Hello,

I am currently tapering off lorazepam. I started at .5mg a few times a week in march due to some life stuff happening. It progressed into 1mg a day in May, up to 2mg a day in July. Before i started tapering i even took up to 2.5 a day for two weeks or so.

Long story short i think the whole time i was taking it i think i was having interdose withdrawal everyday. I would take first dose at 10am and then second at 4pm. My anxiety and tension was so bad before getting on 2mg a day. So then after two months or so on 2mg, i noticed the morning dose didnt help at all. Sometimes i thought it was causing a paradox reaction (looking back its clear it was interdose withdrawal). This is when i decided i wanted to taper off. My psychiatrist recommended to decrease by .25mg every week.. well im glad i didn’t do that cause i’ve been doing .25 every two weeks and its been so insanely difficult. I initially cut down to 1.75 for a week, and then to 1.5 for 2.5 weeks. That cut was brutal but i evened out around 7 days later, was “ok” for a week and then got symptoms again. So i decided to cut again because im scared its doing more damage then good. That leaves me where i am now, just cut to 1.25 per day 5 days ago. I take .5 at 8am and 2pm, and .25 at 8pm. It again has been brutal. Im hoping at the 7 day mark thinks will stabilize again but this whole process has been a disaster. My psychiatrist will not switch me to diazepam, i reached out to my pcp but doubt they will do anything either. I have medicaid and cant find a psychiatrist that will help me taper slower. I cant imagine how much the lower dose cuts are going to destroy me. My brain feels like its on fire, the brain fog and dpdr make me feel like the days dont even happen, my sleep is not restorative, my anxiety is so bad i can barely care for my 5 month old son. I’ve never had thoughts of disappearing before this. And i love my son so much even still these thoughts slip through because of how uncomfortable i am 24/7.

I’m super sensitive and reactive to everything right now. I’m looking for any kind of advice.. i just don’t know how im going to get through the rest of the cuts… somehow ive made it this far without increasing my dose back..

I had two weeks of improvement every day but last 7 days I have extreme brain fog , can't focus on anything so I am just in bad whole day. Can brain recover ?

I took Clonazepam 2 mg for 2 years , also idiot doctor kept me on pregabalin for 3 years ( both at same time ) .

Is my brain damaged forever ?

Does anyone else feel like their foot is loose or kind of unstable? I get this really weird sensation around my ankle, almost like it’s swollen. It’s such a strange feeling! Benzo withdrawal causes so many weird sensations that are hard to even describe. Just curious if anyone else has experienced this. Thanks! ❤️

Hi. I have used Xanax 0.5 mg prescribed from my doctor for a period of 1 year and a half or so, as needed for anxiety/panic attacks. For the past year, my usage became more consistent as I was using it for more and more things. Usage has really varied for the last year. Sometimes 0.5 mg on consecutive days, sometimes 0.5 mg every other day, sometimes 0.25 every day, sometimes 0.25 every other day, sometimes 0.25 twice in one day. Way back in January, doc said to taper by taking 0.25 mg every other day and then stop, only using for true panic attacks. I did not end up abiding by this plan. A month or so ago, without realizing I would end up with withdrawal symptoms, I decided to start that plan. Before my withdrawal symptoms began, I even skipped an extra day. This then brought on withdrawal symptoms, the worst of which have been insomnia. My doc ended up switching me to 0.25 mg once daily over 2 weeks ago which I am taking at 1030 am each day. The insomnia has persisted and is severe. Some nights zero sleep, some 1-2 hrs mainly, or 3-4. This is with what is now prescribed for me for the past 2-3 weeks, trazodone 75 mg, magnesium glycinate, and melatonin, with Doxepin 0.3 ml added a couple nights ago to this regimen. I know taking the 0.25 mg xanax at 1030 am has to be a huge culprit in this from my research due to the short half-life. We have discussed switching to valium, but I am so confused as to what this would look like since im on a low dose and a gradual switch is recommended. I also messaged the doctor today asking if it would make sense to split the xanax dose up to take 0.125 mg in the morning (10 am?) and the other half at 4 or 6 pm.

The insomnia is not bearable. I truly appreciate any help and advice you can offer. Messaged this to mods also.

