MUSIC MAN POSTING - 003
Before I begin my 3rd update, I want to respond to "long73".
First, long73, welcome to the community of those trying to deal with clonazepam withdrawal. You are not alone. To answer your one question...I did not have night sweats while taking clonazepam...only after trying to come off of it. HOWEVER, I want to provide a caveat. In past years, not recently, I would have night sweats prior to taking clonazepam. This was always, at least in my case, when I had a urinary tract infection. I think I might have had this happen to me twice in my life-time and within the past, let's say, seven years. Once the urinary tract infection was resolved, the night sweats went away. So, I should say that night sweats can mean that there is another issue, but considering that I am very healthy, this time is it definitely the clonazepam withdrawal.
It is important that I do not give you medical advice. Even though much of my respect for the mainstream medical community has diminished greatly over the past two decades (believe me...they have earned my lack of respect), they do provide some help, albeit somewhat self-serving. I should tell you of my family history regarding cancer: my grandfather died from brain cancer at the age that I am now (60) and my father died from small bowel cancer at 68, as well as my 33 year old paternal cousin from intestinal cancer and another paternal cousin from cancer. So, I have a heightened awareness of cancer, and I intend to break the cancer cycle in this family.
I will give you a quote to keep with you: "Do the thing you fear most and the death of fear is certain". - Attributed to Mark Twain.
Get yourself fully checked out. Don't let fear determine what you do...or don't do.
You have pains in your chest. Many times I have gotten pains in my chest, thinking that I had a heart problem. This, of course made no sense to me, considering how active I am. One time I was hospitalized for seven days, until one of the doctors came to my room and stated..."you don't drink, you don't smoke, you eat right, you walk five miles every day ... what are you doing in my hospital?". She promptly dismissed me from the hospital. What was happening was stress; not heart disease. At that time, and up until last November (2009), I was employed by a highly intense computer company (you would know the name), and the hours of work and stress were off the charts. This stress is what caused the pain in my chest, and so I had to change my lifestyle. Essentially, I had to do an honest day's work...but not worry obsessively over it all the time. I'm now retired from that job...and you know what...the work still continues on without me. So, learn from my mistakes. It's just a job.
What I am trying to tell you is that many physical problems can be caused by different things. Some are serious; some are not and can be changed by changing your life style. So, again, I would encourage you to start with getting a complete physical and mention to the doctor that your concern for cancer is great and you want to know if that particular disease can be eliminated from your worry. I actually did that myself one time, i.e., I specifically told the doctor to look for any signs of cancer in my physical. Because of the health insurance companies, doctors are stretched to the limits and so if we want something specific, we have to ask for it. In short, the only one who will truly be concerned about your health is ... YOU! So, be proactive at ALL times. Read, study, learn, and take action!
I really cannot emphasize the importance of using the suggested solutions that I have mentioned in my first post, i.e., MUSIC MAN POSTING - 001. You had a problem and were given clonazepam to help that problem. Most likely your nervous system, like mine, was badly compromised.
There is no way you can come off clonazepam, unless you take some natural supplements, as well as my nutritionist's other suggestions, to start repairing your nervous system. Most of the suggested supplements you can buy at your health food store. ALWAYS BUY QUALITY!!! You must build up your system with healthy non-destructive supplements and food (alkaline vegetables!!!) to restore your health and the damage that clonazepam has done.
I mentioned previously that I would not talk about the other supplements that I take, as there are so many, but I might do so in another post, merely to provide an understanding of what must be done in this world to overcome the damage that our society's life style places on us.
UPDATE
As I write this on December 3, 2010, I am able to report some more success and some disappointments. It is important to me that I am totally honest with you, so that you can learn from me.
The success is that I was able to push myself a little more and held off taking another pill for six days, instead of five. So, again, on the day I took the pill (12/2/2010), I took 1/2 a pill or .5 MG. That's good, and I will now try for seven days. Again, my goal is to be off of clonazepam by the end of the year.
I am only experiencing three withdrawal symptoms at this time: night sweats and stomach pains and a new one...ringing in the ears. Let's look at this closer. Again, honesty is everything, so that I do not mislead you.
NIGHT SWEATS
I really need to think about this one, and I am going to be able to better address this next week, as I try an experiment. First I will say that the night sweats have not been excessive. In the Spring when I tried to go cold turkey, I would have to change my clothes and my sheets at least twice a night. I was definitely soaked!!! That is not the case now. I never have to change my sheets, but I MIGHT have to change my clothes, but the sweating is not in any way as bad as last Spring.
BUT...during this time, I have also turned on the heat in my home. So, perhaps I simply have too much bedding. I am going to eliminate one blanket tonight and see if that makes any kind of a change. In other words, at this point, I'm not sure if the night sweats are from the clonazepam withdrawal or simply because I've turned on the heat and have too many blankets on me. I'll be sure to update this next week.
PAIN IN STOMACH
To tell you the truth, this was a little bit disappointing to me that the pain spiked up. BUT...to be truly honest with you, 1) I was NOT consistent in taking my GastroMycin and 2) I was eating too soon before bed. Why would I do something so dumb, when I know that it would cause me a problem?!!! Well, I will offer no excuse, but I will simply state that this past week I worked very hard on my music (I am trying to finish an difficult music course), and when I do this, I work late into the evening...yet ANOTHER bad thing to do for someone who is trying to repair his nervous system. In short, I did all the wrong things: 1) did not take GastroMycin in a regular and consistent manner, 2) ate too late at night and just before bed, and 3) stayed up way too late.
I pretty much set myself up for failure, and I failed. My task in this new week will be to take the GastroMycin regularly (i.e., one before every meal with A LOT of water), stop eating at least four hours before bed, and 3) get to bed by 9:30 PM. By the way, the pain, as always, goes away as soon as I am up, have taken my GastroMycin, and have had a full (I MEAN FULL) glass of water. To repeat, taking the full glass of water, cleans the stomach of bacteria and aids in digestion. This should be done throughout the day, about an hour or two after eating...no liquids should be taking while eating, as it will hurt one's digestion. Also, I continue to take my hot tea in the morning, after taking the GastroMycin. I cannot name the brand due to the regulations on posting, but you will want to find a natural tea that contains licorice...yep, just like the tasty candy. The black licorice helps to settle the stomach.
So, again, I failed to do the right thing (e.g., eat properly), and so I failed in getting well. It truly is up to me (...and you).
RINGING IN THE EARS
I do not believe I have mentioned this before, but I can assure you that in the Spring when I was trying to come off of clonazepam, I began having "ringing" or a "humming" in my ears. This is truly annoying. This time, I still feel that clonazepam is causing it, as I am using less and less of the drug and the ringing has just started within the past 2-3 days. Could it be that by listening to so much music as I am doing my music class work that this might be causing the problem? Well, I will have to say that this is always a possibility, except that prior to coming off of clonazepam I was doing a great deal more music writing (e.g., composing music to a movie) and I did NOT have ringing in my ears. So, I think the verdict is going to have to be out on this one, but I really feel that there is a good case to make for clonazepam causing the ringing.
I will close for this time and report more next week. My hope is that I can truly bear down on doing all the right things. Going the natural route is the best way, but I cannot be lazy in my attempts and must stick with what I am doing and be consistent. Without being consistent, I will fail, and that would mean going back on clonazepam full-time, and I do NOT want to do that.
Good luck to each of you and especially to long73.
Before I begin my 3rd update, I want to respond to "long73".
First, long73, welcome to the community of those trying to deal with clonazepam withdrawal. You are not alone. To answer your one question...I did not have night sweats while taking clonazepam...only after trying to come off of it. HOWEVER, I want to provide a caveat. In past years, not recently, I would have night sweats prior to taking clonazepam. This was always, at least in my case, when I had a urinary tract infection. I think I might have had this happen to me twice in my life-time and within the past, let's say, seven years. Once the urinary tract infection was resolved, the night sweats went away. So, I should say that night sweats can mean that there is another issue, but considering that I am very healthy, this time is it definitely the clonazepam withdrawal.
It is important that I do not give you medical advice. Even though much of my respect for the mainstream medical community has diminished greatly over the past two decades (believe me...they have earned my lack of respect), they do provide some help, albeit somewhat self-serving. I should tell you of my family history regarding cancer: my grandfather died from brain cancer at the age that I am now (60) and my father died from small bowel cancer at 68, as well as my 33 year old paternal cousin from intestinal cancer and another paternal cousin from cancer. So, I have a heightened awareness of cancer, and I intend to break the cancer cycle in this family.
