benzo addictions

Nerdybreisawesome

Has anyone here tried to ween themselves off of a benzo? I have taken klonopin for 7 months and realized it was doing more harm than good. I am starting to taper myself off now since I tried going cold turkey and found out my body couldn't handle it. The withdrawal symptoms are horrendous. Has any one else had experience with this?

TinGirl314

You know...I really don't know why they push Benzos anymore AT ALL.
I've been on Kolopin, Ativan, and Ambien.

Unfortunately this is something I would really like you to talk to a health professional about. Tapering off is going to depend on your specific dosage, how long you've been on it....and you REALLY need to be monitored while doing this.

This is my humble not doctor or professional opinion.
And then never take one again!
Yuck.

Nerdybreisawesome

I understand the need to talk to a doctor. I did that today. I guess I just wanted other real life experiences with it.

lhulewsky

I wish you luck getting off the medication. I have been taking Klonopin for a number of years and would like to stop taking it. My doctor is not helpful and wants me to stay on. I may try to take myself off in January. Too much going on right now. Let me know how you do weening off and good luck.

Midnight444

Hi There... I copied and pasted what I wrote down on my Facebook page about my personal experiences with Klonopin... I hope that maybe this might somehow be helpful... Thanks :flowerforyou:

NEVER go off of any benzodiazepine cold turkey... This will make any withdrawal symptoms more intense and possibly cause death... you need to taper off of it slowly and in little increments taking as long as you need to to go through this process...


My Life Lately... my experience with Klonopin (Benzodiazapine) tolerance and withdrawal...

Saturday, December 22, 2012
·
In hopes this will make a difference...

Hi there… This is very personal and something I feel very strongly about...
...and that is why I am sharing this with you... Thank you

I have included my personal experience with Klonopin, or clonazepam, which is in the class of drugs called benzodiazepines, and why I feel very strongly about what this FDA petition represents.


Please consider this…

"In this Citizen Petition we have asked the FDA to require more accurate prescribing guidelines and side effect information for all benzodiazepines."

- http://www.benzosupport.org/fda_pe.htm#Instructions


MY LIFE LATELY...

I have gone through a terrible tolerance and withdrawal from the medication, Klonopin. It was prescribed to me in 1996 for anxiety at 6mg. per day for approximately 15 years. A person does not have to be an "addict" or an addictive personality, in order to have tolerance and withdrawal problems associated with being prescribed a benzodiazepine. I had always taken my Klonopin medication exactly as my doctor had prescribed to me. I was never informed by the initial prescribing psychiatrist, who has since passed away, of the tolerance and withdrawal associated with taking a benzodiazepine, even when prescribed at a low dose. The psychiatrist, who took over the cases of the deceased one, never informed me either. He would often comment during my doctor's appointments with him that I was on a very high dose of Klonopin, but never mentioned anything about reducing it or coming off of it… It is advised that a patient needs to make that decision for themselves… I do not know, but maybe he assumed my former psychiatrist had already informed me about the problems with taking a benzodiazepine, which he had not done… Many of the health care professionals I have seen over the years are unaware of the dangers involved with benzodiazapine tolerance and withdrawal, including protracted withdrawal symptoms.

A few years ago my recent primary care doctor advised me of these issues. In retrospect, In 2006 I started experiencing tolerance symptoms. With the help of my primary care doctor, I started to taper off of Klonopin in the Fall of 2009 and the tolerance symptoms turned into withdrawal symptoms. Summer of 2011 I had tapered down to not taking it anymore. Tapering slowly is essential in order to avoid a more intense withdrawal. Also, going off of a benzodiazepine cold-turkey has the potential to lead to death.

My symptoms started subtly when the tolerance began in 2006 and gradually grew more intense over time. Then the same symptoms became worse during my withdrawal. I still have trouble with these symptoms and have what is called protracted withdrawal syndrome. From what I have learned these symptoms will most likely disappear in time. Sometimes it can take years for this to happen.


My symptoms have included…
Intense general anxiety, including anxiety about going out of the house and being around people, achy muscles, weak, tired, jittery, shaky, insomnia, poor memory, often unable to focus, heart pounds, feels like "bats" are in my stomach, lightheaded, uncoordinated, unbalanced, tinnitus, often nervously tense my muscles repeatedly, mostly in my arms, neck and jaw to the point where the muscles cramp up and hurt very badly, dry mouth, sweat alot very easily, I often get easily hot or cold, and I feel it to an extreme, especially the heat… Sometimes it takes all I've got just to get out of bed…


I have always had depression and anxiety ever since I was very, very young. However, my depression and anxiety have never been this constant and intense before, and I had never had most of the rest symptoms ever in my life before 2006.

For the most part, I have really not been able to return to my life… the way it was… yet… In 2006, due to the appearance of the tolerance symptoms, my ability to live my life as I used to started to diminish. My quality of life has worsened since the start of the tolerance and while going through the withdrawal from the klonopin.

