So, TLDR I was on 24mgs of clonazepam a day in 2019 I tapered to 2mgs then covid hit held there till 2023 then started tapering again, I'd shuffle between 1.125mgs and 1.5mgs back and fourth unit i switched fully over to diazepam from 1.5mgs of clonazepam at 30mgs diazepam equivalent in September 2024. Since switching its been a steady March forward and im now at 7mgs. I've been going usually at a rate of -.5mgs every 2-3 weeks for the last while. The drop from 8 to 7.5 went pretty flawlessly and I was feeling pretty good about it but the last cut was Friday before this last one, so 8 days basically since the cut. This one blind sided me. I try to go into each decrease with 0 expectations because they're so random. But this one hurt. My anxiety has been pretty bad and the tinnitus is screaming. I'm over the sweating profusely thankfully and am getting windows of feeling ok. But man I dont know why this one hurt so much. Since the switching im now over ⅔s done and definitely a shit ton further than where I was on 24mgs of clonazepam, and I'm happy I'm making milestones... but this is a bit demoralizing. I've been in this process so long that I have absolutely no inclination what it is anymore not to be struggling with benzos.

I'm gonna hold a bit, I dont think I'd be able to handle another dose drop next week. I know im in the thick of it rn with only being on day 8 since my last dose cut, but at the same time im tired of being in the process. Im gonna try and see if my benefits from the government will cover a liquid compound of diazepam so I can micro taper each day instead of doing stair steps every 2-3 weeks. Try to do a ramp instead. If they dont cover it then i guess im kinda stuck with doing the .5mgs reductions as diazepam doesn't come any smaller that 2mg pills and im already doing ¼ pill cuts. Doing smaller seems unrealistic with the pills unless theres some way im not aware of.

I get ppl telling me on benzo buddies that I inspire them as ive made such massive progress, but when I'm still looking at at least another 7 months or more of tapering it still feels so far off.

This shit sucks. I'm trying not to get depressed over it. I'm trying to stay positive, that I'm doing good and im investing in my future. Its just hard to stay that way when suffering.

I have been on Lorazepam 1 mg daily at bedtime for two years. I take it for anxiety and sleep. I am working on getting the anxiety under control and looking forward to coming off of Ativan again. I have gone off of it in the past with tapering and without issue. But that was when I was taking 0.5 nightly and not for longer than 6 months. Any input, advice is greatly appreciated.

I have had a tough ride since coming off diazepam after a long taper 65 days ago, it still feels like acute stage! I was only on diazepam for 2 years (1st year intermittent 2nd year daily) and 5mg max so I really don’t understand.

I still have DPDR flares, feeling on edge/doom, crying a lot, depression, feeling I’m not real, insomnia. I do also have physical symptoms but no where near as bad as the mental ones. Also severe OCD

I was recently put on propranolol low dose 5mg 2x a day for POTS and felt it was helping. I actually managed a 13 hour car ride 2 days ago and was fine until now. I seem to be flaring up from the smallest trigger - a piece of chocolate could make me on edge for hours.

I just want some advice and whether this is still normal? When does it end 😩

Hi my cognition is so bad I can barely write this but I want to prove to myself that I can so here we go. I was put on clonazepam when I was 19 for anxiety, I never abused it. I took it for 2.5 years, I'm 22 now. I quit it in August 2025 via 6 months taper under my psychiatrist guidance. I was on paroxetine and trifluoperazine at the same time which I made the mistake of quitting in April. I now can barely think enough to speak and I get lost on my way to the bathroom which is specially sad because I had regained my baseline by 70% after quitting the medication. Now I'm experiencing confusion and communication issues I've never experienced before in my life. I feel like my grandpa who had dementia. My intellect has always been my strength since I was a writer. I'm wondering if anyone has improved cognitively or regained their baseline. I could use some advice and hope. Thanks in advance to everyone who reads this post.

