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358304 tn?1409709492

Ativan and Klonopin Question

So I've been on ativan .5mg on and off for 3 years almost. I took it when needed. I'd take it for a couple weeks then wean down and not take it for a month or two or more ect ect. Now in the past year I've experienced a couple of strange symptoms which my dr told me was just anxiety. This summer I got severe neck and low back pain. I don't recall taking Ativan at this time. But I think I started taking it again when I got the neck pain bc my anxiety spiked thinking I had a tumor or something bc I didn't feel stressed or anxious when this stiff neck and back came on plus I had no injury to cause this pain. I then started having muscle twitching all over my body for about 3 weeks. At this point my anxiety was worse and I def was taking the Ativan to calm my nerves. Then! I got this feeling one night of my brain buzzing! And I got light headed for about 10 seconds like the room was moving. I didn't panic but was concerned. Called my Dr who I dearly trust and he said anxiety or pinched nerve ect.

He said sometimes when we experience strange symptoms that last for a fee seconds but ne'er return well never know what caused it, but I shouldn't worry about it unless it happened constantly, which it didn't. Anyways 3 months later my twitching stopped and pain left.

Well a few weeks ago I had bad health anxiety over my throat. Dr assured me I was fine. This anxiety spell was so bad my Ativan wasn't even working anymore. I probably built up a tolerance. So my therapist put me on lexapro (my dr is out of the country) and Klonopin. 1mg.

Tonight I read some bad stuff about benzo withdrawal and Ativan and Klonopin were on there as some of the worst. I've only been on the Klonopin for abou 10 days. But only took an entire 1 mg just the first few days now I don't need it at all during the day but I'm taking half of one at night to help sleep.

My question is, do you think I was experiencing Ativan withdrawal ? Or not? Do you think me tapering off the Klonopin only taking it for about 10 weeks (I stopped Ativan completely when switching to Klonopin) so my question is... Am I going to experience withdrawal if I taper off Klonopin in the next couple weeks? .5mg?

Or should I taper longer bc I'm technically tapering off that and Ativan?

Or am I just worrying too much and reading too far into this? My wife said my episode of neck pain ect was prob not related to Ativan bc I've stopped and weaned off of it many times without symptoms except for lack of sleep for a few nights.

Your guys' thoughts? I'm not paranoid just being cautious. Bc my therapist said Klonopin is safe and is not addictive unless you mentally addict urself. He said no physical dependency. I call ******** on that. Lol. I wean off anything. Lol.

Thanks guys!
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358304 tn?1409709492
YO! Paxiled by friend! Thanks for the response. =) Yeah, I only used ativan as needed. And weaned on and off tons of times. And I think I'm doing the right thing with the klonopin. He gave me 1mg tablets and told me to take them up to 3 times daily!!! NO WAY! LOL.

I will say, the first couple of days I took 1mg pills twice. Once in the noon and once before bed. But now I'm only taking half of a 1mg pill (.5mg) before bed... I will say I feel like I can't sleep well at all at night the past couple of nights... and that's probably b/c I'm weaning off the Klonopin and I was kinda used to taking it at 1st to help sleep. PLUS, I bet you the 10mg Lexapro I take at 10pm might have something to do with that.

Hopefully soon, I won't be on Lexapro or Klonopin. I got the Linden Method lastnight, just the literature. And I really do believe we can change our anxious habits. B/c what it explains is that when we have anxiety, like me... we always go to the Dr. we always take pills like benzos to cope... but what good is that? Yeah it hides the symptoms but it doesnt help the problem! And I'm really hoping with reading this and therapy I can retrain my subconscious mind to behave differently to anxiety. It's going to be a challenge though... it's like driving a car... once you do it long enough, your subconscious mind takes over... you don't really have to think about the pedals and such after driving for so long. It's instinct. Kind of what we have done with our anxious habits. So It's going to be like UNLEARNING to drive a car... which can be hard to do I'm sure... lol. But I have faith and hope that I can succeed without pills. I've done it for short periods of time.. even 6 months once. So why can't I continue that longer?

