Best Instant Kava for Benzo withdrawals

[Araushnee]

Hello,
Sorry if this is answered somewhere but I am a bit out of it to search for a long time. I have been perscribed .625 a day of klonopin for years now. I gave up trying to give it up once I hit that amount during a taper. I even had a big stockpile bottle of extra. Well for 3 weeks I increased my klonopin dose to about 2mg a day. I thought withdrawals wouldn't develop for 4 to 6 weeks, at least that is what I heard and wasn't expecting to be hit with withdrawals after 24 hours of going back to my old dose. My doctor will likely boot me and send me somewhere else if she finds out about this, although I will go to the doctor if it gets any worse. I have gone 2 weeks before with increased dosage, but I guess I get addicted in 3 weeks. Today is day 3 of cutting down to near normal. I'm taking .825mg because I can afford to do so for a few weeks then cut down to .75 and finally to .625mg. I'm praying I'll be mostly back to normal in a few weeks since this was a short term increase. I'm not honestly sure though how long the withdrawals will last though. With kava kava I feel a little anxious and somewhat depersonalized as well as tired. Without kava kava I feel very anxious, nauseous, a little sweaty, and depersonalized. Yesterday I had a bad headache, but it was gone this morning. I have been able to get 2 nights of full sleep despite feeling this crappy.

Anyway I started taking Borogu instant kava kava which does help with the withdrawals, but there is a slight edgy feeling and doesn't last long. I think kava kava candies are better but they are not as strong, and they do not last very long. I'm not sure what kava would be best to use right now. I have had bad luck with root and it is a pain to prepare. (no blender) Are there any instant kavas you all could recommend to get me through the next few weeks? I hope I made since.

 

[kavadude]

Benzo withdrawal is something that needs to be supervised by a doctor. If your doctor would boot you for wanting to get off of an addictive drug, get a better doctor.

What has your experience with powdered root been like? I only ask because, prepared properly, it is generally a lot more cost effective than instant kava. It is a pain but worth it. As far as instant kava, I have tried many and the only two vendors I recommend purchasing it from are Kava Kauai and Gourmet Hawaiian Kava.

 

[eyemgh]

Find a doctor that's VERY familiar with medication reduction. Believe it or not, many doctors aren't. They just recommend things like 25% reduction per week and then put you right back on when you fail, blaming your disease rather than their ill informed taper. Discontinuation syndromes are well described in the literature for both benzodiazepines and SSRIs. The secret is minimal dose reduction over long periods of time with or without a transition to a longer half lived analogue, diazepam (Valium) if tapering benzos. I dropped my citalopram 10% per month and planned on a year to get off. The kava will help, but finding a psychiatrist who is in tune and in agreement with the latest literature on withdraw will be the most help. Good luck!

 

[Araushnee]

Benzo withdrawal is something that needs to be supervised by a doctor. If your doctor would boot you for wanting to get off of an addictive drug, get a better doctor.

What has your experience with powdered root been like? I only ask because, prepared properly, it is generally a lot more cost effective than instant kava. It is a pain but worth it. As far as instant kava, I have tried many and the only two vendors I recommend purchasing it from are Kava Kauai and Gourmet Hawaiian Kava.

In one experience it felt off and dirty, I'm not sure how to describe it, but it didn't feel good at all. That was some years ago. In a more recent experience I had micronized Vanuatu kava and it reminds me of the instant I'm currently using but a bit stronger and it gave me a panic attack. I also got muscle weakness from that kava.

Thank you for your input.

 

[Araushnee]

Find a doctor that's VERY familiar with medication reduction. Believe it or not, many doctors aren't. They just recommend things like 25% reduction per week and then put you right back on when you fail, blaming your disease rather than their ill informed taper. Discontinuation syndromes are well described in the literature for both benzodiazepines and SSRIs. The secret is minimal dose reduction over long periods of time with or without a transition to a longer half lived analogue, diazepam (Valium) if tapering benzos. I dropped my citalopram 10% per month and planned on a year to get off. The kava will help, but finding a psychiatrist who is in tune and in agreement with the latest literature on withdraw will be the most help. Good luck!

I've had very bad luck with psychiatrist. I'm actually worried it will be impossible to find a new docotor. Currently I'm just getting my meds from my general doctor since I was deemed stable for the past several years.

Thank you for your input.

 

[kavadude]

In that case, perhaps try a GHK sample pack. Then you'll have good quality powdered root, instant and micronized to try. I'm not surprised you had a bad experience with the micronized, unless the coarse fibers are removed beforehand which only GHK does at the moment, I find consuming unstrained kava root to be extremely unpleasant. Did you strain the powdered root? Either way, starting with a quality product will ensure a better experience.

