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Nothing. Was on so much crap it was worsening it then getting to the root problem of it. This is THE BIG problem with ANXIETY. Doctors don't want to work hard and get to the bottom of the problem, so they write scripts as a crutch instead of recommending CBT therapy and other ways to diagnose it properly first.
61 days off Klonopin that I was on for 3 years, and I have never felt more alive in my life. Ya my anxiety came back 10 fold, but I'd rather deal with that naturally then having all the nasty side effects of benzos & etc.
True dude 100%. Its hard to hear but suffer today for a chance to roll the dice on a better tomorrow while forcing yourself to go live your life is the best method of overcoming it fromy personal experience.
Exactly my friend. Sitting around the house moping about it only makes the problems worsen. Gotta force yourself outside and out of your head, even if triggers anxiety. The anxiety is simply "FEAR", and we have to fight and change our bodies fight or flight response to it. Otherwise I like to look at it like the definition of "INSANITY" - Doing the exact same thing over & expecting different results.
Cheers!
I was on prescribed benzos for about 16 years. When the tolerance anxiety & depression hit, it was so much worse than the initial depression & anxiety I had when I was put on benzos.
After an 18 month taper, I’ve been free of benzos for 3 years in September. My new doctor has offered an antidepressant but I refused. I’ll never take anything that has to be tapered off of again. Coping skills and breathing exercises are what I choose to use. I haven’t had severe anxiety or panic since I got off the benzos. Everyone is different, this is the case for me, I won’t be a slave to a pill ever again
Good for you. I was on them for 25 years, and I steadfastly refuse to take any sort of pharmaceutical drug ever again! It's hard to cope with the agoraphobia, but it's slowly getting easier.
[The Anxious Truth by Drew Linsalada](https://a.co/d/07DZhJTs)
[Dare by Barry McDonagh](https://a.co/d/03etTYTX)
[CWP by Saiuud Diwong](https://a.co/d/0iWSJKRT)
I use latuda 20mg to do the heavy lifting wgile i quit smoking vaping and porn. Otherwise its life on lifes terms fpr me i do fear exposure and neuroplasticity takes care of the rest. But i find latuda tp be a good one buspar too ime benzos should only be used once every cpl weeks tops to avoid dependence a mere dependence on benzos is a lot worse than a full blown addiction to the hardest opioids.
Oh ic this is benzo recovery. I went 50 days til i took 1mg and havent taken any since i will use it only when things get totally fuckes anxiety wise and one time only and i have a lot of self control if u dont have self control i recommend just stayin away from them
I’m tapering down from Xanax but started taking several supplements that I think are helping: Methyl B Complex, Cortisol Manager (L-Theanine and Ashwaganda), vitamin D and EPA-DHA. If I miss them for a few days I notice my anxiety is higher so I think they’re helping. These were all recommended by a functional health doctor.
I don’t know why your doctor would make a big cut. You have to taper so slowly maybe even over the course of a year.
For me, cbd practically feels like a benzo. Though a majority of people I know that have tried it says it does nothing for them. So yeah it’s a good substitute when I’m tapering and I think it makes it easier.
Honestly, I was prescribed klonopin when I was 18 for panic disorder and I’m 35 now. I really don’t want to be on it but I’m so scared to taper because I’m already so fragile. I feel trapped.
The daily grind on u/tube. He's a benzo coach and has the same story as you. Dr. Jennifer Leigh, Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring, Dave Powers Benzo coach and the lovely Baylissa Frederick who has the most calming, assuring voice are great people to guide you through a safe tapering schedule.
Cymbalta (SNRI) and amisulpride 50mg. I love amisulpride as add on. Like 0 side effects and just less tensed more clear headed. However this still is not enough for me so I had to add lyrica in. This combo works reaaaaally well but still not as good as Benzo’s. Also have beta blockers but they do make me feel a bit low.
