PVCs/heightened anxiety

[Weeniedoglady]

I've been tapering daily clonazepam after essentially a nervous breakdown in August/September of last year. Now that I'm feeling better adjusted and back at work I've been tapering really slowly (doing a cut and hold). I'm down to 3/4 of a .25 mg pill. It's day 10 of that dose down from .25 and my anxiety has been heightened the last 3 days. So I've been doing two weeks at each dose but I think I just need to stay longer on this dose before I go down another 1/8.

Any words of encouragement are appreciated!!! Thanks ☺️

[Cavalierrubie]

Well done. The key is to not rush things and stay on a dose until you are stabalised. Remember it’s not a race and better to go slow than to fail. If anxiety is high then it’s not the time to reduce. I wish you well and success in all that you are trying to achieve. Sending love and prayers.

[Weeniedoglady in reply to Cavalierrubie]

Thank you, that's so kind. I appreciate it

[Jbes1973]

You sound like you're doing a great job , keep going slowly like Cavalierrubie said.

Awhile ago when first prescribed Paxil i decided that i didn't need it anymore. Without consulting doctor i stopped cold.

Let's just say it was not a wise decision.

[Chris72FibroBipolar]

You need to tell your GP EXACTLY how you are feeling. You have made great progress be proud of yourself 👏👏👏. I'm trying to do the same thing with Diazepam ATM I'm on 30mg per day, and have been for 28 years.My GP has said that my next prescription will be 20mg, and I think that's too much of a drop. Trust me I'll be straight on the phone 📱 if I'm struggling. 🫶👍

[Weeniedoglady in reply to Chris72FibroBipolar]

If you've been on it that long you should ask your doctor about a hyperbolic taper.....going from 30 to 20 might not be that bad bc overall the % drop isn't that large. Once you get to the smaller doses, you have to make your cuts even smaller because the % drop from say 1 mg to .5 is a 50% drop and that's a lot! But yes I agree that you should listen to your own body. I tried twice before to taper according to doctors' orders and i failed. It wasn't until I took the taper into my own hands that I started to have success.....good luck to you! I've met people on here who have successfully gotten off benzos after 25 and 30 years. You can do it too 💪

[Hidden]

Hi Weeniedoglady, thank you for sharing. I've never met anyone else with PVCs. I had a mental breakdown in Nov/Dec 2022 and was diagnosed with PVCs. Apparently they are not deadly, just annoying. When my anxiety is high, I can feel my heart beating and it feels like it's skipping beats or adding beats. Horrible feeling. Is there a reason you are going off your meds? Are you having side effects or just trying to get off meds altogether?

[Weeniedoglady in reply to Hidden]

Yeah my PVCs act up when I'm anxious too. I've had the full workup (ECGs, Holter, stress-test, and echo) and my heart is apparently fine! I've been on escitalopram (SSRIs) for 15 years and I thought I didn't need them anymore. I tried to taper and this caused a mental breakdown in August/September. So I went back on and they added clonazepam. The clonazepam was only supposed to be for a short time but I struggled every time I dropped my dose...so this is when I decided to taper myself REALLY slowly. And it's going pretty well....

[designguy]

Good job, sounds like you are taking the best route which is tapering very slowly and don't be afraid to go even slower. The other thing is to realize and accept that you will probably have some fear/anxiety during the process which is normal and to be gentle and kind to yourself during the process. The other helpful thing is to educate yourself about what anxiety is and how best to constructively deal with it, which is accepting and embracing it rather than fighting or struggling with it. You can find good info on youtube from Dr. Claire Weekes, The DARE Anxiety book and youtubes and the book "At last a life and beyond" by Paul David and there is info on youtube about him. Knowing what is really going on and how to deal with it helps lessen the anxiety/fear around it.

[Weeniedoglady in reply to designguy]

I've read Dr. Weekes book! Thanks I'll look into Paul David

[Wildchipmunk]

Hi Weenie Dog Lady! I have major depression, too. I hope this is a good day for you. I'm glad you are trying meds. Is what you're taking an anti-anxiety med? I'm on Cymbalta. I hope it helps. Talk therapy helps, too. It seems we are in good company : Steve Martin, Prince William both have depression. There are many others but my mind is drawing a blank! I wish I could do something to help. Do you have dauchunds? I love those dogs!! I have a cat named Turk who is the best therapist in the world! I love animals. So all I can tell you is not to trust everything that you believe to be true, that is, don't believe it when you might feel that there is no hope for you. There are all kinds of meds and all kinds of therapists (find a good one) to help you. You'll be okay. It's hard sometimes, but you'll be okay. I just spent 3 days in bed because I felt hopeless. But today is better and I know the not-so-great situation that I'm in now WILL change. Mindfulness helps. I took a class in it. It really helps. One thing we did was we got a little notebook and every morning we drew how we felt. If we were happy we might draw a happy face or flowers. Then at night we drew how we felt again. Both pictures were rarely the same, illustrating that depressed feelings don't last. Something about drawing and seeing the pictures are effective in relating this. Right now I want to tell you that we are all here for you, you aren't alone. You're going to be okay. Sending you a big hug!

[Weeniedoglady in reply to Wildchipmunk]

Thanks for your kind words. Yes I'm on an antidepressant (15 years) that is an SSRI and the clonazepam is an anti-anxiety med. I tend to suffer more from anxiety than depression but they are definitely related. I DO have a dachshund, his name is Frank and he's a great therapy dog! I do all sorts of behavioural methods for my anxiety in addition to meds....I meditate, I do yoga, sometimes I journal...I have tried some CBT techniques. I find it's a bit of everything and learning what works for you specifically. And like you said, some days are better than others. Sending big hugs back to you 🤗

[Wildchipmunk]

Dachshund. I had no idea how to spell it!! Give Frank a pat for me!