Frotob: Back again, same issue, bigger doses. Rock and Hard Place.

[Frotob]

I updated my signature to include current medication. 

 

I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. My tolerance to clonazepam(Klonipin) has been increasing fairly rapidly. I feel as though I'm on the verge of needing to increase the dose again. I've finally gotten in touch with a good psychiatrist who will cross me to valium and taper me off slowly at my own rate. . . The problem is I am on 20mg of Lexapro. I feel like I may have failed a long ago, slow drycut taper off of a now hilariously small 10mg of Valium at 6mg because of Akathisia. I expect Escitalopram had a role in this. I FEEL like, and conventional wisdom here seems to say I should taper off of the Lexapro first before tackling benzos. . . The PROBLEM is I can't taper for years and years off of it without growing even more tolerant to Klonopin, and my doctor will not prescribe more than 4mg (understandably so). 

 

I'm unsure which drug to taper from first; or if I even have a choice. 

[Altostrata]

Welcome, Frotab.

 

Are you saying that Lexapro caused restlessness and anxiety and that's why you have been taking benzodiazepines?

[Frotob]

Hmmm not exactly. IIRC Buspar stopped working and I had bad anxiety to begin with, I was started on 10mg of lexapro, 10mg was too much to start at so it was reduced to 5. After a few days my anxiety was getting worse. So I was prescribed .5mg Ativan 2x daily while titrating up to 10mg lexapro. The Ativan itself got rid of my anxiety. . I DO remember after a few weeks lexapro improving my mood and helping more so. 

 

Then I ended up getting interdose wd with Ativan. And wanted to taper off. Got switched to valium. And slowly dry cut from 10mg to 6mg over a few months. I was also on 30mg mirtazepine at that time. But SOMETHING brought down hellacious akathisia. . Hospitalized myself in psych center. . And left on 1.5mg klonopin. Which has been rising slowly since. But I'm well enough terrified to precipitate akathisia again. Despite only having it severe for 4 days or so. 

 

Honestly if there were a way for me to just stay on the meds or cut off an arm to get off of them without the prospect of akathisia. I would.

 

But when I posted I was experiencing something altogether different. My "body" was anxious but my mind wasn't. And it would abate by late afternoon. Like. . . Cortisol rush or something. I'm a 30yo male. But it seems like POTS from what I've read. And has lessened a lot. I also cut my caffeine intake by half a week ago and could be experiencing side effects from that. . . I'm not sure.