Preparing to get off Klonopin

[Steven]

I've been taking 1 mg klonopin for 3 years.[started at 1/2 increased to 1 mg.] for depression, anxiety, and to sleep. This drug has done wonders for me in many ways, but now its time to come off. I've tried to taper off 1/4 at a time, but the hyperacusis [intolerance to loud sounds], lack of sleep, unbelievable groin itching, and my almost uncontrollable talking [feeling high, motor-mouth etc} made me go back on, now I take
1 1/4 at night to feel normal. Since I work as a waiter, I'm going to have to stop working to get off this. Please tell me what to expect, and how long I should plan on being out of work. Also has any one noticed an increase in rate of hair loss from Klonopin?... WILL THE HYPERACUSIS GO AWAY? this is my biggest concern at this time. Please help me. Thank you, Steve.

[brad38pm]

Rand I have been on clonsapam 1mg for 11 years now my doctor wants to take me offcold turkey, im so afraid of the withdrawls I was taking it for anxiety and sezure disorder . I told the doctor if you are going to take me off like this please put me in the hospital he said he cannot I don't know what im going to do please if you have any advice to help me contact me at ***@**** thank you .......shantell .

[lymey49]

U have not the first clue about coming off of Klonopin! I have been taking 6mg a day for 9 years. I have tried 3 times to come off of klonopin. It will take Steven at least 2 months to detox off of 1mg of klonopin and then 3 to 6 months (maybe longer) just for the symtoms for detox to go away! But a lot of them may never go away. Detoxing off of klonopin is by no means going to a piece of cake. It takes 90 days of inpatient treatment to get off of 1mg a day of klonopin.

Lea Bell

[Brazi82]

Dear All, Greetings.
I posted to this forum in sep 2011..
I was addicted to Clonazepalm .75 mg to .5 mg a day ! and also .25mg before sleep ,
now i m not that much in to it. worked hard to less the drug. i started it so gradually.
present day i am taking only .25 or .125mg a day ! Thanks Lord for giving this strengths !
And i wish good luck to everyone here who is trying to overcome this.
god bless you all ..

cheers ...

[Ashley5757]

Klononopin does come in a .25 and I have never heard a valium at a 2mg dossage.  Klononpin is one of the hardest to get off due to it having a longer half life than say xanax of valuim.

[Theresa075]

My husband has been on Klonopin for a year and a half for anxiety, had surgery a few months ago and is still on Oxycodone for the pain (which helps the anxiety too), and now is at the point where both of these drugs are no longer handling his anxiety load for any given day.  We have started to look into using alternative, holistic therapies for reducing his anxiety (with herbs like skullcap which is very effective for anxiety and insomnia; I just started to use it myself with amazing results), and once his anxiety load feels minimal, we're hoping to then titrate him down off of the Klonopin slowly.  Has anyone ever used a naturopathic doctor, herbalist, or Doctor of Osteopathy to manage anxiety and then titrate down off of pharmaceutical drugs??  I'd love to hear your experience of how it went.  We have been to Hell and back with my husband's intense anxiety, the horrendous behavioral unit experience, a psychiatrist who barely recommends anything to help including pharmaceutical drugs, and the horrible rollercoaster ride with the different drugs he has had over the last year and a half.  Thanks.

[Hopeeeee]

Im on these meds and I live in a fog now for 12 years. my mind is slow to everything happening around me. I cant keep up, my memory is gone, I had manyyyy  seizures though out these years I dont have epilepsy as I had every single test available done. so they were all side effects. I don't know what I'm going to do to come back to life (be anxiety free and no meds) I just hope I will find a way. I hope and pray
there are a lot of alternatives ways to reduce anxiety, maditaion, clearing ur min, being in a place where you feel safe ( city) people you are confterble with.... Good Luck!

[Jean1031]

Hello Roff. I would like to say thank you for your response. It has helped me and encouraged me. I will try to get that book to. My husband always shares with me how self-help books can really help to. :-) And yes, the Bible is the best!! Amen! When you said that your body will let you know, that made a lot of sense because it is telling me "You can do it. You have your Faith. Its time to go off of it". Amen. But your right, I wont torture myself either. I am getting some memory loss, trouble focusing while on this. Very frustrating for me.
Thanks again Roff. Appreciate it. Blessings to you....