Hope all is well with you Paxiled. =)
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Avatar universal
All benzos are addictive, and coming off of them can be just as hard as coming off any other addictive drug.  But because you took them as needed, and have weaned off and on over time, I doubt you're addicted to them.  On the other hand, be careful about it -- cold turkey quitting still might give you some lasting problems, so even though you've been episodic on it if you decide to quit still do it over time, figuring a taper schedule based on how frequently you've taken them over the years.  As for klonopin, because people are usually dosed twice a day for long periods of time, you're going to find a lot of withdrawal cases out there, as opposed to taking something on an as-needed basis.  I've been on klonopin for years, but only found out when I had to because of the Paxil thing that the stuff is addictive and very hard to quit.  If you know what you're dealing with, and you do, I think that makes it easier to go through -- it's those of us who weren't informed who really get creamed, and that's a lot of the cases you read about with real horror stories.  Not all, but most.  Just a lot of bad docs and psychiatrists out there.  Peace, C.
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358304 tn?1409709492
Monica, lol. I never try to scare people on here. haha. I do a good job scaring myself. lol.
I just like to be cautious. I do mostly have health anxiety at the moment. But sometimes I do just get the anxiety symptoms without having health anxiety. My therapist said I can lable myself a hypochondriac/health anxiety or whatever... but he said I'm a chronic worrier and anxiety sufferer from that.

I really truly believe that .5mg of ativan is safe, it really is. B/c I've taken it for 3 years on and off... with no problems. I still weaned myself off of ativan everytime even if I took it for 1 or 2 weeks, id just cut the doses in half or smaller night by night when i was feeling better, and the harder I think about it... the more I feel better about it.

I just heard bad things about klonopin, and I don't wanna go through withdrawals. I think it's a common reaction with any anxiety sufferer taking a new med. I think my mistake was researching it, and peoples thoughts and opinions. Some said good things about klonopin and they had no problems coming off... some said they had a terrible time coming off and seizures etc. I dunno. But don't worry about the ativan. You and I are on like the lowest doses of benzos, and we only use them when necessary. I'm just taking the klonopin still, even while feeling good, b/c I don't want to stop it cold turkey. Tonight and tomorrow night I will still take half of a 1mg pill. Then next week I will only take a quarter size for a week before bed. =)

Yes, I think the Lexapro is working for me... if its not.. then its placebo which is fine with me? lol. And if it is placebo, maybe I don't need to be on it for a long time.

Can't wait til I'm off all these pills. I know there is a way I can truly take control, I just have to figure that out... and BREAK MY CYCLES.

Talk to ya later! =) Keep me updated on your progress. Ativan chills ya out doesnt it? lol. I bet you sleep good at night. haha.
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Avatar universal
Hey it's monica and u almost scared the heak outta me LOL!!! Cause i still have to take .5 adavan in the am about seven when i have to be at work and another .5 adavan at about eleven.I'm on day what six of the lexapro 10mg.I don't know if it's going to do it's job for me.Although i don't have any really bad anxiety for the rest of the day or evening.My anxiety is not really health anxiety to where is worrie about haveing diffrent things.My anxiety kinda happens on it's own.Well u know our thinking makes it worse.Anyways my body goes crazy for no reason.Or should i say reason unknown.But,my heart starts to beat fast to the point i feel like i can't control it.I get this weird dizzy feeling,my fingers or arms tingle,It affects my sleep,I feel light headed at times alomost to the point of passing out.Then it makes me freak out because it's scary.And i to was worried about the effects of the adavan.I don't like to take these pills but,so far they are helping atleast the adavan is.So i hope i notice a change from this lexapro soon and more than what i'm getting from it now.Keep me posted.And it's awsome that it's working so well for u.And my doc.gave me another script for the adavan and said since it's working for me and i'm not abuseing it he has no problem with it.So we will see.
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358304 tn?1409709492
Anyone?...
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358304 tn?1409709492
Just got off the phone with my brother who used to be a drug addict (he always will be) but he has been clean for a few years. He used to take oxycotin etc. bad bad addict. I watched him go through TERRIBLE withdrawals, like vomiting shaking, it was terrible. He went to a camp for detox, natural detox, with no drugs at all, and he came back a new person.

Anyways, he told me to calm the heck down, and told me not to worry about what I'm taking. He said I was NOT having ativan withdrawal and I do not have a dependency, I only used it when needed.

He also said Klonopin is not like heroin (which is what i researched lastnight). He said I'm taking Klonopin .5mg at night before bed just for a while til I can feel that I can sleep on my own again. He also said I've been taking it for only 10 days, and that's nothing. He said addicts and abusers take it habitually even when they don't need it.

So I'm not worried about withdrawal now... since I KNOW I will not experience what my brother went through. lol. The most he said I may experience is some insomnia for a few nights or something at the most...

Again, like I said, I don't like to take stuff if I don't need it. I DID need the klonopin full 1mg pill the first few days to get me through my bad bad anxiety, so I could function. But I don't need it during the day anymore at all. So I think I'm gonna be okay.

Over the next week or so, I'm just going to keep cutting the klonopins smaller and smaller before bed.
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358304 tn?1409709492
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