Getting off Klonopin

[ktyqueen]

I'm in desperate need of help.  I was taking Klonopin for 2 years at 2mg a day.  I'm currently trying to get off it. It was prescribed to me for sleep and it wasn't working. My psychiatrist just kept upping the dosage.  I figured it was better to just get off the drug than have him continue to up my dosage.  

I started to taper off at 12% in April.  That means I cut down my 2mg pills to 1/8th every two weeks.  Making my total withdrawal time 4 months.  I've had withdrawal symptoms the entire time, but I just tried to cope with them as best I could.  

I took my last dosage on Saturday and I've had the worst side effects so far: Panic attacks, depersonalization, diarrhea, insomnia...etc.

The panic attacks were unbearable, so I went back on the .50 mg of Klonopin (a dose I was more comfortable with).

The problem is, I don't know what to do now.  My doctor is useless and I'm afraid any other psychiatrist is just going to prescribe me Valium while I'm trying to taper. I don't want to trade one drug for another.  I'm trying to just taper off the Klonopin without the use of another drug.

I was going to try tapering again, but at 5% this time.

Does anyone have any advice?  I'm feeling really hopeless and lost here.

thanks

[Alltay]

I am very sorry to hear about the hell you are going through. My psychiatrist gave me klonopin 2mg/day with other prescriptions only to be taken as needed. Each month I would refill the script, and soon I had hundreds of pills and began abusing them. Later I was honest about my benzo use, and he corrected the problem. There are medications unlike benzos that will help with sleep and anxiety that are non-habit forming. They also won't produce a dependency that keeps requiring a higher dose. The best thing I did was to find a doctor/psychiatrist that dealt with addiction. I was able to find safe medications. You can die from benzo withdrawals! My doctor made the transition off klonopin somewhat comfortable. GOOD LUCK!

[wendywu2]

I apologize, like you needed my breakdown! I am trying so hard to do this! I have spent my entire life fighting outside negativity, brutal and hateful behaviors that others have selfishly
inflicted upon me. Now, after having overcome all of those horrific things, and living a fairly decent life, I got this disaster, they call it klonopin w/drawl SYNDROME!! It has it's own Syndrome?? That ***** to Not take Drugs all your life, fear of mind altering substances. Only to get the Worst possible ones from a prescribe Medication!! I look like some kind of freak out there, and I'm losing everything to this!! I took 8 mg first few years, and down I tapered myself! The Dr's kept telling me not to consider going off unless I had 30 days
to spend in-patient at the hospital! Three kids, my pets, a  useless partner... HMMM Yea right 30 days! Now i see why, but this is waaaay past 30 days? What did they have planned after that? I have read these symptoms last for 1-5 years!! I will Not make 5 years! I have an extremely high tolerance to pain, and medicaions etc.. but this is Incredible. I wake up to arthritic pain like I was 90 years old, Back feels like its scraping bone to bone. There are so many aches and pains, and the mental Torture is inexplicable!! I can't spend all of everyone's time saying each one I have had. I can say that they seem to come in groups, eg. Back pain, panic attacks, jaw grinding, electric head hocks, and vibration under my feet all at one time, is 1 group. Then If they go for 2 weeks-2 months there's a whole other group of them right there to take their place. Then it keeps coming back! For example, I am on day 5 of the SHIP EFFECT! I feel like I'm on a ship at sea. The world goes Up and Down all day Long!! That actually is one of the easier ones! Keep reading the symptoms, you will start to understand, if that is any help. But I Hope we both get thru this somehow real soon! I don't even want to try at this point.
It was like I blinked and I got hit by a BUS! I looked away for a second, and I had No Clue All of this crap had anyhing to do with the Withdrawl. That is the worst part. I have been so mean to myself, I can't forgive myself or seem to accept it is this withdrawl! I am Humiliated beyond belief, and I still have too much.... Everyday! This is 5 complete months now, it is actually longer, but it was such a blur. I have to count the few days I went back on 6 months ago! I only took 1/4 of a MG for 2 weeks back then everyother day, to incorperate the valium in as prescribed by the doc's.
After taking it like I had 16 years, 8 mg's the first 2 years, then  4 mg's for 7 years, then 2 mg's for 3 years and then 1 mg the final 4 years, I guess even that was too much! The reasons I took it seem like such minor problems compared to the devastation it has caused! I am begging people to think about askng for a different less angerous drug!! They even use this as a muscle relaxer! Imagine that.. with all of the others out there, they prescribe KLONOPIN! I call this satans drug, and always have!! I hope you find something in this to help?? I apologize if I seem negative, but I am only telling the truth!