[Jean1031]

Thank you sandstone27 for the tip. I will try that. This sight is so confusing to me..lol..  It is actually my very first time on any post. Thanks again. Blessings to you..

[Roff]

Hello.
Just wondering how your doing since you posted so long ago.  You remind me a bit of myself when I was 19 when anxiety first started for me. I was terrified. Well now I'm 50 years old with a family my own business and again for the third time on benzos low dose klonopin for 6 yrs wondering when it will end. third time in my life. But I hope your doing well and remember dont give up it will be OK. I started reading Hope and help for your nerves by Dr Clare Weekes and its been my bible since i was 25 yrs old. Hope your better

[Roff]

hi ,
Hang in there I have been on klonopin low dose .5 mg for about 3 years now, And prior to that. Ativan, and starting with xanax about 6 years total on these benzos. I lead a pretty normal life but have general anxiety. Every time I try to stop the med whichhas been 100 times I cant.  The day will come be patient. Im 50 years old was on xanax at 20 yrs old came off it within a year then at 25 was on it for almost 2 years and came off it. Your body will let you know. You have to try but dont torture yourself if they help. Thats what they are there for. Its not easy I recomend reading a book hope and help for your nerves its by dr clare weekes, its been my bible since i was 25 along with the true bible, the two will get you through, trust me get the book please, its online very cheap been around for at least 40 years. Good luck to you.

[Roff]

hi ,
Hang in there I have been on klonopin low dose .5 mg for about 3 years now, And prior to that. Ativan, and starting with xanax about 6 years total on these benzos. I lead a pretty normal life but have general anxiety. Every time I try to stop the med whichhas been 100 times I cant.  The day will come be patient. Im 50 years old was on xanax at 20 yrs old came off it within a year then at 25 was on it for almost 2 years and came off it. Your body will let you know. You have to try but dont torture yourself if they help. Thats what they are there for. Its not easy I recomend reading a book hope and help for your nerves its by dr clare weekes, its been my bible since i was 25 along with the true bible, the two will get you through, trust me get the book please, its online very cheap been around for at least 40 years. Good luck to you.

[sandstone27]

Hi Jean,

I would recommend starting your own thread to post your questions and concerns regarding klonopin.  It may get overlooked otherwise.  Just go to the top of your screen and hit post a question, and then you can copy and paste what you just wrote on this thread.  

Well wishes...

Sandstone27

[Jean1031]

Hi trouble111. I read your post. I really do applaud you for trying so hard. May I ask for your advice with me? See, I was on xanax (3mg) for 6 years. Now, I am on klonopin (1mg) and I want so badly to go off of it. I will be seeing my doctor this Friday. Hopefully (which I am certain) she will put me on something else for anxiety like buspar? Any encouraging words for me? I really want to go off of this and I am scared. My husband and I love the Lord very much and I pray that my day will come and I am no longer on this. You are so correct. This is an EVIL medication. Its awful. Many blessings to you...

[trouble111]

