Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 769323

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feeling hopeless due to benzo taper

Posted by shy_gal on July 13, 2007, at 8:22:48

I've have just tapered down from 6mg of klonopin to 20 mg's of valium over a period of months. (I did a cross taper)but now I am completely housebound. The benzos were the only thing that got me out of the house and now my agoraphobia has taken over.

I decided to come off the benzo's because they were making me overly depressed and i was getting up and down anxiety but now that I'm half way through i feel as if I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place.

I plan to continue my taper but am scared to death that I'll never leave the house again!!!

I suffer from many other anxiety disorders including SEVERE OCD and Body Dysmorphic Disorder, agoraphobia, Post Traumatic stress disorder and social phobia to the point that I shut myself off from all ppl outside my immediate family when I was 13 :S I've also been diagnosed with a few others where numerous psychs have taken a stab in the dark (I didn't agree with them)

I've been to a neurological psychiatrist who thinks my brain is damaged due to my anxiety and basically told me that there's nothing I can do but wait until everything connects itself right again and in the mean time take some more anti psychotics or anti d's. In hindsight I find that appointment quite amusing.

Uh anyways this wasn't meant to be a long sob story Just wanted to know if anyone else has anxiety and panic that is as crippling as mine is?

I am so sick of medications I've taken too many to count now and my brain feels dead. I eat really healthily and practice relaxation but is there a light to the end of this tunnel? Has anyone else got through a benzo withdrawl feeling less anxious afterwards? did most ppl have to go on to an anti d? or am I doomed to sit in the house watching dvd's all day and reading years and years of psychobabble posts? sorry about my spelling grammar etc I'm very tired. I hope that all made sense. just posting here at the moment is making me anxious!

thanks

Amy

 

Re: feeling hopeless due to benzo taper » shy_gal

Posted by Phillipa on July 13, 2007, at 11:25:56

In reply to feeling hopeless due to benzo taper, posted by shy_gal on July 13, 2007, at 8:22:48

Could you be tolerant as I am now to benzos? I think different people become tolerant after certain amount of time. I guess I was lucky I had 35 years of low dose benzos. Now they do nothing. I just put one foot in front of the other and do the best I can. I can't sit still for long periods no concentration. My pdoc had always said another benzo to replace one would avoid this but he was wrong. Love Phillipa

 

Re: feeling hopeless due to benzo taper

Posted by linkadge on July 13, 2007, at 19:58:51

In reply to feeling hopeless due to benzo taper, posted by shy_gal on July 13, 2007, at 8:22:48

You can try some supplements that may enhance the activity of the brain's own gaba. B6, zinc, niacin, theanine come to mind, but there are likely other supplements.

Linkadge

 

Re: feeling hopeless due to benzo taper

Posted by shy_gal on July 13, 2007, at 22:15:08

In reply to Re: feeling hopeless due to benzo taper, posted by linkadge on July 13, 2007, at 19:58:51

Thanks phillipa, linkadge, I'm feeling a bit better today. I think all my complaining and self pity in my last post was due to lack of sleep. zinc has always helped me in the past I might try that one again. Oh and yes i did become completely tolerant to my klonopin (been taking it for 4 years at that dose) It was making me more anxious each time i took it which is one of the reasons i decided to taper. My valium stopped having any effect on me about a year ago. IF I go by that reasoning then the lower I get on these meds the more likely i am to have less effects from them, anxiety so on. I'm feeling more hopeful despite having a pretty crappy day lol

thanks again (hugs)

Amy

 

Re: feeling hopeless due to benzo taper » shy_gal

Posted by Phillipa on July 13, 2007, at 22:33:38

In reply to Re: feeling hopeless due to benzo taper, posted by shy_gal on July 13, 2007, at 22:15:08

Amy I thought if you were tolerant it just meant that they didn't relieve anxiety anymore but kept you out of withdrawal. I wonder if this is why I've wondered if the valium was giving me a paradoxical effect. Can you please answer this if you or anyone knows. Thanks Phillipa

 

Re: feeling hopeless due to benzo taper » Phillipa

Posted by shy_gal on July 14, 2007, at 1:02:04

In reply to Re: feeling hopeless due to benzo taper » shy_gal, posted by Phillipa on July 13, 2007, at 22:33:38

> Amy I thought if you were tolerant it just meant that they didn't relieve anxiety anymore but kept you out of withdrawal. I wonder if this is why I've wondered if the valium was giving me a paradoxical effect. Can you please answer this if you or anyone knows. Thanks Phillipa

That's what I thought also until I started getting the paradoxical symptoms with klonopin, I even increased my dose to 12 mg's on one partical day and had absolutely no anxiety relief.
I went out to appointments on 2 occasions and had full blown panic attacks right in front of perfect strangers!! I NEVER EVER do that! normally i can hide them amazingly well, i learnt to do that when i was a kid.

