dadtobe: Klonopin, escitalopram, alcohol, Novocaine - need advice

[dadtobe]

Just realized I missed my Lexapro dose above... Took it at 9:30am. Same time.

[dadtobe]

10/8

4:00am - woke up - feeling almost 100% today, no noticeable symptoms

5:45am - .04687 Klonopin 

6:00am -  Bagel & Cream Cheese

6:00am - 3000mg fish oil + 400IU vit E

8:04am - seem to have medium anxiety so far today. May be work related. But much more sensitive to anxiety after re-instating Klonopin

9:30am - 4.46mg Lexapro 

10:09am - Spinach Banana smoothie

10:27am - Decaf vanilla latte (coffee, I researched and it seemed this might be ok, read some things about setbacks though...)

11:30am - Annies Mac and Cheese & Chicken

12:00pm - No noticeable anxiety anymore

6pm - Steak fajitas

8pm - Sleep

 

10/9

5:00am - Woke up

5:45am - .04687 Klonopin 

 

Almost normal day yesterday other than some easily spiked anxiety in the morning. I think this was work related.

[Shep]

2 hours ago, dadtobe said:

Almost normal day yesterday other than some easily spiked anxiety in the morning. I think this was work related.

 

You're making remarkable progress, dadtobe. 

 

3 hours ago, dadtobe said:

8:04am - seem to have medium anxiety so far today. May be work related. But much more sensitive to anxiety after re-instating Klonopin

9:30am - 4.46mg Lexapro 

 

Let's pay attention to this anxiety sensitivity. You wrote this before you took the Lexapro. How do you feel in the hour or so after taking Lexapro? Any upticks in symptoms or just more of the same that you were feeling prior to taking it that day? 

 

 

[dadtobe]

32 minutes ago, Shep said:

 

You're making remarkable progress, dadtobe. 

 

 

Let's pay attention to this anxiety sensitivity. You wrote this before you took the Lexapro. How do you feel in the hour or so after taking Lexapro? Any upticks in symptoms or just more of the same that you were feeling prior to taking it that day? 

 

 

 

So prior to re-instating Klonopin I had no noticeable anxiety.  I think the gut anxiety sensitivity I'm getting is related to Klonopin and work, it went away after I came off of it for a month and the feeling is very familiar to when I was on Klonopin. I haven't noticed anything after taking Lexapro at all the last few days. I'll continue to monitor today, but I feel like Lexapro has no impact on me one way or the other. 

[dadtobe]

10/9

5:00am - Woke up

5:45am - .04687 Klonopin

6:30am - 4000mg fish oil + 400IU vit E (realized later I went too high on the fish oil going to reduce to 3000)

7:00am - Decaf ice latte

8:02am - Cinnamon & Spice low sugar oatmeal

8:13am - slight morning anxiety returning with work.. very very slight burning in back, chest, arms

10:20am - Bagel w/ Butter & Spinach Banana Smoothie

11:58am - Dried apricots, steak

12:02pm - No noticeable symptoms

(Mild anxiety seems to start when I start work and fade around 12, easy to cope with though)

1:45pm - 5 mini chocolate chip cookies

4pm - Asian Chicken w/ Broccoli

7pm - 1mg melatonin

8pm - tried to sleep

 

10/10

5:45 - .04687 Klonopin

 

Unfortunately had trouble sleeping last night. I maybe slept lightly a little bit or didn’t sleep at all. Insomnia is back. Was doing so well. This is really my only real symptom now other than slight anxiety yesterday for a couple hours.

[dadtobe]

Forgot to add I took Lexapro at 9:30am on 10/9 - 4.46mg Lexapro 

[Shep]

22 hours ago, dadtobe said:

I haven't noticed anything after taking Lexapro at all the last few days. I'll continue to monitor today, but I feel like Lexapro has no impact on me one way or the other. 

 

This is good to take note of, dadtobe. We were looking at the Lexapro reinstatement as being too high but maybe it's not. You're seeing some nice windows in the midst of the waves now. 

 

How are you doing with the burning skin sensations? You haven't mentioned them in awhile, since you're sleep improved. 

