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MedHelp Member's Question

klonopin/ultram withdrawal

by monalisa, Dec 08, 2001 12:00AM
I started taking percocet nine years ago, given to me by an eye doctor for glaucoma, secondary to cataract surgery. I was 36 years old. Stopped the percocet. Withdrawal symptoms were diagnosed as fibromyalgia. Have been on klonopin & ultram since then. Drs vistis too numerous to mention. No dr.came up that my fatigue and pain were due to the meds. Pain due to the 4 hrs. after klonopin wore off. Had decided to try an antidepressant for my "symptoms." Had a bad "reaction" to most. "Reactions" were due to side effects of med interactions. I recently decided to stop ultam/klonopin and try celexa. Switched from ultam to oxycodone, and weaned off klonopin. Couldn't understand why oxy didn't stop the pain like ultram did. Was confusing klonopin withdrawal "burning sensation" pain with fibro pain.Have had difficulty sleeping, agitated, hallucinating, extreme burning pain. Thought I was going to die, and almost wanted to. Last night I took 1/2 .5 klonopin and the burning stopped. That's when I realized pain that I thought was fibro was withdrawal pain. Why didn't any dr. pick up on this? How long before this burning pain and agitation, dizziness will stop? Yesterday burning was so bad it was in the back of my head, ears, lips, etc. Deadly stuff! How long can I ex[ect this burning to last. I was taking two oxycodone until yesterday. Yesterday I took only one, and an ultram and the 1/2 klonopin. I'm done with these meds and can't  beleive that I have been suffering for so many years wondering why! Feel a litttle better today, but still burning pain.Please help. Thanks, monalisa
Member Comments (24)

by butterbean, Dec 08, 2001 12:00AM
To: monalisa
You are the only one so far on this forum who described the withdrawal from narcotics as burning pain as I did.  I am through withdrawal.  It takes about 10 days for me for all the burning to go away, and I am so thankful.  Just hang in there and if you are determined as I am, you will feel so much better.  Keep posting, people here will help you.  The weekends they don't post as much as they are spending time with family.

Love Butterbean

by monalisa, Dec 08, 2001 12:00AM
To: butterbean
Thanks for the comments and support! I can't believe that no one else has this burning. It is so bad and I (used to be)a very strong person. I always thought klonopin was addictive mentally and I didn't think I was mentally addicted. Quitting cigarettes was much easier. Now I'm dizzy and afraid to drive. Today is my seond day in the house. I guess ultram is also addictive? Thanks,monalisa

by raptor182, Dec 19, 2001 12:00AM
I, as a 6 year perscription pill abuser would like to report an unexpected success in the area of self-treatment.  I have found success in recovery with the use of clonidine.  I have found that after a relapse one can actually forgoe 95% of the pain of withdrawl by careful use of clonidine.  I usually will take two 0.1mg tablets before bed, leaving two additional tablets by the bedside.  When withdrawl is in full effect a patient/abuser can rarely expect more than 4-5 hours of uninterupted sleep.  When I wake, I quickly take the two other  clonidine tablets and wait to fall back to sleep.  In addition my doctor has me using the Anti-depressent/Sleep medication Trazadone.  Using this method one can expect to get 6-8 hours of sleep or more.  Also, by maintaining clonidine in the blood supply one tablet every 6 hours while awake will have the effects of keeping muscle spasms to almost nothing.  I have found that by keeping the physical symptoms to a minimum, the focus becomes the inherent depression one feels during withdrawl.  I keep my mood up by watching fun entertaining movies and eating "comfort foods".  NOTE TO EVERYONE: If an patient/abuser is taking powerful doses of dangerous narcotics in large quantities this method does not help.  This method is useful to pain-management patients and pill abusers that use between 1 darvocet (very weak) per day to 2 percocet (very strong) four times a day for long periods of time.  This method has the best effect for patients/abusers using hydrocodone 5/500mg three times per day.  



Many doctors I have spoken with feel that an abuser should feel the pain of withdrawl so they are relunctent to make the same mistake twice.  I understand the logic in this, but I can't help but feel this information would benefit doctors that have patients that become addicted through no fault of there own.  



