Falling back a major step.

[Emmarielee]

Hi all. So I just need a little bit of support or advice.

I just got off of clonazepam about 4 weeks ago and I'm struggling with rebound anxiety/panic attacks and withdrawal symptoms still.

A little backstory: I was diagnosed with panic disorder 5 years ago and was put on clonazepam. I've never abused it and my dose at the end of the 5 years was only 2mg daily. I thought getting off would be a breeze. My GP wanted me off of it since he wasn't comfortable prescribing it to me for so long. I didn't have a psychiatrist anymore, so I agreed to get off of it. I went to a medical detox and was off of it within 6 days. Everything was okay at the detox facility. My symptoms were managed. I was sent home with absolutely nothing though.

Now I'm here today posting because I'm literally so unhappy and so upset by the way I got off of them. I should not have been allowed to get off of them so quickly. A doctor I have seen since then said that my body is in a type of shock from being taken down so fast and I could potentially have these withdrawal symptoms longer than I could have if I tapered down.

So I've got my doctor calling in a prescription for a new anxiety medication and we are going to make sure I'm stable and then start tapering down. I want to do it slowly this time to hopefully avoid these horrible effects. Not only is it messing with my panic attacks (they're happening multiple times a day now) but its also greatly impacting my depression that I had under control. Its like I try to take a positive step forward only for my body and mind to fight back on me so hard. I just need hope. I needed to vent. I don't want to feel like a failure. But I don't want to be miserable either and have no quality of life. How I feel right now...I can't say quality of life is where it should be.

Anyone have any experiences to share getting off benzos? I'd greatly appreciate any comments <3

[Dolphin14]

That was definitely way to fast to be taken off. 5 years will lead us to dependence.... although some will argue that here.

You did all the right things. You put your faith in a medical system that perceived your dose as small enough to taper off quickly, They did you a disservice and rocked your stability.

The new plan sounds better. I hope you feel better soon.

🐬

[Walks_a_lot in reply to Dolphin14]

Dear Emmarielee, let me be frank - that is outrageous behaviour on the part of the detox center. 6 Days from 5 years of 2mgs/day? Dangerous and incompetent. To wean down from 2mgs, I would probably take 3 to 4 months (or more), depending on how life is going. I would go down in small increments, shaving/cutting pills with reductions I am comfortable with. The first 3 days after a reduction, I might feel a bit off. Then there will be 5 or 6 days of stability at the new level. Then I would make a small reduction again, and so on. I have gone up and weaned down many many times, with no problems. It doesn't have to be Hell, as long as it is done with patience. I might add that adding in beta-blockers like Propranolol 2 or 3 times a day could be helpful, if you have adrenaline surges and tremors. The beta-blockers are not addictive at all, and might even be good for you if you have higher than normal blood pressure. Don't blame yourself for failing to come off the Clonazepam properly this time - you were set up to fail! Doctors have done that to me before and caused terrible suffering, so I know how you feel. Don't be afraid. Stabilize yourself and give it another try dear. With a more patient approach, going at your own pace, I know you will succeed!

[DownDayInDayOut]

I dealt with the same, moved and no one would prescribe it out west. But same situation as yours , but was at 1mg per day, 11 years. Covid hit, came off cold turkey, scariest crap I ever went through. Even had vision problems, eventually ended up in the hospital for five days for encephalopathy, they disagreed it cld have anything to do with coming off klonopin, I disagreed. I’m actually bk on it , but psychiatrist Will only write .5 , 44 a month lol. I’m moving bk East because I’m not getting any better out here , they recommend yoga. Some of us have panic disorder and it’s physical as well and we r immobile. Upsets me physicians are more worried about any recourse for prescribing. For some, it’s a must.