 

2 hours ago, dadtobe said:

4pm - Asian Chicken w/ Broccoli

 

2 hours ago, dadtobe said:

Unfortunately had trouble sleeping last night. I maybe slept lightly a little bit or didn’t sleep at all. Insomnia is back. Was doing so well. This is really my only real symptom now other than slight anxiety yesterday for a couple hours.

 

Did the Asian Chicken have any MSG in it? The G in MSG stands for "glutamate," which is an excitatory neurotransmitter that can cause problems, especially for people going through withdrawal. It can cause an uptick in symptoms, especially anxiety and insomnia. 

 

[dadtobe]

1 minute ago, Shep said:

Did the Asian Chicken have any MSG in it? The G in MSG stands for "glutamate," which is an excitatory neurotransmitter that can cause problems, especially for people going through withdrawal. It can cause an uptick in symptoms, especially anxiety and insomnia. 

 

No MSG. For the most part I'm eating all organic pretty healthy homemade stuff. 

 

Burning skin hasn't been an issue anymore. I do notice it very very slightly from time to time. So slight that I'm not sure if I'm just imagining it. 

 

 

[Shep]

I'm very glad to read your diet is so clean. Hopefully this is just a transient wave and tonight's sleep will be better. 

[dadtobe]

10/10

5:45 - .04687 Klonopin

9:00AM - Annie’s organic cinnamon roll

9:30AM -  4.46mg Lexapro 

12:31PM - Annie’s organic cinnamon roll

12:31PM - 1 shot of espresso (Hope this is ok)

4:00PM - Bean and Cheese burrito

6:00PM - Steak Fajita & Garlic bread with tomato

8:00PM - Sleep

 

Slept last night thankfully. I think around 8 hours. Eating was not very healthy, need to improve.  Almost no symptoms yesterday other than being tired all day. 

 

10/11 -

5:30AM - Woke up

5:45AM - .04687 Klonopin

 

I feel mostly stable other than the random sleep episode night prior. Hoping we can restart tapering the Lexapro soon. 

 

[dadtobe]

10/11 -

5:30AM - Woke up

5:45AM - .04687 Klonopin - The klonopin I took today was a 1mg crushed pill weighed out and put into a gelatin capsule (first time doing this since I'm trying to not ask Dr. for more Klonopin and I'm running low)

6:30AM - Honey Nut Cheerios & Milk

9:00AM - Starbucks Grande Vanilla Latte & StarbucksFruit and Yogurt Parfait

9:30AM -  4.46mg Lexapro  

1:30PM - Cheeseburger

3:00PM - Cinnamon roll

7:00PM - 3000Mg of Fish oil 400IU Vit E

7:30PM - Tried to sleep

11:00PM - took unisom (desperate to sleep, over it, it doesn’t work)

 

Didn’t sleep again last night, maybe got 2 hours. Very tired today. I'm going to cut out the coffee, even decaf, and cut the sugar a lot more moving forward. Also going to go back to dry cutting versus crushed pills for now.

 

10/12 - 

5AM - Awake, back burns slightly, some anxiety, slightly feel wired. Worried about not sleeping / work.

5:45AM - .04687 Klonopin

 

Not sure what my next step should be, I'm still holding. Would it be worthwhile trying to switch my Klonopin amount to be at night versus in the morning? I was originally worried about it being paradoxical so I didn't want to make it keep me up at night but it seems like I'm fine with it and it may help me sleep? Still hoping that this isn't all being caused by Lexapro as well. I've been on same amount of Klonopin for 14 days and same amount of Lexapro for 23 days.

[Shep]

2 hours ago, dadtobe said:

Would it be worthwhile trying to switch my Klonopin amount to be at night versus in the morning?

 

You were sleeping fine before you made some dietary mistakes. I would leave the Klonopin where it is and concentrate on your diet. 

 

2 hours ago, dadtobe said:

I'm going to cut out the coffee, even decaf, and cut the sugar a lot more moving forward.

 

Diet plays a major role in withdrawal. Having lots of sugar and coffee (as you mention, even the decaf) can really cause setbacks.

