Date: Fri Sep 20, 2002 9:45 am

Subject: Klonopin and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (Marya)

Hi ~

I suffer from Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, I had a parathyroid that went crazy, and I withdrew from Klonopin. Whew! And I take a very dim view of the diagnosis of 'anxiety disorder.' A bit of history:In '96 my new internist wasn't satisfied with thyroid tests that always fell within normal limits because my thyroid was grossly enlarged so she went further. Found that one of my parathyroid glands (of which there are four, positioned around the thyroid) was dysfunctional. (The parathyroids control the uptake of calcium into the bones. If they don't function, the calcium is absorbed by the kidneys -- really bad news. Osteoporosis and kidney failure, egads!)

Had head and neck surgery, took out the parathyroid. She also found I had Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, an auto-immune disease where the thyroid burns itself out. EASILY TREATED with Synthroid, lab-created thyroid hormone. It might take a bit of trial and error to find the appropriate dose but once that's done, you take Synthroid and never have to think about this crap again. That's how easy it is, nothing to worry about.

You said that a year and a half after starting on K you're still having symptoms ... naturally. Klonopin (and all benzos) ultimately creates more of the problems it was prescribed to solve. You'll have more and more panic attacks and worse anxiety until you stop taking it altogether. But cutting an entire dose is way, way too much and too fast. WAY TOO MUCH TOO FAST.

Go to the pharmacy and buy a pill splitter, and split your dose into quarters -- eighths if you can. Continue to take the number of doses you're accustomed to, but start your taper by cutting out a PIECE of one dose. Stay on that cut for 2 weeks AT LEAST. (One cut a month would be better.) If you can cut the pills into eighths, cut one eighth each time you cut. (Smaller cuts spaced farther apart = fewer symptoms.)

When it's time for another cut, then cut 1/4 (or better still, 1/8) from your morning dose. And so on. Don't cut out an entire dose at one time.As for the so-called 'anxiety disorder.' I don't believe in this diagnosis.

There is simply no way to verify it, and the fact that you respond to an antianxiety medication doesn't prove anything at all. I found that when I'd survived withdrawal, I hardly had any anxiety at all. Although my first benzo was initially prescribed for anxiety, it ultimately CAUSED more anxiety, so when I stopped taking benzos, anxiety was far less of a problem. Don't let your doctor convince you that you've got a problem.

You might -- but if you do, there are many alternatives for treatment other than benzos. But you might well find that after benzos, you have no such anxiety disorder. The only reason you need a doctor is to make sure you've got access to enough meds to cover your taper.

This group is a far more reliable resource for information and support than you'd ever get from a doctor and most doctors just treat benzo withdrawal by prescribing other drugs -- not a good idea. Most people don't find other drugs -- usually antidepressants -- helpful, and they often get sicker. That was my experience. Taking other drugs for benzo withdrawal is like putting out a fire ... with gasoline.

bee

*22 months benzo free today*