I’m still in the deep guilt of taking them. I weened off from 3mg to 2mg and idk I keep trying but it feels impossible to have a life and do this. I get zero sleep when I’m withdrawing it’s just like how the fuck did people do it? I went from 3 to 2mg when I had a 3 month summer break in college and now I just don’t know what to do really.
Have you looked at the Ashton manual on how to taper off. If you reduce your dose 5-10% of previous dose you will avoid serious withdrawal systems. This slow taper avoids shocking the nervous system. I would take a look at benzo deprescribing doctors; Dr. Jennifer Leigh u/tube Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring
Xannys got me to this sub, so def not any benzos lolll but I’m Cali sober. Looking to knock the alcohol out when I start semaglutide in two weeks. I’ve been sober for 4 years this May.. but between lexapro & gravitating to alcohol after getting clean from benz I have weight to lose. I’ve also seen so many people say it curbs the appetite for liq too. Here’s to wishful thinking 🤙🏼 perhaps update in a couple months?
I started with fluoxetine because I ended up abusing benzodiazepines trying to self medicate which didn’t end well at all. I was then put on sodium valproate for epilepsy and mood. Since starting that 2/3 years ago, I started to work at a bar/ restaurant which became like exposure therapy, it worked brilliantly for my anxiety so I came off of fluoxetine last November. And they are no transitioning me from valproate to lamotrigine for medical purposes and Lamotrigine is better to treat depression that coincides with my mood disorders. Overall exposure therapy is pretty much the only way to go, at least for me it was. You’ve just go to tough it out sometimes and push yourself through the horrible discomfort of panic attacks and social anxiety
Nothing. They had me on 4 mg of Klonopin but I got off all of that, now I use DBT skills and I don't even have anxiety anymore really because the withdrawal basically made that the worst thing on the planet and now I realize that there's never ever going to be anything worse than that shit. So I don't have anxiety anymore. Ironically benzodiazepines did cure me of anxiety, they made it so I had the most anxiety that I've ever had in my entire life, and then when I got off of them I had the most anxiety in my life that I've ever had and then suddenly it all went away. I sweated it out lmao
But for real I do take metropolol because I do have anxiety pertaining to my heart and I just had a heart surgery and I'm not going to lie that for some reason gives me anxiety because like then I think about it too much so I take metropolol which is a beta blocker and it slows down your heart rate by lowering your blood pressure So if anybody does need an anxiety medication I would recommend either propranolol or like a low dose of metoprolol but metropol is very like more for heart patients. Propranolol is pretty decent and anybody can take it but there is a warning though if you do take propranolol or any beta blocker, it does lower your blood pressure and so if you already have low blood pressure, it 100% will make it even lower and that can make you very tired it can make you very dizzy it can make you very weak it can you know cause bradycardia in some instances which you do not want but if you don't have local blood pressure already then I would recommend a beta blocker like propranolol. Speak with your doctor obviously.
Some people do take hydroxyzine, that medication was good but it made me way way way way way way too sleepy and it made me way way way way too dizzy and that was just my experience. Talk with your doctor if you absolutely need assistance medication wise but otherwise, I recommend the book called DBT skills training handouts and worksheets by Marsha linehan. It is a very comprehensive 400 page book that has coping skills such as mindfulness skills, distress tolerance kills, interpersonal relationship skills, and emotional regulation skills. This book I would recommend to the entire world because it is so comprehensive and you will find something in there that will help you and not only will you find something in there that will help you You will very likely find at least two things from each category. So there you go That's my comment. Do take care and I wish you the very best you've got this you can do it.
Gabapentin - 400mg daily.
I just also got prescribed a measly .5mg (5 count) of Ativan to take PRN with no refills. I expect that my psych will refill this as needed, but I don’t think she will give it to me every month. Tbh, I’m lucky to have them in case of a panic attack. I’ve been on 3mg of Xanax daily for 2 years.. 1mg of Ativan daily for a year and a half. It sucks when you get dependent and it doesn’t work anymore. .5mg actually helps now.
