December 28, 2008.
I just wanted to let you all know that I had my last dose of benzo close to Thanksgiving.
I started taking Xanax as needed years ago but not very often. I had started having a hyperthyroid thyroiditis problems in June and I was having a hard time so I took my as needed Xanax for a few weeks to help me cope with the nervousness and racing heart. I was in another country and could not get medical treatment. They all said I had anxiety and not a thyroid problem and I should take a benzo. I stopped my Xanax after the few weeks of taking it so I would not be addicted and I then had major problems.
My thyroid and the withdrawal off the Xanax caused me to feel like I was dying. I had no idea at the time it was a withdrawal from Xanax in addition to thyroid causing my problems. They both have similar symptoms. I flew to the US with my husband to find out what was wrong. They told me it was a thyroid problem and to take Klonopin.
I could not eat or even go to the bathroom unaided at this time so I tried it, thinking that Klonopin was not as addictive as Xanax. I felt I was going to die and did nothing except go to the doctors and stay home; sick, weak and petrified so I tried it because I wanted to get better.
My symptoms did ease. I assume because my body now had the drug it was withdrawing from. I took it for a few months and I ended up only on about .25 mg since again I did not want to be addicted to it. I started really forgetting things so I wanted to get off. My thyroid was going back to normal levels and I thought it was safe.
When I first started my taper, I came here to the Yahoo Benzo support group. I had major symptoms with my first cut; pins and needles, palpitations, racing heart, sweating, muscle pains and twitches, insomnia, severe stomach issues, rashes and many more.
They eased the lower I got on the Klonopin. I opted to do dry cutting. I had some .125 wafers and cut those into miniscule pieces to taper off at the end.
I now am able to do all the normal things I did before. I have been shopping this Christmas and can go out and feel pretty normal. I still have some minor memory loss, muscle twitches, insomnia, and occasionally a few palpitations but nothing compared to before. I do think that tapering is the way to go, much better than cold turkey. I probably would not have had the bad symptoms in the beginning if I had never cold turkeyed from the 2 weeks of xanax. I think it just shocks your body.
Thank all of you for helping me get through this. This group is wonderful and a great resource for people getting off benzos.