I would like to wean myslef off of Clonazepam

[MEMAW694]

I have been on Clonazepam for about 7 years. I take it 3 x a day 1mg. I would like to stop taking
it all together. Right now I have gone from taking it 3 x a day two times a day. How can I go about weaning myself off it all together?

[nateTHEgreat]

   Hi there I am also on Clonazepam and I have been on it for the last 5 years it has totally destroyed my life.. I will spare you the details... I would talk to your doc about switching your Clonazepam over to Valium... The recommended benzo for tapering since it has a half life of two hundred hours it will make the tapering tolerable.. I would not recommend tapering just off of the Clonazepam because it is so potent..  I am currently using my Clonazepam to taper off Ativan which I have been taking on and off for 1 1/2 years....   God Luck and God Bless....   P.S.  You can do it, your body and your mind will thank you for it....  If you have anxiety issues try going the natural route... I wish I did..   Take Care..

[mystruggle]

i read in another post about your pdoc having you on ativan and clonazepam at the same time. i can almost guarantee that major problems didn't occur until the ativan was thrown into the mix. i know we aren't suppose to call doc idoit's and moron's etc. but i will say that this type if med regiment seems to be irresponsible.

i believe the best route that could have been taken was when you initially got on the klonopin that you sought treatment in from of talk therapy and CBT along with lifestyle changes in diet, exercise and relaxation techniques. this helps out alot. i'm going through it right now.

as i concurred with ryan awhile back, it seems like the only times that people have trouble with klonopin are 1. when it is mis prescribed or prescribed with another med. 2. when they are abused. 3. when someone tries to get off of them before they have had a corrective emotional breakthrough through therapy CBT etc. and 4. when they are weened or tapered incorrectly.

clonazepam is a good long term maintenance med for anxiety/panic. just seems you got some wrong info. way back and now you need to adjust and get rid of the ativan and get some other things corrected. you will be fine. i can see how 2 benzo's could reak havoc on you emotionally and physically. it will pass my friend just stand strong and try to exercise and do relaxtion exercises as much as you can until you are off the ativan. then if you still feel the same way, you the valium as stated to get you completely off the clonazepam if that is still your choice at the time.

then take it from there. God Bless.... you will be fine.

p.s. i see you are 25 years old and if you been on K for over 5 years, your initial dr. should have tried some other measures before just putting you on klonopin. i could be wrong here, as i don't know all the details of your situation. but this can and will all be fixed. later buddy..

Jay

[mystruggle]

actually that post was to nate the great.

memaw. are u feeling better now and feel it's time to get off the clonzepam? 1mg 3x's a day is considered a decently high dose. i must have made some major improvements for you. let me know i'm interested. thanks.


Jay.

[nateTHEgreat]

    Thanks for your response , I just want me back that's all, and now it seems almost impossible and unattainable. I lay awake every night thinking of ways to end this nightmare that I am living in everyday. I know that this is a cop out but sometimes feels like the only viable solution when you are suffering immensely.  I used to be high functioning I used to be extremely social and now my brain feels like mush... It just seems like there are no good doc's here in Canada.. My family can't even comprehend what I am going, I feel like I am going Insane and my body feels like I am 80....

[mystruggle]

it will pass. follows Ryan's taper schedule and it will get better. don't ever make a perminent solution to a temporary problem. this will pass. alot of people have gone through it and are fine now. you just have to tough it out. occupy your mind as much as you can with things. anything from reading to movies, to video games, to exercise. draw. write a journal. do those things constantly to get your mind off your problems. and if you want a sure fire way to beat depressed feelings....and it works everytime. GET OUT OF YOURSELF! it's easy. go help someone else out with their problem. go around looking for people to help. it's magic! and it works every single time. really go help people from anything from housework to talking to them and listening to them about their problems. go volunteer. anything you do to help someone else will comeback to you 10 fold in the positive. maybe not within 10 minutes, but it will and this will pass. you brian is not mush. you are fine and will be fine. just takes some time to get that ativan out of your system. when that's gone, you'll be a whole new person again.

[Dee843]

I am on my own tappering myself of clonazepham.  I do not have the support of my Doc. and at this time I am uninsured.  I know that my bodies dependency on clonazepham is preventing my from achieving my full potential personally and professsionally.  I am determined to go through the withdrawls.  Through this experience I have gained a more compassionate view of what indivduals with illegal drugs withdrawl experience.  My whole body aches like I've been in a serious car accident.  My mind is foggy.  I am terrified of lossing my job as an adjunct professor.  Any natural formulas to help me function through this ordeal will be so much appreciated.

Dee843

[Annabk]

Hi everyone,

I would also be deeply grateful for any suggestions (including natural remedies) on how to ease Clonazepam withdrawal.    I - unwisely - decided to go cold turkey after tapering down for a short while, when the prescription ran out and I was in between doctors.  It has now been 2 weeks but I still feel awful: extremely dizzy and discombobulated, irritable and with anxiety and dread that seems to border on the psychotic at times.  When I finally get to sleep, panic attacks wake me up.  I have been taking Vistaril for anxiety and will hopefully see a dr in another week, but I am determined to stay with this since I've already been through the hell of going cold turkey.  

