013 Down to Last Klonopin Pill

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The original post for this daily diary began HERE.

March 9, 2010
013

It's been 4 months since I've updated this blog on what's going on with me and the benzodiazepine withdrawal. I have 7 months left to go until I'm benzo free. This past week, I got down to my last .5 mg pill (I began tapering about 2 1/2 years ago off 3 mg.).

I am wanting off this drug so badly, I'd just about give anything to be off it. I'm water titrating with 250 ml of water and removing 1 ml a day. I was using 200 ml for the past 6 days, but the withdrawal symptoms have been so bad this past week using that amount that I can't stand the pain, anxiety, paranoia, tremors and all the fun things that go along with being addicted to this nasty medication.

My prayers are still that doctors will have their eyes opened to what they are doing to people every day by giving them these horrible medications. Why not ask them about nutrition, check for hormone imbalances and vitamin and mineral deficiencies? I realize there's not much money in doing the right thing, but at least the patient wouldn't end up addicted to a medication which causes these symptoms.

Anyway, enough of my rant against prescription drugs and the doctors who give them. By my calculations, I will be off the Klonopin in 224 days which will be around my son's 22nd birthday. Now that is something to celebrate!

Tamara Slack

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Resources for my Supplements, Toiletries, Foods, Videos, Books

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So many people have called or emailed asking where I get my supplements, what do I use instead of makeup and shampoo so I don't get toxins and hormones into my body from the storebought stuff, and how much it costs to deal with my illness. So, I am posting it all in one blog post so that the resources can be found here. So here goes:

SUPPLEMENTS (vitamins, minerals, herbs, glandulars, etc.):


ConcenTrace Mineral Drops I use 60 to 70 drops per day. The link to this only shows the product. I don't buy it from Amazon because I can get is straight from local health food store for $18.99.


Isocort I am currently tapering off this glandular and will slowly start using ACE (Adrenal Cortical Extract) under my doctor's supervision. I purchase the Isocort from Natural Healthy Concepts online for $28.00 and get free shipping with their minimum purchase requirement.


ACE (Adrenal Cortical Extract) $32.00 from Clymer. I have not started this product, but will this week to replace the Isocort. It's an adaptogen so it will help me make cortisol when I need it and lower it when I don't need it.

Vitamin E (Unique E) is $40.50 from Clymer. I've looked all over for a better price, but this is it! And this is by far the best Vitamin E I can find.

Magnesium Malate I use both this product and a transdermal magnesium for now. I might switch to transdermal completely, but then I'll be missing the malic acid for my fibromyalgia. I use 3.5 tablets of this product daily, but get about 1,000 mg. more from the transdermal, so I'm loaded up on magnesium! From Natural Healthy Concepts for $5.39 each bottle and there's free shipping when I order $50 or more at a time from them.


Ancient Minerals Magnesium (the transdermal magnesium). I don't actually get mine from their website. There's a seller on eBay who sells it for the same amount but free shipping. $55.00 for the flakes and more for the acutal "oil" which is just pure water. I really want to get the book, "Transdermal Magnesium Therapy" by Mark Sircus. If anyone has a copy and wants to let me borrow theirs, let me know!


Pregnenolone Pure Encapsulations I'm taking 2o mg of this now, but started out the first 5 weeks on only 10 mg. It costs about $20.00 for a 3 month supply for me.

Seriphos $20.00 for each bottle of 100 capsules. This is the most expensive of the products I buy. My husband and I found that the best price is if we get it at Natural Healthy Concepts because if we buy 3 or 4 bottles at a time, we get free shipping and the bottles are a tad cheaper anyway. My doctor had me start using about 5 of these a day for panic attacks (adrenaline rushes from my HPA not working properly) and insomnia. We've moved me up slowly to 15 capsules a day (sometimes I need only 9), but it's something that has helped me get off the benzodiazepine and help with sleep and panic attacks. And just imagine... it's all natural. God made it... fancy that huh? I have had no problems with this company and wish I could buy all my supplements through them! If I'm not well, I need about 450 of these capsules a month which means over 4 bottles of it. As my HPA Axis calms down more (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal Axis), I'll be able to use a lot less of this product.


Symplex F by Standard Process This has been a great product for me to help heal the hormonal problems and support for my adrenal glands. The doctor has me taking 3 each day. Found that I get 2 weeks free if I buy it in bulk from Amazon for $49.50 plus shipping.

Pantothenic Acid my doctor has me taking 3,000 mg. a day to balance my hormones. It's just Vitamin B-5, but has been helpful. I was buying it at the local health food store, but my doctor is sending me a bottle of what they have because it has ingredients that are more helpful (apparently more of something I'm neeeding in it). The cost is higher, so I'll see if I can get the same brand elseshere unless his is the least expensive.

