Preparing to get off Klonopin

[Steven]

I've been taking 1 mg klonopin for 3 years.[started at 1/2 increased to 1 mg.] for depression, anxiety, and to sleep. This drug has done wonders for me in many ways, but now its time to come off. I've tried to taper off 1/4 at a time, but the hyperacusis [intolerance to loud sounds], lack of sleep, unbelievable groin itching, and my almost uncontrollable talking [feeling high, motor-mouth etc} made me go back on, now I take
1 1/4 at night to feel normal. Since I work as a waiter, I'm going to have to stop working to get off this. Please tell me what to expect, and how long I should plan on being out of work. Also has any one noticed an increase in rate of hair loss from Klonopin?... WILL THE HYPERACUSIS GO AWAY? this is my biggest concern at this time. Please help me. Thank you, Steve.

[Jean1031]

Hi trouble111. I read your post. I really do applaud you for trying so hard. May I ask for your advice with me? See, I was on xanax (3mg) for 6 years. Now, I am on klonopin (1mg) and I want so badly to go off of it. I will be seeing my doctor this Friday. Hopefully (which I am certain) she will put me on something else for anxiety like buspar? Any encouraging words for me? I really want to go off of this and I am scared. My husband and I love the Lord very much and I pray that my day will come and I am no longer on this. You are so correct. This is an EVIL medication. Its awful. Many blessings to you...

[trouble111]

This drug has ruined my life, It needs to come off the market,YOU HAVE TO BE BABY SAT to GET OFF THESES UR FAM HAS TO SUPPORT U ! u cann not do this alone, im on my first week cold turkey off those pills and i feel like, I fcan feel again, im not a zombie, but u do need to be watched u will experience VERTIGO coming off! I am so lucky my sister and her roommate let me stay with them. This is by far the biggest fight for me.I have been in a FOG, and asleep for 7 YEARS OF MY LIFE LIKE AN IDIOT. just eating those pills not admitting I had an issue. Now i m one week out and im DAM PROUD OF MYSELF! but i could never of done this alone.  My sister helped me, we get along better now that im taking steps tp get the hell off this horrid drug!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! its like herion one Dr WOULD NOT EVEN GIVE IT TO ME. HE SAID UR ADDICTTED! Please DONT DO IT ALONE, coming down from these Vertigo is very bad you cant drive i say 2 weeks and ur good YOU Have to WANT TO. I am experiencing Vertigo, but i fell asleep without a pill, i can actually feell things again, im hsappier, and dam proud of myself, but u do NEED TO TAKE AN ANTI SEZIURE MED TO GET OFF THESE.IM NOT THE DOPE GIRL NOMORE!!!!!!!! but U CAN NOT DO THIS ALONE ITS IMPOSSIBLE WITH THE WITH DRAWS YOU GO THROUGH! Very chatty cant make sentences come out, shakey, VERTIGO BAD, BUT BELEIVE IN YOURSELF GET AROUND SOMEONE WHO REALLY CARES ABOUT YOU, I THINK ITS A 2 WEEK PROCESS, YOU HAVE TO FIGHT SO BE READY, I NOW HAVE A GOOD DR THAT UNDERSTANDS BENZO' S ARE VERY ADDICTIVE AND BAD FOR ANYONE. THEY WILL RUEN YOUR LIFE.I lOst 7 years!!!! GONE! if yous have support you can forget it. You will have a seizure if you dont take seizure meds for 1 month  it called GABAPETIN 600 MG 3 times a day but i think i had to take more the first week. I could actually feek the seizure coming on, The first time i tried to take myself off these i did it alone,  i had a aeizure in my car, so I went against my families wishes 3 years ago and weent back on because i was so afraid to have a seizure then i wwnt behind my Drs back who said I have to take klonipin for the rest of my life, and found a Dr admitted I had a problem, and now its the first week I have vertigo cant drive but I now really want to get off of them. Ive been asleep 7 years hiding, The stongest can get ADDICTED and your so lost on these pills, you pussh people away on them, you just wanna be alone, you sleep your life away, you lose years days nights, TIME! I was 2 mlg    times a day, now i cold turkey got seizure meds im good very hopful, didnt like that word on klonipins, i actually smile now, im up cleaning, I can fall asleep but i had to sleep with my sis, at first its hard to lay down and go to sleep without pills but pray i fell asleep praying! theres alot of things I didnt address and let go of on klonipins, good and bad you have to except that and understand you are coming off basically herion, so little things may make you irratable just keep your mouth shut and think before you say something. people around you may not understand, just explain your coming back down to LIFE. I think since I got off cold turkey and took seizure  meds I wouldnt be able to do it! AnD MY SISTER BEING UNDERSTANDING! I GIVE me 1 more week and im fine. dont be a number to these dr EVILS wil not help you, listen to the ones that are against it! they know your addicted but they will keep giving it to you, I took it because I saw my step dad pass infron of me, He was my brother and sister savior, they were a good team. I was sick about it, but I didnt tell anyone. instead i went to a dr he gave me klonipin and i was hooked fast! 7 YEARS AGO! now i see how i have been acting and thats just not normal and not exceptive,  I HAVE BEEN  ASLEEP for 7 years of my life! GET OFF THESE!!!!!!!!!!!!

[robaz]

Buzzing in ears, memory probs, bumping into things. I have all of these things and am trying to figure out how to wean my self off .5 mg/day. Its a small dose but enuf to have a great effect on me (I am extremely sensitive to meds). When I go more than a day or two without it (which I rather unconsciously do every week or so) my anxiety level explodes. This usually happens later in the day, in late afternoon, and up to bedtime. I often take .25 or .5 with Ambien to first, calm down, and second to sleep. Occasionally, I'll take K earlier in the day but not often. I am an impatient sort so I usually give up on longer term titration when I am so feeling anxious I can't stand it. Then I am back at the beginning.  I do exercise daily which helps for a few hours. Without that, and walking, riding my bike, I'd have to check into a hospital. Maybe the valium substitution would work for me. I see my Pdoc in two weeks and will ask. I also take 100 mg of lamictal for bi-polar which helps on the down side (I go 'into the sewer' after two or three days off of lamictal which I foolishly try to do occasionally.

[patriciaangel]

I tried to come off of Klonopin, and I did it to fast, I had a seizer, mispell, so i have tried to do it the right way, i am down to .5 a day, Thank the Lord, so far so good. They are hard to come off of. I too xnax, and valium to and I got off of them easier than Klonopin. God bless you and hang in there

[ccccc698]

It is correct that using Valium to taper off Benzo's is the best idea.  The half life has already been sited here, so I won't go into the details, but the loooong half life of Valuim and its metabolites make it easier to slowly decrease the amount of the drug in your body.  Although this isn't exactly an accurate example, going from K's to valium would be similar to going from Oxycontin to bupinorphin or methadone.  (dont start yelling about methadone.  I know it is stornger than oxy.  I said its not a accurate example but I think the point is still valid)

[healthybodyandmind]

This was the first site I read when I started researching clonazepam withdrawal.  I since found a couple sites that appear very helpful, so i'll pass on the links for anyone who may benefit from them.

http://www.*******.org.uk/forum/
http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/

i've only just begun my tapering from 1.5 clonazepam and it looks like the safest way is to do the most gradual taper as possible, 6 months? a year?  
We'll see!  good luck to everyone.