I will give you a quote to keep with you: "Do the thing you fear most and the death of fear is certain". - Attributed to Mark Twain.
Get yourself fully checked out. Don't let fear determine what you do...or don't do.
You have pains in your chest. Many times I have gotten pains in my chest, thinking that I had a heart problem. This, of course made no sense to me, considering how active I am. One time I was hospitalized for seven days, until one of the doctors came to my room and stated..."you don't drink, you don't smoke, you eat right, you walk five miles every day ... what are you doing in my hospital?". She promptly dismissed me from the hospital. What was happening was stress; not heart disease. At that time, and up until last November (2009), I was employed by a highly intense computer company (you would know the name), and the hours of work and stress were off the charts. This stress is what caused the pain in my chest, and so I had to change my lifestyle. Essentially, I had to do an honest day's work...but not worry obsessively over it all the time. I'm now retired from that job...and you know what...the work still continues on without me. So, learn from my mistakes. It's just a job.
What I am trying to tell you is that many physical problems can be caused by different things. Some are serious; some are not and can be changed by changing your life style. So, again, I would encourage you to start with getting a complete physical and mention to the doctor that your concern for cancer is great and you want to know if that particular disease can be eliminated from your worry. I actually did that myself one time, i.e., I specifically told the doctor to look for any signs of cancer in my physical. Because of the health insurance companies, doctors are stretched to the limits and so if we want something specific, we have to ask for it. In short, the only one who will truly be concerned about your health is ... YOU! So, be proactive at ALL times. Read, study, learn, and take action!
I really cannot emphasize the importance of using the suggested solutions that I have mentioned in my first post, i.e., MUSIC MAN POSTING - 001. You had a problem and were given clonazepam to help that problem. Most likely your nervous system, like mine, was badly compromised.
There is no way you can come off clonazepam, unless you take some natural supplements, as well as my nutritionist's other suggestions, to start repairing your nervous system. Most of the suggested supplements you can buy at your health food store. ALWAYS BUY QUALITY!!! You must build up your system with healthy non-destructive supplements and food (alkaline vegetables!!!) to restore your health and the damage that clonazepam has done.
I mentioned previously that I would not talk about the other supplements that I take, as there are so many, but I might do so in another post, merely to provide an understanding of what must be done in this world to overcome the damage that our society's life style places on us.
UPDATE
As I write this on December 3, 2010, I am able to report some more success and some disappointments. It is important to me that I am totally honest with you, so that you can learn from me.
The success is that I was able to push myself a little more and held off taking another pill for six days, instead of five. So, again, on the day I took the pill (12/2/2010), I took 1/2 a pill or .5 MG. That's good, and I will now try for seven days. Again, my goal is to be off of clonazepam by the end of the year.
I am only experiencing three withdrawal symptoms at this time: night sweats and stomach pains and a new one...ringing in the ears. Let's look at this closer. Again, honesty is everything, so that I do not mislead you.
NIGHT SWEATS
I really need to think about this one, and I am going to be able to better address this next week, as I try an experiment. First I will say that the night sweats have not been excessive. In the Spring when I tried to go cold turkey, I would have to change my clothes and my sheets at least twice a night. I was definitely soaked!!! That is not the case now. I never have to change my sheets, but I MIGHT have to change my clothes, but the sweating is not in any way as bad as last Spring.
BUT...during this time, I have also turned on the heat in my home. So, perhaps I simply have too much bedding. I am going to eliminate one blanket tonight and see if that makes any kind of a change. In other words, at this point, I'm not sure if the night sweats are from the clonazepam withdrawal or simply because I've turned on the heat and have too many blankets on me. I'll be sure to update this next week.
PAIN IN STOMACH
To tell you the truth, this was a little bit disappointing to me that the pain spiked up. BUT...to be truly honest with you, 1) I was NOT consistent in taking my GastroMycin and 2) I was eating too soon before bed. Why would I do something so dumb, when I know that it would cause me a problem?!!! Well, I will offer no excuse, but I will simply state that this past week I worked very hard on my music (I am trying to finish an difficult music course), and when I do this, I work late into the evening...yet ANOTHER bad thing to do for someone who is trying to repair his nervous system. In short, I did all the wrong things: 1) did not take GastroMycin in a regular and consistent manner, 2) ate too late at night and just before bed, and 3) stayed up way too late.
I pretty much set myself up for failure, and I failed. My task in this new week will be to take the GastroMycin regularly (i.e., one before every meal with A LOT of water), stop eating at least four hours before bed, and 3) get to bed by 9:30 PM. By the way, the pain, as always, goes away as soon as I am up, have taken my GastroMycin, and have had a full (I MEAN FULL) glass of water. To repeat, taking the full glass of water, cleans the stomach of bacteria and aids in digestion. This should be done throughout the day, about an hour or two after eating...no liquids should be taking while eating, as it will hurt one's digestion. Also, I continue to take my hot tea in the morning, after taking the GastroMycin. I cannot name the brand due to the regulations on posting, but you will want to find a natural tea that contains licorice...yep, just like the tasty candy. The black licorice helps to settle the stomach.
So, again, I failed to do the right thing (e.g., eat properly), and so I failed in getting well. It truly is up to me (...and you).
RINGING IN THE EARS
I do not believe I have mentioned this before, but I can assure you that in the Spring when I was trying to come off of clonazepam, I began having "ringing" or a "humming" in my ears. This is truly annoying. This time, I still feel that clonazepam is causing it, as I am using less and less of the drug and the ringing has just started within the past 2-3 days. Could it be that by listening to so much music as I am doing my music class work that this might be causing the problem? Well, I will have to say that this is always a possibility, except that prior to coming off of clonazepam I was doing a great deal more music writing (e.g., composing music to a movie) and I did NOT have ringing in my ears. So, I think the verdict is going to have to be out on this one, but I really feel that there is a good case to make for clonazepam causing the ringing.
I will close for this time and report more next week. My hope is that I can truly bear down on doing all the right things. Going the natural route is the best way, but I cannot be lazy in my attempts and must stick with what I am doing and be consistent. Without being consistent, I will fail, and that would mean going back on clonazepam full-time, and I do NOT want to do that.
Good luck to each of you and especially to long73.
thank you musicman,
I saw the pulmonologist last night to get the CT scan I had last Mon. The lung nodule has not changed since May scan. He also said that even if the nodule is cancerous, it won't cause any symptoms at this time because it is still too small. He asked me to come back in May 2010 for the, hopefully, final CT scan..if the nodule does not change, he can close my lung case at that time. So, i'll just have to wait and pray that the nodule is benign
Back to Clonazapem: I noticed that this week I do not sweat that much, compared to last week. I'm hoping it will go away. I am trying to not taking any other drugs or supplements because I don't want them to mask any medical problems that I might have. I wish I did not take an benzo from the beginning.
As of today (19 days after quit Clonazapem completely), I still have the following symptoms: vision, stomach and muscle pains, hard to get out of bed in the morning.
I will keep posting my situation so we can compare.
Have a good weekend everyone
I saw the pulmonologist last night to get the CT scan I had last Mon. The lung nodule has not changed since May scan. He also said that even if the nodule is cancerous, it won't cause any symptoms at this time because it is still too small. He asked me to come back in May 2010 for the, hopefully, final CT scan..if the nodule does not change, he can close my lung case at that time. So, i'll just have to wait and pray that the nodule is benign
Back to Clonazapem: I noticed that this week I do not sweat that much, compared to last week. I'm hoping it will go away. I am trying to not taking any other drugs or supplements because I don't want them to mask any medical problems that I might have. I wish I did not take an benzo from the beginning.
As of today (19 days after quit Clonazapem completely), I still have the following symptoms: vision, stomach and muscle pains, hard to get out of bed in the morning.
I will keep posting my situation so we can compare.
Have a good weekend everyone
MUSIC MAN POSTING - 004
In my last post, MUSIC MAN POSTING - 003, I mentioned that I might decide to go ahead and post the supplements that I take on a daily basis. I was not going to do this, but I decided to go ahead and do it. Please know that I am not recommending this to anyone. These were prescribed for me by my nutritionist. But, this will help you know how depleted my system was and how hard I now have to work to get myself back to where it needs to be. The only way that you will know for sure what to take is to get with a BOARD CERTIFIED nutritionist and seek advice. Note that regular MDs simply are not trained in this and are, in my opinion, clueless.