Thymuril I cannot say enough about this product for me! We are even getting my husband on it. It's boosted my immune system greatly. If I could get only a few products into my system, this would be at the top of my list for sure. I found the best place to get mine is through PlanetRX for $11.14 for each bottle (they have free shipping with a minimum order too). I use 3 tablets or 6 capsules (the tablets have twice the amount of supplements in it). I am not struggling nearly as bad with chemical sensitivities now whereas before the Thymuril, I coulnd't breathe, my chest would tighten, and I would get very dizzy and confused if I even smelled perfume, much less nasty soaps and bleach!

Vitamin C Buffered 500 mg. I am trying to find a good Vitamin C, but for now, I have een using what my doctor has which is a buffered Vit. C for $13.50. I'm taking about 2,000 mg. a day of Vitamin C to boost my immune system.


Vitamin D Thorne D-5000 60 Capsules for $12.00 is what I use. Doctor has me taking 10,000 IU a day. This is good for my Calcium and Magnesium and helps with depression caused by hormonal problems.

Licorice Root Powder $16.00 to raise my cortisol in the mornings to "get going." Nice instead of coffee. This is organic and tastes great. One bottle lasts me about 3 months.

Passionflower Organic Powder I get in bulk and buy the vegetable caps and use this for insomnia. It does not have an effect on benzos or benzo withdrawal for me and from what I understand, it doesn't take the same CYP Pathway as Klonopin (benzo). They do sell non-organic powder, but I prefer knowing I'm not putting pesticides in my body, so I definitely get the organic and so far, the middle sized bag has lasted us 4 months and I'm sure I have another 4 months to go. This is a very inexpesive way to get passionflower.

FOODS:


Flax Seeds I buy from our local health food store in bulk. I crush them up in a coffee blender and use 1 to 2 Tb. a day.


Psyllium Husks I'm starting this week for a soluble fiber which I found will pull out the extra hormones (especially extra adrenaline), toxins, sugars, and all the bad stuff from my body by binding to the bile that needs to get out of my system. The BEST information I have ever seen on this is found HERE.

KAL Organic Stevia Extract is awesome! I've used stevia instead of sugar for a couple years now, but there's always a little aftertaste, but then I found KAL Organic and oh my! What a difference. I spend $9.85 plus shipping for this and it lasts a while.

Coffee Substitute I use instead of coffee because 1. coffee is very hard on the adrenal glands and all systems really, 2. it's hard on my blood sugar levels with the hypoglycemia, and 3. it is known to have pesticides that I don't want to consume which is hard on the liver (though there are organic coffees that use a Swiss Water Process). I use Kaffree Roma as a substitute buying at our local health food store and the canister lasts one month for me.

Ezekiel Bread I use because 1. it's organic, 2. I actually know what is in the bread (go look at your loaf of bread and see the sugars and words you can't pronounce!), and 3. it is good replacement of the bad breads for hypoglycemics and diabetics as it's lower in carbs and there's good fiber in it. I buy mine at the local health food store.

Redmond RealSalt is what my husband and I use now after reading what's wrong with regular table salt and what's right with the stuff God has made. Here's a good book on this subject called "Salt: Your Way to Health" by Dr. David Brownstein. It was such an eye-opener about the lies I've been told, "don't eat too much salt!!!" Now I understand and my doctor has me drinking saltwater in order to raise my aldosterone levels (kind of a "duh" moment for me when I read this book). Book can be found HERE. I think the next book on my list as far as nutrition and getting over this illness is going to be on Iodine which can be found HERE or HERE

Wonderslim Fat Free 99.7% Caffeine Free Cocoa Powder I've not tried this yet but have heard great things about it. I don't know if they use a good water process to remove the caffeine or do what most companies do and use formadehyde. I ordered the Wonderslim recently, but have yet to try it.

TOILETRIES:

Body and Hand Soap I use the Natural (Fragrance-Free) (Milky White Soap) from Sappo Hill Soapworks as it doesn't have toxins and hormones in it like storebought soap. $1.65 per bar of soap.

Tooth Chips I use instead of toothpaste. Toothpaste has fluoride, sodium lauryl sulfate, dyes, artificial sweeteners, silicates (sand), stabilizers or an addition of 60% glycerin found in it. What's all that? Google the words on the back of your toothpaste and see if that's what you want in you and your family's mouth each day! *smile*

Makeup (other than mascara and lipstick) I buy from a lady who makes mineral makeup.

Lipstick I use Ecco Bella so I don't get the toxins and hormones into my system with my makeup.

Macara is Ecco Bella also because I can't stand using mascara with carcinogens which is "is any substance, radionuclide or radiation that is an agent directly involved in the exacerbation of cancer or in the increase of its propagation."

