[sideblinded]

Well, it has been a really rough road back to the person before she took a benzodiazapine. I am not there yet as I am still feeling the effects of benzo withdrawal. Actually it is more of a long withdrawal syndrome that is different for everyone.

I am only on 7.5 mg of Mirtazapine now for sleep issues. I do not regret tapering off klonopin or the other meds that I felt chained to for years. I do not feel well and it has been really hard but I am holding on to the day that I will feel well again. I realized that my personal journey with benzos started at the early age of 15 when my GP prescribed librax (a med with librium in it) for stomach cramps. I became addicted to it and used it for anxiety for years. I have been on benzos altogether for 44 years.

It is hard to imagine that I spent my entire adult life on that stuff. It is no wonder that my body and brain are still trying to adjust. I am really hoping and praying for a full recovery one day.

I have realized that I am just a person with many issues that stem from coming from an alcoholic and abusive home. I am not all of the labels that were put on me over the years. These labels have not benefited me but have instead benefited the psychiatric and pharmaceutical industries. I have made many poor choices in life and one of them was to believe that I was defective and incapable of working. I lost my career and I existed and stagnated on psychotropic drugs for 20 years and benzos for 44 years. Not everyone is going to come to this conclusion for themselves and that is OK. I made a choice to rid my body of these chemicals but I did it safely and slowly. I informed my doctors and one of them helped me with prescriptions to wean off.

The Ashton Method is by far the most widely used method for doing this so please do your research if you are considering coming off of a benzo and also get the help of a professional. Most of them are clueless about the withdrawal effects and tapering strategies of coming off of a benzo. I tapered off of klonopin over a year period.

I wish all of us luck and blessings for a full recovery.

[DechanDawa]

Best wishes. I too was on and off benzos for years and years and no one ever warned me about them until the last few years. I came on Psych Central a year ago and found out a lot about benzodiazepines. I would probably still be on them if I had a doctor who would prescribe them but my present health care provider is simply not dispensing them. I got a month's supply last year and when it was done I wanted to stop thinking about benzodiazepines. I can't say what my life would have been like had I not been taking them. But I think I would have learned better coping skills...something I'm struggling with now. Better late than never? I think so...how about you? I am really glad benzos are no longer in my life, and the truth is I don't much think about them any more. I was definitely psychologically addicted and I am really glad that's behind me, and I thank Psych Central for giving me a lot of good information, education, and support.

[sideblinded]

Originally Posted by DechanDawa

Best wishes. I too was on and off benzos for years and years and no one ever warned me about them until the last few years. I came on Psych Central a year ago and found out a lot about benzodiazepines. I would probably still be on them if I had a doctor who would prescribe them but my present health care provider is simply not dispensing them. I got a month's supply last year and when it was done I wanted to stop thinking about benzodiazepines. I can't say what my life would have been like had I not been taking them. But I think I would have learned better coping skills...something I'm struggling with now. Better late than never? I think so...how about you? I am really glad benzos are no longer in my life, and the truth is I don't much think about them any more. I was definitely psychologically addicted and I am really glad that's behind me, and I thank Psych Central for giving me a lot of good information, education, and support.

I am so glad that you came off of them. I am never looking back. I definitely had a psychological dependence to the librax in my younger years and I remember wanting them more for anxiety than my stomach cramps. Yes, learning what we have learned is better late than never for sure.

[Toothless]

I hate benzo's, the withdrawal keeps me dependent. I was prescribed Ativan for social anxiety in school, then it got combined with Klonopins. Im now on a low dose of valium and I have barely left the house in months. My anxiety has only gotten worse from the start. I had to drop out of High School because of this. The Dr. I had was worthless, he would get mad if i came to him with a problem or side-effect from the drugs he put me on because i was wasting his time. Eh he would make me wait while he takes extended lunch breaks. That was about 4 years ago and now i feel like im approaching rock bottom. My own private hell.

[LadyShadow]

I am currently on Klonopin and it has me in it's clutches. I can't sleep without it. At least a full night's rest. I am totally dependent, and I don't think there is really anything I can do.

I am so proud of you though, and loved hearing your story!

[TicTacGo]

Oh my! I knew that Librax (something I occasionally use for my stomach) had chlordiazepoxide (Librium) in it, but didn't really think that it was enough to get addicted to. I honestly didn't research how much it had in it, along with clidinium.
Well I find your story quite interesting, and I am sorry that you had to experience that.
As I did with alcohol, I experimented with self-medicating using benzos, but never got hooked on either of them.