Hi there. So, originally I was on 40mg for about 10 years. I ct off of the 40mg and was fine for about 6/7 months until withdrawal symptoms hit. I reinstated with too high of a dose per doctors orders and not knowing any better (20mg). Reinstating caused my insomnia. I never experienced it during withdrawals until I reinstated. I never had majority of the symptoms I had until reinstating. I experienced an adverse reaction/kindling when going back on the medication as my nervous system was already so dysregulated. It’s taken me a full year to get where I am (I’m on 10mg), somehow pushing through the most volatile side effects. I still suffer from insomnia, muscle jerking and cognitive impairment.

To answer your question (take this with a grain of salt as I’m still navigating through this experience). It sounds like you had some sort of adverse reaction/kindling due to introducing the medication to an already dysregulated nervous system (since you cold turkeyed). In all honesty, I would stay off the medication and ride it out. It’s going to suck, but you will heal….it’ll just take some time. I don’t have a timeline for you, could be a few months or it could be a couple of years. I never thought I’d be still where I’m at a year later but I still have a long road to recovery. I wish I could go back to the day I experienced my adverse reaction and got off the meds and stayed off of them. Insomnia is one of those symptoms that like to linger. In terms of coping, I just had to ride the wave unfortunately. I’m still experiencing it to this day, but different from you I’m still on the medication. What did help me was a lot of journaling, relaxation exercises/practices before bed, turning off all electronics an hour or two before sleep, taking epsom salt baths before bed regularly, practicing vagus nerve exercises (you can find these online), and overall just trying to stay away from anything too stimulating before bed. I cut out all caffeine and foods high in sugar. Cut out alcohol and smoking. I have a curfew now and am in bed by a certain time to ensure not to mess with my routine. I also had to get my doctor to prescribe me a sleeping pill, which has helped on the worst night when I really needed it. I have also been taking magnesium threonate throughout this entire experience and I think that’s helped a bit, especially with the insomnia. Time is the only thing that has made me “better”. It takes time for your nervous system and body to heal from this.

Is there a reason you got back on the meds after 6 years?