Hey Winslow,
I think it's awesome that you're trying to taper w/o any other meds!
Both my hubs & I were prescribed seroquel & paxil in the past ( in addition to the klonopin I was already on. )
My hubs was 1st prescribed paxil & it's turned him into a complete monster. He went from being the most loving man on earth to the meanest, uncaring sob on earth. I put up w/it for a Mo. & then told him to quit that med or pack a bag. I really thought he would choose to pack a bag, based on his uncaring behaviour lol. But the "real him" must have been in there somewhere, because he chose to stay.
What's funny is yrs later when my doctor put me on paxil, I didn't even remember that was the same antidepressant that my hubs had been on. Major side effect of klonopin ( & the opiates I was on ) for me was my horrible memory ugh. Thank goodness my memory came back eventually after I quit the drugs.
I was only on paxil for a wk because it made me feel nothing...happy, sad, angry, nada! I'm a lightweight w/meds, so I feel the effects quickly & having no emotions whatsoever was as bad as being depressed for me.
I realize what works for 1 person may not work for another. Everyone's DNA is different.
Seroquel was another nightmare because some idiot doctor prescribed 300mgs, then 600mgs, finally 900mgs to my hubs. Seriously? 900mgs? Yep!
Problem was, my hubs really liked seroquel, so it wasn't as easy getting off that med lol. He finally did though.
I really liked seroquel too ( I was only prescribed 100mgs though. ) But I gained 10lbs/mo, 3mos in a row, so I quit.
When I started seeing my new doctor ( after rehab ) I told her I didn't want any narcotics prescribed to me ( or anything addicting, for that matter. )
I think the horror stories about benzo withdrawal are from people who had to quit cold turkey.
When I lost my doctor last yr., I made an appt w/former doctor ( who had prescribed methadone, norco & klonopin to me in the past. ) So I didn't think I needed to wean ( biggg mistake lol. ) My appt w/him was 1 day before I ran out of meds. He explained to me that He couldn't prescribe my meds because he worked for a different medical provider.
I freaked! Plus my mother was in the hospital dying ( she passed 4 days later. ) The 1st time I did heroin was the day of her funeral ( I was to give her eulogy & was having horrendous withdrawals. )
Well, that's a bit of my story.
No worries, I'll keep posting.
I hope you have a good day.