 

From the benzo.org support site:

 

Quote

 

27.  WHAT ABOUT EATING SUGAR DURING WITHDRAWAL? 

There is considerable anecdotal evidence in the form of testimonials from people in withdrawal that sugar can exacerbate withdrawal symptoms. Shirley Trickett, in her book, ‘Freeing Yourself from Tranquilizers’ indicates that benzodiazepine withdrawal causes hypoglycemia.  This is one theory as to why sugar may cause problems during withdrawal. Another is that sugar may stimulate the production of adrenaline.  In much the same way that it may cause hyperactivity in children, it can cause heightened agitation during withdrawal. 

 

Whatever the reason, there is substantial anecdotal evidence that consuming sweets, particularly in large quantities, can greatly complicate withdrawal. 

 

 

 

[dadtobe]

10/12 - 

5AM - Awake, back burns slightly, some anxiety

5:45AM - .04687 Klonopin

8:35AM - Still have morning anxiety / feel wired

9:15AM - Palms sweaty

9:30AM -  4.46mg Lexapro  

10AM - Corn flakes and milk

11:25AM - slight burning in back, slightly pacy

12:23pm - slight burning in back, slightly pacey

1:10pm - pretty much feel back to normal. Very very slight burning shoulders

3:00pm - Bagel w/ butter & Honey nut Cheerios and milk

3:00pm - no symptoms just tired

5:04pm - slight back and stomach burning

6:00pm - Chicken and Carrot soup

6:25pm - slight back burning

7:00pm - Epsom salt bath

8:00pm - Sleep

 

Slept 7-8ish hours. 

 

10/13

4:45am - Awake

4:45am - Slight back burning, slight anxiety

5:45AM - .04687 Klonopin

 

I'd like to go down to 3.5mg of Lexapro today from 4.46. I know I'm not quite stable yet with sleep, but I'm concerned it's actually the Lexapro causing my symptoms and by going down I'll at least find out whether the Lexapro or Klonopin is to blame. If my symptoms get worse I know I need to hold the Lexapro, if my symptoms improve, then I know Lexapro is having an adverse effect, if nothing happens then I know Lexapro isn't playing a factor at all. This will allow me to determine which medication to taper first. My fear right now is that the Lexapro is actually causing this, and if I taper the Klonopin first I'm going to just end up back on the Klonopin. If Lexapro doesn't have noticeable w/d though then I know I can propably taper the Klonopin first and then slowly taper the Lexapro after over months. I don't want to go too fast with either, but I really don't want to be on the Klonopin much longer if I don't have to be. I feel it's the greater of the 2 evils here. 

 

  

 

 

 

 

[Shep]

3 hours ago, dadtobe said:

I'd like to go down to 3.5mg of Lexapro today from 4.46.

 

That's a 21.52% reduction, which is far too much. See:

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

From the thread Tips for tapering off escitalopram (Lexapro):

 

 

On 5/26/2011 at 10:16 PM, Altostrata said:

A significant characteristic of Lexapro is that milligram for milligram, it is much stronger than other SSRIs. Chemically, Lexapro is a variation of Celexa; the molecule was re-engineered to be patentable as Celexa's patent was about to expire. The streamlined molecule is a more potent SSRI, 2 to 4 times stronger than others. (Wikipedia has a good explanation of this at https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Escitalopram.)

 

See also:

 

Why taper? SERT transporter occupancy studies show importance of gradual change in plasma concentration

 

So not only are you on a very potent drug, these drugs are more concentrated in the lower doses. For that reason, it's important to make small reductions. 

 

3 hours ago, dadtobe said:

I know I'm not quite stable yet with sleep, but I'm concerned it's actually the Lexapro causing my symptoms and by going down I'll at least find out whether the Lexapro or Klonopin is to blame.

 

On 10/12/2020 at 6:54 AM, dadtobe said:

I'm going to cut out the coffee, even decaf, and cut the sugar a lot more moving forward.

 

If you re-read your thread, on the days when you were more careful with diet, was your sleep better? If so, I would concentrate on eating better and hold for awhile. 

 

Many people aren't able to reestablish a decent sleep pattern after being destabilized but it looks like you're heading in that direction. Being able to sleep 7 - 8 hours a night is something to treasure. I wouldn't rush this. 

 

I would hold for at least a month and build a solid foundation before starting your Lexapro taper. The goal isn't to just get off the drug, but to do so in a way that doesn't send you into protracted withdrawal afterwards. 