Note that I have tried to use some spacing in the following to make it easier to read, but no matter what I attempt, the posting system does not take the spacing, and so I apologize for the appearance. To help you better understand what I've typed, the first thing you will see will be the NUTRIENT (e.g., BETA-CAROTENE) followed by the DAILY DOSAGE (e.g., 2(@B)) followed by the TOTAL AMOUNT INGESTED DAILY (e.g., 50,000 IU).
For those of you not familiar, MG = milligram and MCG = microgram (it is a BIG difference in dosage..for example, you would never want to take 1,600 MG of folic acid but 1,600 MCG is fine).
Here is what I take (NOTE: B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner):
BETA-CAROTENE 2 (@ B) 50,000 IU
CALCIUM 1 (@ B) 500 MG
CHROMIUM 2 (1 @ B/D) 400 MG
CO-Q10 1 (@B) 100 MG
DEPA (FISH OIL) 1 (@ B) 1,000 MG
D 2 (@ B) 2,000 IU
ESTER C 6 (2 @ B/L/D) 3,240 MG
FA-8 (FOLIC ACID) 2 (@ B) 1,600 MCG
GABA 3 (@B/L/D) 1,500 MG
GASTROMYCIN 1 PER MEAL
GINKGO BILOBA 1 (@B) 60 MG
GLUCOSAMINE 3 (1@B/L/D) 1500 MG
LECITHIN 1 (@ B) 1,200 MG
LIPOIC ACID 2 (1@ B/D) 200 MG
MAGNESIUM ASPARTATE 3 (1@ B-2@D) 300 MG
MILK THISTLE 3 (1 @ B/L/D) 750 MG
NUTRI-E 1 (@ B) 400 IU
N-ACETYL-L-CYSTEINE 1 (@ L) 750MG
POLICOSANOL 3 (1 @ B/L/D) 69 MG
SAW PALMETTO 2 (1 @ B/D) 440 MG
SELENIUM 1 (@ B) 200 MCG
ZINC 1 (@ B) 30 MG
B COMPLEX PROVIDING THE FOLLOWING IN ONE TABLET DAILY - 1 (@B)
THIAMINE 50 MG
RIBOFLAVIN 50 MG
NIACINAMIDE 50 MG
B-6 (AS PYRIDOXINE HCI) 50 MG
FOLIC ACID 100 MCG
B-12 50 MCG
BIOTIN (AS D-BIOTIN) 50 MCG
PANTOTHENIC ACID 50 MG
CHOLINE 23.5 MG
INOSITOL 50 MG
PABA 50 MG
THE ADRENAL CREAM THAT I SPOKE OF IN MY MUSIC MAN POSTING - 001. - 3 (@B/L/D) INGREDIENTS PER DOSAGES DAILY:
PHOSPHATIDYL SERINE
VITAMIN B1 (THIAMINE)
VITAMIN B2 (RIBOFLAVIN)
VALERIAN ROOT
LEMON BALM
MILK THISTLE
POLYGALA TENUIFOLIA
HAZEL BUD EXTRACT
LIME TREE BUD EXTRACT
JUNIPER BUD EXTRACT
ST MARY'S THISTLE
COQ 10
ST JOHN'S WORT
BITTER CUCUMBER
MAGNESIUM PHOSPHATE
MARKING NUT
GERMAN CHAMOMILE
ELM
GORSE
OLIVE
RED CHESTNUT
VERVAIN
IMPATIENS
PITUITARY
ADRENAL
THYROID
Again, it is important for me to reiterate, that I am under the care of a board certified nutritionist. Please do not start taking the above without professional assistance...ESPECIALLY if you are taking any medication.
Until next week....take care.
In my last post, MUSIC MAN POSTING - 003, I mentioned that I might decide to go ahead and post the supplements that I take on a daily basis. I was not going to do this, but I decided to go ahead and do it. Please know that I am not recommending this to anyone. These were prescribed for me by my nutritionist. But, this will help you know how depleted my system was and how hard I now have to work to get myself back to where it needs to be. The only way that you will know for sure what to take is to get with a BOARD CERTIFIED nutritionist and seek advice. Note that regular MDs simply are not trained in this and are, in my opinion, clueless.
Note that I have tried to use some spacing in the following to make it easier to read, but no matter what I attempt, the posting system does not take the spacing, and so I apologize for the appearance. To help you better understand what I've typed, the first thing you will see will be the NUTRIENT (e.g., BETA-CAROTENE) followed by the DAILY DOSAGE (e.g., 2(@B)) followed by the TOTAL AMOUNT INGESTED DAILY (e.g., 50,000 IU).
For those of you not familiar, MG = milligram and MCG = microgram (it is a BIG difference in dosage..for example, you would never want to take 1,600 MG of folic acid but 1,600 MCG is fine).
Here is what I take (NOTE: B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner):
BETA-CAROTENE 2 (@ B) 50,000 IU
CALCIUM 1 (@ B) 500 MG
CHROMIUM 2 (1 @ B/D) 400 MG
CO-Q10 1 (@B) 100 MG
DEPA (FISH OIL) 1 (@ B) 1,000 MG
D 2 (@ B) 2,000 IU
ESTER C 6 (2 @ B/L/D) 3,240 MG
FA-8 (FOLIC ACID) 2 (@ B) 1,600 MCG
GABA 3 (@B/L/D) 1,500 MG
GASTROMYCIN 1 PER MEAL
GINKGO BILOBA 1 (@B) 60 MG
GLUCOSAMINE 3 (1@B/L/D) 1500 MG
LECITHIN 1 (@ B) 1,200 MG
LIPOIC ACID 2 (1@ B/D) 200 MG
MAGNESIUM ASPARTATE 3 (1@ B-2@D) 300 MG
MILK THISTLE 3 (1 @ B/L/D) 750 MG
NUTRI-E 1 (@ B) 400 IU
N-ACETYL-L-CYSTEINE 1 (@ L) 750MG
POLICOSANOL 3 (1 @ B/L/D) 69 MG
SAW PALMETTO 2 (1 @ B/D) 440 MG
SELENIUM 1 (@ B) 200 MCG
ZINC 1 (@ B) 30 MG
B COMPLEX PROVIDING THE FOLLOWING IN ONE TABLET DAILY - 1 (@B)
THIAMINE 50 MG
RIBOFLAVIN 50 MG
NIACINAMIDE 50 MG
B-6 (AS PYRIDOXINE HCI) 50 MG
FOLIC ACID 100 MCG
B-12 50 MCG
BIOTIN (AS D-BIOTIN) 50 MCG
PANTOTHENIC ACID 50 MG
CHOLINE 23.5 MG
INOSITOL 50 MG
PABA 50 MG
THE ADRENAL CREAM THAT I SPOKE OF IN MY MUSIC MAN POSTING - 001. - 3 (@B/L/D) INGREDIENTS PER DOSAGES DAILY:
PHOSPHATIDYL SERINE
VITAMIN B1 (THIAMINE)
VITAMIN B2 (RIBOFLAVIN)
VALERIAN ROOT
LEMON BALM
MILK THISTLE
POLYGALA TENUIFOLIA
HAZEL BUD EXTRACT
LIME TREE BUD EXTRACT
JUNIPER BUD EXTRACT
ST MARY'S THISTLE
COQ 10
ST JOHN'S WORT
BITTER CUCUMBER
MAGNESIUM PHOSPHATE
MARKING NUT
GERMAN CHAMOMILE
ELM
GORSE
OLIVE
RED CHESTNUT
VERVAIN
IMPATIENS
PITUITARY
ADRENAL
THYROID
Again, it is important for me to reiterate, that I am under the care of a board certified nutritionist. Please do not start taking the above without professional assistance...ESPECIALLY if you are taking any medication.
Until next week....take care.
LONG73 ... I just saw your last post. Good luck with all of what you are experiencing. I will put you on my prayer list concerning the nodule. I cannot recommend a specific book, etc., due to the rules of posting, but I hope that I am allowed to simply say to take the time to read Suzanne Sommers' book, i.e., the most recent one from September 2009. In fact, I would not opt for any surgery, etc., until after you have read it. (STEADYHEALTH ... I hope I have not broken the rules on this suggestion.)
