Isamybella

Today is day one at just 1mg today and I have 4 more days after today at 1mg/day. Then I'll have maybe 2 weeks or so at .5mg/day. This is exactly what she instructed me to do (except I decided to do 1mg/day for the first 5 days instead of 2mg/day since 2mg/day was already my regular dose.)

At least I do get to taper even if it might be a somewhat fast taper. I couldn't imagine going cold turkey from a benzo.

kzaug2014

You're doing great Isamybella! I'm really happy you're tapering too! Just try to remember the tips everyone has given you hun...Keep busy, deep breathing, sunshine, meditation, exercise, no caffeine, etc...
And....Keep posting! We're here for you! (( Hugs ))

Isamybella

Lol most of those will be able to do besides the sunshine. It's been freakin' freezing here and haven't wanted to go outside lately. I wish it was Spring already!

kzaug2014

I hear ya lol! Snow has arrived in Michigan & I'm not thrilled ugh!
I'm thinking about going to a tanning salon periodically this winter. I did that 1 winter, yrs ago & I always felt great afterwards.
I actually stayed out of the sun for nearly 30yrs...purely outta vanity ( no wrinkles for me lol. ) And I'm really glad I did because my bf worshipped the sun & the difference between our skin is dramatic.
However, this past summer, I did everything outdoors! Boating, fishing, swimming, tubing, you name it! It was the best summer I had in decades lol!
How are you feeling today?

Winslow

Hey all,dealing with a bit of anxiety today,I noticed that when I take a turmeric capsule that I have way less anxiety, however I am pretty sure it is causing my insomnia so I skipped it yesterday and this morning, by noon I was pretty anxious so I took it and felt ok,I hate anxiety, hope everyone is well😊

kzaug2014

Hey Winslow, glad to see you posting!
I'm sorry you're feeling anxious. Anxiety bites ugh!
But thx for the turmeric info. I didn't know people used it for depression & anxiety. I looked it up & it has rave reviews for arthritis too. I also have rheumatoid arthritis...kill 2 birds w/1 stone. It did say you need to take it w/black pepper in order for your body to absorb it. Do you take that too?
How's your daughter doing? (( Hugs ))

Winslow

Hey all,Kzaug the one I take is curcumin with meriva,I guess it works like pepper for absorbtion,I was taking one with piperine(pepper) added but I read that's bad if you're still taking benzos,my daughter is hanging in there,she hates xanax so that's good,one thing I didn't mention is that she's 23 and has degenerative disc disease in her back,I had forgotten that she was on pain meds for it and went off cold turkey so I think she was in some withdrawal, she started taking them again but a lower dose,her doc was mad that she stopped them but she was thinking that they were adding to the anxiety, geez,this is so messed up,its hard to know what is the right thing to do in this situation, are we even allowed to talk about the supplements here? I read a post.on another thread,I don't wanna get in trouble, hope the others check in today,let's all have a nice Monday😊

kzaug2014

Aww, she's so young to have degenerative disc disease. I feel bad for her. Yea, it's really hard to know what to do about pain, depression and anxiety long term. I'm not giving medical advice...this is just my opinion & merely hypothetical. But I think doctors should concentrate more on the diseases themselves, not just mask the pain.
As far as talking about vitamins & supplements, good question? I sure hope it's okay because I for one, like to learn about alternatives to prescription meds. If any administration reads this plz let us know.
I hope others will check in soon too. I've seen sizzle posting, so that's great. But Sharon hasn't posted anything in nearly a wk. I posted a visitor message on her profile & hopefully she'll be back.
Have a great night!

Winslow

Hey all,Kzaug,I too like alternative things to meds,is there a holistic area on this site? I'm still having a hard time navigating around here,its a really big site compared to the other one I post on,Isamybella,how's the taper going?you feeling better? I had anxiety yesterday but luckily it passed in the evening, hope everyone is well,have a nice Tuesday😊

kzaug2014

I'm not sure if there's a holistic thread. I'll check it out. I've only posted from my phone because I sold my computer last yr for heroin ugh lol. So I'm not sure what the site looks like on a PC.

Honestly, I haven't replaced that computer because my addictive nature spills over to many other areas of my life. When I had my pc, I was on it 24/7. I get so much more accomplished w/out it lol.

Yesterday, I quit sugar. I'm a complete chocaloholic. Eekkk! And I've gained 40lbs since I quit opiates and benzos, which for a former girl w/eating disorders, is a big no no. Even though I haven't binged, purged or starved myself in 31yrs., I've always managed my weight. I'm not too worried about it though. Just taking it slow.

I'm also a shopaholic. Although, I got my spending under control this past summer...not 100% yet, lol but getting there.
Next thing I want to quit is cigarettes. For now, 1 thing at a time.