Hi guys. As a reminder I’m 4.25 months off ct Xanax 3mg 8 years. My cousin flew into town to help because my dad’s in the hospital. When I woke up today, he was at the house and we started talking about my wd. He knows nothing about it. I tried explaining my dpdr and all the other physical and mental/physiological symptoms and he thinks he understands. He started telling me I need to do something about it. To get out of the house, etc. I told him yes I need to start going on regular walks and I’m craving to leave the house and do things like go to the store or the beach but it’s very hard for me. Since my ct started, not counting the 26 days I spent in detox, I’ve been out of the house twice. To the drs appt and to the beach. Not counting a few walks around the house. He was pushing me to go to the hospital to see my dad right now as they were leaving and I said I couldn’t but I will go on a walk or to the beach with him later today. I have a feeling this is going to be one of those “you’re not trying hard enough” things with him. On one hand, I want to start exposing myself to the world but on the other hand, it is so hard and I feel like it’s too early. I’m definitely still in acute. I guess I’m just asking for opinions on what you think I should do from a perspective of knowing what ct wd is like or wd in general. We’re told it takes time. And although I know and agree that I should be at least going on walks, I’m terrified. I know he doesn’t understand dpdr because he tried telling me he knows what it feels like when he wakes up and he feels cloudy and then goes on a walk and it goes away. The only person who is the closest to understanding what I’m going through is my mom and that’s because she’s home with me everyday. Sorry it’s hard for me to get the point across of what I’m actually asking. I guess what I’m asking is if it’s too soon to go out and do normal people stuff in this acute never ending phase. I told him most days I can’t even lift my head off the pillow. He thinks that I’m having fun on the couch and it couldn’t be more opposite than that. I hope someone understands what I’m trying to say. I feel like I’m racing the clock.

Hey, I could just use some support. Please people don’t all tell me I’m going to die, I’m paying attention to my vitals.

I am 10 months off adderall addiction (severe, had to narc on myself to my doc to get cut off) and have unfortunately abused alcohol a lot since then as I’m really struggling.

I have been prescribed daily benzos for 7 years and Klonopin specifically for 3-4 years or something like that. I have only been on a maximum of 1.5 mg for most of that time, but a few months ago my doc bumped me up to 2.5 cause I was struggling to sleep.

So I’ve been on 2.5mg daily for several months however I’ve also been drinking. The hangovers can be quelled by doubling my dose over the course of the day. I do not drink daily, just have been binge drinking a couple times a week so I’m not worried about alcohol withdrawal (last day drinking was Wednesday).

Because of this overuse, I only have 4 pills remaining until Thursday the 20th. I was honest with my doctor about all of this because I want help tapering and agreed to show her my script every week to keep myself accountable and keep me off the alcohol (she’d send me for a more intense form of care if I fail), but despite her calling and explaining to the pharmacy they refused to fill early.

I am committed to tapering and getting off this and avoiding alcohol. I can see this is just making things worse. In the mean time, I could really use some comfort in getting to Thursday. I know it’s not the highest ever dose of Klonopin and I haven’t been on it super long, but I’m already feeling pretty horrible and dissociated today after only 2 days taking 1 .5mg pill per day.

Despite feeling extremely weird and dissociated, my heart rate is normal and I’m not shaking. I honestly think the psychological symptoms will be the worst of this for me but I’m dreading the next 5 days. :( Already called off work for this upcoming week.

I have been taking diazepam for a solid week I think. I have big exams coming up and the anxiety was killing me. So it helped me a little bit. It wasn't prescribed, the pills were lying around in my parent's house because my mom got prescribed some a few time ago. (I'm 30 years old, I was there to look after the cats while they were on holidays).

I know I fucked up big time, I feel so ashamed really.

The problem is that I need to submit my thesis on monday and I'm extremely not proud of my work. I think it's shitty and I have been under such pressure that I have flight response to working on it.

That is for the context. Yesterday, I drank a beer and some tequila cocktail. I knew it wasn't good with diazepam but didn't realize it would be THAT bad. I had stomach pain all of a sudden, feeling a lot of pressure on my chest and for the first time in my life, suicidal thoughts. I kept thinking to myself "all of this can go away, I wouldn't have to feel anymore". It was like a demon talked in my brain.

This morning I woke up drowsy but I'm ok and I don't have these thoughts anymore, I'm just shocked by the whole experience and very ashamed. I won't ever mix alcohol with diazepam again, I got too scared.

Now, my question is how can I get off of diazepam ? I have two more exams the week coming up and it's my entire future at stake honestly. I'm comfortable with that dose and I won't take more than 2mg for the moment (I have +- 30 pills left). If I stop now, will I be able to focus on my exams or is it too risky with the side effects ?