As far as your pains, I cannot recommend enough how important it is to your body to drink a LOT of water. PURE WATER!!! There are some doctors who treat their patients with water. Dr. F. Batmanghelidj, MD is a prime example, and yes, he does have a book, but again, I cannot post it.
For your stomach pain, see if you can get with a nutritionist who can get you the GastroMycin. If nothing else, try to get some natural organic tea with licoric in it. I'm sorry that I cannot post a brand, but a good health food store will have it. Just explain to them that you need something for your stomach and that it should have licorice in it. Have a full glass of water when you awake followed by the hot tea. You will begin to feel better. Water does wonders.
Good luck and keep us posted.
As far as your pains, I cannot recommend enough how important it is to your body to drink a LOT of water. PURE WATER!!! There are some doctors who treat their patients with water. Dr. F. Batmanghelidj, MD is a prime example, and yes, he does have a book, but again, I cannot post it.
For your stomach pain, see if you can get with a nutritionist who can get you the GastroMycin. If nothing else, try to get some natural organic tea with licoric in it. I'm sorry that I cannot post a brand, but a good health food store will have it. Just explain to them that you need something for your stomach and that it should have licorice in it. Have a full glass of water when you awake followed by the hot tea. You will begin to feel better. Water does wonders.
Good luck and keep us posted.
MUSIC MAN POSTING - 005
I continue to make progress in my attempt to withdraw from clonazepam. I had a brief step back, but it was not a big deal in the overall scheme of things. On December 4, I had to take another dosage of clonazepam (full dosage at 1 MG). Without getting too much into the reasons why, I will simply state that I was staying in a hotel and had to get up early to go on a pleasure trip, it was 2:00 AM, I was still not asleep, and I was fretting over not being able to get up in time. That sort of thing (worry over not getting to sleep) always seems to feed on itself, causing one to stay awake even longer.
I had not gotten to bed until late, and the reason for that was that I had gone to the theatre that night for a live performance. Essentially, it was a very busy social weekend, and I decided to break the two-day abstinence from clonazepam and start back again on the next day. My future task will be to determine how to prepare myself for any future time that this happens, as I do not wish, nor intend, to use clonazepam as a sleep aid going forward!!! My thoughts at present are to beef up on green vegetables on any day/weekend like that and perhaps slightly boost my Gaba and lipoic acid intake. Of course, I must absolutely not ingest caffeine.
As I type this, it is December 13, 2010. If I don't take the drug tonight, that will be nine (9) days that I have not taken the drug. What I have decided to do is to try to push it another day without taking clonazepam and see how I do. If I am still OK, then I will continue another day and another day and so forth.
I am happy to report that the night sweats have stopped altogether. There is still some slight ringing in my ears, but it is not nearly as intense.
The one troubling withdrawal symptom is the pain in my stomach. However, with the GastroMycin that I am taking, along with a LOT of vegetables and water, even that pain is starting to subside. I was very pleased this morning to awake with very little pain, and that has been the first time for quite some time.
So, my report this time is that I continue to improve. There is no way I could do this "cold turkey". It has only been with the guidance of my nutritionist, as I have explained in my earlier posts, that I have been able to come this far. I should reiterate that I am, for all intents and purposes, trying to rebuild my nervous system, which has been severely compromised over the decades. Clonazepam exacerbated that problem, but eating properly (especially the vegetables and pure water), along with proper sleep habits and supplements, has started to turn my nervous system around to a healthy one.
I will come back and report on my progress. My goal remains to be free of this drug by the end of this year!
I continue to make progress in my attempt to withdraw from clonazepam. I had a brief step back, but it was not a big deal in the overall scheme of things. On December 4, I had to take another dosage of clonazepam (full dosage at 1 MG). Without getting too much into the reasons why, I will simply state that I was staying in a hotel and had to get up early to go on a pleasure trip, it was 2:00 AM, I was still not asleep, and I was fretting over not being able to get up in time. That sort of thing (worry over not getting to sleep) always seems to feed on itself, causing one to stay awake even longer.
I had not gotten to bed until late, and the reason for that was that I had gone to the theatre that night for a live performance. Essentially, it was a very busy social weekend, and I decided to break the two-day abstinence from clonazepam and start back again on the next day. My future task will be to determine how to prepare myself for any future time that this happens, as I do not wish, nor intend, to use clonazepam as a sleep aid going forward!!! My thoughts at present are to beef up on green vegetables on any day/weekend like that and perhaps slightly boost my Gaba and lipoic acid intake. Of course, I must absolutely not ingest caffeine.
As I type this, it is December 13, 2010. If I don't take the drug tonight, that will be nine (9) days that I have not taken the drug. What I have decided to do is to try to push it another day without taking clonazepam and see how I do. If I am still OK, then I will continue another day and another day and so forth.
I am happy to report that the night sweats have stopped altogether. There is still some slight ringing in my ears, but it is not nearly as intense.
The one troubling withdrawal symptom is the pain in my stomach. However, with the GastroMycin that I am taking, along with a LOT of vegetables and water, even that pain is starting to subside. I was very pleased this morning to awake with very little pain, and that has been the first time for quite some time.
So, my report this time is that I continue to improve. There is no way I could do this "cold turkey". It has only been with the guidance of my nutritionist, as I have explained in my earlier posts, that I have been able to come this far. I should reiterate that I am, for all intents and purposes, trying to rebuild my nervous system, which has been severely compromised over the decades. Clonazepam exacerbated that problem, but eating properly (especially the vegetables and pure water), along with proper sleep habits and supplements, has started to turn my nervous system around to a healthy one.
I will come back and report on my progress. My goal remains to be free of this drug by the end of this year!
Clonzepan is a tough drug to get off of. I was prescribed to clonzepan for about 5 years and the drug was no longer useful but I became dependent on it. I tried a long term taper a few times that did not work. I was prescribed this for bi-polar disorder.
Six months ago I went cold turkey even though I heard this was a bad idea.
First few days, total confusion and dizziness
Next week or so I had numbness on all extremities, and I do mean all.
The symptoms lasted for about a month.
Final they subsided and I am much better than I gave been in the last 5 years.
If you can handle the withdrawal, do yourself a favor and get off this drug. Of course don't do anything to risk your health, but I felt this drug was worse than the symptoms it treated.
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO TAKE SOMETHING TO HELP YOU SLEEP WHILE YOU GET THRU THE WITHDRAWAL
Six months ago I went cold turkey even though I heard this was a bad idea.
First few days, total confusion and dizziness
Next week or so I had numbness on all extremities, and I do mean all.
The symptoms lasted for about a month.
Final they subsided and I am much better than I gave been in the last 5 years.
If you can handle the withdrawal, do yourself a favor and get off this drug. Of course don't do anything to risk your health, but I felt this drug was worse than the symptoms it treated.
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO TAKE SOMETHING TO HELP YOU SLEEP WHILE YOU GET THRU THE WITHDRAWAL
njman,
i think your tip about getting help to sleep is a great point as I am still struggling with my sleep. And yes, if I had a bad night of sleep, my withdrawal symptoms are worsen the next day. Any suggestion on what sleeping aid. Someone told me 5-htp. I want to try something that does not have side effects.
i think your tip about getting help to sleep is a great point as I am still struggling with my sleep. And yes, if I had a bad night of sleep, my withdrawal symptoms are worsen the next day. Any suggestion on what sleeping aid. Someone told me 5-htp. I want to try something that does not have side effects.
Guest...
In regards to your question about a sleeping aid, you might want to check my other "MUSIC MAN" posts (though I admit they are long), or you can simply try the following below. This is not my suggestion but, instead, a recommendation by a world-renown natural medicine doctor/author. I don't believe I may mention his name on this post. But, he is very good and before the MDs stuck me on that junk clonazepam, I was using the following with very very good success and should have simply stuck with the following. I no longer kneel at the throne of any MD with their pill-pushing standards and no longer take whatever they toss at me, simply because they have an MD behind their name. Nowadays, they have to prove themselves, or they will receive my wrath. If I sound bitter...I am...especially after going through this withdrawal nonsense.
The thing that I want to point out is the you should NOT just start taking it ALL. I will make the list, and you will want to try to start with just the first recommendation and, if that does not work, then add the next and so forth.
You will be able to find the following in any good health food store, and I always recommend buying QUALITY. Never go cheap when it comes to supplements (...though don't pay over the top just for the sake of paying more...do your homework and ask the people at the store).
