I'm sure that there are thousands of people out there around this country and the world that are currently on Klonopin or Xanax . Personally, I don't mind seeing people take these type of medications if they are going through a tough period in their life such as a death in the family or loss of job. What I do have a problem with is people getting hooked on this medication - and it can easily happen. The symptoms of Benzodiazepines is sometimes tough to handle and you do need some help along the way.
I know all too well about what these two medications do to people since I am currently on Klonopin. It's a little embarrassing to write about, but I've come to a place where I am slowly tapering off of Klonopin - so I think it's high time to help other people that are on either of these medications to get off these things for good.
I'll first talk about how I started taking Xanax. I've always been an anxious individual all my life compounded with being diagnosed with Social Anxiety. My high school years were horrible in the fact that I was scared to talk in class or in any group of people. I would have panic attacks if a teacher called on me during class. Things didn't get better when I went to College - in fact, it got worse. It got so bad that I went to the University therapist - which really didn't do anything for me.
Fast forward to my mid twenties, I woke up one morning and told myself that I had enough of being anxious and having panic attacks - and that I wanted to go to the doctor and get him to give me a "magic pill" to relieve the things I was going through. And so I did.
A couple days later I walked out of the doctors office with a prescription of Xanax in my hand. The first month was like a godsend to me. However, I learned quickly that I had to back off from taking more since I was getting use to the medication. Then I hit a brick wall. Whenever I didn't take the medication, my skin felt like it was crawling. I also felt disoriented along with my speech slurring a bit. It was horrible.
I lived this way for a few years until I decided to go on a less potent medicine named Klonopin. For me, at least it was better when I laid off of it for a couple days, but it still was bad. I would go cold turkey for three or four straight days, and my head would be pounding and I was extremely sick. One thing that wouldn't go away would be the constant disorientation - that was my major withdrawal symptom.
I finally came to grips that I had to do something about these symptoms. How I started back on the road of recovery was by meditating. Every time I took less Klonopin (especially on my days off), I would meditate when the symptoms would come back. I would imagine myself going through the day without the symptoms - then imagine myself throwing the bottle of Klonopin away. When I finished my mediation (or self-hypnosis) - I would walk downstairs and always talk to my wife. She would mention that I acted better - and she was right, because I felt better after relaxing my body and mind.
Meditation has helped me over the years. Sure, the symptoms would come back within a few hours (after I finished my meditation session), but I would go back to my study, put on my head phones and listen to a hypnosis CD and just relax. That sure beat taking another dose of Klonopin.
After six months of utilizing meditation, I went from taking six mgs per day to three. Now, I'm not giving meditation the all the credit here, there was another thing I had to do. That was reducing my intake of Klonopin. I slowly withdrew by.25 mgs every two or three months - and that was tough to do. There were times when I would go down to a certain amount and I just couldn't take it, I would go back to my previous amount.
Today, I still struggle, but I'm glad to say that I'm on my way of kicking Klonopin out of my life. I'm down to 1.5 mgs per day and when I don't have to go into work, I take.75 mgs. Every now and then I may skip taking the medication altogether for a day, but if I enter the second day without taking Klonopin, I'll get my butt kicked. So please take Klonopin every day, even if you are trying to withdrawal from this horrible medication.
Lastly, I would like to say that one should never go cold turkey. The journals and cases I've read, that's a big no-no. Always withdrawal slowly from Klonopin. Again, for me, I would taper.25 mgs every two months. Also, whenever you feel the symptoms coming back to haunt you, try to find a place where you can get away - then relax your body and your mind - take a few deep breaths, and imagine your world without Klonopin. This will help you tremendously as it has helped me. However, what has worked with me may not work for you. We are all made differently. Before withdrawing from Xanax or Klonopin, please consult your doctor.
