Weaning off Klonipin

[SarahMumOf3]

I have been taking Klonipin (1mg twice a day) and Serequel (50mg at night) for about 8 months to treat post partum anxiety/depression.  These drugs were a last resort as all the anti-depressants made me worse (panic attacks, paranoia, suicide thoughts etc.).  I feel ready to wean of the klonipin, but have been really scared by all I read about how addictive benzos are and how withdrawal is worse than heroin withdrawal.  I am not against Benzos-they certainly helped me at a time when I needed help.  I am also in cognitive therapy.



What sort of withdrawal effects can I expect.  My Psychiatrist has said I can taper when I feel ready.  Last night I took 0.75 mg instead of 1mg and followed up with the usual 1mg this am.  I have been ok all day although I do feel anxiety now (7pm).  I should add that the situation is complicated by the fact that I am in the hypothyroid phase of post-partum thyroiditis (I had a thyroxine dose increase 3 weeks ago as my TSH was starting to creep up although still in the top normal range) and I am recovering from parainfluenza.



I was planning to cut out .25mg from the pm dose for 2 weeks and then go down to 0.5mg for 2 weeks.  I was then going to do the same with the morning dose until I was at 0.5mg am and pm.  I was then going to taper the pm dose down to 0 using the same approach before hitting the am dose.  I will also need to come off serequel some time.



Is rebound anxiety the only effect I can expect and how long does it usually last when you cut down a dose?  Will it get worse the lower I go?  I am very sensitive to drugs changes, but am committed to doing this sooner rather than later.



Any advice appreciated.  Also is serequel addictive/difficult to come off?

[Roger Gould, M.D.]

Klonopin is the least problem of the benzo family because it is longer acting.  Your schedule of withdrawal is almost perfect, just add that in the last week of cutting down you use the lowest possible dose every third day before you stop.  You can use the same formula for serequel.   You should not have any withdrawal symptoms on that schedule, and if you do, they would be mild g.i. upset, a little anxiety, and maybe a headache or two.

[melanie54]

Hi.  I am currently cutting down my Klonipin.  I originally took two 2 mg tablets twice a day.  I cut it down gradually, however once I hit 1 mg per day, it was hard to cut down from there.  I had talked to my Dr as well about withdrawal symptoms and was just warned about cutting it too soon would cause seizures.  I have had all kinds of withdrawal symptoms since cutting it down gradually from 1 mg for 3 weeks..to .75 mg for three weeks...to .5 mg for 3 weeks.  I got to .5 mg and actually couldn't take the unbearable feelings anymore and I had two finals due this week and had to go back up to .75 mg...  .25 in the morning and .5 at night.  I feel a lot better, but everytime I get down to .5 mg I struggle.  At first I went to the Dr several times because I had migraines everyday.  Then I had a lot of sinus drainage, sensitivity to light and sounds,crazy dreams at night, body aches...then after cutting it down to .5 mgs I experienced a heavy numbness in my face, tingling,serious bloating, disconnected with myself...the list goes on.  And I know that these are not just symptoms of my original anxiety because I was taking them to help me sleep at night.  I was diagnosed PTSD but I was never prescribed any medication for that for years.  And I haven't really been anxious except I would get really paranoid about all of the crazy symptoms I was having...Until I found this web site and consulted a different Dr.  So although  this is the worst I have felt physically in my entire life.  The withdrawal symptoms are normal and just knowing that makes me feel better.  If you do go off your Klonipin you should still have something to help you sleep at night because I had tried to go off Klonipin before and had insomnia for about a week straight until getting prescribed some Trazadone (which is not addictive) to sleep.  But  here is a web site that really helped me out and as far as my situation goes..there are definitely some horrible side effects but it is worth getting through them.  So good luck and here's the site...www.benzo.org.uk

[newman63]

I too am weaning off Klonopin, from 1mg daily

(1/2 AM, 1/2PM) I'm down to 1/4mg AM, 1/4mg PM). Its bearable but clearly not easy all the time.  Does anyone have a reduction regmien that works...like dropping dose every 2nd or 3rd day vs. my approach... drop by a 1/4mg every 2 weeks.??

