Posted by cache-monkey on February 6, 2008, at 1:24:50
In reply to Re: what to take for Klonopin withdrawal? » SteelyDan, posted by Sigismund on February 4, 2008, at 22:00:03
One thing from benzo.org.uk: there doesn't seem to be anything that's consistenly beneficial, it might come down to your individual chemistry.
That being said, I've read that Valerian can help with sleep, although it might slow down the process of withdrawal since it touches the same receptors as the benzos.
I'd definitely say magnesium in moderately high doses 500-1000 mg, but be careful with inositol since it could be pretty stimulating.
I had a bad experience with taurine, finding that it wound me up more than calming me down. But I tend to have weird reactions to some supplements.
The benzo.org.uk site did mention a decent number of positive reports with the Bach Rescue Remedy tincture. Although it is by no means universally helpful, it has the potential and at least doesn't seem to be harmful. There's also a new small double-blind placebo-controlled study on it that shows that it has a small positive benefit for high anxiety types in stressful situations [link below]. I haven't tried it, but am thinking about it.
One last idea, which I'm contemplating to help me in my long difficult taper process, is kudzu. This is *completely* speculative, but I think it could be helpful because one of its primary isoflavones is a 5-HT2a/c blocker, which could be good for anxiety. More importantly, it is a weak BZD-receptor antagonist. Now, in the short term this might make your withdrawal symptoms worse, especially if you've already in the middle of a dose adjustment.
BUT, if you haven't started or are at a plateau in the taper, it might block Klonopin's effects a little, making the next dose reduction easier. This might be similar to what, e.g. Wellbutrin does to nicotine receptors to help people quit smoking. The second thing is that flumazenil, a strong-BZD receptor antagonist has been shown to a) aid BZD withdrawal and b) temporarily reduce the post-withdrawal dysphoria/anxiety after a brief increase in those symptoms. The theory there is that blocking the BZD receptor somehow re-sets it, unlocking it out of the chronically up-regulated state.
Again, that kudzu theory is totally speculative. I am thinking about trying it and will report back if I do.
Good luck,
cache-monkeyLink about Bach Rescue Remedy: http://chp.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/12/1/3
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URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20080110/msgs/810991.html