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   Coming off of Clonazepam...OMG!!!!! (Addiction & Recovery board)

25th April 2006
Benzodiazepine withdrawls are some of the worst withdrawls a person can go through.It sounds to me as though you're suffering from PAWS(Post Acute Withdrawl Syndrome) and really as far as I know the only thing that helps is time but I'm sure there are other people here with some answers for you.Hang in there though,the main thing is your not putting that stuff into your body and that's the most important thing.Try and do the little things like going for a walk twice a day if you can that helps promote endorphin production and endorphins go a long way in making a person feel good.Also eat as well as you can and start drinking sport juices like gatorade ect.Good luck and stick with it there is light at the end of the tunnel.....Dave
25th April 2006
Azure, the problems you are having is a result of the type of drug that Clonazepam is, a benzodiazepine. Benzodiazepines are quickly addictive and difficult to withdraw from. In particular, Clonazepam is essentially the same drug as Klonopin, just different manufacturers. In addition to learning here from the experiences of others, you also need to educate yourself further. Google the Ashton Manual by Professor Heather Ashton from the United Kingdom. She has researched and published extensively and free to all as her objective is to learn and teach. She presents valuable information in layman's language easy to understand and follow. The Ashton Manual is a tapering detox guideline with very specific guidelines for each type of benzodiazepine. If you can switch to Valium, the longest half life benzodiazine, and then do a gradual taper off it will lessen the WDs you are experiencing. Switching to a longer half life version will help blunt the severe peaks/valleys of the drop off.

The last dropped dose of any addictive drug is a very difficult one. It almost always comes with WDs. What works for one may not for another, but the following is what helped me. Do not take the .5 all at once. Any time a person is down to 1 pill, that pill needs to be split into 1/4ths or into 1/8ths if possible. Then spread dose over the course of the day; taking doses at different times of the day. The goal is start confusing your body signals regarding dosing expectancy; very critical as the body is basically a creature of auto pilot/habit where without realizing it patterns of expectancy form regarding all aspects of your life not just drugs. When the body is deprived of anything it expects it reacts with a signal to you to remind you---unfortunately the addictive drug signals are brutal WDs. Confusing the signals with random dosings conditions the body to adjust to less at one time without a total drop off. When I detoxed I pretty much followed Ashton down to that last pill and then got impatient and just wanted it over. What I did that for 3-5 days and then dropped a fractional dose, stabilize (about 3-5 days again) and dropped another fractional dose. The number of days between drops will vary person to person based on personal chemistry and whether or not you are supplementing your body with the nutritional supplements identified in the SAMPLE HOME DETOX sticky post in the moderator's section. If you are not supplementing you will likely need to extend the number of days. Just gauge your drop cycle based on what you are able to cope with regarding WDs. But, again, take responsibility for your own process---do your research and plan your own drop schedule for your needs and coping ability. Good luck!
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