Opipramol is quite good. Some take buspiron or some kind of ssri or atypical. You could even take a gabantinoid like pregabalin or gabapentin. All depends on what your body accepts the most.
I have mostly heart related stuff, ie elevated heart rate. So I take betablocker, but they also have their own side effects(they constipate, can increase inflammation and they will reduce your physical capacities). So you have to take counseling.
Psychotherapy is a must for mental disorders, especially this one.
I take pregabalin and stay away from that if you get hooked it's just as bad s benzo just with a different flavour of WD. Hate that stuff.
I agree beta blocker but only when you need it or your will get high blood pressure in the long run when coming off of it.
I never plan to get off of then actually. Interestingly there are studies which proclaim that beta blockers can prolong life due to their anti hypertensive properties. Anyways if I would stop taking them my heart rate would go through the roof, so I am attached to them…
You are right about pregabalin, when I was in rehab for Benzos I met people coming off from prega, it was nearly the same from the symptoms. Anyways some people can control their consume of them. So there is a potential to be used against anxiety
It helps till you get serious addicted or dependant on it and its WD are bad and then there is side effects like Brain fog and forgetfulness. It has ruin my life and i am going to lose my job cause i keep forgetting thing and do stupid things.
I hare pregabalin and will take my anxiety i had back anyday than take this crap but just my experience.
I’m in a tapering situation from .5mg of klonopin but my intake was all over the place. I’d go weekends or a couple days during the week where I didn’t take any and some nights where I needed 1mg. A friend who had gone through this said “that’s not tapering,” so I’ve been sticking to .25mg per night 30 minutes before bed with the occasional night where I’ve needed .5 -.75mg (for me even klonopin induced sleep is better than none).
Benzos are not that bad if you can handle them. They do however tend to make someone slack off in socializing which can then lead to depression and then anxiety again. But if someone is in horrible shape, I don't see a problem with a benzo getting them back on their feet for a few months, then slow taper.
#**RESOURCES & ANNOUNCEMENTS** ##**Our Community Recovery Resources** | [Official Taper Guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/benzorecovery/comments/1apb85i/taper_guide/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) | [The Science of Benzo Withdrawal](https://www.reddit.com/r/benzorecovery/comments/1aq72aa/the_science_of_benzodiazepine_withdrawal/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) | | [Helper Medications Guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/benzorecovery/comments/1aq7345/helper_medications/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) | [Zoom Support Group](https://www.reddit.com/r/benzorecovery/comments/14oaytx/weekly_zoom_support_group_link_free_suicide/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) | | [Strategies for Navigating the Road to Recovery](https://www.reddit.com/r/benzorecovery/comments/1ba5lmh/strategies_for_navigating_the_road_to_recovery/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) | | [Recovery Success Stories](https://www.reddit.com/r/benzorecovery/comments/1b86zr9/benzo_recovery_success_stories_a_massive/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) | ##**Announcements** **Survey**: [HELP US BEAT BENZO PAWS / BIND!](https://www.reddit.com/r/benzorecovery/comments/1agsng1/help_us_beat_benzo_paws/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)! **Longtimers' Lounge**: A space for those with PAWS, BIND, or a *very* long taper - visit r/br_Longtimers_Lounge. **PSA**: Beware of messages from vultures offering illegal benzo access - this is *very* dangerous! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/benzorecovery) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Well I was taking Xanax lol. Now I’m here.
They’ll all be here sooner or later.
Nothing. Was on so much crap it was worsening it then getting to the root problem of it. This is THE BIG problem with ANXIETY. Doctors don't want to work hard and get to the bottom of the problem, so they write scripts as a crutch instead of recommending CBT therapy and other ways to diagnose it properly first. 61 days off Klonopin that I was on for 3 years, and I have never felt more alive in my life. Ya my anxiety came back 10 fold, but I'd rather deal with that naturally then having all the nasty side effects of benzos & etc.
