Breaking my benzo withdrawal cycle... sudden stress

[Thinktank]

I've been following Asthon's withdrawal protocol for the past 5 months. I had some slight difficulties with the lower dose diazepam but was able to cope with it if i avoided emotional and too much physical stress at all cost. I was actually on the last 0.5mg diazepam / day until something serious happened that will require my full focus for the next 4 to 6 weeks. I'm sure that will completely drain me without the help of a stronger benzo like klonopin.

This morning i had an eye-balls popping out, don't come close to me or i'll rip your head off episode while i was trying to deal with the problem. I then decided to pop a 0.5mg klonopin and that pretty much calmed me down within the hour - so much i don't really care about anything at the moment. I really regret it to have to go back to klonopin after nearly having completed the withdrawal protocol.

Has anyone experienced a similar situation? Would it be wiser to go back on a higher dose diazepam instead of klonopin and support my adrenal fatigue? A higher dose diazepam kinda sedates me too much and increases my depersonalization.
Klonopin usually stops being effective within a few weeks if i don't raise the dosage.
I just need to bridge the next 4 to 6 terrible weeks.... Wish i never started benzo's.

 

[taniaaust1]

Im no expert in this at all but Seeing you've only taken the klonopin once.. anyway you can try to hold off doing it again, try not to let your body readapt back to it if you dont take it at all regularly? or seeing the klonopin worked so very well!! (which by the sounds of it it did!).. IF you do have to take it again I suggest maybe take only a wee bit of the amount you took today (half or quarter of what you took of it)... the lowest possible dose just to take the "edge off" rather then enough to take you to the "I dont care about anything point"

Ive crumbed drugs like that at times and dont see why you should have to take the full pill.

Have you got a therapist. If you are about to go throu 3 bad weeks of stress. An appointment could be helpful. I used to go running to mine at bad patches (I avoided drugs for situational stress by doing that). If you were doing "okay" before a stressful event comes, maybe you are needing to learn to cope with stress better eg stress reduction techniques. (I had a lot of therapy around that).
...........

Klonopin usually stops being effective within a few weeks if i don't raise the dosage.

That only happens if a person takes too regularly but seeing you have had issues already that would happen quite easily. If you have to take can you restrict it to like once a week or twice a week at the worsest times at the smallest possible dose to calm you down "just a little".

When I take benzos (Ive taken Temazapam for sleep and for Klonopin for neuroexcitability or whatever its called) I usually rotate them with other drugs to give myself breaks to lower the risk of problems with them or are only taking the lowest of doses constantly . I never raise them up and stop if Im starting to developing tollerance issues. I think you need to be very cautious with these drugs .

Beware.. Some of those benzo drugs.. my specialist told me it can take only 5 days to build tollerance! You could quickly find yourself back to the point you started from.

 

[minkeygirl]

It took me 4 months to titrate off 1 mg klonopin. That was in 2009 I think and I still want it. I just recently got some halcion which I take every other night for sleep.

From what I know about my experience is that if you have to be on a benzo, it should be valium vs. klonopin, ativan or xanax since those 3 seem to be the hardest ones to withdraw from if you end up having issues again with it. Since it sedates you too much find something that isn't as bad as the 3, but not as sedating as Valium.

Some people on benzo sites would switch to valium to get off ativan or klonopin.

I think you understand the situation and were more asking for confirmation maybe? Listen if you are so stressed you need benzos then take them. You know how to get off of them so just get yourself in the mindset that you will have to do it.

See if you can get a few things to alternate. That will make things easier.

BTW I took the same dose klonopin for almost 7 years before I developed tolerance.

 

[xchocoholic]

Have you tried natural supplements to eliminate your stress ?

Theanine, kombucha tea or valerian root come to mind but I'm sure there are others.

I've been on and off klonopin for 24 years for nocturnal myoclonus. I can relate to it's calming affect tho. I've taken a .125 mg tablet during the day a few times and it didn't affect my regular nightly dose.

Have you looked at your blood glucose ? Hypoglycemia feels like what you described. Mine gets worse during times of stress.

Tc .. x

 

[minkeygirl]

IMO OTC doesn't even come close to helping the way benzos did. And if you are taking it for neuro crap, then there is nothing else.

Phenibut is the closest but you can't take that more than 3 days in a row.

 

[Thinktank]

@taniaaust1 i was wrong about the dosage, i only took 0.25mg clonazepam and it wiped me out so that means the GABA receptors are becoming sensitized again thanks to the slow valium taper. A 0.25mg dose clonazepam would have done zero for me a few months ago.

The inability to handle stress at the moment does not so much have a psychological cause. In my case i believe it's 90% physical.
I have lyme disease (neuroborreliosis) among other things and the treatment protocol i'm following has raised my inflammatory markers significantly. This has a negative effect in multiple ways.

- The inflammation deregulates my hypothalamus and thus also the pituitary gland + adrenals, leading to adrenal fatigue
- More cortisol is used by the body to easy inflammation. Cortisol is already scarce depleting the total amount even further.
- Emotional stress tips the bucket and that leads to panic.

I don't have a therapist and am sure psychobabble will not help in my case. I always cope with stress much better when the inflammation is low.

I think it's a good idea like you mentioned to only take it when i really need it. After giving it some thought i'm not really willing to go back on clonazepam because i develop a tolerance to it quickly.


@minkeygirl, that's exactly what i did. I switched from clonazepam and xanax to valium.

The reason for posting was actually to know if taking clonazepam for 5 tot 6 weeks during this stressful period will cause any problems to my withdrawal cycle. Will i have to start all over again?
Anyway, i've decided not to take clonazepam or only when i'm completely freaked out. I will however raise the diazepam a bit to 1mg to see if that works out.

@xchocoholic, yes i've tried it all with only minor relief.

 

[xchocoholic]

IMO OTC doesn't even come close to helping the way benzos did. And if you are taking it for neuro crap, then there is nothing else.

Phenibut is the closest but you can't take that more than 3 days in a row.

@Thinktank

100 mg of theanine every 1-3 hours all day helped me. I've has as much as 300 mg at one time tho. I'm not a doctor so I can't recommend trying this. I experimented with low doses and was ok.

I suspect it's all in the dosing. I was out of klonopin so otc was my only choice.

Adding 100-300mg 5htp and 1-9 mg melatonin to 100-300mg theanine helped me sleep for about 5 years. Then I tried klonopin again and realized I slept better if I stopped my nocturnal myoclonus.

Of course diet plays a roll here too. Eliminating toxins will help your body calm down.

Hth .. x

 

[minkeygirl]

I took suntheanine for years and it can't compare to a benzo for me. As we know here, everyone is different.

 

[xchocoholic]

I took suntheanine for years and it can't compare to a benzo for me. As we know here, everyone is different.

How much did you take ? At my worst I needed 100 mg every hour because my stress / adrenaline was coming back.

Valerian root was helpful at one point too and at my worst I needed more.

Kombucha tea is my go to if I'm ok being a little high. No driving, etc. It's a fun way to de-stress. Party on !

Tc .. x

 

[minkeygirl]

I don't have energy to keep discussing this. I have tried everything you have said plus some you haven't. For some people OTC doesn't work. Period.

 

[manna]

ive heard kratom has been used for coming off opiates. ive tried it myself as its legal in the uk and it certainly disconnects you from stress to a good degree. sold as a legal opiate i think. thats disclaimered and do own research, check with doc etc. withdrawal can be precarious, atb

 

[Tammy]

Gaba may help while you are trying to wean off.