TRY THIS FOR FOUR DAYS
- B12 methylcobalamin (try to get the 5000 mcg nuggets that you melt under your tongue) ... take one in the morning; it is important that you get the methylcobalamin and the kind that melts under your tongue ... don't just use regular B12
- Melatonin (try to get the 2.5 to 3.0 mg tablets that you melt under your tongue) ... take dosage at bedtime
TRY THIS FOR THE NEXT FOUR DAYS
Along WITH the supplements from the first four days, add the following
- L-Theanine (200 mg) ... take one capsule about 30 minutes before bedtime (NOTE: 400 mg can be taken as a sedative)
- 5-Hydroxytryptophan (aka, 5-HTP) (100 mg) ... take one capsule about 30 minutes before bedtime
TRY THIS FOR THE NEXT FOUR DAYS
Along WITH the first and second four days above, add the following
- Valerian (300 mg) ... take one capsule about 45 minutes before bedtime
TRY THIS FOR THE NEXT FOUR DAYS
At this point, you are taking all of the above. You should now do the following. BE CAREFUL...
- STOP taking 5-HTP
- Take a low dose of L-tryptophan. NOW...this is the big gun, so to speak. It has gotten bad "press" put out there by the medical establishment and drug companies. Why? Because they knew it worked and wanted to be able to sell you expensive drugs instead. Yes, there was a bad batch of it made up in Japan years ago. The problem was not the tryptophan but, instead, the junk that the manufacturer used to cut corners and cut costs. That problem was resolved but the MDs tried to run a campaign that made people think that the FDA had recommended pulling the nutrient. The attorneys for the health food industry years later did some research and found that the FDA did not do any such thing. Again, it was merely the MDs and drug companies doing their usual dirty dealings. The attorneys for the health food industry got tryptophan back onto the shelves.
But...with that said, try to use the smallest dosage you can. Just start out small and see how you do.
I want to reiterate that you want to take the above in SLOW stages. PLEASE don't just jump in and start taking it all. Your body might not like that and you should always try to take the lowest amount of these types of things as possible and slowly add on until you find your required level.
Try to take time to read my other posts and don't forget your vegetables. I know it sounds basic, but you need to calm your nervous system, if you are going to be able to sleep, and the green vegetables will help you greatly if done on a DAILY basis. Also absolutely ingest NO caffeine
I wish you all the best with your sleep.
In regards to your question about a sleeping aid, you might want to check my other "MUSIC MAN" posts (though I admit they are long), or you can simply try the following below. This is not my suggestion but, instead, a recommendation by a world-renown natural medicine doctor/author. I don't believe I may mention his name on this post. But, he is very good and before the MDs stuck me on that junk clonazepam, I was using the following with very very good success and should have simply stuck with the following. I no longer kneel at the throne of any MD with their pill-pushing standards and no longer take whatever they toss at me, simply because they have an MD behind their name. Nowadays, they have to prove themselves, or they will receive my wrath. If I sound bitter...I am...especially after going through this withdrawal nonsense.
The thing that I want to point out is the you should NOT just start taking it ALL. I will make the list, and you will want to try to start with just the first recommendation and, if that does not work, then add the next and so forth.
You will be able to find the following in any good health food store, and I always recommend buying QUALITY. Never go cheap when it comes to supplements (...though don't pay over the top just for the sake of paying more...do your homework and ask the people at the store).
TRY THIS FOR FOUR DAYS
- B12 methylcobalamin (try to get the 5000 mcg nuggets that you melt under your tongue) ... take one in the morning; it is important that you get the methylcobalamin and the kind that melts under your tongue ... don't just use regular B12
- Melatonin (try to get the 2.5 to 3.0 mg tablets that you melt under your tongue) ... take dosage at bedtime
TRY THIS FOR THE NEXT FOUR DAYS
Along WITH the supplements from the first four days, add the following
- L-Theanine (200 mg) ... take one capsule about 30 minutes before bedtime (NOTE: 400 mg can be taken as a sedative)
- 5-Hydroxytryptophan (aka, 5-HTP) (100 mg) ... take one capsule about 30 minutes before bedtime
TRY THIS FOR THE NEXT FOUR DAYS
Along WITH the first and second four days above, add the following
- Valerian (300 mg) ... take one capsule about 45 minutes before bedtime
TRY THIS FOR THE NEXT FOUR DAYS
At this point, you are taking all of the above. You should now do the following. BE CAREFUL...
- STOP taking 5-HTP
- Take a low dose of L-tryptophan. NOW...this is the big gun, so to speak. It has gotten bad "press" put out there by the medical establishment and drug companies. Why? Because they knew it worked and wanted to be able to sell you expensive drugs instead. Yes, there was a bad batch of it made up in Japan years ago. The problem was not the tryptophan but, instead, the junk that the manufacturer used to cut corners and cut costs. That problem was resolved but the MDs tried to run a campaign that made people think that the FDA had recommended pulling the nutrient. The attorneys for the health food industry years later did some research and found that the FDA did not do any such thing. Again, it was merely the MDs and drug companies doing their usual dirty dealings. The attorneys for the health food industry got tryptophan back onto the shelves.
But...with that said, try to use the smallest dosage you can. Just start out small and see how you do.
I want to reiterate that you want to take the above in SLOW stages. PLEASE don't just jump in and start taking it all. Your body might not like that and you should always try to take the lowest amount of these types of things as possible and slowly add on until you find your required level.
Try to take time to read my other posts and don't forget your vegetables. I know it sounds basic, but you need to calm your nervous system, if you are going to be able to sleep, and the green vegetables will help you greatly if done on a DAILY basis. Also absolutely ingest NO caffeine
I wish you all the best with your sleep.
musicman,
how are you doing with your effort? It's been 7 weeks since I'm off Clonazapem. I was doing good last week...then this week, since I did not have enough veggie, but lots unhealthy foods due to Christmas party at work, my withdrawl symptoms seem to be worst...
Anyway, for my sleep problem, I'm going to try the supplements you mentioned...but there are many of them. Does one need them all to be able to sleep? I guess I will take your advice and try to take one at a time. If it does not work, then will add on the next one.
Musicman, you have about 1 week left to achieve your goal of quitting Clonazapem for good. I wish you the best and look forward to hearing the good news from you.
Merry Christmas to you all and wish everyone a Clonazapem-free new year.
how are you doing with your effort? It's been 7 weeks since I'm off Clonazapem. I was doing good last week...then this week, since I did not have enough veggie, but lots unhealthy foods due to Christmas party at work, my withdrawl symptoms seem to be worst...
Anyway, for my sleep problem, I'm going to try the supplements you mentioned...but there are many of them. Does one need them all to be able to sleep? I guess I will take your advice and try to take one at a time. If it does not work, then will add on the next one.
Musicman, you have about 1 week left to achieve your goal of quitting Clonazapem for good. I wish you the best and look forward to hearing the good news from you.
Merry Christmas to you all and wish everyone a Clonazapem-free new year.
MUSIC MAN POSTING - 006
This is another long post. I apologize for the length of it, but I want to convey as much information as I can for those who come after me.
I will provide my latest update, but I want to reply to long73 first.
The email messages that notify us that someone has responded to a post seem to be delayed by a week. By the time I got your (long73) message, a week had passed, and so I had assumed by then that you had determined what supplements you should take in hopes of helping your sleep and so did not respond at that time.
What you always want to do is to take the least supplements and keep building until you find some relief. I hope by this time, you have, indeed, found some relief for your sleep. If you follow the recommendations that I have given to you, which are actually the recommendations of a world-known natural medicine doctor and that I have used and continue to use myself, you should be OK. Remember to back off of that caffeine as well. To make things happen with supplements and natural means, it is an ONGOING (i.e., for the rest of your life) effort and all must be adhered to. Don't forget those vegetable either!!! Good luck to you.
UPDATE
Well...I had hoped to give you all good news, but I will have to give you is a good news/bad news report.
The good news ... GREAT news ... is that the last dosage of clonazepam that I took was 1/2 a tablet (1/2 MG) on December 4, 2010. As I write this, it is January 11, 2011. I can state with certainty that I am off of the clonazepam and that there is no way in the world that I will ever go back on that drug.
So, I am very very happy about this, and I want to encourage anyone who has been reading my posts that there is life after clonazepam, but you really do NOT want to go cold turkey and you DO want to have the supplements that I have mentioned to help you though the withdrawals. Again, the best thing that I can recommend is to get with a BOARD CERTIFIED nutritionist to help guide you through it all. If, however, you cannot afford this, then I humbly suggest that you read my posts ... yes they are long but informative ... and use the information that I have placed in them in regards to the supplements and so forth to help ease you through the process.
