The rock and roll band The Ramones might have wanted to be sedated, but not me. As I wean off Klonopin, I am discovering several things. First, that weaning off benzodiazepines is no picnic. I have been nauseous and dizzy, and have had muscle tightness and pain. I was prescribed Klonopin for the treatment of restless legs at night, for which it worked beautifully, but now I am having a hard time differentiating between the symptoms of fibromyalgia and the symptoms of Klonopin withdrawal. One of my patients was prescribed Klonopin, but changed to a different drug because Klonopin caused her muscles to hurt. You mean some of my neck and shoulder pain could have been from Klonopin and not fibromyalgia?
I am finding that on the full dose of Klonopin I thought I was getting good restorative sleep. But now as I am weaning down, I know I am not sleeping as deeply, but I also am more alert in the mornings, and no longer ever feel the need to take naps. Looks like Klonopin was sedating me, and I was not as rested during the day as I feel now.
As the nausea and dizziness fade away, I have periods of time when I feel good. Sometimes I even feel great. During these euphoric times I am seized with the motivation to do things that my body is not quite ready for. One day I thought to myself “lets hike the Pacific Coast Trail!,” and another day I thought “I want to make Coq Au Vin for dinner–the real French way!” How wonderful it is to feel good. Those of us with chronic illnesses have been through so much, it is great to have a little mental respite from the struggle.
But I hold on to the knowledge even though my recovery seems to be 2 steps forward and 1 step back, I will eventually achieve many of my goals, and learn a lot along the way.
Stay tuned.