I have had difficulty being able to continue with many activities of daily living or work on larger projects in my life, which prior to the tolerance and withdrawal symptoms included caring for my husband's and my household, property, our horse farm, our animals, (horses are not just a hobby for me, they are my life) and being able to meet and visit with family, friends and others important to the quality of my life. I have become extremely isolated due to the intensity of these symptoms. I was more active over this past summer, treading water, walking our dogs, getting out more in general. There was some improvement, but the anxiety and some of the other symptoms have persisted. I've heard that it does get better with time…

I cannot go back and change the past for me. I am hoping that this petition will facilitate changes that will help prevent others from having to make uninformed decisions regarding whether or not to start on a benzodiazepine medication that may be prescribed by any doctor…

If you decide to leave a comment with this petition, please feel free to mention me and my situation in your comments.
Also, please feel free to share, or forward this to anyone…

Thank you so very much…
~Jane

PS… Please feel free to ask me any questions about this and I will do my best to answer…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To sign, and comment if you want, on this FDA petition go here:

http://www.regulations.gov/#!submitComment;D=FDA-2010-P-0091-0001

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SUMMARY OF PETITION REQUESTS: (Based on pg 3 of FDA petition)
In short, this petition is requesting all benzodiazepine drug labeling reveal that:
1. Benzodiazepines should not generally be prescribed for more than two to four weeks.
2. There is a potential to develop physical dependency after only one week of use.
3. There is a risk of developing protracted withdrawal with use of these medications.
4. Physical dependency and addiction are not the same, and require different treatments.
5. The newer benzodiazepines are much stronger than many doctors realize.
6. The proper way to taper can be much longer than many doctors realize.
Additionally, we have asked that:
1. A Black Box Warning is placed on this class of medication.
2. Leaflets to patients are given with each Rx filled, revealing the above information.
3. All medical providers are promptly notified of these changes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you want to know which medications are considered benzodiazepines, here is a webpage with a list…
http://www.livestrong.com/article/26120-list-benzodiazepines/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you wish to learn more about benzodiazepines and the tolerance and withdrawal issues associated with them, here is a link… Dr. Heather Ashton is one of the leading authorities in the world on this subject…

http://www.benzo.org.uk/index.htm

"THE RESOURCE SITE FOR INVOLUNTARY BENZODIAZEPINE TRANQUILLISER ADDICTION, WITHDRAWAL & RECOVERY"


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here are the comments that I left with my signature…

"In 1996, I was prescribed clonazepam (benzodiazepine) to treat my anxiety. I was prescribed 6mg per day for 13 years. I took the clonazepam exactly as my doctor prescribed. I was never informed of the tolerance and withdrawal problems of this medication. In 2009, my current primary care doctor (not the prescribing doctor) advised me that benzodiazepines, such as clonazepam, cause tolerance issues, that withdrawal is extremely difficult, that some people are unable to successfully come off of benzodiazapines due to painful and debilitating withdrawal symptoms. He informed me that patients that are unable to withdrawal from benzodiazapines need to keep increasing the dosage in order for the medicine to still be effective which only perpetuates the tolerance syndrome."

"My tolerance symptoms started in 2006. In 2009-2011, my doctor helped me tapered off of the clonazepam. The withdrawal symptoms have persisted. I now have protracted withdrawal syndrome. I have not been able to do most of the activities in my life, which prior to the tolerance and withdrawal symptoms included activities of daily living, larger goals, and being able to meet and visit with family, friends and others important to my quality of life. I have become extremely isolated due to the intensity of these tolerance and withdrawal symptoms."

"The lack of proper labeling for this class of drugs (benzodiazepines) meant that, as a consumer, I was not able to make an informed decision on whether taking this drug, especially long term, was a wise idea. Many of the health care professionals I have seen are unaware of the dangers involved with benzodiazapine tolerance and withdrawal, including protracted withdrawal symptoms."

"For this reason I urge the FDA to adopt the matters set forth in this petition; to more clearly warn both patients and doctors about the possible consequences of long term benzodiazepine usage and to adopt a black box warning for this class of medication."

lhulewsky

Thank you so much for your courage and for all the information. I am currently taking 1mg of klonapin daily and I want/need to stop taking it. Thanks for the information. I have been very concerned about going off. I am determined to get off and on with my life. I appreciate what you have written...

clydethecat

i had no idea, seriously, no idea there was an issue with benzodiazepine. i have a standing prescription for ativan (lorazapam) and i love having it. i take it maybe 3 times a month and it helps me so much.

i guess if i had to take it every day that would be really different. i cant imagine what you guys are going thru. i'm so sorry. i really hope the fda listens to your petition.

if this drug makes you feel bad, i really hope you are able to ween off of it. i know when weening off medication, slow is the best way to save on side effects. good luck you two, i really hope this works out for you.

on a side note, i'm not sure if either of you would be interested, but the reason i only take the ativan a few times a month is because i am on medical marijuana and using that calms me right down, i mean, i go from manic to calm in 5 min. no prescription drug has ever done that for me. just throwing that out there.

lhulewsky

I had no idea about using medical marijuana. Thanks for the tip...

Cynclancurrie

I am currently on a prescription to klonopin daily for my severe social anxiety. It has worked well and I have yet to develop tolerance symptoms, but your information is very useful. Once my depression is under control, I may try titrating down on the klonopin. But klonopin has allowed me to drive again and leave my house, and for that, I am grateful. Thanks for bringing up this subject and all your personal experience, it has been educational for me.

lorro

These medicines do help cope with severe anxiety but they are so addictive that their use as a long term solution is not recommended. The other problem is that usually when you start overcoming your fears whether it's by yourself or as part of a treatment programme, using this medication will negate the positive effect. This is why the treatment of choice (cognitive behavioural therapy or CBT) will not be started if this class of medicine is being used. It's worth knowing that the dose is a factor. In some circumstances where the anxiety is just too high to start any CBT, a small dose (eg of under 5mg per day of Diazepam) for short term use will not completely negate the positive effects of CBT or self directed exposure to the feared scenario, whereas a larger dose will. So if you are trying to reduce it's best to do it under medical guidance and to aim initially for a smaller dose. CBT is also useful for doing other interventions that may help face fears eg. distress tolerance skills and treatment of panic.