tapering benzo's

[1998]

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[pennyarcade]

The withdrawals suck I won't lie but if youve tolerated HPPD for a period of time prior to going on benzos you will be able to handle it, its more of the same really. I think people with HPPD can shrug off stuff that would freak the hell out of other people. It took me a while to get accustomed to the increased after images etc , it was no worse than before once it stabilised, I think that and the anxiety was the hardest part it definitely takes time to sink back into life without benzos.

Best of luck

[1998]

Thank's for your advice, I'm still at 3.25mg of K, but I'm going to very slowly drop to 2mg. It's such a painful and uncomfortable w/d but I'll get there.

[pennyarcade]

Just take it slowly man as you are doing. Have you thought about assisting your WD with Neurontin? It really helped for me especially with sleeping.

[1998]

Just take it slowly man as you are doing. Have you thought about assisting your WD with Neurontin? It really helped for me especially with sleeping.

I would try anything to help w/ this torture w/d (way worse then percocet or oxycottin) but my anxiety is sky high and I thought neurontin gave you energy. But I've heard some ppl on these board having success w/ neurontin so I'm willing to try anything. The only prob is I'm trying to stop all drugs (beside's muscle relaxers) so that goes against what I'm trying to achieve.

I don't have any docs willing to cross me over to valium, plus I only have 2mg K pills to titrate it's a bitch.

PennyArcade what mg. were you on for how long and when how long till you started feeling better. I know everybody is different but just curious, thx again man!!!

[pennyarcade]

I would try anything to help w/ this torture w/d (way worse then percocet or oxycottin) but my anxiety is sky high and I thought neurontin gave you energy. But I've heard some ppl on these board having success w/ neurontin so I'm willing to try anything. The only prob is I'm trying to stop all drugs (beside's muscle relaxers) so that goes against what I'm trying to achieve.

I don't have any docs willing to cross me over to valium, plus I only have 2mg K pills to titrate it's a bitch.

PennyArcade what mg. were you on for how long and when how long till you started feeling better. I know everybody is different but just curious, thx again man!!!

I was on clonazpam for over 2 years I would say, I took between 1-3 mg a day, my doc reluctantly switched me over to diazepam (I dont get why kpins is ok but not valium). I went from 1mg of clonazepam to 20mg diazepam then tappered down around 2mg a week, after I stopped the worse period lasted about 2 weeks and then I started to feel some relief I was very ill anyway at the time but things def got better after 2 weeks.

Neurontin is a bit of a strange one as I have had both sedation and stimulant effect. The stimulant effect seemed to come into play at low doses (300mg) and only after being on it for a while but when I first started taking it I experienced a benzo like calm I think I was on 600mg 3x day I used to fall asleep while eating much to the amusement of my housemate I found it to sedating and I think i stopped taking it if I recall (to many drugs ) but when I was coming of benzos I read that addicts were succesfully weaned off benzos with neurontin and I had some lying around. .

[1998]

Thanks for all the info, man you really did a good job on you klono w/d's. Many ppl w/ your dosage and using them for two yrs. take 6 to 18 month to fully recover. You started feeling better after two weeks thats just amazing. I heard only 50% of ppl who take benzo's experience bad w/d's. I think most of the ppl I talk to on the chat boards experience protracted w/d syndrome so it gives me less hope. I think I'll stay away from that board for a while, If 1 fellow hppder can get off klono (I know it was hell) I believe eventually I'll get there.

Thanks for the encouragement

[pennyarcade]

Yeah man deal with it as it comes, hows it going any how?

[1998]

Pennyarcade, it's going alright. I'm stuck at 3.25 mg. I need to drop to 3mg soon but just don't feel like the 1 month of hell I usually experience from that kind of drop.

My real problem is honestly the US. economy. I've been outta work for a while and it's making me focus on my symtoms more and I have a pissed off wife because of it. Women can drive a sane man crazy lol. I just feel like a bitch having my girl bring home the money and not being able to produce like before when it was easy to find work.

Hope all is well bro/Later, Ace

[gill]

But that aside, I would greatly appreciate knowing how hppders experience w/ benzo wd's differ from so called "normal ppl"??

