Hydroxyzine for anxiety during withdrawal?
Posted , 4 users are following.
Has anyone tried hydroxyzine to help with withdrawal. Tapered off zopiclone for several months stopped completely last Friday. Have had severe anxiety throughout the taper(not present before i started tapering) and OCD type symptoms gradually getting worse more I tapered. Driving is virtually impossible at moment as have general anxiety over everything. Was quite depressed, teary during taper which seem to have subsided, but anxiety remaining. I'm obviously in acute withdrawal now, just wonder how long before symptoms improve. Don't want to take anti-depressants but anti-histamine seems worth a try if it would help and appears non addictive. Any advice on how how long this nightmare likely to go on welcome, surprisingly sleep not too bad so far, drinking chamomile tea to help
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Guest Guest
Posted
HI Lemar
I was prescribed Hydroxyzine years ago for chronic anxiety. Did nothing for me. There is also another sedative antihistamine called Promethazine (Phenergan). They do nothing for me. If Chamomile tea helps you sleep you're doing well so may benefit from a sedative antihistamine.
Crying spells is part of detox. I did it last year on Clonazepam cold turkey.
I am beginning another detox now and was referred to a psychiatrist yesterday. She refused to help.
I can't advise you on the time frame for Zopiclone. I was prescribed 7 of them last week by my GP and they had a paradoxical effect. Wired all night.
Good luck. If you're going through hell keep going.
Try Valerian or Lemon Balm + high dose B Complex supplement for your nervous system.
Guest Guest
Posted
I've got appt at doctors in couple weeks might try some anyway. Did get a supplement with B vitamins in which made withdrawal lot worse, think they act on the gabba receptors so advise you not to take them. Have taken valerian in the past but found that made my anxiety worse after few weeks of taking it
Good luck with the detox, have found GP's to be absolutely clueless about withdrawal. Zopiclone are dreadful things, hell to come off, was on them 12 years,GP retired and the surgery turned round said I couldn't have any more, told would be easy to come off. Hardest thing I have ever done!!
Guest Guest
Posted
A good doctor would substitute z drugs or benzodiazepines with reduction diazepam taper and finish off when you're down to 1/2 mg per day.
I know diazepam is a benzo too but I should be off clonazepam and put on equivalent diazepam and taper from there.
I think the Ashton Manual says 10 - 20% every 2 weeks until halfway reduced then 1mg a week reduction until you are down to 1/2mg for the final week.
12 years is a long time. They should be very careful with you.
If I was well off I would check into a private clinic for 3 months and do it properly. The NHS don't want to know and there and a lot of beds and staff have been cut.
Private clinics range from around £5,000 - £20,000 for 28 days but you get full attention and different therapies. They are more like luxury hotels with full mental health and holistic teams.
The days of getting detox in the NHS like it was in the 90s are long gone.
Guest Guest
Posted
Only ever took small amount 1/4 tablet, and been in interdose withdrawal for few months anyway. My lovely GP told me just placebo effect! Showed her Ashton Manual and printed off NICE recommendations to switch to diazapam, got told can't have that either, anti depressants freely available though! Only thing was offered was CBT which did for a few weeks but was useless good old NHS!!!
If you can afford private clinic agree is good way to do it out of my price range afraid. Hope you have more luck with getting help, I've had none at all, only learnt best way to manage things by forums like this. If I can get it will try the hydroxizine anyway.