Benzos Cold Turkey

[unteagle]

Ok I know you aren't supossed to go cold turkey off benzos but I made the choice to do so as I have a DOT exam and had no idea that Klonopin would cause me to fail if only used as a sleep aid.  I was taking 1mg at bedtime for the past 2 years and a few months.  I've been Klonopin free for 3 1/2 days and as might be expected I have numerous symptoms: tired/achy legs, numbness on my forehead, complete inability to sleep, head fog/dizziness, vasoconstriction, goose bumps, mild heat flashes.

My question is if I were to go back on maybe .5-.75mg at night and taper down, would this head fog disappear either immediately or within a day or two or would I still experience it for a while since my CNS and brain are so out of whack right now.

I've been waiting 6 years for this job but my head is so messed up I'm not sure I can even do it.  I have a DOT exam probably sometime next week so I'm hoping that perhaps the symptoms will ease somewhat since my dose wasn't too high but only time will tell.

[atthebeach]

if you started back on a lower dose it would help with the w/d symptoms. you will still have some but less severe.
get a proper taper from your doctor. as mentioned if you have a script there should not be a problem .
benzo taper not done right can cause withdrawal symptoms for a long time.
i hope and pray you feel better and clear enough to take and pass the exam.

[Addicted2long]

Sorry to hear what your going through. I agree with the above poster if you have a valid script for them why are you not allowed to take them? Thats weird. I came off both xanax (8mg daily) and valium 30mg daily and they both were terrible. The xanax wd I went ct not by choice I was in jail the first 4 days and then in rehab the day after which gave me nothing to combat the wd. I didnt sleep for over a week straight and was hallucinating and felt like spiders were crawling over my body. I also had all the symptoms u descrived above. its not fun at all. I think because of the low dose u were on u should be ok doing ct. There is always a slight risk for seizure but its actually alot less common than ppl make it out to be. Have you told you prescribing doctor about your plans? Do not think that because you feel like crap right now u cant handle the job. You can. Ur just going through a bad time right now and its really hard. You will feel much better by next week and should have no problem going to your exam. Hang tight and stick it out it will be worth it not being chained to a pill bottle. Benzos can really be useful in some cases but are in no means meant for long term use. They destroy the mind. Good luck and stay positive. U can do it!

[bmdad]

If you have a prescription for them you shouldn't have anything to worry about. If you are wanting to get off of them, and it's a good idea, you really should taper.

Search the web about DOT and prescription use. There's a lot of information.

Be sure to stick around this forum for support.

Best of luck to you.




Brian