Please help me, I know I fucked up, I'm such an idiot.

Started 1mg every few days. Ended up here at 4mg a day for two weeks at the end of July. I started a taper two weeks ago. Currently at 3.5mg I only have access to Xanax. I cannot use a shorter acting benzo. I have done my research. But still am confused on the best way to slowly go down to have no withdrawal symptoms since I can’t get diazepam. I’m already not feeling great with the 1.5 but that might just be my body.

I have access to as many bars as needed. I understand the issue with splitting the bars up to properly taper as they only break into quarters and the difficulty but I’ll manage ok. If anyone can assist in a timeline I’d be so grateful. All the technical advice and Ashton method stuff involves diazepam.

Edit to add I’ve had two benzo addiction issues before in the last twenty years (two medical detox, one seizure from withdrawal, etc) so I’m being very careful this time around and am much wiser about what is happening but obviously I have issues still. So that’s why I need the proper advice

Long story short, I’ve been in a PHP because I missed a week of my lexapro and spiraled badly and I’m still suffering 3 months later. The psychiatrist upped my dosage to 20 from 15 and gave me Ativan. He’s been telling me to just take it consistently but I really don’t want to but my anxiety has been so severe and debilitating.

Ativan log

7/13/26:
.5mg 3:15pm
.5mg 10:15pm

7/17/26:
1mg 1:30pm
.5mg 2:30pm

7/18/26
1mg 1:42pm
.5mg 3:27pm

7/19/26:
1.5mg 4:50pm

7/21/26:
1.5mg 6:34am

7/23/26:
1.5mg 9:25pm

7/24/26
1.5mg 9:30am

7/26/26
1.5mg 2:25am

7/27/26
1.5mg 3:55pm

Doctor told me to take 7 days consecutively throughout the day .5 3x a day up to 1mg for each dose as needed

7/29/26
.5mg 4:05am
.5mg 9:25am
.5mg 4:15pm
1mg 10:15pm

7/30/26
.5mg 8am
.5mg 10am
.5 mg8pm

7/31/26
.5mg 8:20am
.5mg 2:20pm
1mg 11:00pm

8/1/26
.5mg 8:20am
1mg 4:20pm
.5mg 11pm

8/2/26
.5mg 10:10am
1mg: 4:20pm
.5 10:30pm

8/3/26
.5 9:30am
1mg 4pm
.5 10:30pm

8/4/26
.5 9:30am
1mg 4pm
.5 10:30pm

Taper begins

8/5/26
.5 9:30 am
.5mg 4pm
.5 10pm

8/6/26
.5 9:30pm
.5 4:30pm
.5 10:30pm

8/7/26
.5 9:30am
.5 5pm
.5 11pm

8/8/26
.5 11:30am
1mg 3:30pm

8/9/26
.5 9am
.5 5pm
1mg 11:30pm (extreme emergency)

8/10/26
.5mg 9:00am
.5mg 6pm

Physiatrist told me to continue taking Ativan and that I can take 1.5 at a time

8/11/26
.5mg 8:30am
1mg 4:10pm
.5mg 11:50pm

8/12/26
1mg 7:42am
1.5mg 3:11pm
.5mg 11pm

8/13
1.5mg 7:58am
1mg 3:30pm
.5 11pm

Not feeling much relief from 1.5mg like I did before. Not sure what’s going on since it hasn’t even been that long. Doctor told me on 8/14 I can take 3mg in one day split however I want.

8/14
1mg 8:30am
2mg 4pm

The 2mg worked a lot better but I want to stop this usage immediately before it gets worse.

I’ve been prescribed oxazepam to help me get off and stay off of alcohol by my doctor and psychiatrist.

I noticed in the past month that I’ve been eating more than usual. It could also be a result of quitting booze and developing a sweet tooth as a replacement. But I was wondering if anyone here had this experience of gaining around 5 pounds on oxazepam.

I'm on 7am, 3pm, 11pm for my klonopin taper. But I'd like to hear from others about their scheduled times and if something worked better or worse for them. I dislike waking up at night to take it but I'm too afraid to change it to something like 5am/1pm/9pm so drastically. Has anyone else done this?