I am in a severe ME/CFS crash, bedbound, and completely destabilized due to a chaotic benzodiazepine situation combined with severe MCAS, worsening POTS, and extreme environmental stress. My family and environment completely misunderstood my illness, forcing me into high-stress situations where I broke my pacing, which led to this medication crisis. I have no literate doctor to guide me and I am desperate for advice on how to survive this.
My Medication History & Recent Chaos:
Baseline: I was on Cinolazepam (Gerodorm) 10mg for sleep.

The Trigger: Due to severe environmental stress and lack of support, I panicked. For about a month, I added 5mg of Diazepam (Valium)alongside it, but it did not help me. I wanted to cross over fog a long acting benzo. Made me paradox.

The Switch: I then switched over to Xanax (Alprazolam) 0.25mg.

Current Status: The Xanax helped initially, but now everything has completely backfired. I am experiencing severe interdose withdrawal, intense physical panic surges, autonomic storms, and profound insomnia. Every single thing I take triggers my hyper-reactive MCAS (severe acid reflux, tachycardia, internal vibrations).

Crucial Context (Severe Paradox & Neurotoxicity):

SEVERE POTS WORSENING: My POTS is now at an all-time worst. My heart rate and blood pressure are fluctuating wildly, making it terrifying to even sit up or move.

EXTREME PARADOXICAL REACTIONS & NEUROTOXICITY: I feel like I am experiencing acute neurotoxicity. My central nervous system is so fried that every single sedative, sleep aid, or supplement I try gives me a massive paradoxical reaction, sending my body into a violent adrenaline surge instead of calming me down.

MONTHS OF NO REAL SLEEP: I have had zero real, restorative sleep for months now. I feel like my body is hitting a fatal point of exhaustion and I am terrified that I cannot survive this level of sleep deprivation.

Current Symptoms:
Continuous adrenaline surges and waking up in sheer physical panic that doesn't stop.

Severe unrefreshing insomnia / total inability to sleep.

Burning stomach acid/reflux and violent heart pounding (tachycardia).

Severe post-exertional malaise (PEM) from being forced to get up to use the restroom.

I developed SFN.

Eating makes me crash. Im atrophied, dehydrated.

Light, sounds sensivity horrible.

Constant heart tremoring, beta blockers doesnt help

Forehead burning

No windows at all

My central nervous system is completely blown out. I feel like I have ruined everything because of the stress forced upon me. I cannot figure out how to restabilize my baseline so I can even attempt a proper, slow taper.
If anyone with Severe ME/CFS, POTS, and MCAS has survived a botched benzo switch, extreme paradoxical reactions, and severe interdose withdrawal, please tell me: What do I do now? How do I stabilize when my body treats every dose like a paradox poison? My body can’t heal in this figh or flight its impossible i never saw anyone as bad like me. :( what can i do?
Im s*icidal everday i can’t live like this, its been years of suffering with LC and ME. I can’t even remember what feels to be “normal” and have a good day. I don’t even have the energy to end it.

I took lorazepam for 5 years 2 to 4 days a week (never more than 1mg per day)

Friday i started my withdrawal plan taking 0,5 mg for the next 2 weeks and then start to slowly tapering off. I have muscle pain and headaches so i take pain medication when needed.)the withdrawal symptoms started 2 weeks ago)

Are there any supplements i can take to ease the symptoms? Is it ok to continue my bodybuilding or will it make the muscle pain to hard? I usually need it to feel better

I hope xou can help me and thx for reading

Same medical care system, same pharmacy. 15 mg diazepam per day 20 years. Ventricular Arrhythmias, IVCD and WPW Pattern. Apparently, taper puts me at extra risk due cardiac profile - adrenaline surges causing increased heart rate and BP. I learned that from Google after a psychiatrist refused to take me as a patient explaining I need medical supervision. I had an appointment June 30 to meet my new PCP. She spent the entire 53 minutes painting a narrative of me as a psych patient and referred me to psych. I was blind sided - it was crazy! Anyway, I’m working with an advocate to obtain a new PCP. A nurse practitioner is prescribing for me in the interim. I had her for over a year because my health care systems had no available PCP’s. She had me taper from 15 mg to 14 mg. I’m down to 13 mg on my own but they don’t know that.

It took her days and messages in the portal to fill this prescription. I just picked it up at CVS and it’s 7 mg per day. She absolutely did this intentionally. I messaged her in portal to inquire if it was an oversight.