[dadtobe]

16 minutes ago, Shep said:

 

If you re-read your thread, on the days when you were more careful with diet, was your sleep better? If so, I would concentrate on eating better and hold for awhile. 

 

Many people aren't able to reestablish a decent sleep pattern after being destabilized but it looks like you're heading in that direction. Being able to sleep 7 - 8 hours a night is something to treasure. I wouldn't rush this. 

 

I would hold for at least a month and build a solid foundation before starting your Lexapro taper. The goal isn't to just get off the drug, but to do so in a way that doesn't send you into protracted withdrawal afterwards. 

 

My sleep got messed up either because of diet, or because I stopped taking any Klonopin at night. The first night after I took my entire dose in the morning instead of at night and in the morning I didn't sleep. 

 

I took another half mg, so I'm at 4mg of Lexapro. Which is roughly 10% of the last dose. I'll hold here and see if I can notice anything either direction.

 

[dadtobe]

Sigh, I chickened out. I had anxiety this afternoon. I took the last bit to be at the same dose of Lexapro 4.46. I'll hold here. 

[Altostrata]

Are you using liquid Lexapro?

 

You might want to try 4.25mg. Please let us know how you're doing.

[dadtobe]

6 minutes ago, Altostrata said:

Are you using liquid Lexapro?

 

You might want to try 4.25mg. Please let us know how you're doing.

 

Thanks Altostrata. I've only been on Lexapro for about 90 days now. Spent last 30 days at 4.46mg. Before that I was on 6-10mg for a month or so. I'm not sure if my anxiety is really just me going down slightly on Lexapro today, I think it's more related to work / Klonopin w/d but I have no friggin clue. I can't seem to get stable. 

 

I'm unfortunately dry tapering. Because I'm actually taking Escitalopram my Dr. didn't think it'd be wise to switch to the branded Lexapro and liquid since the potency might be different. I bought a really expensive scale (Sartorius) so I know the weights are accurate, but the pills I have seem to have a shell on them. So I try to make sure I always cut and shave the same way to get the right amount of drug. Happy to revisit liquid Lexapro though if you suggest it. 

 

[Altostrata]

9 hours ago, dadtobe said:

9:30AM -  4.46mg Lexapro  

10AM - Corn flakes and milk

11:25AM - slight burning in back, slightly pacy

12:23pm - slight burning in back, slightly pacey

1:10pm - pretty much feel back to normal. Very very slight burning shoulders

 

From this, it appears to me you are getting an adverse effect as the Lexapro ramps up for a few hours after you take it.

 

If you feel you can use the scale accurately, you may wish to reduce to 4.25mg.

[dadtobe]

1 minute ago, Altostrata said:

From this, it appears to me you are getting an adverse effect as the Lexapro ramps up for a few hours after you take it.

 

If you feel you can use the scale accurately, you may wish to reduce to 4.25mg.

 

Ok. Just a heads up, I've only been on Lexapro for maybe 90 days. Do you recommend going this slow @ 10% still? 

 

 

[Altostrata]

Anyone having symptoms of drug-induced neurological destabilization is advised to make very gradual changes, if any, in drugs.

[dadtobe]

10/13

4:45am - Awake

4:45am - Slight back burning, slight anxiety

5:45AM - .04687 Klonopin

7:00AM - Cornflakes & Milk

7:36AM - Palms / Feet sweaty

8:35AM - Pacing / Back and Stomach slight burning

8:52AM - 3000mg fish oil + 400IU vitamin E

9:00AM - Spinach banana smoothie

9:30AM - 4mg Lexapro

10:39AM - Slight burning in back, slight anxiety

12:21PM - Anxiety

1:20PM -  Anxiety

1:27PM -  .46mg Lexapro

1:46PM - Slight Anxiety / Slight back burning / hands / palms sweaty

3:22PM - Slight Anxiety / Slight back burning / hands / palms sweaty

4:27PM - Slight burning on stomach

4:30PM - Noodles and Chicken (homemade no MSG)

5:42PM - Feel burning on stomach / back more intense. Feel slightly nauseous. Anxiety

5:51PM - threw up

6:00PM - 1mg Melatonin

7:47PM - Burning more intense, can’t sleep because of pain

10:45PM - 0.01536mg Klonopin (when I was stabilizing I was taking a night portion and a morning portion, retrying this hopefully it helps)

1:30AM - Cornflakes & Milk

1:54AM - Intense burning on back, feels like I’m back to where I was 2 weeks ago when I wasn’t on Klonopin. Can’t sleep. 