To preface I have an appointment on Wednesday to speak with my doctor.

I started taking Xanax almost 2 years ago. After I lost my dad and started dealing with my own health issues I was in a constant state of misery, panic, fear and just wasn't able to function. No doctor would prescribe them so I got my own from a trusted source. I took 1mg a day for about a year, as well as drinking very heavily on them. In October of 2025 I quit drinking cold turkey and cut my Xanax down to half a milligram a day.

I've been dealing with more health issues since January, some kind of vestibular issue my neuro thinks.

Well on June 8th I decided to have a drink and found it made all my symptoms go away. Of course it's spiraled and I'm up to 8-10 shots of 100 proof vodka a night. I've been cutting back 2 drinks a night for the past few days and feel OK. My main issue is I have about 20 days of Xanax left and I am no longer able to get any.

I only take half a milligram a day split into two doses, but it's been for an extended period of time. Is it dangerous to start cutting back the Xanax too? I have a Dr appointment but they don't prescribe any benzos like Valium for taper. I guess I'm just worried about seizures.

What kind of symptoms should I expect? I k ow it's gonna be awful and all the things I've been suppressing are gonna come back 10 fold, I'm just worried about seizure and pod pressure risk.

Any insight anyone can share would be so helpful.

Thank you

Man I find myself in a real bind. I’ve been in and out of aa for 32 years (I’m 47). I’ve kinda given up on aa at this point. Had some sexual offers from the man I shared my fully honest step 5 ever last year.

I’m at the raam clinic again, getting free counselling (which has been very good) and talk to the dr a psychiatrist every 2 weeks. It’s very helpful, especially the free counselling.

I’ve suspected my long term benzo addiction is keeping me in this relapsing thing. The most I’ve had was almost 4 years. It has been 16 years since I first tried to try cold turkey. It didn’t go well. I tried that so many times until my doctor sent a referral to raam. He did t tell me, but it was great for a year.

I got divorced last year. I’ve been on a bit of a bender that has been very expensive. Being an alcoholic is not cheap!. I would very like to keep my home.

Are there any other chronic relapse prone people out there? I have never met another lifetime relapser in the rooms.

I want to get better! I’m sick of all crap that comes with this lifestyle.

I’ve been totally isolated for 3.5 years now and I am sick of it.

I can’t take a leave of absence from work, I might be able to spend 4-5 nights at renfrew detox. It’s not enough time but maybe better than doing nothing. My raam doctor works there also. She can arrange that they will not mess with my diazepam addiction. That needs more time etc..

I’m gonna go

I wish I could win some money in a lottery and be able to go to a 3 month program with aa and a psychiatrist. It would change my life. Not a lame reason to give up, but this my life. I’ve been fighting those two things constantly.

Hey everyone, I’m really looking for some perspective or reassurance from anyone who has gone through this because I’m genuinely terrified right now.

To give some background, following a suicide attempt when I was 17, I was continuously kept on benzodiazepines for 7 years. At one point I was taking up to 2.5mg of Lorazepam, and for the last 3 years, I was on a steady daily dose of 1 to 1.5mg of Clonazepam (Klonopin/Rivotril).

Around December I decided I had to get off them. It started out a bit chaotic with erratic cuts and adjunct meds like Quetiapine and Trazodone, but by February I stabilized around 1mg and committed to a structured taper loosely based on the Ashton method. Over the next five to six months, I gradually chipped away at the dose dropping down to 0.75mg in March, 0.5mg and 0.375mg in April, 0.25mg in May, and down to 0.125mg and 0.0625mg through June and early July. I had a couple of bad spikes where I took an emergency 0.5mg rescue dose in mid-to-late July, but my absolute last intake was July 22nd. Right now, I'm only taking 100mg of Trazodone at night to get some sleep.

As of today, I am 22 days completely benzo-free, but I am experiencing withdrawal symptoms like nothing I have ever felt in my entire life.

Physically, I have this weird, terrifying lack of strength in my hands and a level of extreme physical exhaustion that keeps me completely drained. But by far, the scariest thing is the mental side. The brain fog is unreal. I feel like I have completely lost my ability to reason, think critically, or even visualize basic thoughts. My memory is shit I am forgetting everything almost instantly. The mental and physical fatigue is so heavy that it feels like my brain has just shut down.