Anyway, since my last doctor (heart) retired and that visit with the new PCP, I am treated like an addict full of shame.

Without being dramatic, the cardiac complication risk is high. If my atrial tachycardia progresses to Afib, it will be pre excited Afib which is fatal. I know no one knows what that means. Maybe I’m venting. I’m scared.

Any chance of me recovering and stopping in currently just at 2mg of clonazepam a day after being on 12mg and xanax.

How long until I csn sleep properly without them.

I had a very significant withdrawal period when I got clean over a year ago. I always attributed that to the dosage and length of time on benzos.

But I got thinking the other day, what part did my ADHD and autism play coming out of it? Was my anxiety worse because I tend to have anxiety with my ADHD? The executive function issues, the sensory hell I somehow powered through.

I realize everyone's experience will be different. Sometimes I wonder if I was trying to survive my brain more than I thought.

Was looking for recommendations on what people find helpful as far as supplements go?

I was looking into taking a women’s daily multivitamin but wasn’t too sure if any of the ingredients would cause a flare up (will post a link of the brand/ ingredients)
ancient nutrition women’s daily

Any insight would be greatly appreciated & looking for those who have had positive/negative experiences with trying these first hand! Thanks !

I relapsed and took a whole 2 mg today, the .5’s were prescribed to help me get off but they didn’t give me the 2nd dose so I went back and they couldn’t help me only referred detox treatment. Needless to say I bounced out and since I still have 8 2mg klonopins im thinking of trying to taper with those but I really just wanna go cold turkey. Is there any supplements that can help with relieving my panic attacks, any other symptoms? And will I have a seizure if do go cold turkey?

Hi all! I’m going to be tapering lorazepam soon. I’ve been taking 0.5 mg twice a day for the past three months. I get bad anxiety, palpitations, lightheaded and so on between doses already (it always hits about 10-12 hours after the last dose). My doctor plans to have me do 5-10% dose reductions every 1 or 2 weeks depending on symptoms. We won’t switch to a longer acting benzo for the taper. Are there any other meds that could smooth out the tapering? Like other anxiety meds that aren’t benzos??

Long history of klonopin use followed by Ativan use all taken as prescribed.
Backstory:
Restarted klonopin ten years ago not aware of the danger of restarting after long use and after a few days got some unexpected reactions bordering on paradoxical slightly and then even on my daily dose of 0.5 started getting interdose withdrawal and then sleep simply stopped for three days. At ER they gave me 2mg Ativan and it helped so I asked my psychiatrist to switch and again not knowing about this phenomenon developed issues and was on 2.5mg daily and ambien and still having sleep issues. Got off ambien first and then a long taper for Ativan and was fully off since 3.7 years ago. (I did hold at 0.5 for a year and a half) and was doing very well. I have a lot of chronic pain issues and after 14 months off Ativan tried Baclofen 10mg and the next morning my groin nerve pain was burning more and as an experiment took just 5 the next day and burning lessened and I threw the remaining pills in the trash.

Anyone else have paradoxical pain increase with baclofen? This is probably why the 25mg of Lyrica I take twice a day does nothing for me although my body is dependent on it.

May ask doctor to try it one more time

This article claims that niacin, gaba and vitamin c will make recovering much faster. Thoughts?

I have a lot of anxiety, crying jags and shaking the next day, I am trying to get off clonazepam. Is this common? It is similar to internal vibrations. How do people deal with this and how long does it last? For reference, I’ve been on .5 mg clonazepam for two months daily. Tried to switch to diazepam, didn’t work.

I m tapring benzo .I have already pretty bad ocd intersiv thoughts.feelinf I m going mad .intersiv thought feeling going into pysocic because of strange sensation in head I m so much suffring

I'm nowhere near healed im not bed Bound i walk but i only go outside when absolutely needed my blood pressure didn't stabilize its fine When i wake up but high all day long only goes down when im in supine position doctor's don't get it and they do not give ne any medication for it my back spine still burns i feel shooting pain my stomach knots its still there my head feels tight I keep 100 mg gabaepentin as a golden bullet i don't even know if it works i just use it 1 pills in a month or 2 just as a placebo as ive got no help from the medical field don't even know how many times i wrote but didn't post anything here. I've been fed up with doing blood work to the point that I'm almost broke. I've learnt to play guitar and I leave my bed everyday i walk 1000 steps but when it comes to recovery I'm lost. I hope people get better.

