Hi, I'm andy1988

Hi everyone — I’m Andy. I’m 38 and have been dealing with a very difficult and prolonged withdrawal/recovery process after several years of prescribed benzodiazepine use. I was taking clonazepam 3 mg/day for around three years, and later diazepam was added, which I took at about 60 mg/day for roughly 8–9 months. At my highest point, I was prescribed up to 120 mg/day of diazepam. I began a long taper in 2024, took my final clonazepam dose in December 2024, and tapered the remaining diazepam down to 1 mg before stopping on April 26, 2025. Unfortunately, my recovery since then has been extremely difficult. My most persistent symptom has been severe abdominal/stomach muscle bracing and tension, along with chest tightness/pressure, insomnia, tinnitus, sensitivity to sound and light, tremors, fatigue, cognitive fog, intrusive thoughts, anxiety/panic, and a feeling of being constantly overstimulated. The severity fluctuates, but at times the symptoms have significantly limited my ability to work, socialize, concentrate, sleep normally, or manage everyday life. I’ve also been tapering other psychiatric medications. Most recently I tapered Seroquel from 300 mg down to 25 mg and stopped in July 2026. I currently take Lexapro 20 mg and gabapentin 600 mg at night. I came to TaperCommunity because this has been an incredibly long and confusing process, and I’m hoping to connect with people who understand prolonged withdrawal and difficult tapers firsthand. I’d especially like to hear from anyone who has experienced persistent muscle/abdominal tension, severe insomnia, nervous-system hypersensitivity, or a recovery that remained very uneven well beyond the first year.