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Addiction (Expert Forum)
clonazepam
Answered by
Jeffrey T Junig, MD PhD - Psychiatry, Addictions, Chronic Pain Treatment, Anesthesiology, Buprenorphine
Fond du Lac Psychiatry
Fond du Lac - WI
Questions in the Addiction forum are answered by a medical expert.
clonazepam
by georgiagirl59, Mar 05, 2009 04:33PM
Is being on clonazepam 1 mg for 2 years at nite .How do I get off it ?
Doctor's Answer
by Jeffrey T Junig, MD PhD, Mar 11, 2009 10:55AM
, Mar 11, 2009 10:55AM
That is not a huge dose, but if you stop it abruptly you will have some significant insomnia for a few weeks, and maybe some anxiety as well. In general, benzodiazepines (medications that include valium, xanax, ativan... or using generic names, diazepam, alprazolam, and lorazepam, respectively. And Klonopin, or clonazepam) should be tapered and not stopped abruptly. They have a withdrawal syndrome similar to alcohol, and can cause 'DTs' including seizures that can even be fatal. But clonazepam has a long 'half-life'-- the time for half to be removed from the body-- and so it tends to taper itself to some extent. Your doc can give specifics-- you may need to be very careful in the case of some other illnesses, particularly seizure disorders. A 'slow taper' would be to reduce by about 0.25 mg per night every few days.