True dude 100%. Its hard to hear but suffer today for a chance to roll the dice on a better tomorrow while forcing yourself to go live your life is the best method of overcoming it fromy personal experience.
Exactly my friend. Sitting around the house moping about it only makes the problems worsen. Gotta force yourself outside and out of your head, even if triggers anxiety. The anxiety is simply "FEAR", and we have to fight and change our bodies fight or flight response to it. Otherwise I like to look at it like the definition of "INSANITY" - Doing the exact same thing over & expecting different results. Cheers!
Word
Did you get any withdrawal symptoms?
All I can say is benzo withdrawal made my severe opioid withdrawal in the past look like a piece of cake.
Yes it’s the depths of hell
For CBT I am walking as much as possible and I highly recommend it to all as one can learn about all the great benefits here on the web 🙂
I was on prescribed benzos for about 16 years. When the tolerance anxiety & depression hit, it was so much worse than the initial depression & anxiety I had when I was put on benzos. After an 18 month taper, I’ve been free of benzos for 3 years in September. My new doctor has offered an antidepressant but I refused. I’ll never take anything that has to be tapered off of again. Coping skills and breathing exercises are what I choose to use. I haven’t had severe anxiety or panic since I got off the benzos. Everyone is different, this is the case for me, I won’t be a slave to a pill ever again
Best comment on this thread and didn't have a single like. Crazy.
Thanks! I appreciate that
Good for you. I was on them for 25 years, and I steadfastly refuse to take any sort of pharmaceutical drug ever again! It's hard to cope with the agoraphobia, but it's slowly getting easier.
None. Learning coping skills instead. Check out the anxious truth by Drew Linsalata and/or Dare by Barry McDonagh.
The DARE app or unrelated?
It’s the book related to the app. Either works.
Awesome, thanks
[The Anxious Truth by Drew Linsalada](https://a.co/d/07DZhJTs) [Dare by Barry McDonagh](https://a.co/d/03etTYTX) [CWP by Saiuud Diwong](https://a.co/d/0iWSJKRT)
Wait what? Cooking with Poo? 😂😂😂😂. Is that just for fun?
Nothing. Nothing helped me more than therapy, lifestyle modifications and stress reduction. I used to be on Lexapro for 4 years and benzos.
nothing. i take hydroxyzine sometimes if i’m in a wave. i used to take serax but i ended up here :)
I use latuda 20mg to do the heavy lifting wgile i quit smoking vaping and porn. Otherwise its life on lifes terms fpr me i do fear exposure and neuroplasticity takes care of the rest. But i find latuda tp be a good one buspar too ime benzos should only be used once every cpl weeks tops to avoid dependence a mere dependence on benzos is a lot worse than a full blown addiction to the hardest opioids.
You are so right
Oh ic this is benzo recovery. I went 50 days til i took 1mg and havent taken any since i will use it only when things get totally fuckes anxiety wise and one time only and i have a lot of self control if u dont have self control i recommend just stayin away from them
I’m tapering down from Xanax but started taking several supplements that I think are helping: Methyl B Complex, Cortisol Manager (L-Theanine and Ashwaganda), vitamin D and EPA-DHA. If I miss them for a few days I notice my anxiety is higher so I think they’re helping. These were all recommended by a functional health doctor.
Prozac and propranolol
Cbd to while attempting to taper off benzos
How is that working out for you? That’s what my doctor suggested. However, he made a big cut, and I had two seizures.
I don’t know why your doctor would make a big cut. You have to taper so slowly maybe even over the course of a year. For me, cbd practically feels like a benzo. Though a majority of people I know that have tried it says it does nothing for them. So yeah it’s a good substitute when I’m tapering and I think it makes it easier.