[wendywu2]

I need help! I had taken Klonopin for 16 years or more! I came off 3x in the past cold turkey, which left permanent damage. I was hospitalized all three times!! The I began tapering off 15 years ago.. Now in Sept. 2009, I had a Nervous Breakdown, and I can't really say which came first the withdrawl or the Breakdown. either way, I started just briefly back on to taper off using Valium, under Dr.'s care this time. I am going fricken crazy!! I so Badly want to kill myself, and I am the type that would! I have that Overwhelming feeling of Self Hatred! I have been critical of my self to a point, but this is waaaay out of hand! It's just this time, I don't necessarily want to kill myself, but I most definitely want to be dead? I have 3 small children (10, 12, &15 yrs.), and I have No control over anything!! I have read the symtoms, and thanks to my Dr.and his brilliant Hind site!!! I was LOST, and now I have the validation, but I feel like I am running out of time! The worst part is it seems like I have almost all of the symptoms.. but I found out too late! I have the worst feelings of needing to get out of my own skin, Hating myself, and panic attacks for the smallest of things! I am in an Terrible relationship.. I ended it this morning for the 5th, or 6th time. I don't care about anything but stopping this NOW!! Should I go back on??? I don't know if that is the best idea, but is killing myself better??

[my_mayberry]

you mention being affraid to trade one drug for another...but the reason valium is used is because of the longer half-life...thus in general it is actually less addicting. like phenobarbital vs amytal....long acting benzo's are better for withdrawal and generally less addicting. that being said, your fear is somewhat legit since valium certainly has been massively abused in the past.

generally, though, when used in the setting of a taper...its rare that people actually replace their old addiction with another. yes, you become dependent on the drug...but thats the point....its easier to taper when a person is dependent on valium vs a shorter acting benzo.

whatever you decide, best of luck...but if you've already tried taper via klonopin and it didn't work, then you should consider finding a doctor to discuss using valium with. i've never heard of anyone having a problem with this method...but hopefully if there's anyone out there who has had a problem with it, they'll speak up.

another forum you might try to post this in is the anxiety forum. you might ask who has experience with w/d and what the easiest method was for them...whether it was staying on the same drug or switching to valium. they have a lot of experience with benzo's in that forum and you might find some more help.

[avisg]

You are tapering slowly which is great .There is a doctor that is an expert on coming off benzos her name is dr heather Ashton she is from the UK put her info in search,

[ktyqueen]

The drug wasn't helping, but I also want to be drug free.  I've found the cause of my sleep issues and am working with a Naturopathic doctor to try to fix it, but it's hard for him to attack issues I'm having when I'm going through withdrawals. The klonopin withdrawals are causing my insomnia to be worse, but my Naturopath can't fix the actual sleeping issue I was having before I even started klonopin since I'm still on this stupid drug.  I want to get off this drug so that I can actually fix my health properly. Not just be taking prescription medication for the rest of my life.

[jordy662]

Is it a matter of being drug free or just that Klonopin wasn't working well enough? I really do not have any advice on this because I know very little about it.  However, I can tell you this.  I had a friend who has taken Klonopin for about 18 years, his doctor suggested that he stop taking it.  The Doctor said taking this for so many years concerned him.  He didnt sugggest to stop cold turkey but to look for alterantive meds. His family doctor sent him to a speicalist, I do not know how it has worked out because I haven't talked to him in about 2 weeks but I know he too was having a hard to with his taper of Klonopin.  So know that this is not easy and your not alone in this problem.  There may be something that works better, or if it's a matter of being free of meds, continue the fight.