3:00AM -  .0.0317mg Klonopin. I’m screwing up my schedule. 

 

 

I’m back into w/d again. Can’t sleep, nauseous, severe burning back and stomach. 

 

I noticed when I stopped sleeping a few days ago it felt like symptoms were returning. I don’t think this has anything to do w/ the random times I took the full dose of Lexapro today. Is it possible the reinstatement of Klonopin didn’t work, or I’ve reached tolerance on the low dose of Klonopin and it’s no longer having an effect on me? Can I go up at all to try and alleviate symptoms or is that not an option? I really gotta figure out whether I need to just jump and face withdrawal. I don’t know what else to do at this point. All the symptoms coming back but now I’m on Klonopin :/. I just hope it’s not the Lexapro causing this intense burning and insomnia and it really is Klonopin withdrawal. Literally just in such misery considering flying to Virginia and do an 8 day detox at the Coleman Institute w/ Flumazenil but I know that's probably a bad approach.

[ChessieCat]

34 minutes ago, dadtobe said:

considering flying to Virginia and do an 8 day detox at the Coleman Institute w/ Flumazenil but I know that's probably a bad approach.

 

  

On 7/8/2019 at 9:02 PM, Shep said:

 

Flumazenil is touted as a fast cure for benzo withdrawal, however, the various benzo forums are full of people who came out of that treatment severely injured and had to reinstate (and many times, are prescribed other drugs such as gabapentin, Lyrica, and / or antidepressants and antipsychotics). Basically, Flumazenil treatment is a form of cold turkey in which Flumazenil may or may not alleviate withdrawal. 

 

There's a good article that was researched and posted over on Benzo Buddies. If you haven't already come across it, you may want to have a read:

 

FLUMAZENIL AND BENZO WITHDRAWAL

 

A slow and careful taper is the best advice we can give, bringing in as many non-drug coping skills and as much self-care as possible. 

 

 

[dadtobe]

@ChessieCat I understand. I'm on a very low dose of Klonopin currently. I've been taking it again for 2 weeks. I should have just stuck out the original withdrawal I think. That being said, I feel like at such a low dose, I'm low risk because I'm at a dose you could generally jump from. That's why I even consider it.

[Shep]

15 hours ago, dadtobe said:

I can't seem to get stable. 

 

I do not understand the above statement, dadtobe - see the below quotes. You've had a couple of bad nights mixed in (as you noted, possibly due to caffeine, sugar, and work stress), but overall, you've seen massive improvements.

 

The below quotes speak to stabilizing. 

 

On 10/5/2020 at 5:48 AM, dadtobe said:

7:12 - feeling 80%. Mostly a slightly wired feeling / very very slight burning but feel good so far today

 

On 10/6/2020 at 6:52 AM, dadtobe said:

I think I'm 90% stabilized at the moment as far as symptoms are concerned. Almost back to my usual self. 

 

On 10/7/2020 at 6:43 AM, dadtobe said:

Slept almost 8 hours straight woohoo!

I'd rate yesterday an 85% for how I felt.

 

On 10/8/2020 at 5:42 AM, dadtobe said:

4:00am - woke up - feeling almost 100% today, no noticeable symptoms

 

On 10/9/2020 at 6:26 AM, dadtobe said:

4:00am - woke up - feeling almost 100% today, no noticeable symptoms

 

On 10/11/2020 at 6:29 AM, dadtobe said:

Slept last night thankfully. I think around 8 hours. Eating was not very healthy, need to improve.  Almost no symptoms yesterday other than being tired all day. 

 

On 10/13/2020 at 5:39 AM, dadtobe said:

Slept 7-8ish hours. 

 

This process involves windows and waves:

 

The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

I would recommend holding for a few weeks and trying your best to work on diet, getting a long walk every day, working on non-drug coping skills, etc. 

 

 

[dadtobe]

Sigh, today is just exceptionally bad.  It's scary not knowing whether I'm going to come out of this.