If I can do it ... you can, too!!!
The bad news is that I still have stomach pains. But...I have to be honest and say that I simply do not know at this time if the clonazepam has caused the problem. I'm stuck with the old "which came first the chicken or the egg".
I tend to think it was the clonazepam. My reasoning for this is that in the past whenever I had the pain when I came off of the clonazepam and then went back on the clonazepam ... the pain would go away.
But, I really want to be fair about this, and so I will simply have to say that I do not know. My nutritionist feels that I might still have some of the clonazepam in my system (...this drug is REALLY bad) and it will take more time to fully get it out of my system.
He also feels that what I have is gastritis. Gastritis is often caused by over drinking alcohol. I do not do this. However, gastritis can be caused as a result of Crohn's disease. Now ... I have been in remission from Crohn's disease for well over 10 years. Nevertheless, my intestines are my body's weak point, and so there is always a chance that the Crohn's could flare up to some degree and cause this latest problem with the gastritis. In short, I must be very careful right now.
The question remains then as to what has caused the pain in my stomach. Is it the result of the last part of my withdrawal from clonazepam or is it caused by some other problem such as Crohn's? Or, is it all from the stress of having to deal with the awful withdrawals from clonazepam? Right now, I simply do not know, and I'm not sure if I ever will. The bottom line, however, is that I must get over it, as it is affecting other aspects of my life (e.g., work ... not being able to sleep at night is not helpful!!!).
What I do know is that I need to stick with my nutritionist's plan for me to get through the problem.
I got a little excited the other day because I was able to sleep straight through the night for nine hours. Usually the pain wakes me up 3-5 times a night. After that night, I thought I was OK, but the pain came back the next day and days thereafter.
I have been noticing a slight lessening in the number of times per night that the pain wakes me up. This is good and gives me hope to stick with the plan.
The following is what I take. I have mentioned some of these in my past post, but I will summarize them now. And, I am hoping that I am not breaking the rules of SteadyHealth by posting them here. If I am, I apologize and will assume that if I am in error that SteadyHealth will edit them out.
1 - Usually, I will wake up (unintentionally) around 5:00 - 6:00 AM. At that time my stomach is empty and that is when I take my OKRA PEPSIN E3, which needs to be taken on an empty stomach. This actually was NOT recommended by my nutritionist but was, instead, recommended by my chiropractor. He did some tests on me and found that my stomach was HIGHLY irritated. I absolutely agree. I am taking six capsules at once at this time of the morning. Each capsule is 215 MG of a proprietary blend. PLEASE remember that if you take this, that you are different from me and that you might only need one or maybe you would need more capsules than me. This is why it is important to be working with a health care professional (...and that does NOT mean a drug-pushing MD).
2 - I continue to take four GASTROMYCIN capsules per day. These are taken 15 minutes prior to my three main meals and one capsule that I take in the evening.
3 - I also take something now that I have not mentioned previously and that is LICORICE EXTRACT WAFERS. My nutritionist recently recommended this for me. Each wafer gives me 800 MG licorice extract. I take three each day ... one between each meal and one prior to going to bed.
4 - I take ORA-CAL 25. What this is, is chewable, phosphorus-free calcium tablets. I can chew as many of these as I want per day, and this helps to coat my stomach. These are actually quite tasty (vanilla) and help my stomach pain quite a bit. I keep them by my bed at night so that, if I get a stomach pain, I can easily get to the bottle and pop a couple tablets into my mouth, chew them, and go back to sleep.
5 - I also continue to drink the HOT tea that has licorice in it first thing in the morning. This has always been very helpful to me, even prior to getting help from my nutritionist.
6 - And, though this might seem pretty unimportant, I assure you it is ... I drink a full glass of water as often as I can. This truly cuts down on the acid in my stomach and does so pretty much immediately. So, if you have a pain in your stomach, may I suggest that the first thing you should do is get a full glass of pure, clean water and drink it right down ... don't sip it ... drink it down.
I want to reiterate that all of the above are natural supplements that can be purchased (ordered from) a health food store or gotten from a nutritionist or other natural medicine doctor.
So there you have it. Am I off clonazepam? ...ABSOLUTELY. Do I have a little ways to go in regards to my stomach pain? ...Yes, I do, but I believe I will overcome this, too.
Unless I receive a message that someone has a question to any of my posts, I probably will not come back to this post until February, at which time I will provide an update.
I hope that somehow these six main posts, as well as the posts to long73 on the sleep issue, have or will in some way help someone down the road. Do not feel that you are alone in your struggle. You are not. Again, my posts are long, but I have tried to be as complete and as honest as I can in them in hopes of helping others. If I help just one person, then it has been worth it to me to have taken the time to do so.
Keep the faith. Don't give up. But, DO take action.
This is another long post. I apologize for the length of it, but I want to convey as much information as I can for those who come after me.
I will provide my latest update, but I want to reply to long73 first.
The email messages that notify us that someone has responded to a post seem to be delayed by a week. By the time I got your (long73) message, a week had passed, and so I had assumed by then that you had determined what supplements you should take in hopes of helping your sleep and so did not respond at that time.
What you always want to do is to take the least supplements and keep building until you find some relief. I hope by this time, you have, indeed, found some relief for your sleep. If you follow the recommendations that I have given to you, which are actually the recommendations of a world-known natural medicine doctor and that I have used and continue to use myself, you should be OK. Remember to back off of that caffeine as well. To make things happen with supplements and natural means, it is an ONGOING (i.e., for the rest of your life) effort and all must be adhered to. Don't forget those vegetable either!!! Good luck to you.
UPDATE
Well...I had hoped to give you all good news, but I will have to give you is a good news/bad news report.
The good news ... GREAT news ... is that the last dosage of clonazepam that I took was 1/2 a tablet (1/2 MG) on December 4, 2010. As I write this, it is January 11, 2011. I can state with certainty that I am off of the clonazepam and that there is no way in the world that I will ever go back on that drug.
So, I am very very happy about this, and I want to encourage anyone who has been reading my posts that there is life after clonazepam, but you really do NOT want to go cold turkey and you DO want to have the supplements that I have mentioned to help you though the withdrawals. Again, the best thing that I can recommend is to get with a BOARD CERTIFIED nutritionist to help guide you through it all. If, however, you cannot afford this, then I humbly suggest that you read my posts ... yes they are long but informative ... and use the information that I have placed in them in regards to the supplements and so forth to help ease you through the process.
If I can do it ... you can, too!!!
The bad news is that I still have stomach pains. But...I have to be honest and say that I simply do not know at this time if the clonazepam has caused the problem. I'm stuck with the old "which came first the chicken or the egg".
I tend to think it was the clonazepam. My reasoning for this is that in the past whenever I had the pain when I came off of the clonazepam and then went back on the clonazepam ... the pain would go away.
But, I really want to be fair about this, and so I will simply have to say that I do not know. My nutritionist feels that I might still have some of the clonazepam in my system (...this drug is REALLY bad) and it will take more time to fully get it out of my system.
He also feels that what I have is gastritis. Gastritis is often caused by over drinking alcohol. I do not do this. However, gastritis can be caused as a result of Crohn's disease. Now ... I have been in remission from Crohn's disease for well over 10 years. Nevertheless, my intestines are my body's weak point, and so there is always a chance that the Crohn's could flare up to some degree and cause this latest problem with the gastritis. In short, I must be very careful right now.
The question remains then as to what has caused the pain in my stomach. Is it the result of the last part of my withdrawal from clonazepam or is it caused by some other problem such as Crohn's? Or, is it all from the stress of having to deal with the awful withdrawals from clonazepam? Right now, I simply do not know, and I'm not sure if I ever will. The bottom line, however, is that I must get over it, as it is affecting other aspects of my life (e.g., work ... not being able to sleep at night is not helpful!!!).
What I do know is that I need to stick with my nutritionist's plan for me to get through the problem.
I got a little excited the other day because I was able to sleep straight through the night for nine hours. Usually the pain wakes me up 3-5 times a night. After that night, I thought I was OK, but the pain came back the next day and days thereafter.
I have been noticing a slight lessening in the number of times per night that the pain wakes me up. This is good and gives me hope to stick with the plan.
