Posted by ryan123 on March 3, 2004, at 14:29:05
In reply to Re: withdrawl from Klonopin, posted by MSTROU1 on March 3, 2004, at 9:08:53
Hi all,
Dave, I read your post about the ease of getting off tranquilizers compared to their half life. For me, it did not seem to go that way though.
In January of 1997, I was in detox and got off oxazepam and alcohol in exactly 5 days. After the fifth day, I felt like a new man ready to take on anything.
Over this Christmas, I weened off and quit taking klonopin. From the day I quit taking klonopin to when the recognizable withdrawal symptoms quit was seven weeks.
I'm not saying your article is wrong or anything, I'm just saying for me it was different. One would think booze and oxazepam (with a half life of 3-25 hours) would be harder to to get off klonopin (half life of 19-60 hours) based on your article.
I think if I was trying to get off klonopin and used a benzo with a longer half life, then quit that additional drug, it would be easier since the benzo helping me get off klonopin was in my system for a short period of time.
It could be a possibility that it took so long to get off klonopin because my anxiety is so much worse now. Possibily also a contributing factor was my addiction problems, drinking a bottle of vodka every day for a couple of years.
Or it still could be the very long half life of klonopin (which I tend to believe). Whatever the case, getting off of it was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life.
The doctors gave me serequel and propanalol to help me get off of it. I took unprescribed oxazepam most of the time as well. The propanalol helped my body keep my blood pressure and heart rate low. Without it, my bp was 30 points higher on each number and heart rate was always between 120 and 150 bpm. Pretty much constantly felt like I was having a stroke until propanalol was administered to me.
Now the doctors gave me a prescription to oxazepam and tegretol. I have no idea what tegretol does, but it is helping me.
poster:ryan123
thread:253823
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040228/msgs/319748.html