Physical addiction to clonazepam

[XanaxForSocialPhobia]

Originally Posted by Jatelka

Simply stopping alcohol and benzodiazepines should NOT under any circumstances be attempted. Just because one SWIMer was fine does not mean that others will be

There is a significant risk of seizures during withdrawal, which can be fatal, or result in hypoxic brain damage

Please see a doctor for a properly designed withdrawal taper

OK. My friend is a really kind man. He does never want to be rude. However my friend hopes it is allowed to critizize a moderator without being banned.

He says he does not urge anyone to do a c/t especially when using short-acting benzos for a long time. But during my friends research on quitting clonzazepam for less that an year he grew tired of people writing how dangerous it was to quit c/t without a shred of hard evidence or even personal experience. No statistically proved facts!

So, Bitch queen, when you write: "There is a significant risk of seizures during withdrawal, which can be fatal, or result in hypoxic brain damage". that really makes him feel annoyed. Why scare people like that? Can you please provide links to hard evidence (from several sources) of the precise risks. Not only from sources that supports your own opinion. And is Tegretol or other anti-epiletics totally forgotten as one possible way to keep that risk down? If you can provide such sources then you are more than allowed to write "Simply stopping alcohol and benzodiazepines should NOT under any circumstances be attempted". My friends career was actally saved going c/t. If you do not bother or can provide the sources, then there is noone who will contradict things like you said: "Just because one SWIMer was fine does not mean that others will be".

[Jatelka]

Originally Posted by XanaxForSocialPhobia

However my friend hopes it is allowed to critizize a moderator without being banned.

Of course it is, Lordy, I've been challenged, and proven wrong on these forums often enough!

Around 3% of benzodiazepine dependent individuals have tonic-clonic seizures on withdrawal (Benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome seizures, Pharmacopsychiatry 1995 Nov;28(6):257-62)

I would class that as significant, given that there's a perfectly good way of avoiding it happening (ie: gradual taper)

Mortality rates in acute seizure are approx 1.2% (Epidemiology, widely available), and in Status Epilepticus 22% (emedicine).
Again, I’d classify that as significant when it is avoidable

You seem to be implying that it’s only long-term, high dose, short acting benzodiazepines that cause withdrawal: This is not the case

(Withdrawal symptoms after six weeks treatment with diazepam. Lancet 1984; 2: 1389, Death Following Alprazolam Withdrawal Seizures: A Case Report, Texas Medicine 1990; 86: 44-47, Seizures after discontinuation of low-dose lorazepam. J Clin Psychiatry 1999 Jun;60(6):408-9.)

In terms of Tegretol (Carbamazepine):

Cochrane Meta-Analysis (2006): “carbamazepine may be an effective intervention for benzodiazepine gradual taper discontinuation.” “All studies showed that gradual taper was preferable to abrupt discontinuation.”

The critical thing here is gradual taper, there are only small series (17 patients) and case reports otherwise. There is of course, also this: “Failure of carbamazepine to prevent clonazepam withdrawal status epilepticus". Ital J Neurol Sci 5 (3): 285-7

My intention is not to scare people, but harm reduction is paramount. Suggesting that a drug which is recognised to cause serious (and potentially fatal) withdrawal effects on abrupt discontinuation, should be stopped cold turkey is dangerous.

I am glad that you are now clean and free, and that the way you achieved it worked for you

Reputation Comments on this post:

	Polite and tactful response, you really should change your title from Bitch Queen to something more appropriate!
	For the fantastic list of references and data to back up this really important information.

[XanaxForSocialPhobia]

My friend is sorry for the delay on his response. He has been working almost day & night for the last three days.

You seem to be interested, competent and considerate! He will certainly read up on the references you provided asap.

Thank you!

[JaWill88]

lol it's been at least three months since swim has been on df swim was in southern california (orange county). for the last three months swim has been prescribed 18mg clonazepam a day lol. thats sick. 6mg three times a day. and swim doesn't even feel it. one time swim ate 48 pills (they are 2mg pills) and it didn't even make him very drowsy or anything but it did get rid of anxiety fairly well. and thats basically 100mg. swim HIGHLY SUGGESTS TO ANYONE NOT TO DO THAT. anyways swim has to eat at least like 6 clonazepams (2mg) to feel any anxiety relief. swim doesn't know what to do now. right before swim left to cali swim drank a bottle and a half of wine and 18mg of clonazepam and that actually got him to where he wanted. not falling asleep or anything, but sedated. oh yeah swims doc down there threw him a script to phenobarbital 300mg once daily and can say it does WAY more than any amount of clonazepam swim could take (as in sedation, no anxiety, relaxation, contentment, ect.) and that is probably due to the fact he has never had a barbituate in his system before. phenobarbital kicked swims ass.

[xxxSuSHixxx]

SwiPetFish is begining to have the seizures from kpin withdrawl, hands and arms shake uncontrollably without swipetfish movin them, cant remember ... anything, lost job because was just braindead from the kpins ((doing 5mg lines at work was probably not a GREAT idea....)) going to ask his prescriber to switch him to valium and get him the phuck OUT of this addiction.... i have other way more interesting lengthy klonopin posts somewhere on here, they are worth reading if your in the same boat, a quick rundown of what swipf is going thru, Swipf is prescribed 150 1mg kpin per month, thats 4.5 per day, swipetfish runs out of kpin within the first 3 or 4 days, Swipetfish eats all his mothers prescribtion within a few days after, Swipetfish thinks that its just simply time to get off it and find another route for not liking to be around people, aka anxiety, as far as the dangers of kpin withdraw? Its far more dangerous than people seem to think .... guess swiyou never witnessed a hardcore seizure from kpin withdraw? It's nasty

[missrogue]

Clonazepam is supposed to relax and stop restlessness and anxiety. swim have been plagued by Restless Leg Syndrom for the past 5 years, at first high dose Vit B complex helped but stopped working. The most awful feeling. So swim was prescribed Rivotril {clonazepam} and it has saved swim and swims BF!!!! No more nights flicking and kicking and not being able to keep still for 2 seconds, both waking with injuries! If swiy are finding SWIY have these symptoms AFTER being put on clonazepam swiy should speak to swiys dr, this shouldn't be happening. If swiy's treatment requires use of a benzo, it might be just a matter of changing the drug. Clonazepam is rather potent, swim spent 2 weeks of midnight walking and crashing into things as swim got used to the drug in swims system. But twitching is one of the condidtions treated by the drug in question, so if this is happening to any swiy, talk about changing medications with the prescriber.
Smiles

[wings of wax]

SWIM is rather surprised that clonazepam works against RLS. According to what he has read, benzodiazepines will not stop RLS, but rather mask the symtpoms by sedating you.

SWIM's own experiences are the same: the feeling of RLS is still there on benzos, even though SWIM is sedated.

[Dickon]

Stay on topic please folks!