I went scouting for information about benzo addiction on the net I found numerous articles on drugs losing their effectiveness and the initial anxiety coming back but I don't remember my anxiety being as bad before I started on the benzos. I read the ashton manual and found this information plus a whole lot more that fit with all my particular symptoms.


" Many patients find that anxiety symptoms gradually increase over the years despite continuous benzodiazepine use, and panic attacks and agoraphobia may appear for the first time after years of chronic use. Such worsening of symptoms during long-term benzodiazepine use is probably due to the development of tolerance to the anxiolytic effects, so that "withdrawal" symptoms emerge even in the continued presence of the drugs. However, tolerance may not be complete and chronic users sometimes report continued efficancy, which may be partly due to suppression of withdrawal effects."

I don't want to start anything because I know the word Ashton tends to get people going. I don't agree or disagree with the woman but I have to say that in my case that her information fits with what was happening with me precisely Otherwise I can't really make any sense of why i was getting panic attacks after I took my benzos. It seems common sense to me that the body should start going into withdrawl once you develop a physical tolerance and the withdrawal effects for myself are heightened anxiety. A lot of people can stay on them forever never getting any bad reactions or paradoxical effects I think I'm just not one of them :S

Maybe a neurological psychiatrist can shed some light on it?


Take care

Amy

 

Re: feeling hopeless due to benzo taper » Phillipa

Posted by shy_gal on July 14, 2007, at 1:24:28

In reply to Re: feeling hopeless due to benzo taper » shy_gal, posted by Phillipa on July 13, 2007, at 22:33:38

I forgot to add that benzos have always had an uplifting but relaxing effect on me as aposed to most people getting a sedative relaxing effect.

Do they have an uplifting effect on you or more sedating? Also do you get more aggitated and anxious right after taking your dose? or is it just an increase in anxiety in general?

 

Re: feeling hopeless due to benzo taper

Posted by Last Chance on July 14, 2007, at 20:29:41

In reply to Re: feeling hopeless due to benzo taper » Phillipa, posted by shy_gal on July 14, 2007, at 1:24:28

Can't live with them, can't live without them - Benzo's. I'm 63 - addicted to Valium age 20-30 - came off cold turkey - that was so terrible and lasted so long I don't like to go there. Went 20 years without any benzos and lived a reclusive, anxiety ridden, unproductive life on Social Security. Presently on .75 Klonapin a day and .25 - .5 Xanax when I just need to feel a little better. Have been on a lot less but never could stop the K - the withdrawal at the end is just too much. I have tried the cross taper to Valium - couldn't handle that. Sometimes I think, take more and get out there and live, and other times I just want to be rid of any Benzo, a body clean of chemical influence. I don't think that is possible - pretty sure I will just be more unhappy than now. K makes me more depressed than just life. I have struggled with anxiety and social phobia so long, since birth, I'm sure. I am really ready to be totally addicted to a "Happy Pill" - I just don't know what that might be. I always thought that some day I would just lose the anxiety, social phobia that has limited my life - that by this age I could just say I don't give a flying F--k - it just doesn' go away. The thought of leaving the planet and never having been able to conquer this is a depression all it's own. Last Chance, (Richard)

 

Re: feeling hopeless due to benzo taper » Last Chance

Posted by Phillipa on July 14, 2007, at 20:36:59

In reply to Re: feeling hopeless due to benzo taper, posted by Last Chance on July 14, 2007, at 20:29:41

Same here been on valium since first panic attack at age 24. Could go off and on them with no problem til my thyroid went now can't but cross tappering does nothing and I am 6l and feel the same way can't I be normal and happy again? I was til ll years ago and not too bad til 3 years ago. Mine is the fear type. I do sleep but get up using lunesta now with benzos. I swear I was fine when drinking 4-6 beers nightly with only .5 of xanax. Love Phillipa

 

Re: feeling hopeless due to benzo taper

Posted by chiron on July 15, 2007, at 23:06:35

In reply to feeling hopeless due to benzo taper, posted by shy_gal on July 13, 2007, at 8:22:48

I also heard that Inositol (B8) is suppose to help anxiety.
Have you tried Xanax? I guess from previous posts I've read Xanax can also help with depression. I think it's helped a little with mine. I just recently started having anxiety so I don't have any tapering stories to report (still taking my Xanax). But I know some people just need to be on them for life.

 

Re: feeling hopeless due to benzo taper » chiron

Posted by Phillipa on July 16, 2007, at 18:58:12

In reply to Re: feeling hopeless due to benzo taper, posted by chiron on July 15, 2007, at 23:06:35

First 6 years or so xanax was a miracle drug for me they it turned on me and started making me tired. Switched back to valium expecting the relaxing ahhhhh and it didn't happen. Tolerence does happen. Don't know what to replace them with??Love Phillipa


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