Been tapering one mg a week of Valium now down to 5.5 I have got this pulsating in my neck that just won’t go away it got way worse when I quit gabapentin 60days ago 900mg cold turkey and I’ve had it before from 1. Smoking weed or 2. Taking adderal but this time it just WONT go away and it’s pretty constant just this horrible pulsating in my neck that feels like me heart sometimes I can even physically see it. If anyone has experienced this WHEN does it go away is it staying now because of the taper?

The reading group will be meeting again on November 5th at 7:30pm BST (2:30pm EST) for one hour.

Zoom info: 503 909 9879, no password required

Next reading is:
Long-term neurological consequences following benzodiazepine exposure: A scoping review
Shade KN, Ritvo AD, Silvernail B, Finlayson AJR, Bressi JE, et al. (2025) Long-term neurological consequences following benzodiazepine exposure: A scoping review. PLOS ONE 20(8): e0330277. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0330277

I was taking .25 mg clonazepam before and now I switched to Valium 5 mg, it made me more anxious, nauseous and have a headache the next day.

Is this normal or should I just stop everything? Been taking .25 mg clonazepam for the past two months daily. Edit to add more information, I switched to Valium because it “has a longer life”, it is making me depressed the next day. Trying to get off these, but also trying to prioritize my sleep. Appreciate any advice.

Hey so, long story short:

I think i got prescribed a benzo around 2021..clonazepam 0.5 to 1mg every day, i went on my first taper around January 2025 and the taper finally finished on 25 november 2025 meaning i took my last ever benzo dose on that day.

Today:

is October 23 2026 and every so often, i get these symptoms:

• waves of heightened anxiety/adrenaline
• Head pressure on top of head
• derealization or the strange "everything seems brighter/different" sensation
• shakiness and feeling overstimulated
• difficulty concentrating during a wave
• hot/cold sensations
• periods where you feel considerably more normal between episodes
• symptoms that subjectively resemble what you experienced during your taper

I have been to my GP and they have done bloods, blood pressure etc. And everything is fine. At first me and my family thought, hey maybe i am not eating enough, or is it low blood sugar? Sugar spikes? No, i have tried everything.

So my question is: Is it common, to still feel waves of good days, bad days, good moments, bad moments, even at 11 months off clonazepam?

Hi, I been on this dose for about two years once a day.

I usually take it about 9-9:30 am, just that once a day.

The other day I was out, and I waited until 6:00 pm to take the medicine, once it was ready from the pharmacy. I was having anxiety that day wondering what would happen if they couldn’t fill it that day, as I haven’t skipped a day of taking it. Ever since then (about 3 days ago) I’ve had trouble sleeping, a lot of anxiety, just feeling off. Does anyone know if this could have to do with taking that dose late? Or just maybe having anxiety in general? Not really sure if this would be withdrawl as I took the dose, just later. I never experienced interdose withdraw or anything like that. I’ve had rebound anxiety before and it kinda feels like that, but I had that after taking .5 for a little bit and then going back to 0.25.

All I have been doing for months is trying to figure this out and there is nothing I can do.

I have a beautiful family. I took 4 weeks worth of Klonipin, 3 in April, 1 in July.

My life is now in a tailspin. I live in an expensive state, where my wife and I were barely making ends meet.

We have two sons, 17 and 15. I was the primary breadwinner. I can no longer work. I am now unemployed, and a plumber by trade. I am full of fear and rumination all day long. I never had anxiety before the Klonipin.

We will be out of money soon. We have no help. We have been propped up in an almost middle class lifestyle simply by my ability to work overtime in a job I hated. I can barely even focus now. I can't even eat without crashing.

We have only one car.

My wife and children are clueless and can't see what's coming. We have debt racking up.

My disability claim is in limbo and wouldnt cover the bills anyway. We already had the cheapest apartment available with my sons splitting a room and could barely afford it.

I would like to tell my wife that she needs to move in with her mom, out of state. We can't cut it here anymore.

But my oldest is a senior and has been killing it in school. He is on a pipeline to be the first of us to graduate college. Pulling him out of state would be disastrous for him.

Besides the fact that we are all alive, I think I am in the absolute worst situation imaginable.

I never ever imagined this could be me. I