***@****

by bavvy, Jan 02, 2002 12:00AM
Fortunately, I am not addicted to Klonopin, but a family member is.  We noticed a huge difference in her mental state and actions when a psychiatrist prescribed Xanax about 10 years ago.  They then switched her to Klonopin, stating it was not addictive.  She has been on it ever since. Well, since then its been a downhill battle. She is now addicted to various other drugs.  She is continually in the hospital. She refuses to see that this medication is not meant for long term use, and I cannot get a doctor to speak to me, let alone back me.  She is terrified of detoxing from this med, and with good reason.  I am frustrated and angry.  

by monalisa, Jan 03, 2002 12:00AM
To: bavvy
I'm very sorry to hear that a family member of yours is addicted to klonopin. I also would not believe that I was addicted to klonopin until I tried to stop it. The withdrawal is horrible and the effects that it has had on me over the past several years are astounding!! I think I wrote that Stevie Nicks was addicted to it and went to the Betty Ford Clinic from Dec. 12-Jan. 24 to get off of it. Please help your relative get off this drug. I had terrible dizzy spells and sometimes didn't go out for two days. I also endured terrible pain. The klonopin has to be weaned slowly or else convulsions can occur. A wonderful doctor at an emergency room told me what to do to get off of it. He warned me not to do it too fast, becuse of the chance of convulsions. I have now been completely off for 9 days. The stuff completely changes your personality. Let me know how this person is doing and encourage them to persevere! It is definitely worth it. Got to www.google.com  Type in klonopin and go to the fourth post on the fourth page. YOu can eventually get to an electronic petition of people posting comments about their addiction,withdrawal and desire to get that drug off the market. Horror stories and happy endings!! Good luck!! Post the progress.

by Unwise, Jan 06, 2002 12:00AM
Hi.  Trying to get off of vicodin and have read that clonipin can be helpful, but this thread scares the heck out of me.  Only have a small amount (20 pills) that i have kept in a drawer for almost a year and the few I have taken in the past had no side effects and did not lead to an addition.  So I am wondering if this is still a valid way to detox from vicodin.  Any advice or comments would be appreciated.



by monalisa, Jan 06, 2002 12:00AM
To: unwise
Having been accidentially addicted to klonopin I would advise you not to use klonopin under any circumstance. You are subsituting one addivtive medicine for another. Not worth it. Go to www.google.com and type in KLONOPIN. Then go to the fourth page, the fourth site down. It is very informative. There are many horror stories about klonopin. I was told that it is an "as needed" medication. I never knew that it was addictive and took as many as four of the .5's per day. Klonopin calm the neurons in your brain and when you try to stop the neurons go crazy. It is highly addictive, a benzodiazapine, and horrible to get off of. Just slowly wean yourself off of the vicadin. You can do it and it's not worth getting addicited to another med after all of that hard work. Please check out the web site. Best wishes!!!

by Unwise, Jan 06, 2002 12:00AM
To: monalisa
Thanks for your comments.  I am not sure what I am going to do.  It sounds like you are having some success in weaning off the pills, despite that awful burning which I am very sorry to hear you have.  Many other threads mention using benzos to ease the transtition, and the truth is that I have been taking about 1 to 2 mg of xanax a day for about 10 months for anxiety and to avoid panic attacks.  The Clonopin was given to me by a friend before I went and got the Xanax sript myself, and unlike Vicodin, there are days when I can take no Xanax and not really notice a difference other than being a little more stressed, i.e., not the immediate withdrawal and wanting that comes with lack of Vicodin. Since I have read that clonazepam is also an anti-seizure medication--and since avoiding a seizure is my main concern--that is why I have considered taking it when I am getting off the vicodin.  But now your comments have made me think twice.  I guess the main issue here for me is that I do not feel that I abuse the Xanax since I take it as directed and can go a day or two without it, while the vicodin definitely has its hooks in me.  So the plan is to A) Get off vicodin, then B) worry about the Xanax, which for some reason I have more confidence about weaning myself off of even though I have read that the withdrawal is worse than with narcotics.  Obviously we are all different and react to chemicals differently, and there are some prescriptions that some of us have to use and can do so without abusing (I would rather take a xanax to stave off a panic attack than have a drink, for example).  In all of this discussion it is sometimes forgotten that these medications exist for a reason, and sometimes they must be used for that reason. The problem for me is that there are some medications that I use (or rather, abuse) and those are the ones that I feel I need to cut out altogether as I have in the past.  But I will give clonazepam a little more scrutiny due to your comments and think twice before using it.  Fortunately I only have a small amount and not a script, so whatever I have, that's it.  Thanks again and best wishes.