[Altostrata]

Stop messing around with your drugs. This is what got you into this pickle in the first place.

[dadtobe]

15 hours ago, Altostrata said:

Stop messing around with your drugs. This is what got you into this pickle in the first place.

 

I'm not trying to mess around. I'm trying to do my best to stay consistent. Every day is a battle

[Erell]

Hello dadtobe

 

I just read your thread, and, even if I don't want to minimize your struggles, it really looks like you've seen remarkable improvements.

 

Unfortunately, this process is about ups and downs and the unpredictable part of it can be challenging.

 

But when I read your notes, I only see good signs : it sounds like you're on the good path.

Holding sounds like the best option for now, letting time to your CNS to stabilise and consolidate improvements.

 

Perhaps this is a good time to learn new coping skills ? What are your favourite tools to deal with anxiety ?

 

Take care 

[dadtobe]

10/14

9:30AM - Lexapro 4.46mg

9:30AM -  3000mg fish oil + 400IU vitamin E

9:45AM - Feel intense burning on body, especially back and stomach all morning. No sleep last night, tired as heck but can’t sit still. Hands and feet sweaty.

11:22AM - no improvement

11:23AM - Spinach Banana Smoothie

2:24PM - no improvement

2:24PM - vegetable soup (homemade)

5:22PM - bowl of corn flakes and milk

5:22PM - no improvement very tired

7:30PM - Sleep

10:30PM - 0.01536mg Klonopin

 

Yesterday’s quality of life was basically a 0%. 

 

Slept for about 2 hours 

 

10/15

1AM - .0.0317mg Klonopin

2:22AM - Back burning is almost gone, but still feel horrible and can’t sleep anymore

4:05AM - body is trembling. Never really had his before. Nausea

6:03AM - no sleep, burning is back, can’t stop walking around the house

[Shep]

3 hours ago, Erell said:

Perhaps this is a good time to learn new coping skills ? What are your favourite tools to deal with anxiety ?

 

Dadtobe, Erell's post is spot on. It would help if you could list your non-drug coping skills that you're doing in your drug and symptoms journal. 

 

Stating "no improvement" over and over again does let us know that your symptom pattern hasn't changed, so it's important information. But I'm getting a strong feeling that because you're not acknowledging your improvements,  you're heading toward a self-defeatist attitude. A lot of times, this attitude becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy because it can easily spiral out of control if you aren't able to give this reinstatement a chance to succeed. Reinstatements come with windows and waves. When you're in a wave, it's important to keep perspective and keep the memories of not only the windows, but your future life without these drugs, in mind. Your moving toward the end-goal of being drug free, and that automatically comes with challenges. 

 

 

1 hour ago, dadtobe said:

Yesterday’s quality of life was basically a 0%. 

 

Slept for about 2 hours 

 

You have a job, a home, and a family and as of the night before last night, slept 7 - 8 hours. You've reported being at 90 - 100% for most days in the past couple of weeks. Yes, you had a bad night, but to rate your life at a 0% is extreme. 

 

One great non-drug coping technique involves keeping a gratitude journal. I think you'll get a lot out of it and it may move you away from spiraling down. 

 

Gratitude Journal Guide: Tips, Templates, Ideas and Examples

 

Just a thought, dadtobe. It's a lot easier to get through this if you lay some of the heavy thought-baggage down and travel as lightly as possible. You'll also find you have a lot more company in your travels. If negative thinking was a problem before these drugs, than even more reason to learn these skills. 

[dadtobe]

1 hour ago, Shep said:

Dadtobe, Erell's post is spot on. It would help if you could list your non-drug coping skills that you're doing in your drug and symptoms journal. 

 

Stating "no improvement" over and over again does let us know that your symptom pattern hasn't changed, so it's important information. But I'm getting a strong feeling that because you're not acknowledging your improvements,  you're heading toward a self-defeatist attitude. A lot of times, this attitude becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy because it can easily spiral out of control if you aren't able to give this reinstatement a chance to succeed. Reinstatements come with windows and waves. When you're in a wave, it's important to keep perspective and keep the memories of not only the windows, but your future life without these drugs, in mind. Your moving toward the end-goal of being drug free, and that automatically comes with challenges. 