I think most addicts struggle w/some other form of addiction in their lives. It just a matter of pinpointing those areas & addressing them.

Isamybella, you're more than welcome to post on this thread too. We're here for you hun.

Happy Tuesday to everyone!

patricia68

I quit alcohol in August (I had a couple of slips since then), and I am tapering Ativan. I can't wait to be bezo free, but this depression is not lifting. Is it a common withdrawal effect right?

Winslow

Hi Patricia, depression is one of the most common benzo withdrawal symptoms, however being on them can cause depression too,so at least there's light at the end of the tunnel getting off of them,hope to see you around😊

patricia68

Thank you so much Winslow! I've been beating myself up all day for being in such a low mood, until I came here and found this thread. You are right! There is light at the end of the tunnel!

kzaug2014

Hi Patricia! Congrats on your sober time!

Winslow is absolutely right. Depression is extremely common when tapering from benzos. I've been prescribed Zoloft for the last 11yrs & it works very well for me. However, I suffered from both depression and anxiety for quite awhile after quitting benzos. I was prescribed klonopin for 10yrs. My doctor explained to me that it takes time for your body & brain to heal itself after quitting benzos.
(( Hugs ))

patricia68

Thank you kzaug! I've been on Ativan 0.5 for 3 years...mixed up with alcohol I really messed up my brain! Now I'm on 0.25 Ativan until the end of the month and then I'll cut in half.

I am also taking naturopathic supplements to help with the anxiety. This depression came out of nowhere and I had no clue it was all about the benzos! Thank you so much for this thread!

kzaug2014

I'm so happy that you found our thread, Patricia!

I believe knowledge empowers us. Just something as simple as knowing what to expect helps, imo. I wrote this somewhere earlier in this thread, I'll tell it again ( the shorter version lol. )
Yrs ago, I lost my doctor & had to quit cold turkey. I was still a walking nervous breakdown after 3mos., so I went to see a new psychiatrist. She told me I would need to take klonopin for the rest of my life. If I had known the truth back then, I would have likely quit back then. And the truth was/is that I had been on benzos for yrs., I quit cold turkey and it could take up to a yr. for my body & brain to heal. It didn't take quite that long, but the knowledge alone helped me to stay clean the 2nd time around.

Post anytime you want!
(( Hugs ))

Winslow

Hey all,getting cold here in Vegas,tbh,if I could take klono forever I probably would but we all know the reasons why we can't stay on them for a long time, I know some people take benzos to get high,klono never made me high,just killed the anxiety so I was free to live,Patricia, what herbals do you take? I have good luck with turmeric and nettle,can't stand Valerian,passion flower,a couple others too make me feel worse,hello to all,let's have a great Wednesday😊

patricia68

Hi Winslow. I'm taking passionflower, B complex and 5-HTP. Waiting for some more supplements that my Naturopathic Dr prescribed, but I had to order them online so it'll be a few more days.

So far they seem to help, I love that there's no side effects! I can't wait to be free of benzos, I can't believe how much they messed up my brain. Like I don't feel like the real me anymore. It's awful!

kzaug2014

Hi all!
I hope everyone is having a great day!

You know Winslow, I always felt the exact same way you do. When I lost my doc ( the 2nd time, last yr ) I was taking methadone, norco & klonopin. I continued buying klonopin on the street & switched from pills to heroin. I rarely overtook my meds & never ran out early ( or "lost" my purse, to get refilled. ) My hubs was a different story the entire 10yrs we had prescriptions ( I had to dole out his methadone or he would have taken too many every Mo Ekk lol. )

Anyhoo, back to what I was saying...the reason I quit is I just couldn't go through the withdrawals again. It was the 2nd time I had lost my doctor & I just refused to everyone suffer the way I did again.

It may not have been the right reason to quit, but once all my withdrawals were finished, my memory started coming back, my anxiety quieted down & just started looking at life a whole new way. And I couldn't be more happy!

I love the holistic approach you guys are taking. I already put the curcumin in my Amazon basket lol. I plan on buying it ( & a few others ) when I get paid! I looked around to see if there was a holistic thread, but couldn't find one. But, we can integrate it on this thread.

I'm going outta town to my daughter's for Thanksgiving, so I'm not sure if I'll be posting or not ( for a couple days. ) So, have a happy ( stress free or try lol ) Thanksgiving everyone!

(( Hugs ))

patricia68

kzaug you just gave me so much hope! You have no idea how much better I feel after reading these words. Today was a day from hell, but you showed me there's light at the end of the tunnel. If I can survive this tapering/withdrawal it means there's hope! And hope is all I can grasp right now to go through this hell day. Thank you so much.