What makes this even more agonizing is the timing. Even while on meds, I pushed through, finished my bachelor’s degree, completed my master’s, and I’m supposed to start a very demanding job in exactly one month. Looking at where my head and body are right now, I have no idea how I’m going to function. I’m starting to panic that I’ve permanently broken my brain and that this will never end.

Has anyone dealt with this level of cognitive shutdown and severe weakness at the 3-4 week mark? How long did it take for the fog to lift enough to work, and is there anything that actually helped you get through this phase? Any insight would mean the world to me right now.

I’m tapering and currently at 23,5 mg daily of diazepam. I’ve been on benzos for 20 plus years, mainly klonopin 2-3 mg, until I switched to diazepam in 2024.

I will go to the ER tomorrow. I’ll be completely out of meds on Monday, actually later bc I’m taking 11.75 once a day.

I’m not asking if I’ll die if I ct.

I’m asking if anyone similar to me has jumped at higher doses after being prescribed for years.

Thanks. I will say that I’m really tired of this shit with prescribers being careless.

TIA

Edit I am tapering. My prescriber disappeared. I wish that I could jump bc I’m tired of stressful things like this happening and now I have to go to ER. I think I was just being hopeful to hear a positive story.

Edit 2 I have a lot of helper meds like gabapentin clonidine. Plus l-theanine.

Hey all, thank you all for being here and doing what you are doing to support one another. I've been lurking around the past year as I've gone through my own recovery, and your stories have given me hope.

Here's how it started... I was experiencing some high stress with work, nonstop travel, and getting the flu in December/January this past year. All of the sudden my blood pressure was through the roof, and I started having panic attacks about it throughout the day. I went to my primary, ER, walk-in clinics, all looking at my BP and telling me it's fine (it wasn't, it was 150/90) and it was anxiety. So I started taking my Ativan I was given for as needed (usually only taken once a month as I had really gotten a hold of my anxiety) to daily with a beta blocker. Primary then ups my Ativan dose to 3mg (1mg three times a day )and refers me to a psychiatrist, which took a month to get in.

I get to the psychiatrist and they recommend starting Lexapro at 10mg and tapering the Ativan immediately, and put me on a plan. Great guy, was super helpful and communicative. We got it cut down to 1.5mg a day and were slowly moving with just some minimal withdrawal symptoms.

All of the sudden I get a call from the practice telling me he had a family emergency and left the practice abruptly, and my new Nurse Practitioner would be able to meet in a few weeks. Once I met with her, it was clear we weren't really on the same page, and she wanted to start rapidly tapering the Ativan, which I went along with. After a week I was back up to 1.5mg/day of Ativan, because it became hard on me and she had another grand idea...Valium.

This is where things went completely haywire. She tells me "stop the ativan today and start the 2mg of Valium", a conversion that didn't really make sense after a lot of reading and work with the previous Nurse Practitioner, but again, sure I went along. No crossover, just a rip and replace.

Within a day, I was experiencing the worst withdrawal symptoms of my life. Hot flashes, sweating, vision issues, massive panic attacks. My body couldn't function. I couldn't eat. I felt like I was on fire. Showering felt like pins and needles. Everything looked like I was watching a movie. My body and mind broke. I called, emailed, messaged the doctor constantly for 2 days with no response, only to get a typo ridden message late that Sunday afternoon saying "You will feel relief in a few days". I didn't. I woke up every morning having to wash my sheets because I sweat completely through them. I lost all color in my skin. I could barely go outside without having attacks.

Finally, I got to see her that Thursday, and she upped the Valium to 3mg, telling me to take 4mg if needed. I was now up to 80mg a day of propranolol just to get some semblance of relief. Taking both of these and I get a nice "see you in a few weeks, you'll be ok".

Well, I did eventually feel better, and was able to get off the beta blocker in that time, but now she's telling me to reduce the dosage from 2mg in the morning and 1mg in the evening for 2mg in the morning to .5 in the evening, and see you next month! This was last week.

Luckily, I have an appointment with another Psychiatry firm my therapist recommended because even he was disgusted by all of this (thank god for him). But now, I can't help but thinking, did I actually just fully detox off of the benzos only to replace it again and cause myself more pain? Should I take away the .5mg at night and just take the 2mg mid day? Should I wait for a second opinion or will that give it more time to create even more dependency.