Can anyone tell me how long these withdrawal symptoms last?  Will having taken Clonazepam leave permanent effects?  I agree that volunteering and getting out are very helpful in easing the withdrawal symptoms - but as I mentioned would be very grateful for any further advice, including some about herbal remedies. (I wish the drs who so quickly and casually prescribed Klonopin for anxiety had warned me - - why is there such a preponderance of over-prescription in this country? - But knowing this, I should now research meds on my own before taking them.  Not many drs have necessarily taken these drugs themselves and they may not thoroughly appreciate how hard they can be to get off of).  
Thanks very much!

[missybooo]

hi, i am new to the forum and have been on clonazepam for a year now....4mg by my former dr.  i told my therapist who i started seeing after i started taking the meds that i wanted off about 2 months ago.  she tapered me down each month by 1mg.  i am now on 2mg.  my problem is, is that i thought after taking 2mg for 2 weeks i went to 1mg, with her permission, for a week then stopped for a few days.  i started feeling nausea, insomnia, blurred vision, studdering, shaking like i was having a stroke and have been in bed for a week now.  i am back on the 2 mg for the past 4 days but the withdrawals havent gone away with the meds back in my system.  QUESTION:  at this point should i be tapering down by .5mg each month instead of 1 mg? and because i am back on the meds, is it the meds that is causing this?  im not even sure anymore what is causing me to be soooo sick.  please anyone with knowledge help out.  thanks, missybooo

[RCA759I]

Rate of taper for Clonazepam should not exceed...

-0.5 milligrams/two weeks at daily dosages between 4-8 milligrams.

-0.25 milligrams/two weeks at daily dosages between 2-4 milligrams.

-0.125 milligrams/two weeks at daily dosages between 0.5 -2 milligrams.

The greater the dosage, the easier it is to taper initially. Dosage reductions below 1 milligram tend to be more problematic, with the final 0.5 milligram dose representing the greatest difficultly in the majority of cases - particularly in those folks who have taken moderate (2-4 mg) dosages in excess of four months.

A 1 milligram reduction/month is far too great of a reduction for most. If need be, the dosage may be reduced very gradually in 0.125 mg decrements until discontinued. It is helpful if the Clonazepam is dosed at a minimum of twice daily (optimal - three-to-four times daily), as the level would accumulate in the plasma, and could then be gradually subtracted from - minimizing the risk of severe withdrawal effects. The goal of discontinuing a Benzodiazepine is to prevent abrupt peaks and troughs in the blood plasma level during the discontinuation phase.

Sample Schedule - Discontinue Klonopin, 2 mg...

Step 1: Transition to q.i.d. dosing. To do this, take 0.5 mg of Klonopin in the morning, 0.5 mg in the afternoon and 1 mg at night. After two weeks, take 0.5 mg every six hours (four times daily). By spacing out the dosages, the accumulation (overlap) is increased from 1.5 to 3 times that of the steady-state plasma level. This overlap will aid in the gradual decline of the drug in the plasma as it is discontinued.

It is important that you do not attempt to rush the process. Equally as important is that you control the taper, or in other words, decrease the dosage at your own pace. If you experience issues, stop and wait for a week or two before proceeding. Once you begin to taper, it is important to press forward without going backwards (do not take more Klonopin). The following schedule is a guideline to help you. It is adequate for most, but should be adjusted to suit your particular requirements:

Weeks 1-2: Morning (0.5 mg), Afternoon (0.5 mg), Evening (0.25 mg), Night (0.5 mg).

Weeks 2-4: Morning (0.5 mg), Afternoon (0.25 mg), Evening (0.25 mg), Night (0.5 mg)

Weeks 4-6: Morning (0.25 mg), Afternoon (0.25 mg), Evening (0.25 mg), Night (0.5 mg)

Weeks 8-10: Morning (0.25 mg), Afternoon (0.125 mg), Evening (0.25 mg), Night (0.5 mg)

Weeks 10-12: Morning (0.25 mg), Evening (0.25 mg), Night (0.5 mg)

Weeks 12-14: Morning (0.25 mg), Evening (0.25 mg), Night (0.375 mg)

Weeks 14-16: Morning (0.25 mg), Evening (0.25 mg), Night (0.25 mg)

Weeks 16-20: Morning (0.25 mg), Evening (0.125 mg), Night (0.25 mg)

Weeks 20-24: Morning (0.25 mg), Night (0.25 mg)

Weeks 24-28: Morning (0.125 mg), Night (0.25 mg)

Weeks 28-32: Morning (0.125 mg), Night (0.125 mg)

Weeks 32-36: Morning (0.125 mg every other morning), Night (0.125 mg)

Week 36-40: Night (0.125 mg every other night for two weeks, then 0.125 mg every third night for an additional two weeks)

Week 40: Discontinued.

While this method likely appears very slow to you, Klonopin is a very potent drug. It significantly alters brain chemistry, and that takes time to revert back to baseline. A long time in most cases. By following the kinetics of the drug in a reverse fashion, it is possible to greatly minimize symptoms of withdrawal.

-Ryan