[fullmergavin]

I was on this drug myself not so long ago for a couple of months. I noticed a lot of these same symptoms. Looking back now, however, speaking as a non medical professional, I think a lot of this can be blamed on mass hysteria, too-just a personal opinion.



I tried quitting cold turkey after about two and a half months of use-didn't work. There was a solid week there where I think that I would've been fully capable of turning the car into the batmobile and building a batcave to go with it, if you know what I mean~.



Eventually, I took a look at my caffeine consumption and my wits returned to me. Some alledge that caffeine can deplete the body's Inositol reserves. That's an alternative medicine mindset, so whether or not there's any legitimacy to that theory, I have no idea. Some of the recent studies though have shown a lot of success with panic disorder by those taking something on the order of 12 grams of Inositol daily, which I would never do, personally. But it goes to show there could be something there, too.



Regardless of the Inositol hype, we do know what excessive caffeine can do to us. Unfortunately, today's doctors have been forced to all but give up hope on any lectures relating to good lifestyle choices.



When I had to go on Klonopin, I wasn't exercising, I was eating 2 fruits and veges a day at best, and was chugging down plenty of soda throughout the day. In my scenario, it was amazing for me to notice the type of changes that came about from making some of the simplest adjustments to my lifestyle.



The other thing that really helped me was Vitamin C (Ester C), believe it or not. I'm honestly convinced of that. During those withdrawals, when I didn't know my rear end from my face (~), I was shocked at how well Vitamin C worked for me. I'm convinced that its effect was every bit as valuable as the Klonopin once I was down to that 0.25 mg daily range. Never noticed the effect when I took the extra C with a multi, but when I took the vitamin C by itself, it really did something for me, and I wasn't imagining that.



Anyway, to make a long story short, after these simple adjustments, I went from 0.5 mg's daily down to 0.25 for a few weeks. Than I just quit, no withdrawal effects the second time around.



Being on this drug for a few months doesn't compare to months or years worth of use, I understand that, nor does anything that I have to say here take away real life issues that might be the source of a lot of these problems for people.



And I don't know a thing about anybody here so I'm not making any accusations with the caffeine or lifestyle issues, but for any of those that have themselves on Klonopin yet are drinking more than 2-3 cups of coffee and/or 5 sodas per day, that might be something to take a look at, too.



Never begin taking any nutritional supplements without first discussing such options with your own doc, too. What works for some might be a danger to the next when it comes to vitamins/supplements, etc.



Good luck.

[kloedanser]

