tappering off clonazepam and kciking in escitlopram

i am on clonazepam 0.5mg night 0.5mg morning ,and stilnox 20mg before bed from the past 5 years.i stared taking it for GAD.i was doing perfectly okay till 3months ago.i statred tapering off clonazepam ,.i experinced sever e withdrawl (withdrawal) symptoms.like panic disorder,inablity to concentrate,poor health.sleepness.pounding heart.now my doctor has put me on escitlopram 10mg .i am afraid to tell him that i am on clonazepam and stilnox from the past 5 years.i am taking all of them together.i dont know what to do.he  has asked me to stop taking clonazepam all of a sudden.what should i do.i am scared to death.i am losing my health .effecting my daily activities.i am unable to do anything.i have blurrred vision .lack of concentration.,restless sleep,.nightmares.constant feeling of going crazy.plaz anyone help

[abby10]

You're in acute benzodizepine withdrawals. See site benzo.org.uk (Ashton manual) find some benzo sites and get off slowly. You've hit tolerance and nothing but more of the drug will help. Do not drink any alcohol!

abby

[kirnose]

thank u so much for your reply.i am miserable.feeling unreal.i am only 37.i want to get out of this misery asap.i live in asia and we dont have good doc here.i am on my own.i am confused.which drug would help?should i take esctilopram10mg and clonazepam 1mg at the same time and slowly taper off clonazepam.its been 2 weeks i am on escitlopram but feeling really werid.plz help

[lynn57]

Actually the lexapro could be causing some of the increased anxiety and weird feelings, especially with cutting the Klonopin at the same time.  You should ask your Doc if you can take your regular dose of Klonopin and start a taper plan while allowing the Lexapro to start working.  It takes a few weeks for the weird side-effects to wear off with any SSRI.  It's twice as bad if you are withdrawing from a benzo at the same time. Good luck.  It will get better!

[cj29]

You need to inform your doctor about ALL medications you are taking.  Do not be afraid to do so, because their judgements on what to prescribe you are based in part on what you are taking.  In my opinion, it can also be dangerous not to disclose what you take. They definitely ask it for a reason.  Ensure you keep an honest and healthy conversation between yourself and your doctor...in my experience, it makes for a much smoother experience.  

[kirnose]

well i am taking escitlopram 10mg bedtime with clonazepam .5 once at night and one in morning..i have to taper clonazepam once escitlopram starts working.how would i know it has start  working.i know how to taper clonazepam .its been 16 days i am on escitlopram .my axiety is ok.lot better then before but i still feel stiffness in my neck ,also i feel  weird .so is escitlopram working for me ?i cant c my doc in a month ,i am confused.

[kirnose]

i am on estilopram 10mg from the last 20 days.i have gained 2 pounds in such a short period.i was wondering is that the medicine or what as i am not over eating.please any one on the same drug let me know.as i dont wana b fat .i will prefer not to take it.need advixce asap

[kirnose]

i am taking escitlopram 10mg,clonazepam1mg.i am having severe pain and stiffness in my neck from the past 2 weeks.its just been 20 days i have started escitlopram .once it kicks in i am slowly gloing to taper clonazepam.my concern is that how would i know that it has start working?y i am having so severe pain in my neck.i am so worried.

[cj29]

I would work with your doctor for a tapering schedule.  As far as the pain in the neck goes, do you think it could be related to anxiety?  I know when I was going through this, I was very tense and the first thing that tended to hurt was my neck because I was always tensing my muscles in the area.  In my experience, stress and anxiety can take a toll on us both emotionally and physically which is why it can be hard to confront sometimes.  As far as the weight gain, I really paid attention to what I was eating and ensured that I was exercising regularly, which helps with controlling anxiety as well in my opinion...keep us posted!

[kirnose]

thanks a lot for your reply.well i have a question how would i know that esctilopram has started working for me.also regardless of diet i am gaining weight and that is making me more depress .i want to stop and go back to clonazepam.its been only 18 days i have started esctilopram.kindly guide me what should i do?as i am very weight consious.p.lz advice.i dont think its working for me either.as i am feeling v sad from the past few days.yes my anxiety is v much control but i feel v sad.