The following is what I take. I have mentioned some of these in my past post, but I will summarize them now. And, I am hoping that I am not breaking the rules of SteadyHealth by posting them here. If I am, I apologize and will assume that if I am in error that SteadyHealth will edit them out.
1 - Usually, I will wake up (unintentionally) around 5:00 - 6:00 AM. At that time my stomach is empty and that is when I take my OKRA PEPSIN E3, which needs to be taken on an empty stomach. This actually was NOT recommended by my nutritionist but was, instead, recommended by my chiropractor. He did some tests on me and found that my stomach was HIGHLY irritated. I absolutely agree. I am taking six capsules at once at this time of the morning. Each capsule is 215 MG of a proprietary blend. PLEASE remember that if you take this, that you are different from me and that you might only need one or maybe you would need more capsules than me. This is why it is important to be working with a health care professional (...and that does NOT mean a drug-pushing MD).
2 - I continue to take four GASTROMYCIN capsules per day. These are taken 15 minutes prior to my three main meals and one capsule that I take in the evening.
3 - I also take something now that I have not mentioned previously and that is LICORICE EXTRACT WAFERS. My nutritionist recently recommended this for me. Each wafer gives me 800 MG licorice extract. I take three each day ... one between each meal and one prior to going to bed.
4 - I take ORA-CAL 25. What this is, is chewable, phosphorus-free calcium tablets. I can chew as many of these as I want per day, and this helps to coat my stomach. These are actually quite tasty (vanilla) and help my stomach pain quite a bit. I keep them by my bed at night so that, if I get a stomach pain, I can easily get to the bottle and pop a couple tablets into my mouth, chew them, and go back to sleep.
5 - I also continue to drink the HOT tea that has licorice in it first thing in the morning. This has always been very helpful to me, even prior to getting help from my nutritionist.
6 - And, though this might seem pretty unimportant, I assure you it is ... I drink a full glass of water as often as I can. This truly cuts down on the acid in my stomach and does so pretty much immediately. So, if you have a pain in your stomach, may I suggest that the first thing you should do is get a full glass of pure, clean water and drink it right down ... don't sip it ... drink it down.
I want to reiterate that all of the above are natural supplements that can be purchased (ordered from) a health food store or gotten from a nutritionist or other natural medicine doctor.
So there you have it. Am I off clonazepam? ...ABSOLUTELY. Do I have a little ways to go in regards to my stomach pain? ...Yes, I do, but I believe I will overcome this, too.
Unless I receive a message that someone has a question to any of my posts, I probably will not come back to this post until February, at which time I will provide an update.
I hope that somehow these six main posts, as well as the posts to long73 on the sleep issue, have or will in some way help someone down the road. Do not feel that you are alone in your struggle. You are not. Again, my posts are long, but I have tried to be as complete and as honest as I can in them in hopes of helping others. If I help just one person, then it has been worth it to me to have taken the time to do so.
Keep the faith. Don't give up. But, DO take action.
MUSIC MAN POSTING - 007
As mentioned in my previous post (MUSIC MAN POSTING - 006), I am simply returning to this thread to give a brief update. I continue to have the pain in my stomach as my only remaining withdrawal symptom, but I am happy to say that the pain is slowly but surely reducing. I'm pretty much fine during waking hours and only experience difficultly when sleeping at night.
For example, I might wake up four times during the night or only once or not at all. At a time in the past, I would be up every night four to five times, and so I am, indeed, making progress.
I continue to stick with the tea mentioned in my previous posts, as well as the GastroMycin and Okra Pepsin E3, though I believe the greatest benefit is from the GastroMycin and that I might drop the Okra Pepsin E3. I should also say that the more I take the time to eat my vegetables, the better I feel.
One change that I made, per my doctor/nutritionist, was to take one GastroMycin about two hours before bedtime and eat something light 15 minutes after taking the GastroMycin (e.g., a SMALL piece of Monteray Jack cheese). I could also do this only ONE hour before bedtime, but then I would have to eat something that digests quickly (e.g., 1/2 a Gala apple with the core out and a spoonful of almond butter on it ... NOTE: one should NOT use peanut butter, as almond butter is the more healthy way to go on this).
That's my update for this time. As I've said in the past, I hope my posts help someone. I guess I'll never know for sure, but if I do help someone, then my time writing these posts will have been time well spent. I'm not sure if my gastritis (pain in stomach) is due to the stress of coming off of that awful clonazepam or if it is unrelated. But, according to the doctor, the protocol that I am on now will take 2 - 3 months. So, I am hoping by the time April 2011 comes along that my stomach will be well.
The great news is that I have not taken any clonazepam since December 4, 2010. And...I will never take it again!
I will return at a later month for an update. Hang in there everyone!
As mentioned in my previous post (MUSIC MAN POSTING - 006), I am simply returning to this thread to give a brief update. I continue to have the pain in my stomach as my only remaining withdrawal symptom, but I am happy to say that the pain is slowly but surely reducing. I'm pretty much fine during waking hours and only experience difficultly when sleeping at night.
For example, I might wake up four times during the night or only once or not at all. At a time in the past, I would be up every night four to five times, and so I am, indeed, making progress.
I continue to stick with the tea mentioned in my previous posts, as well as the GastroMycin and Okra Pepsin E3, though I believe the greatest benefit is from the GastroMycin and that I might drop the Okra Pepsin E3. I should also say that the more I take the time to eat my vegetables, the better I feel.
One change that I made, per my doctor/nutritionist, was to take one GastroMycin about two hours before bedtime and eat something light 15 minutes after taking the GastroMycin (e.g., a SMALL piece of Monteray Jack cheese). I could also do this only ONE hour before bedtime, but then I would have to eat something that digests quickly (e.g., 1/2 a Gala apple with the core out and a spoonful of almond butter on it ... NOTE: one should NOT use peanut butter, as almond butter is the more healthy way to go on this).
That's my update for this time. As I've said in the past, I hope my posts help someone. I guess I'll never know for sure, but if I do help someone, then my time writing these posts will have been time well spent. I'm not sure if my gastritis (pain in stomach) is due to the stress of coming off of that awful clonazepam or if it is unrelated. But, according to the doctor, the protocol that I am on now will take 2 - 3 months. So, I am hoping by the time April 2011 comes along that my stomach will be well.
The great news is that I have not taken any clonazepam since December 4, 2010. And...I will never take it again!
I will return at a later month for an update. Hang in there everyone!
MUSICMAN,
I'm glad that you are off the drug for about 4 months now. Happy for you. As I posted earlier, the last time I took Clonazapem was 0.0625mg on Nov 13th 2010. I suffered from the withdrawal symptoms until early January 2011.
I felt great for about 2 months, between mid Jan until mid March. My sleep improved a lot during this period. More importantly, I felt great during the day.
Then stress and anxiety got to me again. First, in late my manager told me to start looking for job as we have no more new work coming in. I have been stressed out about this. Plus, since I might be out of job soon, I decided to cut back on my spending on foods (I had been eating pretty healthy between summer of last year until last month: mostly organic, lots of fruits and veggie).
Then in mid March, two persons that I distantly know died of cancer at young ages (mid 30 and mid 50). These bad news brought back the anxiety I had last year about my own health.
So now, almost 5 months after quitting Clonazapem, I am feeling sick again. The sick feeling I have is very similar to the withdrawal symptoms I had late last year when I stopped taking Clonazapem: aching around my tummy and waiste; but the thing that bothers me the most is my head...i feel like my vision is affected (things seem to be blurry, though i know i don't have vision problem) and my head just feels weird...
Not sure if I am still suffering from the Clonazapem withdrawal, but it just feels like it...however, it's been almost 5 months, so it's hard to believe it's the clonazapem. I am hoping it's just the stress, nothing serious...I thought I was back to where I wanted...
I'm glad that you are off the drug for about 4 months now. Happy for you. As I posted earlier, the last time I took Clonazapem was 0.0625mg on Nov 13th 2010. I suffered from the withdrawal symptoms until early January 2011.
I felt great for about 2 months, between mid Jan until mid March. My sleep improved a lot during this period. More importantly, I felt great during the day.
Then stress and anxiety got to me again. First, in late my manager told me to start looking for job as we have no more new work coming in. I have been stressed out about this. Plus, since I might be out of job soon, I decided to cut back on my spending on foods (I had been eating pretty healthy between summer of last year until last month: mostly organic, lots of fruits and veggie).
