Benzodiazepines

Hello, I'd like to hear what experiences you've had with benzodiazepines. My daughter took klonopin for over 4 years for anxiety and had a hard time getting off it as it is addictive. I went to a site: benzo.org/uk where I learned about it. The medication was a bandaid and did not help her anxiety in the long run.

[BonnieSue]

Both myself and 1 son have survived and done well on a benzo. I've thrived for 29 years on 2 different benzos. I couldn't have done so well without them. I've been highly functional raising 3 ADD/ADHD sons with an ADHD husband and working part time through many of those years in a demanding hospital job. I had to be a "supermom" and "superwife" to these "supermen". (super-active) My 1st benzo was Tranxene/clorazepate and my current one is Klonopin/clonazepam. I have the side effect of having gaps in my memory which has caused me to be disabled from my work. There are few places I can work, none really, with both short and long term memory losses. Thank goodness it took many years for this problem to occur. It doesn't have to occur, because my dad has been on a benzo as long as I have and has no memory problems.

Regarding addictiveness: 1 year ago I was on 4 mg per day. Today I take 0.5 mg per day. 8 times less of a dose. I started tapering off until I arrived where I am with no problems and no difficulty. I simply took less and less and reported it to my doctor. I do recognize that some people get addicted to these drugs, but people are having the same difficulty getting off of the antidepressants that are being used instead of the benzos. So let's be realistic here and say that both options are hard to taper off of but the benzos are more likely to damage your memory.

[Hidden in reply to BonnieSue]

Did you experience hair loss? It can be a side effect from withdrawal. That's good that you were able to taper off. True about memory and I hope it doesn't cause Alzheimer's. Best of luck. If you can, try acupuncture for anxiety.

[BonnieSue in reply to Hidden]

No hair loss. I tried acupuncture and it was no good. The acupuncturist said I would notice a difference in 5 visits and in several ways (out of pocket). No change. Then she said give her 5 more visits (out of pocket) + herbs. No change. I'm through with Chinese medicine for a long while. My husband had dementia for 8 years while I put up with his dementia-inspired abuse. I don't have dementia.

[Lsavadge]

I was on klonopin for 20 years. I had no problems while I was on it. Most meds just calm the anxiety. They do not fix it. I did go off of klonopin and it is a slow process. She and her Dr need to come up with a taper schedule that is flexible. I was on 1 mg a day, .5 in the morning and .5 at night. It wasn't easy and every now and again I still take .5 when things are bad. While I was tapering off of klonopin I started taking buspar. It is not as good as klonopin and I live with a low level of anxiety everyday. It is not easy. Another thing that was not easy was the withdrawal once I finally finished the taper. It took about 2 months to finish throwing up. I went down by .25 every two or three weeks. Sometimes it took an extra week or so to be able to start the next phase of the taper. Just like detoxing from anything, it takes time and dedication. I can say that stopping cold turkey is not a good idea. In the end I went off of it so I could try to have a baby. I have now had two miscarriages, but I don't blame the meds. I am 38 & my husband is 42. Best of luck to your daughter.

[Hidden in reply to Lsavadge]

Best of luck to you too. Take the stress out of your life and you may have a baby. Yoga is a good stress killer.

[alex1925]

Hi Again Leighg,

Personally, I would not recommend using benzodiazepines to treat anxiety-- your daughter is not alone in having trouble getting off these medications, as they can be extremely addictive. Many individuals find that, in the long-term, benzodiazepines actually increase their anxiety and make it more difficult to learn healthy and sustainable coping mechanisms.

Of course, if someone experiences extreme panic attacks only occasionally, it might not be a bad idea to have a prescription of Klonopin or Xanax for occasional use. However, if occasional use turns into weekly use, this may end turning into a slippery slope.

In addition, many find some herbal remedies or less addictive medications (kratom, tianeptine, beta-blockers, etc.) to have a better risk-reward ratio-- but the decision to use any of these medications, whether prescribed or OTC, is a personal choice.

Hope this helps!

Cheers,

Alex

[Kobojunkie]

Hmmm.... I think you misunderstand what these medications are meant to be used for. None of these medications can CURE any of the mental illnesses they are prescribed for at this time. Scientists have yet to figure out how to cure these problems which are mostly due to mental imbalances in the brain. Instead, the available drugs act like you said, as a band-aid to help people who have these issues, so they can live a life as normal as possible.

I don't know why you decided to wean your child off the drug that helped her for the 4 years, and I fail to understand how you arrived at the conclusion that she was addicted to it.

If your child still struggles with anxiety, I suggest you get her back on her medications so she can live a near normal life rather than having anxiety control her life and choices. And please listen more to your daughter when you want to make decisions that impact her mental well-being.

[Hidden in reply to Kobojunkie]

Sorry you don't have the full picture. My daughter was 26 and wanted to get off klonopin herself. I let her decide. The rebound effect is horrendous. See benzos.org/Uk. I agree with alex1925 reply.

[Kobojunkie in reply to Hidden]

OK.