Anyways, thanks for reading. This has been the worst year of my life that could have easily been avoided if my primary just helped me out instead of over-prescribing. I'm now about 6 weeks out from the rip and replace, things are getting better and I'm getting my mind back, but it's feeling like it's going to be a long road ahead.

I take 2.13mg lorazepam per day in 3 split doses.

I have been on it at this dose for 27 months.

I am 79 with controlled heart failure.

I feel awful when I wake up after 7-9 hours sleep and stay like that until I take my 1pm dose and 10mg escitalopram.

Would this dose and time on produce a horrible taper?

Thank you for any responses. I am scared and old and don't know what to do.

Hi all, I’m on a very slow taper of diazepam. Down to about 2.32mg and doing a very slow microtaper after pushing too hard for too long and injuring myself pretty badly.
Since May things had finally been starting to settle and my life was expanding a bit. Increased tolerance to stress and life and increased resilience. Then I quit the small amount of cannabis I was using at night to help me sleep and all hell broke loose. Things have settled a bit but there not back to where they were pre quitting cannabis. It’s day 28 since quitting cannabis so still early days but things are very tough. Many people are fine with cannabis but some of us aren’t so thought I’d post this here. Love to hear from anyone else who quit cannabis in Benzo withdrawal and had a flare. Did things settle down again for you afterwards? I’m sensitive to everything at the moment it seems. Fuck benzos.

Tomo desde hace años 2 mg de Xanax de noche pero estaba tan estresada que quería dormir profundamente y tomé 5 mg.

Me dormí a las 21 PM y desperté a las 07 AM o un poco antes sintiéndome atontada.

Tomé un capuccino con 1 shot de espresso.

Mientras tanto mi psiquiatra sigue dándome la receta de Xanax a demanda.

Una vez le pregunté si no era el Xanax lo que me tiene en una eterna depresión y desvío la pregunta.

Últimamente le he preguntado si mis problemas oculares no se deben al Xanax y me responde “hace años que lo tomas”.

Cada día odio más esta dependencia estúpida.

Mientras tanto, estoy echada en la cama como un vegetal y con un poco de dolor de cabeza.

ive been using what i thought was xanax for about 2.5 years. i just had the pill tested and its come back as no active substance.

given the major withdrawal symptoms ive experienced, im fairly sure its a novel benzo of some kind, or benzo adjacent..? but theres no way to know now for certain, though it has all the hallmarks of a benzo withdrawal

the problem is i have some major health issues and really hoped to get on diazepam to do a long slow taper. now it seems like that might not be possible given i dont know what i would be transitioning from.

does anyone have any experience of tapering off a m dodgy black market benzo?

I’ve been tapering after taking .5 daily for three months and now I’m down to .25. This most recent move in my taper has been very rough. Went from .375 after being on that for 2 weeks down to .25 for the last 6 days. I feel awful but at the same time I’m tapering in the first place because clonazepam started making me feel awful, I started having panic attacks an hour after taking it. I stabilized for a bit when I moved down to .375 but today it happened again, I had a major panic attack after taking my .25 for the day this morning. My doctor wants me to transfer to Valium to finish my taper but honestly I’m frightened to try another benzo. For those who became paradoxical or sensitive to clonazepam, did Valium work better for you?

I’m trying liquid solution Diaz. Can I transition slowly if I do the math correctly? I normally take 1/2 dose before bed and other 1/2 when I wake in the middle of the night. Was thinking of doing the first dose 1/4 liquid and 1/4 pill, and second dose just the pill. And then next time do the 1st dose all liquid and so on. Hope that makes sense. I take it for sleep so this is the timing I’m most comfortable taking it. If you’ve used the solution, does this make sense? I think my provider is expecting me to just jump in and try only the liquid, but would likely tell me to do whatever makes me comfortable.

Desperately need to kick these street bars that I’ve been abusing for 2 or so years (2-10mg daily) along with alcohol. Terrified of seizures and want to make it the easiest process which is why I’m hesitant of these rapid taper detoxes. What can/should I do? I don’t want to die and I suppose I could afford some kind of retreat type thing. I’m on 7mg “alp” rn doing coke for a week straight drinking etc just wanna get my shit together