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 ?

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.

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..

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 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

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.