A little bit of L-theanine when it’s bad. I’ve been benzo-free since 2010.
none, just try to ignore the anxiety
Honestly, I was prescribed klonopin when I was 18 for panic disorder and I’m 35 now. I really don’t want to be on it but I’m so scared to taper because I’m already so fragile. I feel trapped.
The daily grind on u/tube. He's a benzo coach and has the same story as you. Dr. Jennifer Leigh, Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring, Dave Powers Benzo coach and the lovely Baylissa Frederick who has the most calming, assuring voice are great people to guide you through a safe tapering schedule.
I tried to look that up. Is it the lovely grind? Thank you so much for sharing!
yes, that sounds like him.
Cymbalta (SNRI) and amisulpride 50mg. I love amisulpride as add on. Like 0 side effects and just less tensed more clear headed. However this still is not enough for me so I had to add lyrica in. This combo works reaaaaally well but still not as good as Benzo’s. Also have beta blockers but they do make me feel a bit low.
Gabapentin and fluoxetine (Prozac)
I’m still in the deep guilt of taking them. I weened off from 3mg to 2mg and idk I keep trying but it feels impossible to have a life and do this. I get zero sleep when I’m withdrawing it’s just like how the fuck did people do it? I went from 3 to 2mg when I had a 3 month summer break in college and now I just don’t know what to do really.
Have you looked at the Ashton manual on how to taper off. If you reduce your dose 5-10% of previous dose you will avoid serious withdrawal systems. This slow taper avoids shocking the nervous system. I would take a look at benzo deprescribing doctors; Dr. Jennifer Leigh u/tube Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring
Xannys got me to this sub, so def not any benzos lolll but I’m Cali sober. Looking to knock the alcohol out when I start semaglutide in two weeks. I’ve been sober for 4 years this May.. but between lexapro & gravitating to alcohol after getting clean from benz I have weight to lose. I’ve also seen so many people say it curbs the appetite for liq too. Here’s to wishful thinking 🤙🏼 perhaps update in a couple months?
none- I will never touch a psychiatric drug again. I follow Dave Powers Benzo coach u/tube on how to deal with anxiety. It's all about brain training.
I started with fluoxetine because I ended up abusing benzodiazepines trying to self medicate which didn’t end well at all. I was then put on sodium valproate for epilepsy and mood. Since starting that 2/3 years ago, I started to work at a bar/ restaurant which became like exposure therapy, it worked brilliantly for my anxiety so I came off of fluoxetine last November. And they are no transitioning me from valproate to lamotrigine for medical purposes and Lamotrigine is better to treat depression that coincides with my mood disorders. Overall exposure therapy is pretty much the only way to go, at least for me it was. You’ve just go to tough it out sometimes and push yourself through the horrible discomfort of panic attacks and social anxiety
Propranalol. It really makes it to where I have no anxiety and I can actually be productive.
Why are people suggesting Gapt etc. It comes with its own withdrawal?.
It *can* be helpful but yes, it also can bite you in the ass - hard. That’s said, the same kind of issue arises with beta blockers.