Laundry Soap is handmade by my friend Dana. If you want laundry soap that doesn't have carcinogens in them, contact here HERE or email me and I can get you contact with her. She makes the soap and it lasts and lasts and lasts and I don't have to worry about harmful chemicals for my husand and I.

What I use for shampoo is baking soda and for conditioner, I use vinegar. They both work fine and there's not nasty chemicals that cause cancer in them.

OTHER:

Power Mixer for my benzo withdrawal water titration I have to do each day to get off this medication. This is the best little blender for doing this. I spent $11.75 plus shipping for mine.

The most helpful books I've read to help me understand my illness, how to get better, and overall how to live healthy even if I wasn't sick are:

1. Chronic Fatigue Unmasked 2000 by Gerald Poesnecker, N.D. (free chapter can be found HERE)

2. Salt: Your Way to Health by Dr. David Brownstein

3. Benzodiazepines: How They Work and How to Withdrawal by Dr. Heather Ashton (free online)

3. The Magnesium Miracle by Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D.

4. Sugar Blues by William F. Duffy

5. What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause by Dr. John R. Lee

6. When God Weeps by Joni Eareckson Tada

The most helpful videos I've found have been:

1. Karen Hurd's LECTURES

2. Videos done by the Citizen's Commission on Human Rights HERE.

3. The Birth of Modern Psychiatry 1 through 4 found HERE.

4. A man going through Klonopin withdrawal without tapering slowly and addressing the other problems related to withdrawal such as adrenal insufficiency (this video is what commonly happens when getting off of benzodiazepines... it happened to me too). It's important to learn how to taper safely. Video HERE and HERE.

5. Ruth's Story of getting off (safe... yeah right) antidepressants.

6. Peter Breggin reports on psychiatric drugs HERE.

7. Food, Inc. was the most helpful in understanding our foods.

8. Super Size Me was helpful in knowing how the body responds to good food and bad food. This man had tests done to see his levels prior to eating fast food. The doctors are in this video too!

9. The Future of Food ... the title says it all! A must see if you are still breathing and require food to exist!

My other blogs can be found HERE and HERE.

Tamara Slack


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012 Began Mil Adregen, Seriphos, and Symplex F

To visit blog home page and comment on this entry, click HERE.

November 27, 2009
012

Been really sick lately. My body doesn't do well with change and there's been some changes! Low blood sugar has been bothering me along with an abundance of histamine in my body (itchy, itchy!) and a general feeling of weakness has come over me. Your prayers are always appreciated!

1. November 10, 2009. Began using Mil Adregen per Dr. Neville's advice. By the next day, my husband and I realized it's not for me! Poor Roger. If anyone needs prayer, it's my husband. He is so good in caring for me though. What I experienced: brain fog, anxiety (like climbing the walls kind of anxiety!), iching and prickly skin, breathing problems, on edge, anger, crying, very alert, feeling ramped up and could run a marathon. Within fifteen minutes of taking one of the pills, this is how I felt. Took it for two days, called the doctor's office and they said to stop taking it, but to give it a try very slowly in a few days (not at 3 pills a day, but 1 a day). I did so, but it again didn't work out well. Same symptoms, but not as bad. Tried this for three days, then doctor said to quit and sent me Symplex F and Pregnenolone to try something different. Apparently this glandular support can be too much for some people as Clymer's website says, "Mil Adregen is our standard remedy for adrenal gland support. The only caveat is that it is such a potent remedy that some patients find they are sensitive to some components. For these we have other remedies, like Isocort and Adrenal Cortex Fractions."

2. November 16, 2009. Began Seriphos (All natural Phosphorylated Serine and Ethanolamine) to help with the anxiety and insomnia (still sleeping 4 - 6 hours interrupted each night. I think I would do okay if it was 6 hours straight!). Supposed to take 1 at 2pm, 5pm, 8pm, and bed, up to 8 a day though. Within a few days, I was up to the 8 pills a day. At the time of writing this, I am finding that 9 pills a day (every 1.5 hours from afternoon to bed plus one each time I wake in the middle of the night) helps with the anxiety and gives me a deeper sleep though not much more than 6 to 7 hours, interrupted. I also find that if too much cortisol and adrenaline starts up (giving a panic attack), if I take one or two every 15 minutes until I feel better, that gives some relief to my adrenal glands.

3. November 27, 2009. Began Symplex F made by Standard Process. This is extracts from bovine ovary, adrenal, pituitary, and thyroid glands. I started with one pill at 9am with meal. I have no idea how this is going to work out yet as I just took it fifteen minutes ago.