Thanks for the vitamin C info.  I will also look up the Inositol stuff.  I went on Klonopin in late October of 05.  I then noticed in the begining of January that the drug was simply no longer working.  I also noticed a significant weight gain and depression.  I mean, my house looked like a junior high school cafeteria.  So instead of upping the dose, which I was tempted to do, I started to wean myself.  Being of the nervous/panicky sort, I of course read everything the web had to offer.  Twice. LOL... Anyway, I went from 1.5 mg a day (.5 3x day) to just taking .5 2x a day.  First day I thought everyone else was crazy.  Imean, what was the big deal? Day two, I was a little jittery, but hey, it was EASY.  I figured everyone else was just a bunch of crybabies and I was just fine.  This was gonna be cake.  Then day three happened.  I spent most of that day trying to decide which was gonna happen first.  Was my stomach gonna blow out of my *** or was my brain gonna blow out of my head?  Its okay.  You can laugh.  I laugh now, too.  But on day three, if anyone had laughed at me, they would have thought the marines landed.  Days four through eight were pretty much the same.  The migraines had gotten so bad, my hubby (bless his heart, I think he wore a bulletproof vest around me for a while) took me to the ER.  I was crying constantly, with this amazing migraine (I love it when they say "headache" as a w/d symptom) and really, truly incapabale of articulating what was going on.  The ER doc says, why don't I give you something for the pain (you mean besides the eighteen tylenol I have had today?) and I'll get behavioral sciences down here to take a look.  So, I politely refuse pain meds on the presumption that my liver may just disintegrate at that point, and ask for beh. sciences.  Just for those of you who don't know, BS is not a bunch of really great people who know all about benzos and how to help you get off it safely.  This poor little guy comes into my room about 45 mins later, all sweet and sappy, looking for a tree to hug, and finding none available, looks to me.  "I understand that you are having difficulty coping with your drug problems" he says.  "We are here to help all drug addicts and thier families.  I hope you willing to let us help you.  It is time to Let Go And Let God."  I honestly don't know how that guy made it out of there alive.  I think I still have shreds of his faded courduroy pants in my teeth.  And a good sized chunk of Birkenstock, as well.  Sigh.  Poor thing, he was just trying to help.  When the ER doc came back and suggested that I start taking Xanax to help with the "problem" (the problem being me trying to get off of another benzo) I can't remember if I was laughing, crying or throwing up. Ah, yes, it was all three.  Anyway, after almost three weeks, the "headaches" LOL have turned into a dull roar, the stomach aches and cramps have completely subsided, my vision has partly returned and I have stopped wearing sunglasses in the house, and I feel only mostly insane.  Can't wait till my next cut!!  Doc told me to wait two weeks then cut again, but I think I am going with the www.benzo.uk.org deal and cutting SLOW and SMALL.  By the time I am done with all this slivering I am going to have nothing but some pastel peach powder and a razor.  Oh god I'm in hell....Its the EIGHTIES!!!! Good luck...gut it out.  We will all laugh about this together some day.

[WhiteStone]

I've been on and off before...got some paranoia, and the reason I got put back on was for bp.  Anyway, a good and slow regimen for coming off for me was 1 mg a month.  So drop a quarter a week, take a little extra if you need to, and once you get to your final drop, dont just stop, nibble off little amounts for a while or as needed.  soon you'll be off.

[daniac148]

Hello fellow Benzoids. I've been taking 1mg (2 pills) at bedtime for several years. At first, it was to help me sleep, but later I started Trazodone which seems to do the job. (i'm also on effexor and lamictal after a lifetime of what I now see as Bipolar II) Anyway, a couple of years ago I tried to get off the klon, but went insane at .5mg, and memories of recent journeys to hell made me decide to give up and go back to 1mg. Just recently, I felt stable enough to try again. Over 4 weeks, I cut back from 2 pills to 1, a quarter pill at a time. I started feeling dizzy, tired, my guts ached, emotionally dead, waking up in the middle of the night after consequetive nightmares, confused and depressed. That was after cutting just 1/4 of one pill. Then came double vision, lack of energy and appetite. A lot of the symptoms seemed like my "normal" depression, and I didn't associate them with the withdrawal, but after googling for klonopin withdrawal symptoms and reading some of the comments here, I realize it's not a trivial thing to kick this stuff, and that other people are in the same boat. I had to pause for an extra week at 1 pill because it was too much, but last night I cut again to 3/4, woke up several times with a tidal wave of fear. Breathing helps. I'm planning to tough it out, because I don't think the klon helps me any more. Good luck to all.

[kloedanser]

Cut your doses slowly... get a pill splitter.  It is really hard to get off of the K. and if you do it too fast you could end up with extended w/d which I have heard is hell on wheels. Try asking your dr for wafers...they go down to 1/32 and are easy to break off and handle.  I'm still sucking the dust off of my bottle cap for my "1/4" splits, LOL.  Try splitting by 1/16 every six weeks.  Yes, yes, I know, everyone else says 1/4 every two weeks, but unless you really dig feeling like ****, try the smallest cut you can, for the longest time you can. I use my body as a meter...when I feel like I have fully "recovered" from the last cut, I cut again.  That  is about every six weeks for me. Good luck to us all.