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Mental Health (Expert Forum)
klonopin withdrawal
Answered by
Roger Gould, M.D. - Mental Health, Wellness
Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD), bipolar disorder, dementia, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic, personality disorders, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, stress, transitions, and work problems.
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klonopin withdrawal
by hortense, Jul 06, 2003 12:00AM
I have been taking 20 mg. of Celexa for 3 1/2 weeks. I initially felt really jittery so my doc prescribed Klonopin (10 day supply) to get through the initial side effects, and also because I was going on a cruise and wanted to be able to enjoy it. Well, I took the the Klonopin for 9 days total. The first 7 days, I only took one dose of .25 mg. daily. On day 8, I felt more anxious, so I took 3 doses of .25 mg. On day 9, I took 2 doses of .25mg. I was still feeling anxiety, so I decided to quit the Klonopin, as I didn't want to have to keep upping my dose. I was now experiencing more anxiety than I initially did starting on the Celexa. Day 9 of Klonopin was about 76 hours ago. The first day of no Klonopin was not so bad. Yesterday I had more anxiety but it seemed to get better by evening. This morning I woke up on the verge of a panic attack and cannot sit still to save my life. I have had a dull headache for 2 days (I rarely get headaches). I know I was only on a low dose for a short time, but this seems like withdrawal to me. I took Xanax four years ago for several months and had a really difficult time getting off of it. I am also a small woman (5' 2" and 104 lbs.) . Should I just tough it out for a few more days? I really don't want to have to go back on the Klonopin to get rid of these symptoms only to have to taper back off longer than I took it to begin with. Besides, trying to taper off of .25 mg a day seems ridiculous since it is almost impossible to cut a half of a Klonopin in half again. Any advice or encouragement? I know the Klonopin has a longer half-life so it will stay in my system longer. Will these symptoms end soon?
Doctor's Answer
by Roger Gould, M.D., Jul 08, 2003 12:00AM
, Jul 08, 2003 12:00AM
Because Klonopin has a longer life in your body, it is much easier to stop than xanax. It doesn't really sound like a withdrawal to me, it may be more the underlying anxiety that was the cause of taking Celexa and Klonopin in the beginning, or it could still be the agitating effect of Celexa. YOu might try reducing that, the Celexa, for a few days, but certainly toughening it out is the best, and looking into your anxieties with a therapist is still the best way todeal with these issues.
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