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Author Topic: New here and tapering.
Rich66
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Posts: 4
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Post New here and tapering.
on: September 13, 2016, 23:02
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Hello all,

I am new to this forum and site.
I am just cousrious if there are others here that are in the same boat as I am.
I suffer from pretty severe chronic anxiety and to make things worse I am also tapering off of almost 30yrs of daily Benzo use.
Long story short. I was perscribed Klonopin in 1988 for GAD/Panic and was never told how addictive it was or what kind of hell that I'd go through to get off of it.
I have about 6 more months to go before I am Benzo free.
Benzos work great until they don't work anymore at your prescibed dose.
So, besides the anxiety creeping back in (I just had a huge bout of rebound anxiety) I also have to deal with a whole host of wirhdrawal symptoms, in which some cause my anxiety!
I wouldn't wish this on an enemy!
Like most on benzos, I never learned coping skills, so that is where I am at now. I'm trying to learn things that I shouldn't have learned before taking those little pills that worked so well until they didn't!
Sarah
Expert
Posts: 94
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Post Re: New here and tapering.
on: September 14, 2016, 17:12
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Hi
I've been in similar shoes 3 years ago trying to quit antidepressants. I now know that I'll have to take some probably for ever or until something better comes up.
I have a pretty good idea on how you might be feeling. It sucks.
If you end up having to take some sort of medication, don't feel shame. It's not a flaw to want to get better. I tried naturally and it just didn't work. Natural stuff, like exercise and meditation do help a lot with coping but won't make the symptoms go away. Benzo's are a great way to let go of the symptoms temporarily. In your case, it seems they were used a long time and they loose their effects while causing dependence.
It won't be fun but you'll be ok with medical suppervision.

This forum is not very active, but it has a lot of good tips and tricks.
You are not alone. Just keep going.
🙂
Rich66
Newbie
Posts: 4
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Post Re: New here and tapering.
on: September 14, 2016, 22:24
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Hi Sarah and thanks for the reply!

Although my goal is to be med free, I do understand what you mean about some people having to take something.
While tapering I am taking an Antidepressant called Mirtazapine(Remeron). It does take the edge off of the anxiety and has some awesome sode effects like SLEEP(take it at night) and stimulates hunger.
I am working with a shrink during my taper. He writes the scripts and I dictate the taper!
I've been tapering since Sept of 2015 and have about 6 months to go at this rate.

If you are not already a member of Benzobuddies.org I highly recomend it. There are forums on there dealing with Antidepressants as well as Alternative medicines. Tons of people there and very active.

Now I need to teach myself to navigate this website better!
Gillian
Newbie
Posts: 3
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Post Re: New here and tapering.
on: May 26, 2017, 00:09
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I've always had anxiety... at least since I can remember in second grade! I suppose the past year it has been worse. I was visiting family in Australia earlier this spring (I'm in the US) and it got really bad. I felt like I couldn't relax the entire time I was there. It was an awful feeling for what should have been a nice family vacation.

So, when I got back, I was still feeling bad, especially after a weekend where my parents and my fiance's parents came to visit us. I ended up going to a doctor about anxiety for the first time ever. She prescribed citalopram, which I've been on for about 40 days now. The side effects have worn off and I feel fine. Hardly any detectable anxiety at the moment, but now I'm wondering what I can do to "work on" my anxiety when I don't feel any?

I wonder how I would feel if I weren't on it. The doctor also suggested I see a counselor, so I went once and through my insurance they only meet every 4-5 weeks, although you can schedule a phone call in between. The first visit she only asked me a few questions, so I haven't really had anything to "work on" since then. Seems useless. I've found a lot of help with the Anxiety Guru podcast though, and a workbook I got at the library 🙂

I have a trip to India and my own wedding this summer (part of what led to all my anxiety, I'm pretty sure), so I will plan to keep with the medication through that and hope I'm on an even keel for the time being.

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