 

[Araushnee]

In that case, perhaps try a GHK sample pack. Then you'll have good quality powdered root, instant and micronized to try. I'm not surprised you had a bad experience with the micronized, unless the coarse fibers are removed beforehand which only GHK does at the moment, I find consuming unstrained kava root to be extremely unpleasant. Did you strain the powdered root? Either way, starting with a quality product will ensure a better experience.

The first time I did not (not powdered), as the milk I had was so thick I couldn't get it through anything. The second time (was powdered) I was able to strain it and got most of it out.

 

[Roaddog]

I've had very bad luck with psychiatrist. I'm actually worried it will be impossible to find a new docotor. Currently I'm just getting my meds from my general doctor since I was deemed stable for the past several years.

Thank you for your input.

I am in the same boat as you. I was on 30mgs. Valium. I have managed to get down to 25 mgs in the last month and 4 days. I made 2 cuts of 2.5mgs. and I feel like hell. I am using ground root. I usually don't do a day Kava, but I did a small one today, and Ill do another one tonight. I have managed to get nothing done today. Also I'm trying to get into a Psych Doctor myself, but am struggling with getting in. I have been taking Valium for almost 2 years.

So don't feel alone here. I'm just not as far along as you are. That's rough going up that high of a dose, during a tapper. But I get it. You wanted to not hurt, and feel it for once. It sucks to take a drug you cannot even feel. It sucks. I cant say for sure, how long you will feel WDs. I would say 3 weeks, with freshly healed gaba, it may be a bit rough. But you know rough by know. I don't now what your initial dose was? I assume you are using liquid Klonipin?

Anyway, I find Boroguru, from GHK. Here's why, its cheaper. Its a mild kava, and less apt to cause anxiety. Its a known Nobel. Also allow me to be the first to

you to the Kava forums. Much love. Roaddog....

 

[Araushnee]

I am in the same boat as you. I was on 30mgs. Valium. I have managed to get down to 25 mgs in the last month and 4 days. I made 2 cuts of 2.5mgs. and I feel like hell. I am using ground root. I usually don't do a day Kava, but I did a small one today, and Ill do another one tonight. I have managed to get nothing done today. Also I'm trying to get into a Psych Doctor myself, but am struggling with getting in. I have been taking Valium for almost 2 years.

So don't feel alone here. I'm just not as far along as you are. That's rough going up that high of a dose, during a tapper. But I get it. You wanted to not hurt, and feel it for once. It sucks to take a drug you cannot even feel. It sucks. I cant say for sure, how long you will feel WDs. I would say 3 weeks, with freshly healed gaba, it may be a bit rough. But you know rough by know. I don't now what your initial dose was? I assume you are using liquid Klonipin?

Anyway, I find Boroguru, from GHK. Here's why, its cheaper. Its a mild kava, and less apt to cause anxiety. Its a known Nobel. Also allow me to be the first to View attachment 1496 you to the Kava forums. Much love. Roaddog....

I've been on .25 tablets and cutting the m in half. I am prescribed .625mg a day. I had been taking between .5 and .75mg a day; it wasn't always the same. I just took a 3 year long break from tapering. My meds have been stable for just that long and the amount of klonopin I had made it too I seemed to be OK on. After going through bad klonopin withdrawals (not what I am having now) I just wanted to be stable. I have been under a lot of stress lately with being very sick and my husband away on work trips. I thought I would never mess up my klonopin again as it has been years since I've done anything like this. I'm actually feeling better today then yesterday. I don't know how much the kava is helping. I mostly just feel like a brainless zombie. The anxiety I had this morning seems to be gone, and the epic headache from yesterday is gone. Maybe it won't be as bad as I think. I'm not sure how much of this is rebound anxiety and after effects of the food poisoning I had Monday.

 

[Roaddog]

I've been on .25 tablets and cutting the m in half. I am prescribed .625mg a day. I had been taking between .5 and .75mg a day; it wasn't always the same. I just took a 3 year long break from tapering. My meds have been stable for just that long and the amount of klonopin I had made it too I seemed to be OK on. After going through bad klonopin withdrawals (not what I am having now) I just wanted to be stable. I have been under a lot of stress lately with being very sick and my husband away on work trips. I thought I would never mess up my klonopin again as it has been years since I've done anything like this. I'm actually feeling better today then yesterday. I don't know how much the kava is helping. I mostly just feel like a brainless zombie. The anxiety I had this morning seems to be gone, and the epic headache from yesterday is gone. Maybe it won't be as bad as I think. I'm not sure how much of this is rebound anxiety and after effects of the food poisoning I had Monday.

