Withdrawing from Klonopin

I have been on .5-1 mg clonazepam everyday for 8 mths. I have gone down to .5 for about a month now and have been okay. I recently started having some anxiety,  irritabilty,fatigue, sick feeling, depression, insomnia, other mental disturbances. I went to my doc to help me taper off and he gave me atarax to help with the withdrawal symptoms, Which I have not tried yet. I am haivng trouble going down lower than .5/ Every night for the last week I have been in agony trying to not take more than .25 but I can't seem to get through the night. Will this get better? Does it sound like theres something else weong or normal withdrawal? HAs anyone tried atarax or should I go to a detox specialist.? Could this be a fatal situation? I really want to wean  off of this drug but its proving to be very challenging. ANy suggestions or support woul be helpful. Thanks

[Alisonj29]

Its not a fatal situation so dont worry too badly over that. I have never heard of atarax, normally they give you diazapam to get off another Benzo. Atleast that has been my experience. I know this may sound weird but instead of going right down take the pill and shave alittle of it. Shave some each night, not alot but some. Do that for a week and then next week shave alittle more off. Keep up with that for a week and so forth. If you feel you are experiencing more anxiety symptoms as opposed to withdrawal then see your doctor and let him know that you feel its anxiety and not withdrawals. I was successful in getting off ativan by using the shaving method. I spread it out over a certain amount of time and I had no withdrawals at all. However I did not go cold turkey of all anxiety meds, I still need them.
Good luck

[lanvin]

Thanks for your response! What did you use to shave the pill down with? Were you taking multiple benzos at once? I am wondering if I might need to get on something else, but benzos are soo hard for me to give up , but I hate being dependent on them.

[mammo]

Atarax (Vistaril) helps with anxiety, alcohol withdrawal and several other things.  It's difficult to say if this is withdrawal or if you still need the medication. Nobody likes having to take medication everyday, but anxiety is like any other medical condition that requires daily medication to control the symptoms.  Too many get caught up in because it's "mental" we should be able to do this on our own, which is rarely the case. If you still have a lot of anxiety, this may just be your body's way of saying you still need the medication, and that's okay.  I hope this helps, and you can start feeling better quickly.  Take care.

[nursegirl6572]

Hello!  8 months is long enough that you could very well be experiencing a withdrawal syndrome, which is common with benzos, and Klonopin is no exception.  First, you are going about it correctly by doing this with your doctor.  You really don't have to worry about any "danger" aspect as long as you continue to taper.  It's more the "cold turkey" scenarios or very rapid tapers from high dose regimens that pose the greatest risk.  

Klonopin is a bit trickier than the other benzos because it is a long-acting med, meaning it builds up at the plasma level, allowing for a more steady, consistent anti-anxiety effect, whereas meds like Xanax and Ativan work much quicker, but they have a much shorter half life.  Therefore, a longer, more deliberate taper is necessary with Klonopin to minimize w/d symptoms.  Keep in mind that unfortunately you may not get away without ANY discomfort, but if you do this slowly, and properly...the symptoms will be much more bearable.  You need to discuss the exact taper with your doc, but basically, there needs to be a longer span in between tapering down each increment, again, because of the half life.  If you go too quick, the symptoms will be worse.  The good news is, your dose was pretty manageable, so hopefully you will be able to get through this without TOO much discomfort. Also, Klonopin is available in wafers that allow for properly breaking down the med into the right dose.  The "shaving" off suggestion is understandable but not actually the best way to do it, as you are not going to be getting exact doses each time.  It could interfere with the taper.  Ask your doc to Rx the proper dose.

Best advice to you is to keep working closely with your doctor, and be realistic, you will likely have rebound anxiety and not feel top notch, so be patient and try not to expect that you will not have ANY symptoms.  If you really are suffering, it wouldn't hurt to seek out another doctor (psychiatrist)...some are more well versed in discontinuation syndromes than others.

Lastly, to repeat what mammo said....please be sure to evaluate your actual NEED for this med.  To medicate or not is always a personal choice, with many differing opinions...but do not feel the need to d/c the med solely based on "I hate being dependent on such and such med".  Depression, anxiety, etc....are illnesses that need treated just like diabetes, hypertension, etc.  Don't put undue pressure on yourself if you REALLY need the meds.  If you DO decide to continue to d/c Klonopin, have an alternate plan ready to treat the reason you went on it in the 1st place.  Start addressing the anxiety now..and try to be patient as you can expect a temporary increase in symptoms while coming off the Klonopin.

Good luck to you...hang in there...keep us in the loop!

[Alisonj29]

The wafer form of Klonopin is NOT available everywhere for everyone. The shave down method is very safe and was approved by different doctors.
I just used a butter knife and took alittle off at a time. And Yes I was on both Ativan and Klonopin, weaned off the ativan and am still on klonopin

[nursegirl6572]

Hi there Alison!  You are right that the wafers are not available everywhere, and in some cases, even not covered by some insurances.  It still wouldn't hurt for the OP to inquire about it, as narrowing down the dose as close to the targeted increment is an optimal choice, if possible.  

OP...discuss the dosing schedule with your doc and ask him/her to try to accomodate the taper as closely as possible.  By working with your pharmacy and your doc, you can find out what options you have, which will allow your doc to make any changes needed, or advise you how to proceed.

As Alison and so many of our members who have successfully tapered off these kinds of meds know....it is a process that is best not rushed....and patience is a must!  I hope you get some relief soon!

[lanvin]

I really appreciate everyones input!! I started having major panic and anxiety postpartum and its been awhile since then and I just figured I should feel better by now, but I think I will see my psych, he is against benzos so he will prob try to find me something non habitforming and I think with diet and exercise I can make it w/o benzos. I really appreciate the responses , its very comforting, and I am trying to go as slow as possible but I have good days and bad ones.

[Alisonj29]

Good Luck, I hope that they find something that works well for you and you can be a success story in here in no time. Dont focus on the bad days, everyone has them, its the good days that matter!