How long did it take you to recover from benzodiazepine dependence ?

[Sleepz]

I've been on clonazepam (Klonopin) for several years, as well as a few hypnotic benzodiazepines.

Over the years I've developed quite a tolerance.

Clonazepam is one of the harder benzodiazepines to withdraw from.

I wonder how long will it take to 'undo' the tolerance I developed.

I know it's a very individual thing.

As a generic question, how did it take you to 'undo' the tolerance you developed to a benzo ? What has been your experience ?

Of course, being able to stop taking a benzo and having your tolerance 'reset' are two very different things.

I've become rather dissatisfied with clonazepam. Still, other benzodiazepines may be useful in the future so I'm just wondering how long it will take.

The internet is full of horror stories of benzo withdrawal so I'm interested in your actual experience.

[bpladybug]

I did a Xanax withdrawal slow, slow, slow

I took two months to withdraw from 2 mgs daily to zero

[Sleepz]

I'm not sure if I was clear.

Once I have withdrawn from clonazepam, how long will it take for tolerance to reverse (completely, mostly) till you can start taking (other) benzodiazepines again ? Withdrawal from clonazepam or other benzos.

[San]

That's hard to say. Sometimes switching to another benzo helps. (I went from clonazepam to valium, for example)

[Anna]

It's a really individual thing..... I'd say at the very least, a few months at least.

This is also totally unscientific, but I'd have to say based on my own experience, that once you've "done" tolerance, it's easier and quicker for it to return. But that's just a random theory coming from me, a random person on the internet.

I do agree that maybe a different benzo will be completely different, as they all are SLIGHTLY different in their effects.

I find the w/d from benzos to be easy, physically, but kind of hard on my moods, I get a bit cry-y and stuff..... Right now I'm on klonopin and I've tried to w/d several times (gone all the way down from 2 m.g. to 0.5 m.g.) but every time I do something stressful and bad life wise happens, so it's on hold for now. I'm not too, too worried about it. I've withdrawn from temazepam several times, and apart from lack of appetite and stuff, as long as I'm more stable (I take it for sleep when I'm way off mood wise) I do okay.

I also become tolerant to some effects, not others. Like, not sleepy, but the anti-anxiety effects remain. Also, never become tolerant to temaz. putting me to sleep, also weird. So it's kinda... weird for me.

Anna

Anna

[dedoubt]

I was taking 1-2mg clonazepam (Klonopin) daily from last January until June-ish (before that, I was taking it PRN). I tapered off really slowly, and it wasn't great, but not terrible. I did have a period of feeling like bugs were crawling all over me, which the pdoc put down to the w/d from clonazepam, though stuff like that happens when I hallucinate anyway.

While I was tapering, I had a 'script for lorazepam (Ativan) added, and I took that as needed-- it works well for anxiety, though makes me sleepier than clon. Once I had gone about a month or so without any clon., I went back to taking it PRN as infrequently as I can manage. I alternate between the two, and both still work as I expect them to. I don't feel any need to take more clon. than necessary to get the anxiety quelled.

[crtclms]

I tapered off of a mg of Xanax after 6 months, before I was officially put on it as a permanent part of my cocktail about a year later. But I titrated down in about 6 weeks. I honestly didn't have any physical withdrawal at all. So in my case, it was a year between uses, and the second time I actually immediately started at a higher amount than I had taken before, so it wasn't because of tolerance, but the level of my anxiety. But my tolerance has not gone up from that point, I've been on it 5+ years. I hope it always works this well.

[lysergia]

in my experience, unless there's a good reason to get off clon quickly, just go as slowly as possible. take months to do it if you want/need. when i've gone through withdrawal, it was not easy at ALL physically or mentally - but i'm stubborn and go way too fast with the taper for me to feel reasonably okay.

i haven't had the experience of being more tolerant after a break from clonazepam. if i need it again a few months down the road, i can start it again and have the same efficacy. maybe others are different, but i've been off and on the damned things for probably ten years or more, and that's how it works for me. i don't know if it takes a few months to be totally clear of the body's tolerance of the drug, but i would think that's also average.