Well I hope its quick and painless for the both of us. I get those horrible mornings too, they really are the worst. I have to force myself, to get out of bed, and work. Its not an easy task. I start Kava time, at about 7pm, and that helps me unwind. Well today I did a 3pm, and a 7pm, kava just because the withdrawals today were rough. I am sleeping some, so, Its not too bad. If I go days without sleep, I get a little weird. But I'm deep enough into my taper, that I can get 5 hours of sleep, usually, at this point. Well I wish us both a speedy recovery. Much love. Roaddog....

 

[eyemgh]

Finding a doctor who understands what you're going through, psychiatrist or not, isn't easy. There's a significant lag between the evidence based literature and practice patterns.

I cold turkeyed an SSRI several years ago somewhat by accident. My psychiatrist said maybe that's your body telling you it's time to quit, so I did. Over a period of months my anxiety returned, but turbo charged. Worse yet, I was a horribly moody pr*ck (worse than my baseline pr*ckishness ). My doctor and I both concluded that it was the disease and I needed to go back on meds. After a psychiatrist friend of mine started telling me about a movement to reduce meds, I dug in deep and found out that I has classic SSRI Discontinuation Syndrome and my prescribing doctor didn't recognize it. I've subsequently cut my dose in half, with no untoward effects, but over 6 months, NEVER pill cutting, but rather using a combination of whole pills and liquid and ALWAYS using the same brand.

That last point is IMPORTANT! The FDA allows generics to differ by up to 20% in either direction from the standard. That means month to month, you might be getting a 40% swing if you switch between generic brands. Find a generic brand that works and don't switch. Most of your body can handle that variation, but your brain is more susceptible to variance, usually with undesirable results.

As roaddog says, you're not alone. You just need to find someone who understands what you need. If you can't, you might have to guide your PCP. This book might help: Amazon product. I haven't read it, since I'm on an SSRI, but it is specifically written for benzos, and the author is on the forefront of evidence based psychiatry.

Good luck!!!

 

[eyemgh]

An amazon link shows for me, but I agree, that's a good resource too!

 

[kavadude]

@Deleted User do you have AdBlock? Looks like Xenforo morphed it into an advertisement with an affiliate referral tag attached to it. I will look into it. Here is a link to the book

 

[Roaddog]

Finding a doctor who understands what you're going through, psychiatrist or not, isn't easy. There's a significant lag between the evidence based literature and practice patterns.

I cold turkeyed an SSRI several years ago somewhat by accident. My psychiatrist said maybe that's your body telling you it's time to quit, so I did. Over a period of months my anxiety returned, but turbo charged. Worse yet, I was a horribly moody pr*ck (worse than my baseline pr*ckishness ). My doctor and I both concluded that it was the disease and I needed to go back on meds. After a psychiatrist friend of mine started telling me about a movement to reduce meds, I dug in deep and found out that I has classic SSRI Discontinuation Syndrome and my prescribing doctor didn't recognize it. I've subsequently cut my dose in half, with no untoward effects, but over 6 months, NEVER pill cutting, but rather using a combination of whole pills and liquid and ALWAYS using the same brand.

That last point is IMPORTANT! The FDA allows generics to differ by up to 20% in either direction from the standard. That means month to month, you might be getting a 40% swing if you switch between generic brands. Find a generic brand that works and don't switch. Most of your body can handle that variation, but your brain is more susceptible to variance, usually with undesirable results.

As roaddog says, you're not alone. You just need to find someone who understands what you need. If you can't, you might have to guide your PCP. This book might help: Amazon product. I haven't read it, since I'm on an SSRI, but it is specifically written for benzos, and the author is on the forefront of evidence based psychiatry.

Good luck!!!

Allow me to begin, by saying, beautiful post. You truly are a compassionate man. I am also a prick. I understand why you would say, You were even more prickish than normal. I feel that way right know. I know, at times, I may seem very happy go lucky, and my thing is humor. I love getting on here and helping folks smile, with there Kava. In Return, I get to smile. To me, smiles just don't come often enough when your going through Benzo Hell.

Your post just sort of touched me. Which does not happen often here. I want to rewelcome you. I know I gave you the big welcome mat, on your first day. But you have potential here. You are some one who, could make an impact on this forum. I hope I can do the same. I simply say this, from this post, and your test results, was pretty impressive. So allow me to give you a compliment, by saying, your one awesome newbie. Much love. Roaddog....

 

[eyemgh]

Why thank you sir!!!