Well I tapered off klono , slowly, was only on 0.5mgs, over the course of last year, a bit this year, and all I can say is pretty horrifying at times. People just looked like these freaky organic puppets, visuals all over the place. Started getting super paranoid. Like actually giving some thought to the idea that the government is trying to poison us with fluoride in the water to control our brains. Well, there's actually some people who believe this, but I usually just think they're insane.

I still don't feel quite right.

But anyways, why is it again that you decided to taper off klono 1998? Some long term effects? Idk, there's days when I feel pretty good and clear-headed and don't miss taking it much. But there's other days, like today, that I wonder why I stopped. Seemed pretty effective against hppd. I actually got a lot of stuff done while I was taking klono. Sometimes I think about taking it again, but my main worry is that I'll just build a tolerance and it won't be effective.

[1998]

Honestly, I never want to stop taking klonopin. Everybody just says you'll eventually build up a tolerance to where you feel like you're going through w/d's while still on it.

I'm still at 3.25mg and my anxiety is easily under control. Without klonopin I'm scared to do anything. I don't even know how I'd act around my wife if I didn't have it:(

I just want to get to the lowest managle mg. incase doctors decide to take me off one day!!

[rollingregret]

The withdrawals suck I won't lie but if youve tolerated HPPD for a period of time prior to going on benzos you will be able to handle it, its more of the same really. I think people with HPPD can shrug off stuff that would freak the hell out of other people. It took me a while to get accustomed to the increased after images etc , it was no worse than before once it stabilised, I think that and the anxiety was the hardest part it definitely takes time to sink back into life without benzos.

Best of luck

Did the boards just come back up (glad I checked again)? I've been basically in the same boat as 1998 although for a shorter period. Most recently, for about a year, my HPPD has been kept in check with 3.5mg clon/day. My doctor told me she wants me to start tapering. I honestly didn't really feel the need to as I've not experienced any negative side effects (that I can register). It pretty much rid me of my HPPD which was mostly head pressure and muscle tension. I did have all the visuals BUT like the people with "mild" HPPD say, you just get used to them. So...my life for the past 4 years has been HPPD free, feeling good and on 3.5mg of clonazepam.

I started to taper about 10 days ago and during that week it pretty much felt like HPPD coming back. It freaked the hell out of me. Muscle tension was back as was the head pressure. In any case, by day 7, I felt absolutely fine, i.e I guess I stabilized at 3.25. Yesterday I started my taper to 3 (1.5 morning and night) and I expect this week, or perhaps longer to go pretty much the same, but again, I'm new to this so I dunno. The original question is one that I haven't been able to address on all the other benzo boards because we, with HPPD do have slightly different reasons for using clon. I think what pennyarcade said above was the most refreshing thing to read because I feel that as bad of a week as it might of been, it wasn't THAT bad. Nothing compared to what I read other non-HPPD people going through. Maybe there is some truth to the fact that we're kind of used to the feeling.

I should say my HPPD never consisted of actual anxiety, just pain, brain fog, dizziness, etc. I'm not sure whether this means I will experience anxiety with WD. I've noticed today that my visuals are more noticeable, but again, given the 8 years I've dealt with this, it doesn't bother me unless it comes with the head symptoms.

1998, what you said above about getting to the lowest manageable dose -- that's exactly how I feel. I highly doubt my HPPD is completely gone, but perhaps it can be maintained at a lower dose. Is there any benefit for being on 1mg/day vs 3mg/day? What do you all suggest as a tapering rate? I'm currently planning from here on out 0.25/2weeks, but I realize that once I hit 2.25, my next cut will be over 10%, so perhaps I'll change it then.

It's been mentioned that you can't drink on WD and I totally understand why. I guess I'd just like to get to a dose where I can resume my life as it was at 3.5. I used to drink casually and honestly, absolutely no problems given the dosage of benzos.

I know this post is getting long, but one more question: Has anyone come off klon/clon to find that their major HPPD symptoms had disappeared? I ask because as many know, the WD symptoms are going to be HPPD in reverse but once you stabilize, you should feel fine. In other words, could my experience/state/lack of symptoms at 3.5mg/day be the same once I carefully taper off clonazepam (allowing time for stabilization)?

edit: '98, I just looked at my previous posts (from spring) and it seems we were having a discussion quite related to what I've just posted:

http://hppdonline.com/index.php?/topic/106-poll-about-head-pressure-please-answer/page__p__571#entry571