Klonopin Withdrawals :(

[hateklonopin]

My doc, AKA quack, had me taking 6mg of Klonopin a day, and if needed I could take and extra 4 if needed. Some days I felt like I needed those extra 4.
Anyway, I wanted off them, the quack was just covering the problem with meds. Now I am suffering with:
Headaches, tremors, want to crawl out of my skin, sudden sharp pains throughout my body, places I have had surgery seem to go numb. Muscles twitch, face feels like it is going numb. Toes feel like they are frozen. sometimes I have nausea. My sex drive has went thru the roof. I have had a low grade fever since I cut the Klonopin way down. Hot flashes, cold flashes, very irritable. I saw a commercial on TV, got so pissed, I called them up and chewed them out.
Does anyone know how long this will all last? And does anyone have ideas to help me cope?
Thank you for your help. And please everyone, do not let a doctor get your body hooked on a benzo....

[hateklonopin]

Thanks Alison,
I am feeling a lot better. Still can't sleep. And the places i have had surgery ache horribly bad. Fever is gone. Still want to crawl out of my skin, but just sometimes. Thank you everyone for your concerns. I never thought I would hate something so bad. I don't need meds to fix the problems in my life, which was causing panic attacks. Like childhood abuse, and all other sorts of stuff. I went to see my ding sister a month ago, and that was the med for me, it brought everything to a whole new light... SHe does not let anything get her down. She has been on her death bed for 4 yrs, and stays so positive... She is my hero...Thank you Angie, you will always be loved and reembered!

[Alisonj29]

We dont have choices for family doctors, there are thousands without one so we basically take whomever is accepting patients. I dont think Buspar is known for withdrawals, but everyone is different. Hopefully with some knowledge on Buspar can help

[hateklonopin]

Thanks Guys for your replies :o)
I did go to my PCM and she has me on 0.5mg twice a day, still feeling all those symptoms. She said she would take a little more off in a month, but she added Buspar...Doesn't that have withdrawls as well?? I have a call into her office, probably won't her from her until next week. 15mg twice a day seems to be a lot.....
I just need a good doc. I live in a bad place to find that... :(

[Alisonj29]

I called my doctor a quack as well! He was always trying to give me more and more meds. For the dose that you were taking, I really hope you didnt just quit completely. That will be so so hard on your body. You need to see someone else that can give you a proper schedule or such to wean slowly. Your body is so use to having a certain amount in your system that it is not going to handle not having it. I hope you can find someone to help you asap and you can safely wean off Klonopin. Please stay in touch and take care of yourself.

[nursegirl6572]

Holy crap!  Does your doc happen to be a vet?....maybe used to doses for a giraffe, elephant, or lion?  Wow, that is an awfully large amount of Klonopin.  Not unheard of in some more severe cases, but in my experience, the higher end of the dosage scale is usually 3-4mg daily.  Typical STARTING dose is only 0.25-0.5 mg twice to three times daily.

Like lydia said...get yourself to a specialist, someone who KNOWS how to safely (and  SLOWWWWLY) taper people off Klonopin.  Call around (or ask your PCP for a referral) and explain your situation before you make an appt....make sure that the doc is knowledgeable in this area and is aware of your situation and the doses you were taking.  Not only do you feel awful, understandably, but there is some risk here too (of seizures) if you have stopped abruptly.  

I couldn't agree with you more than your doc did you a huge disservice but also this is a good time to realize just how important it is that WE educate ourselves about any new med, as the overall responsibility ultimately lies with ourselves.  Not directed at you, but generally speaking....too many people still have a blind faith in docs that they will do right by them and know "best".  This is not your fault, but rather a way to learn just how vital it is to learn what you can about meds.

Wishing you the best, please let us know if we can help you in any way.  Try to let us know how you're doing..and get to that specialist yesterday!  

[RubyWitch]

If you quit cold turkey, that explains why you're feeling like you are. I suggest you find a PMM, a Psychiatric Medication Manager, who will, first of all, stop you from feeling all these horrid w/d symptoms. Then he/she will work on developing a w/d schedule with you that will vastly minimize those symptoms. I understand you want off the Klonopin, but the way you're going about it is just too difficult, it's scary and it will actually take you much, much longer to feel "normal" again if you continue with this method of w/d. If you get the right help, you will be feeling better quite soon.
I do know what you're going through.............many of us do. You will survive and you'll be stronger for it.
Keep well
Peace
Greenlydia