. If you only used it ocasionally you may not have been addicted. Others should be by to help you with their comments and suggestions. Hang in there!

 

T2

Hi Theresa,

I don't think I have ever been addicted to Klonopin or any drug. (I just find it very curious that this tingling started after taking it for a few days and then stopping. As I said, it took about 2 weeks for this symptom to start. At first it was pain in my lower legs.) I have used it off and on for a while though when I felt overwhelmed by stressful feelings. Sometimes I'd take it for more than one day and others just once. I can't help but think that it has affected my nervous system in this way as this symptom appeared "out of the blue". I've never had this tingling before. In past years I have taken the brand name Klonopin and don't remember these effects. With the generic however I've experienced these disturbing side effects. The memory loss is frightening. I have also noticed that I am much more despondant while on it to the point of breaking a glass last year and scratching my wrist with a piece of it. This is not me. I think from the research I have done, these drugs can do a lot more harm than people, including the medical community, know. I would bet that this tingling is from the Klonopin. I just wanted to see what others thought.

Deb

Hi Deb13,

Klonopin suppresses the central nervous system and the tingling can be a sign of it waking back up. Withdrawal symptoms can present themselves weeks after stopping them. I have included a link below to The Ashton Manual which is a comprehensive look at the use and effects of benzos. I was only on this poison for 8 weeks since Dec 15 and I am still tapering from it and having w/d symptoms everytime I make a reduction. Everybody is different, some have no problems quitting and some go through extreme withdrawals. Since you are already two weeks out, and only used it occasionally, you may be one that will only experience mild withdrawal symptoms. If you were on a consistent dosage and 4mg being a high dosage, it would never be recommended to stop this kind of drug abruptly. Here is the link....

http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/index.htm

T2

Hi Deb13,

 

Klonopin suppresses the central nervous system and the tingling can be a sign of it waking back up. Withdrawal symptoms can present themselves weeks after stopping them. I have included a link below to The Ashton Manual which is a comprehensive look at the use and effects of benzos. I was only on this poison for 8 weeks since Dec 15 and I am still tapering from it and having w/d symptoms everytime I make a reduction. Everybody is different, some have no problems quitting and some go through extreme withdrawals. Since you are already two weeks out, and only used it occasionally, you may be one that will only experience mild withdrawal symptoms. If you were on a consistent dosage and 4mg being a high dosage, it would never be recommended to stop this kind of drug abruptly. Here is the link....

 

 

Theresa,

 

Thank you so much for your help. I've already gone to the link and it's fascinating. I didn't take 4 mgs. for more than one day. When I took Klonopin it was ususally 2 mgs. It is just that the last few days I took it before quiting I took 4 mgs. on one of those days. The drug's effect on the central nervous system is exactly why I think the tingling is from the Klonopin. Thanks again.

 

Deb

 

 

 

 

http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/index.htm

 

 

T2

 

 

 

Hi Deb,

The tingling, memory loss, etc. are wd symptoms from Klono, even though you took it "as needed" there is no determined amount of time for one to develop tolerance to these drugs.  Wd symptoms can start to show up as late as 2 weeks off, it's never a good idea to cold turkey these drugs and I don't think it's to late to reinstate a small amount and taper from there if you want to.  I don't know if your symptoms will get worse but they could. 

The medical community is negligent in educating their patients on the dangers of these horrible drugs, most of us learn by experience and then the drs still don't believe us!

 

The medical community is negligent in educating their patients on the dangers of these horrible drugs, most of us learn by experience and then the drs still don't believe us!

Ain't that the truth TS!!  The docs never did believe me that the benzos were the cause of my issues.  They blamed it on depression and anxiety.

Jen