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Unemployed, constant worrying and had extreme benzo withdrawal

My psychiatrists told me it was perfectly fine to take my medication to help me sleep. Problem is now I'm addicted to it and really want to taper off of it but if I don't take it, I end up staying up all night or wake up multiple times throughout the night. Always feel tired and unmotivated. My family problems keep me up as well🙁

  1. Oh no, I'm sorry to hear you're struggling now when you were just trying to feel better. Please talk to your doctor about this if you haven't already ... it may be worth it to look into a support group or therapy that's focused on insomnia, called CBT-I:

    https://insomnia.sleep-disorders.net/cbt

    The right practitioner will be able to address both your insomnia and the other issues affecting your life, like your family troubles.

    We're here to support you! -Melissa, team member

    1. My heart goes out to you, . It can be very difficult to come off benzodiazepines. The American Society of Addiction Medicine provides guidelines for tapering here: https://www.asam.org/quality-care/clinical-guidelines/benzodiazepine-tapering. But it really should be done under a doctor's supervision. If you think your current psychiatrist will be supportive and offer you other medications to counter the side effects (like the return of insomnia), then I would reach out for help. If you don't feel you will get that support, it might be time to find someone new. Please keep me posted. I'll be thinking of you. - Lori (Team Member)

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