 

I hear you. I'll do my best. I guess I can see myself gradually trending downward. So obviously scared of what the future holds. It's hard being in a wave when you don't know how long the wave is going to last. 

 

This is how I've felt past couple weeks and hours of sleep. It just feels I'm on such a low dose of Klonopin I'm just keeping myself barely from full w/d. It makes me want to just quit the Klonopin and finally come to terms with the situation and fight it.

 

[Altostrata]

Stabilization may involve the occasional setback. It's not unusual to have a bad day here and there. Please adjust your expectations, it may take some time for you to gradually get back to a more stable, normal place.

[dadtobe]

47 minutes ago, Altostrata said:

Stabilization may involve the occasional setback. It's not unusual to have a bad day here and there. Please adjust your expectations, it may take some time for you to gradually get back to a more stable, normal place.

 

Appreciate you @Altostrata!  Thanks for hanging in there with me. 

 

? for you. I talked to my Psychiatrist just now. We had him look back in his notes. Prior to starting Lexapro I never talked about the burning pain I've been having, I talked about the burning sensation 2 weeks after I started Lexapro. Which is interesting timing. I didn't have any burning sensation for a month after dropping Klonopin while still on Lexapro, but during this month I did taper Lexapro quite quickly by your standards. I was off Klonopin for a month when my symptoms of withdrawal started. It felt like benzo withdrawal but I have no idea what SSRI withdrawal feels like (I think). I have no clue if it's the Lexapro that put me into this state. My Dr. suggested maybe switching me to the equivalent dose of Prozac so that way I'm not withdrawing from Lexapro to see if that helps with the burning sensations while hopefully avoiding withdrawal from the SSRI. Any thoughts on this?  Seems like it could be wise to rule out the Lexapro.

[Altostrata]

You've had the burning sensation since starting Lexapro? If so, you've had an adverse reaction to Lexapro all along. As you can see, this symptom gets worse shortly after you take it.

 

I suppose you could cross over to Prozac. Best to do that gradually. See The Prozac switch or "bridging" with fluoxetine

 

You should chide your psychiatrist for missing this and your being in misery for so long.

 

 

[dadtobe]

10/15

1AM - .0.0317mg Klonopin

2:22AM - Back burning is almost gone, but still feel horrible and can’t sleep anymore

4:05AM - body is trembling. Never really had his before. Nausea

6:03AM - no sleep, burning is back, can’t stop walking around the house

7:00AM - bowl of milk and corn flakes & spinach banana smoothie

8:07AM - no improvement in symptoms. Burning torso, tired, can’t sit still.

9:30AM - Lexapro 4.46mg

10:01AM - Symptoms getting really intense now. Severe back and chest burning. Heart working hard

10:56AM - getting an intense wired feeling

12:02PM - same symptoms. Wired feel, Severe back and chest burning. Heart working hard

1:25PM - same symptoms.. less wired feeling.. starting to think the Lexapro may be causing that feeling. It definitely made me feel amped when I was originally going on it but I hadn’t really noticed it recently. 

2:04PM - Bowl of Milk and Corn Flakes

2:04PM -  Same symptoms

5:13PM - Chicken and noodles plain

5:13PM - Same symptoms

8:36pm - shaking, dry heaving, if I fall asleep huge anxiety in stomach immediately wakes me, lips burning now, ringing in ears

10:47PM - 0.01536mg Klonopin

 

Did not sleep at all last night. Operating on 2 hours of total sleep in 3 days.

 

10/16

12:43AM - .0.0317mg Klonopin

2:30am - bowl of cornflakes and milk

2:45am - getting stomachache, back burning, can’t stop flexing legs while laying down, back burning feels slightly less after taking Klonopin. However felt amped up for first 30 minutes or so after taking it.

3:07am - Same symptoms hands and feet also sweaty

5:08am - shaking and vomiting

 

A lot of the symptoms above are completely new for me. Like ringing in ears, having to move legs when laying down. 

 

I have a call with a benzo doctor today. But he wants me to take Propranolol for tremors / heart racing and Gabapentin as needed (not really sure why as needed on this one), as well as get off Lexapro in 15 days because it might be the cause of the burning sensation and I'm not stable at all. Going to discuss with him more. Not sure what to do.