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I Have A Condition Called Dystonia That Caused Me To Suffer Terrible Anxiety Because Of The Tremor In My Neck
Posted on
Tue, 6 Oct 2020
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Tue, 6 Oct 2020
Answered on
Wed, 4 Jun 2025
Last reviewed on
Question : Hello, I have a condition called Dystonia that caused me to suffer terrible anxiety because of the tremor in my neck. As a result I was given Ativan for 10 years; then I was on klonopin for 13 years. I am now 59. After receiving a Botox injection at the MAYO Clinic my anxiety greatly went away because the tremor was stopped. I was so happy. I have tried to wean myself off Klonopin but I have had 1 failed attempt. I have not given up; and would very much like to have professional advice about withdrawing from this drug after taking benzodiazepines for 23 years. I am down to 1 mg. a day currently for the klonopin. Could you please help me in my withdrawal pursuit? Thank you.
Brief Answer:
General information
Detailed Answer:
Ok, first the botox usually is temporary but goes for a LONG time between injections. Months, not weeks.
Second, there are several features of an anxiety disorder as you are noticing. There is the physical, the emotional, and frankly, the cognitive in terms of expectations, and XXXXXXX phobia.
So, I cannot say in your particular case except that coming off of benzodiazepine is potentially dangerous due to seizures BUT, 1 mg a day in most people is too low to be worried about.
THIRD, benzodiazepine dosing has to be done in coordination with a specialist who sees and knows the patient. I would not trust a website to do this.
Get a blood level immediately prior to when you would normally take the next dose. Verify that the drug is pretty close to ZERO in your system at that point in time. This gives a firm grounding that one is not getting much out of a drug that isn't present.
Then start a tricyclic antidepressant with anti-anxiety effects. Then once the antidepressant is around long enough to work and that one is confident that it is not going to do something bad. Then one could start tapering down and also getting more used to the idea of not taking one.
The final part of tapering is to have the pills there, but not take them, but have the security that there won't be a disaster this allows one to not take them.
Thanks
General information
Detailed Answer:
Ok, first the botox usually is temporary but goes for a LONG time between injections. Months, not weeks.
Second, there are several features of an anxiety disorder as you are noticing. There is the physical, the emotional, and frankly, the cognitive in terms of expectations, and XXXXXXX phobia.
So, I cannot say in your particular case except that coming off of benzodiazepine is potentially dangerous due to seizures BUT, 1 mg a day in most people is too low to be worried about.
THIRD, benzodiazepine dosing has to be done in coordination with a specialist who sees and knows the patient. I would not trust a website to do this.
Get a blood level immediately prior to when you would normally take the next dose. Verify that the drug is pretty close to ZERO in your system at that point in time. This gives a firm grounding that one is not getting much out of a drug that isn't present.
Then start a tricyclic antidepressant with anti-anxiety effects. Then once the antidepressant is around long enough to work and that one is confident that it is not going to do something bad. Then one could start tapering down and also getting more used to the idea of not taking one.
The final part of tapering is to have the pills there, but not take them, but have the security that there won't be a disaster this allows one to not take them.
Thanks
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Arnab Banerjee
Answered by
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