However this all works out and whether I get better or not, the Holy Spirit has given me this little gem to meditate on lately which is recorded in Matthew 11.28-30:

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." - Jesus Christ

I wish I could say I believe that all the time and rest in it continually. I wish I could just "suck it up" and "pull up my bootstraps" too, but I'll tell ya, I would trade this hormonal illness with just about anything else. One adrenal patient was healed after a long time of going through this same stuff and after living a "normal" life for a while got breast cancer. She sighed in relief that it was only cancer and said she thought the doctor was going to tell her it was Chronic Fatigue Illness again. Yes, it's that bad to prefer cancer over this! Like she said, at least there's something you can do for cancer. (I realize people die of cancer all the time and no one is guaranteed to get better from cancer. I tell that story only to get across how severe CFS / Hypoadrenia is in comparison to such a horrific disease as cancer.)

My other blogs can be found HERE and HERE.
The original post for this daily diary began HERE.

Forgiven much,
Tamara Slack

9 Minutes of Your Time, Please?

Two videos of people going through Klonopin withdrawal. Please take 9 minutes of your time to watch and listen to what these people are saying. This is exactly what I went through when I stopped Klonopin cold turkey (had to go back on to taper down safely later though). I know it's a lot to ask people to stop and take 9 minutes to understand what's going on with people who are trying to get off medication they trusted doctors with, but please do it. If you know doctors who can start learning about benzodiazepines, please forward these videos to them. Hopefully one day there will be more doctors who are willing to say that this is not okay. There are many videos, but I just picked out two for now:

For the next one, you might have to turn up the audio:

The videos can be found HERE and HERE.

Please also pray for them and for anyone suffering through benzodiazepine withdrawal. It can last months or years. It's much worse than any street drug and is killing people too. A helpful resource is The Road Back Program where you can learn to taper off benzodiazepines (and other psychotropic drugs) safely. Thank you for your 9 minutes.

My other blogs can be found HERE and HERE.

The original post for this daily diary began HERE.

Coram Deo,
Tamara Slack

010 Help with Anxiety, Insomnia, and Klonopin Withdrawals - Seriphos

To visit blog home page and comment on this entry, click HERE.

November 12, 2009
010

Going back over my conversation with Dr. Andrew Neville with the Clymer Healing Center which took place on November 3, I wanted to make note here of how the Seriphos is supposed to help me with insomnia, anxiety, and hopefully even the detoxing of the Klonopin. Right now, my body is only able to handle 3% cuts of the Klonopin every 14 days (and that's pushing it!) which will take another 12 months or so. If there's anything to help me get off this horrific drug, I will be grateful! It's so difficult knowing I have to put a benzodiazepine in my body so that I won't have seizures, or possibly die, yet it's a serious toxin! If you've never been on a psychotropic drug and don't understand the seriousness of it, imagine knowing you must drink a teaspoon of bleach ever day for three years so that you won't be in serious withdrawals, yet at the same time, you know that the bleach is also making you very sick. Add on top of that some people who might call you a bleach junkie! A bleach junkie... ha! Now that was kind of funny, you have to admit!

So, here's what the doctor said to me:

Doc: Your cortisol levels should never be going up through the day. If they are going up, that means there's stimulation either from within or external stimulation. Your body is ramping up, so just the elevation, though your 4:00pm is not overly high, can cause the same anxiety and heart palpitaitons as well as theat evening cortisol being too high that will feed the insomnia. So we have to settle that down and there's some things that we can do to help to balance this out especially with the elevated leves of cortisol. Seriphos is good for elevated cortisol and adrenaline. It's the elevation of cortisol and adrenaline which often contributes to the insomnia. There's a couple other reasons why people won't sleep, but that's the primary one that I find. So because the Seriphos helps with controlling excess cortisol and adrenaline, it helps with things like insomnia, anxiety, palipitaions, the stress responses. Some people will take it if they are going out throughout their day and they are just overwhelmed, overstressed, they can take a little bit during the day and it takes the edge off. Anything that takes the edge off is going ot be useful. It has a calming, quieting effect.

Me: Will my body get addicted to it though?

Doc: No. And I often use the Seriphos to help people with regard to the Klonopin and to help reduce the need for Klonopin and maybe it will ease the transition off of it.

I am supposed to start the Seriphos (a natural product containing only Phosphorylated Serine and Ethanolamine) after we get another product figured out (an adrenal glandular product), but my system is so sensitive right now that the Mil Adregen that the doctor wants me to switch to from the Isocort is causing severe anxiety and all sorts of reactions. I'm sure it's fine for most people as I've read up on this product, but for me, so far, my body cannot tolerate it yet. We are working on small doses this coming week and then I can try the Seriphos! I'll see if the heart palpitations, anxiety, panic attacks, and insomia go away or at least lessen! Wouldn't that be wonderful? Apparently it needs to really be monitored because it's dealing with the HP Axis and sometimes people need less, sometimes much more, and sometimes it doesn't work for the person.

My other blogs can be found HERE and HERE.

The original post for this daily diary began HERE.

Coram Deo, Tamara Slack