Then in mid March, two persons that I distantly know died of cancer at young ages (mid 30 and mid 50). These bad news brought back the anxiety I had last year about my own health.
So now, almost 5 months after quitting Clonazapem, I am feeling sick again. The sick feeling I have is very similar to the withdrawal symptoms I had late last year when I stopped taking Clonazapem: aching around my tummy and waiste; but the thing that bothers me the most is my head...i feel like my vision is affected (things seem to be blurry, though i know i don't have vision problem) and my head just feels weird...
Not sure if I am still suffering from the Clonazapem withdrawal, but it just feels like it...however, it's been almost 5 months, so it's hard to believe it's the clonazapem. I am hoping it's just the stress, nothing serious...I thought I was back to where I wanted...
mdhoang...
It sounds to me like what you are experiencing is more from stress than Clonazepam. You have gone through and continue to go through some major life stressors. THIS is the time you MUST eat right. I've got some thoughts that might help you.
You MUST get your body to an alkaline state. It almost sounds as if your body is too acidic. This can cause all kinds of illnesses including the big ones, e.g., cancer. But, let's not worry about what you can get, let's start by having you make one tiny change.
Here's what I mean.
The way I start my morning off is designed to get my body into an alkaline state. Before I have anything else for the day, I do this:
1 - Drink one full glass of pure clean water (not from the tap). Drink it right down. Do not sip it.
2 - Next, using frozen broccoli, pour a little water (not too much) into a small pan and put a handful or two of broccoli into the pan and cook it. NOTE: we want to be able to eat our vegetables with a fork; not a spoon. Do NOT overcook.
3 - Pour the broccoli AND the water into a bowl.
4 - Lightly salt and pepper (careful on the salt if you have a problem with blood pressure)
5 - After it has cooled down some, eat the broccoli AND(!) drink the water that you boiled the broccoli with.
Do not eat anything else for at least an hour after eating the broccoli.
Try this for a couple of weeks, and I'll bet your stomach starts to feel better.
Now...for a bit of spirituality. I'm not sure where you are on your spiritual path, but when it comes to your job, set your mind to understanding that the universe WILL take care of you. Think positive at ALL times. Do NOT focus on what you do not have. Focus on what you do have and be grateful. Put out to the universe in what ever way your spiritual life will allow you of your need for a job. Do it once and then CALMLY go about the task for looking for work. Do not fret over it. The job will come to you that is right for you.
I hope the above helps you in some way.
It sounds to me like what you are experiencing is more from stress than Clonazepam. You have gone through and continue to go through some major life stressors. THIS is the time you MUST eat right. I've got some thoughts that might help you.
You MUST get your body to an alkaline state. It almost sounds as if your body is too acidic. This can cause all kinds of illnesses including the big ones, e.g., cancer. But, let's not worry about what you can get, let's start by having you make one tiny change.
Here's what I mean.
The way I start my morning off is designed to get my body into an alkaline state. Before I have anything else for the day, I do this:
1 - Drink one full glass of pure clean water (not from the tap). Drink it right down. Do not sip it.
2 - Next, using frozen broccoli, pour a little water (not too much) into a small pan and put a handful or two of broccoli into the pan and cook it. NOTE: we want to be able to eat our vegetables with a fork; not a spoon. Do NOT overcook.
3 - Pour the broccoli AND the water into a bowl.
4 - Lightly salt and pepper (careful on the salt if you have a problem with blood pressure)
5 - After it has cooled down some, eat the broccoli AND(!) drink the water that you boiled the broccoli with.
Do not eat anything else for at least an hour after eating the broccoli.
Try this for a couple of weeks, and I'll bet your stomach starts to feel better.
Now...for a bit of spirituality. I'm not sure where you are on your spiritual path, but when it comes to your job, set your mind to understanding that the universe WILL take care of you. Think positive at ALL times. Do NOT focus on what you do not have. Focus on what you do have and be grateful. Put out to the universe in what ever way your spiritual life will allow you of your need for a job. Do it once and then CALMLY go about the task for looking for work. Do not fret over it. The job will come to you that is right for you.
I hope the above helps you in some way.
MUSICMAN,
this is Long73, sorry for using different username. Thank you for your reply. I will take your advice about the water and brocolli intake for the morning.
Yeah, eversince I felt sick last year, I became more religious. Like you said, I pray to God more whenever I feel down. About this job search, I have been trying to put my trust in God so that He would lead me to the right job for me, though sometimes it is hard. But, with your reminder, I will set my mind to the followings: God will take care of me and my family and my health is more important than my job.
Thank you for all of you advice...please keep me in your prayers as I always pray for everyone who is struggling or suffering. God bless.
this is Long73, sorry for using different username. Thank you for your reply. I will take your advice about the water and brocolli intake for the morning.
Yeah, eversince I felt sick last year, I became more religious. Like you said, I pray to God more whenever I feel down. About this job search, I have been trying to put my trust in God so that He would lead me to the right job for me, though sometimes it is hard. But, with your reminder, I will set my mind to the followings: God will take care of me and my family and my health is more important than my job.
Thank you for all of you advice...please keep me in your prayers as I always pray for everyone who is struggling or suffering. God bless.
Long73,
It sounds like you have your priorities set and your head screwed on right. Try your best to remain calm and just let God take care of you, but do take action. Remember the old saying: an effort a day keeps failure away.
I forgot to address the issue of the blurry vision. I get that from time to time as do others on SteadyHealth. I especially get it as we move into the Spring season. It could simply be an allergy, which can affect ones vision. Remember that the eyes, nose, and throat is just one big area, and they all affect each other. Often sickness will actually start in the mouth...which is a good reason to brush your teeth! Often! Though I do not recommend taking drugs, sometimes taking a nasal decongestant (you know...the one that starts with an "S") for one or two days max will clear up the blurriness.
If you have access to a health food store, you might want to try Bromelain for any pain in your head or elswhere.
If you are experiencing dizziness, perhaps your potassium is low, and in that case merely buying a bunch of bananas and eating three a day for a few days will take care of that, and pretty fast.
But, definitely get on board with eating that broccoli each morning, and you will notice a significant change, especially in your stomach.
AND...very important...do NOT eat your fruits with other foods. Because they digest sooner than other foods, if you eat fruits with other items, your stomach sees that the fruit is digested and opens up the intestine to drop the fruit into it...but, it also drops the UNdigested other foods into the intestine. This is one of the big reason why people develop allergies to certain foods. One of my favorite foods is to core a gala apple and then cut it in half. Next, I will spread PURE almond butter (no additives) on the apple and eat it. This is great for your fruit and protein intake. HOWEVER...in the morning I will eat my broccoli, wait at LEAST an hour, THEN have my apple and almond butter.
You are on my prayer list. Hang in there. Think positive. Keep the faith. Never give up. Never give in.
Everything will be fine.
It sounds like you have your priorities set and your head screwed on right. Try your best to remain calm and just let God take care of you, but do take action. Remember the old saying: an effort a day keeps failure away.
I forgot to address the issue of the blurry vision. I get that from time to time as do others on SteadyHealth. I especially get it as we move into the Spring season. It could simply be an allergy, which can affect ones vision. Remember that the eyes, nose, and throat is just one big area, and they all affect each other. Often sickness will actually start in the mouth...which is a good reason to brush your teeth! Often! Though I do not recommend taking drugs, sometimes taking a nasal decongestant (you know...the one that starts with an "S") for one or two days max will clear up the blurriness.
If you have access to a health food store, you might want to try Bromelain for any pain in your head or elswhere.
If you are experiencing dizziness, perhaps your potassium is low, and in that case merely buying a bunch of bananas and eating three a day for a few days will take care of that, and pretty fast.
But, definitely get on board with eating that broccoli each morning, and you will notice a significant change, especially in your stomach.
AND...very important...do NOT eat your fruits with other foods. Because they digest sooner than other foods, if you eat fruits with other items, your stomach sees that the fruit is digested and opens up the intestine to drop the fruit into it...but, it also drops the UNdigested other foods into the intestine. This is one of the big reason why people develop allergies to certain foods. One of my favorite foods is to core a gala apple and then cut it in half. Next, I will spread PURE almond butter (no additives) on the apple and eat it. This is great for your fruit and protein intake. HOWEVER...in the morning I will eat my broccoli, wait at LEAST an hour, THEN have my apple and almond butter.
You are on my prayer list. Hang in there. Think positive. Keep the faith. Never give up. Never give in.
Everything will be fine.