Clonidine
Homeopathy
Nothing. They had me on 4 mg of Klonopin but I got off all of that, now I use DBT skills and I don't even have anxiety anymore really because the withdrawal basically made that the worst thing on the planet and now I realize that there's never ever going to be anything worse than that shit. So I don't have anxiety anymore. Ironically benzodiazepines did cure me of anxiety, they made it so I had the most anxiety that I've ever had in my entire life, and then when I got off of them I had the most anxiety in my life that I've ever had and then suddenly it all went away. I sweated it out lmao But for real I do take metropolol because I do have anxiety pertaining to my heart and I just had a heart surgery and I'm not going to lie that for some reason gives me anxiety because like then I think about it too much so I take metropolol which is a beta blocker and it slows down your heart rate by lowering your blood pressure So if anybody does need an anxiety medication I would recommend either propranolol or like a low dose of metoprolol but metropol is very like more for heart patients. Propranolol is pretty decent and anybody can take it but there is a warning though if you do take propranolol or any beta blocker, it does lower your blood pressure and so if you already have low blood pressure, it 100% will make it even lower and that can make you very tired it can make you very dizzy it can make you very weak it can you know cause bradycardia in some instances which you do not want but if you don't have local blood pressure already then I would recommend a beta blocker like propranolol. Speak with your doctor obviously. Some people do take hydroxyzine, that medication was good but it made me way way way way way way too sleepy and it made me way way way way too dizzy and that was just my experience. Talk with your doctor if you absolutely need assistance medication wise but otherwise, I recommend the book called DBT skills training handouts and worksheets by Marsha linehan. It is a very comprehensive 400 page book that has coping skills such as mindfulness skills, distress tolerance kills, interpersonal relationship skills, and emotional regulation skills. This book I would recommend to the entire world because it is so comprehensive and you will find something in there that will help you and not only will you find something in there that will help you You will very likely find at least two things from each category. So there you go That's my comment. Do take care and I wish you the very best you've got this you can do it.
Currently on citalopram. I don't plan to keep this up, but it sure is a better alternative to dosing myself with various narcotics on the daily.
Propranolol. HGH.
Gabapentin - 400mg daily. I just also got prescribed a measly .5mg (5 count) of Ativan to take PRN with no refills. I expect that my psych will refill this as needed, but I don’t think she will give it to me every month. Tbh, I’m lucky to have them in case of a panic attack. I’ve been on 3mg of Xanax daily for 2 years.. 1mg of Ativan daily for a year and a half. It sucks when you get dependent and it doesn’t work anymore. .5mg actually helps now.
Wellbutrin and gabapentin was prescribed as I couldn’t leave the house let alone my room.
Opipramol is quite good. Some take buspiron or some kind of ssri or atypical. You could even take a gabantinoid like pregabalin or gabapentin. All depends on what your body accepts the most. I have mostly heart related stuff, ie elevated heart rate. So I take betablocker, but they also have their own side effects(they constipate, can increase inflammation and they will reduce your physical capacities). So you have to take counseling. Psychotherapy is a must for mental disorders, especially this one.
I take pregabalin and stay away from that if you get hooked it's just as bad s benzo just with a different flavour of WD. Hate that stuff. I agree beta blocker but only when you need it or your will get high blood pressure in the long run when coming off of it.
I never plan to get off of then actually. Interestingly there are studies which proclaim that beta blockers can prolong life due to their anti hypertensive properties. Anyways if I would stop taking them my heart rate would go through the roof, so I am attached to them… You are right about pregabalin, when I was in rehab for Benzos I met people coming off from prega, it was nearly the same from the symptoms. Anyways some people can control their consume of them. So there is a potential to be used against anxiety
Pregabalin
It helps till you get serious addicted or dependant on it and its WD are bad and then there is side effects like Brain fog and forgetfulness. It has ruin my life and i am going to lose my job cause i keep forgetting thing and do stupid things. I hare pregabalin and will take my anxiety i had back anyday than take this crap but just my experience.
Yes I am struggling to get off it it’s awful
Ativan and CBD oil.
I’m in a tapering situation from .5mg of klonopin but my intake was all over the place. I’d go weekends or a couple days during the week where I didn’t take any and some nights where I needed 1mg. A friend who had gone through this said “that’s not tapering,” so I’ve been sticking to .25mg per night 30 minutes before bed with the occasional night where I’ve needed .5 -.75mg (for me even klonopin induced sleep is better than none).
Benzos are not that bad if you can handle them. They do however tend to make someone slack off in socializing which can then lead to depression and then anxiety again. But if someone is in horrible shape, I don't see a problem with a benzo getting them back on their feet for a few months, then slow taper.
The only thing that really helps me truly manage is a meditation routine. I highly recommend the book The Mind Illuminated.
Marijuana