This drug has ruined my life, It needs to come off the market,YOU HAVE TO BE BABY SAT to GET OFF THESES UR FAM HAS TO SUPPORT U ! u cann not do this alone, im on my first week cold turkey off those pills and i feel like, I fcan feel again, im not a zombie, but u do need to be watched u will experience VERTIGO coming off! I am so lucky my sister and her roommate let me stay with them. This is by far the biggest fight for me.I have been in a FOG, and asleep for 7 YEARS OF MY LIFE LIKE AN IDIOT. just eating those pills not admitting I had an issue. Now i m one week out and im DAM PROUD OF MYSELF! but i could never of done this alone.  My sister helped me, we get along better now that im taking steps tp get the hell off this horrid drug!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! its like herion one Dr WOULD NOT EVEN GIVE IT TO ME. HE SAID UR ADDICTTED! Please DONT DO IT ALONE, coming down from these Vertigo is very bad you cant drive i say 2 weeks and ur good YOU Have to WANT TO. I am experiencing Vertigo, but i fell asleep without a pill, i can actually feell things again, im hsappier, and dam proud of myself, but u do NEED TO TAKE AN ANTI SEZIURE MED TO GET OFF THESE.IM NOT THE DOPE GIRL NOMORE!!!!!!!! but U CAN NOT DO THIS ALONE ITS IMPOSSIBLE WITH THE WITH DRAWS YOU GO THROUGH! Very chatty cant make sentences come out, shakey, VERTIGO BAD, BUT BELEIVE IN YOURSELF GET AROUND SOMEONE WHO REALLY CARES ABOUT YOU, I THINK ITS A 2 WEEK PROCESS, YOU HAVE TO FIGHT SO BE READY, I NOW HAVE A GOOD DR THAT UNDERSTANDS BENZO' S ARE VERY ADDICTIVE AND BAD FOR ANYONE. THEY WILL RUEN YOUR LIFE.I lOst 7 years!!!! GONE! if yous have support you can forget it. You will have a seizure if you dont take seizure meds for 1 month  it called GABAPETIN 600 MG 3 times a day but i think i had to take more the first week. I could actually feek the seizure coming on, The first time i tried to take myself off these i did it alone,  i had a aeizure in my car, so I went against my families wishes 3 years ago and weent back on because i was so afraid to have a seizure then i wwnt behind my Drs back who said I have to take klonipin for the rest of my life, and found a Dr admitted I had a problem, and now its the first week I have vertigo cant drive but I now really want to get off of them. Ive been asleep 7 years hiding, The stongest can get ADDICTED and your so lost on these pills, you pussh people away on them, you just wanna be alone, you sleep your life away, you lose years days nights, TIME! I was 2 mlg    times a day, now i cold turkey got seizure meds im good very hopful, didnt like that word on klonipins, i actually smile now, im up cleaning, I can fall asleep but i had to sleep with my sis, at first its hard to lay down and go to sleep without pills but pray i fell asleep praying! theres alot of things I didnt address and let go of on klonipins, good and bad you have to except that and understand you are coming off basically herion, so little things may make you irratable just keep your mouth shut and think before you say something. people around you may not understand, just explain your coming back down to LIFE. I think since I got off cold turkey and took seizure  meds I wouldnt be able to do it! AnD MY SISTER BEING UNDERSTANDING! I GIVE me 1 more week and im fine. dont be a number to these dr EVILS wil not help you, listen to the ones that are against it! they know your addicted but they will keep giving it to you, I took it because I saw my step dad pass infron of me, He was my brother and sister savior, they were a good team. I was sick about it, but I didnt tell anyone. instead i went to a dr he gave me klonipin and i was hooked fast! 7 YEARS AGO! now i see how i have been acting and thats just not normal and not exceptive,  I HAVE BEEN  ASLEEP for 7 years of my life! GET OFF THESE!!!!!!!!!!!!

[robaz]

Buzzing in ears, memory probs, bumping into things. I have all of these things and am trying to figure out how to wean my self off .5 mg/day. Its a small dose but enuf to have a great effect on me (I am extremely sensitive to meds). When I go more than a day or two without it (which I rather unconsciously do every week or so) my anxiety level explodes. This usually happens later in the day, in late afternoon, and up to bedtime. I often take .25 or .5 with Ambien to first, calm down, and second to sleep. Occasionally, I'll take K earlier in the day but not often. I am an impatient sort so I usually give up on longer term titration when I am so feeling anxious I can't stand it. Then I am back at the beginning.  I do exercise daily which helps for a few hours. Without that, and walking, riding my bike, I'd have to check into a hospital. Maybe the valium substitution would work for me. I see my Pdoc in two weeks and will ask. I also take 100 mg of lamictal for bi-polar which helps on the down side (I go 'into the sewer' after two or three days off of lamictal which I foolishly try to do occasionally.

