Nicnac86

I have 9 years clean off opiates in November. 2 months ago I had a panic attack, full blown, which triggered really bad anxiety. My dr ($140 a visit) prescribed me klonopin 1mg one time at night. It worked good for the first week and I suppose the tollerance was built up. I then got 1 and 2mg Xanax which I still have about 30 of along with the rest of a prescription of klonopin (about 15). I acquired avout 8 .5mg Ativan and about 25 Valium from a friend who just had them left over.
I currently am taking 3mg of Xanax every night.. which yes calm me but don’t mess me up any kind of way, and I want to get off of them. I don’t have insurance.. psyc drs and counselors are not affordable for me, and I need advice from peers on getting down off of these. I’ve read the klonopin and Xanax are shorter acting and the Valium is longer acting. That Valium is longer acting and used for tapering a lot. Should I cut down the Xanax and start tapering with the only 25 Valium that I have? I have only been on them for 2 months maybe 9 weeks.. no idea what to do but I found this forum. Can anyone recommend anything? Will I feel like crap just taking 1/2 a xan for a week and then just stopping since it’s only been 9weeks or should I involve the Valium in this? The other Benzos mentioned that I have I’m willing to get rid of them no problem. I’ve gotten off of hard opiates and other things in my life time.. I can do it and really do not mind feeling crappy a little I just need to know the best way, thanks!!

Nicnac86

Please let me know I would like to start now tonight when I usually take my dose at 9pm est

SoberCAH

These things can have really severe withdrawal symptoms, so please get professional medical help to withdraw.

And keep us posted.

Good luck with your efforts.

dsmaxis10

2-3 weeks yes dsm sober it was worth every panic attack even one yesterday

Alysheba

Coming off benzos is nothing to mess around with. I do not recommend doing it yourself. You really need to get professional help weaning off. It can take a very long time. For the sake of your life and your health, please get a doctor's help weaning off benzos.
Wishing you the best. Please be careful.

MindfulMan

Benzo withdrawal was hell for me. Doc gave me a three day taper. 12 hours after it ended I was in hell.

Agree that you absolutely need medical help here. Problem is a lot of doctors no nothing about this.

One thing you hav going for you is you have only been taking them for two months.

Alysheba

So sorry about the 3 day wean! Lucky you didn't have seizures. Most psychiatrists, I hope to God, wouldn't do that, although even some of them aren't always right. Be your own advocate and find out as much as you can. Benzo weaning is serious and in my experience takes a long time.
Best to everyone dealing with this difficult drug. ♥

MJ1987

Takes a long ass time 😓 i been tapered off completely over 48 hours now but it was a 7 week taper before that!!

Alysheba

Good for you MJ! They are so very difficult to get off of. Did you feel a 7 week wean was long enough? You don't have to share but I am curious, as you can see from below. Your accomplishment is huge and I am so happy for you.
I'm in a yo-yo phase of tapering. One month I'll do great on tapering and feel really good about myself only to have the next month bring so much anxiety and panic that I have to go back up again. I'm lucky my psychiatrist is so compassionate (most of the time, every once in a while he can irritate me).
I have a volunteer class at ARF that doesn't come around very often next Thursday and I had one tonight. It was ok tonight. Luckily after this class then people split into dogs or cats. They always make you take a bunch of classes before you can do the actual task. Lol! I'm looking forward to learn the latest dog training smack...
Good luck to all my lovies. All of you/us/me who have been struggling with Benzos for a long time, or just struggling with them at all, wishing you, and me, luck, prayers, peace, ODAAT, whatever it takes. Sleep well all.

Steely

It has been hell for me too Mindful Man. Ten months off low dose Valium and am still not fully recovered. It's improved since Acute. Getting better, but has been hell.

I wouldn't go near one with a barge pole.

Alysheba

I'm starting to believe that they change the brain chemistry after being on them a while, which is why they are so difficult to get off. Thank God I'm off booze, but in reality going off booze (2 yrs almost) was a piece of cake compared to what I've gone through with benzos and trying to get off of them. They say the longer you take to taper, the better it is. Tapering is very delicate and easy to mess up too. Staying so dedicated in my messed up head is very difficult. I've even heard years to taper, depending on dose, drug, personality. God Bless anyone going through withdrawal of benzos. ♥
This is just my opinion ONLY. I read the above somewhere, but I don't remember where. Not giving advice, just what I've heard or my opinion and a lot of unwanted experience with these little dolls. ♥

Wil

I tapered in detox at an inpatient chemical dependency hospital and they did it for 5 days with Librium. I damn near flipped out after a week of having nothing in me. I did not like rehab at all and I was without my medication to deal with the uncomfortable feelings I was having. Oh it sucked. Got out of rehab in 24 days, called my doctor 3 months later and got a refill on my 90 count of 2mg xanax. Wife noticed immediately I was back on. She kicked me out of the house and took my xanax and made me write my doctor to not refill another prescription because I'm an addict. I came back home a few days later. Haven't been back on the pills, but drank for the next year or so. Finally quit that after getting internal hemroids and pooping blood.(Scared the **** out of me!hehe) I dropped about 50 pounds over the next 2 years and have been doing very well compared to where I came from.Unfortunately I still smoke weed, but I my life is so much better. I can handle stress so much better than before when I was using xanax.

I had a xanax prescription for probably 4 years before getting off. Slowly built up the amount of prescription, had a crisis happen in my life and I talked my doctor into maxing out the prescription to those 90 bars every month. Holy cow that's too many!! I did try to get off on my own and I'm pretty sure I had a seizure. I was working my nervousness out with yard work and passed out and was told by my neighbor who came and picked me up and carried me to my house that I appeared to be having a seizure. I wasn't drinking the whole time I had the prescription, but I did start back drinking the last 8 months of my use and I wrecked two cars, totaling one of them. I had so many embarrassing things happen the 3 months before I went to rehab. Good Lord it wrecked my life!

Alysheba

Best of luck to you Wil. I know how hard it is. If you do go to rehab again, really research the place you go to see if they specialize in benzos. I think some rehabs have absolutely no clue as to how to deal with benzos and some doctors. I had a doctor in detox once almost take me down to nothing after being on a high dose. OMG, I can't even believe the nightmare I went through and proceeded to go back on them. I understand what you're going through. I'm struggling so much to get off them and it's so hard. At least booze isn't in the picture anymore.
Wil, best and all my prayers to you. Benzos are an incredibly tough drug. I had to go off cold turkey years ago and I had a psychotic break. So, be careful and prayers to anyone trying to taper off these things.

splendra

Dear Nicnac86-

I hope you are doing okay. I have taken maybe one or 2 benzos in my life so I don't know anything about being on them for months or years. I do know they seem to be very difficult to get off of. I am very sorry you can't afford help. I hope there is someone in your life that you can tell you are doing this just so someone knows what is going on with you. I have known people who never had addiction issues have a very hard time getting off benzos.because of what they did to their body and their mind.



I think the people who make these drugs should be made to pay for your care while you detox off this. I have heard that you have to be careful coming off of them So please take good care of yourself.
I believe you can get off of them I am glad you were not on them for a real long time. I think that will increase your chance of being successful. I hope you will get the right answers for yourself.

LumenandNyx

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