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Don't jump straight into Benzo use


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I have been thinking over how to approach this post, as I don't wont to offend or belittle people who took the benzo route, early on... please note that I am not judging anyone... Just adding my thoughts. Please also note that I am not against Klonopin use and take 1.5mg at least once a week, sometimes 2 or 3 times... i have also had 2-3 weeks on 2mg occasionally to get me through some torrid times. As a short term aid, it can be very beneficial.... But taken everyday, it can soon get out of control.

I get PMs occasionally about what meds to try and klonopin is top of everyone's wishlist. I want to write a warning that people should think long and hard about taking this medication everyday.

It is the most effective medicine we currently have and alot of people who are in their first year of hppd and are scared and desperate will jump straight onto it, sometimes without enough research.

I implore anyone reading this to think about it carefully and really research dosage, addiction and most importantly, withdrawal. I am thankful to members of the old board who relayed awful horror stories to us about withdrawal and that was enough to convince me that I should do my best to never get addicted. Hopefully some users here can add in with some similar stories because it feels like the new board does not contain enough info on benzo withdrawal combined with hppd.

If you are in your first year.. try to resist the quick fix and learn to cope with your hppd, as best you can. What scares me the most is the thought of people who never learned to cope with this shit, and then have to suffer with hppd AND benzo withdrawal.

Sorry if this sounds preachy... but it is a point worth making, I think.

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Good post, I am expiriencing Clonazepam withdrawals as I do not wish to be on the medication any longer, I have been taking it for 6 months, but only for 1 month daily, I didn't even realise I was taking it that much (and while I have been getting off it, questioning my self whether I even took it the night before, this drug kills your memory!) so I have decided to stop using this medication, the widrawals are not fun, I am getting off this by taking some every few days rather than slowly coming off it, I wouldn't say I'm completely addicted to this but the fact I am self medicating with opiates and alcohol to help me through the wd's shows that even a month of daily use at 1-2mg a day can cause problems.

Going from having good sleep to going back to my insomnia and anxiety is horrible but this drug is for SHORT term. I jumped on this drug (not the first though) because of all the literature touting it as the magic bullet to some extent, short term this can be true, but the dose that makes it a magic bullet will put you to sleep, smaller doses seems pointless to my anxiety and insomnia and don't even have an effect on my HPPD. So I am going to get off this drug, stay off everything for a while and only use it in emergencies. This drug is beneficial, but the addiction/withdrawal is not worth it.

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Alcohol works very similiar to benzo's on the brain. You can't use it as an aid in benzo w/d's it just doesn't work. I've tried and read about hundreds of others who had the same problem. Alcohol will cause much worse w/d's and isn't supposed to be used till your gabba receptors are working normally again (usually 4 months after complete w/d). Just check out benzobuddies.org or any benzo w/d site for that matter. I wish this wasn't the case because I was going to drink like a mad man till I got lower on my dosage and figured this out the hard way. GL!

Only things I found that help are exercise, strong muscle relaxers and melatonin for sleep. Any Z drug shouldn't be taken during benzo w/d's.

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