[patriciaangel]

I tried to come off of Klonopin, and I did it to fast, I had a seizer, mispell, so i have tried to do it the right way, i am down to .5 a day, Thank the Lord, so far so good. They are hard to come off of. I too xnax, and valium to and I got off of them easier than Klonopin. God bless you and hang in there

[ccccc698]

It is correct that using Valium to taper off Benzo's is the best idea.  The half life has already been sited here, so I won't go into the details, but the loooong half life of Valuim and its metabolites make it easier to slowly decrease the amount of the drug in your body.  Although this isn't exactly an accurate example, going from K's to valium would be similar to going from Oxycontin to bupinorphin or methadone.  (dont start yelling about methadone.  I know it is stornger than oxy.  I said its not a accurate example but I think the point is still valid)

[healthybodyandmind]

This was the first site I read when I started researching clonazepam withdrawal.  I since found a couple sites that appear very helpful, so i'll pass on the links for anyone who may benefit from them.

http://www.*******.org.uk/forum/
http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/

i've only just begun my tapering from 1.5 clonazepam and it looks like the safest way is to do the most gradual taper as possible, 6 months? a year?  
We'll see!  good luck to everyone.

[Brazi82]

Hi Everyone....
I Am On Revotril (Clonazepam) Since 2001,  Not More then (.75 Mg) In A Day, (On a bad day not more then 1 mg). It Helped me a lot, i take it .25 in noon and .25 evening and .25 before sleep (if needed).
But Suddenly since a week i m feeling like addicted to it, may be psychologically.
i have anxiety problem. now trying to quite the drug gradually... please suggest....
I m thinking to go on half dose on alternate day on long time basis.. very gradually . . .
thanks

[Brazi82]

Hi Everyone....
I Am On Revotril (Clonazepam) Since 2001,  Not More then (.75 Mg) In A Day, (On a bad day not more then 1 mg). It Helped me a lot, i take it .25 in noon and .25 evening and .25 before sleep (if needed).
But Suddenly since a week i m feeling like addicted to it, may be psychologically.
i have anxiety problem. now trying to quite the drug gradually... please suggest....
I m thinking to go on half dose on alternate day on long time basis.. very gradually . . .
thanks

[gailgailga]

I have been taking 2 mg. of Klonopin and am tapering off as the generic form is the only one available and that does nothing for me. I may have to start to incooperate a bit of the generic when coming off the name brand...I have a limited amt of the name brand. I have to go with a dose for about 5 weeks before dropping it, the slower the better. THE MFG of this does not know when they will release the Name Brand again if ever...For those who have a hard time tolerating generics as of March the Klonopin name brand was no longer available...Gail..ant advice would be helpful...especially sleep when dropping the dose...

[0421]

I have been on 0.5 mg of Klomopin three times a day for 10 years, I do not abuse this med and somtimes I even forget to take it at night time. I have PTSD. I do not believe that all meds that are prescribe become addiction. I don't watch the clock for the next pill, now the pain pill vicoden I sure did. That is how I knew I was becoming addicted to it. I am still having trouble getting off it. But not everyone that is put on Klonopin get addicted. It is a great med for seizures, also it is sometimes used as a mood stablizer. I know we all have oppinoins on this med. I just hope everyone will be careful to advise anyone how to get off this med, I know for sure that if you stop it cold you could have seizures. So good luck to all that is trying to get off this med. I think (only my opinion) it is a good med to use for panic attacks. thanks for letting me give my opinion

[cookwithkids]

Hello all.  I have been on klonopin for more than 13 years.  A psychiatrist  started me on it when I was having a very hard time while my Mom was hospitalized and very ill, dying.  (The social worker at my Mom's hospital sent me to this psychiatrist.)  I wish this doctor had never put me on this.  She prescribed .5 (one half) mg. daily which I took for about five  years, then I increased it to taking this dosage twice daily.  I have not increased it since, nor do I feel any need to do so.  My weight is about 120 and I am 61 yrs old.  I would appreciate your opinions as to whether this is okay, or not.  Thank you very much.  I do not abuse any substances, infact I don't even drink alcohol.   I do take 10 mg of paxil daily for depression.  

[cjane1969]

I think it depends on each person and the way their body reacts to klonopin. I personally am having a very hard time and only take 1 1/2 mg twice a day, if I am late taking my med i start having withdrawal symptoms. Detox is going to be hell and not looking forward to it plus the fact that I have seizures is going to be worse since that is one of the sides effects of detox.