Can klonopin withdrawal cause agoraphobia?

[NJCherub216]

I had my first panic attack in 10-08 which I know came from chronic stress from a job. After that first episode I began to have repeated attacks everyday. I ended up in the ER twice, did EKG, xray, holter monitor all came back fine and labled me with panic disorder. Xanax worked at first but started to wear off too quickly. I was put on 10mg lexapro and 1mg klonopin 3 x a day. I never wanted to be on drugs but in the hospital I was desperate for relief. I took the lexapro for 2 months and actually got more palpitations from it so I started to wean off and am now off of it for 2 months. The klonopin I managed to wean down to only .25 mg each day and am now having a hard time getting off that small dose. I also started developing agoraphobia this past month, I was better last month and now it seems like a downward spiral. Everytime I leave the house I force myself because I know I have to to get better but my chest gets so tight I cant stand it and I get short of breath like someone is sitting on me. Sometimes I forge ahead but other times are so bad I turn around and go home. Eventhough I am exposing myself to things it doesnt seem like it is getting easier each time I do it. It feels like pure torture. I also feel so fatigued that there are days I can get out of bed, my heart starts racing from just standing over the stove to cook breakfast. I have been seeing a CBT and hypnotherapist for the past month twice a week but I feel I am getting worse instead of better. Maybe it is the drug still playing with my system and causing more symptoms but no one seems to understand. Please help I feel like I have become a prisoner. I cant even enjoy going out with my kids and doing things together like a movie or a day trip and I cry all the time cause Im so depressed and frustrated by this whole mess and having no relief in site or hope that it will go away so I can be normal again. I was even walking last month for about a mile and now I cant even do that because I get apprehensive when I venture too far and then become nervous.Six months ago I was perfectly fine, driving anywhere, sitting in traffic, going to New York with my kids, going places alone no problem. Now I cant even cook dinner because I am too weak or take care of myself. I used to be so independent. Now I cant even function and it is killing me. Please any advice? thank you.        

[MrGreen]

I answered your post on the agoraphobia forum. Bit different in ways to the answers above. Don't forget to have a gander back over that way.

[nora006]

I agree with Paxiled. It is difficult to know if the agoraphobia is caused by the tapering of Klonopin or if it is your original problems that resurfaces again. 0.25 mg per day is a very small dosage and you've not been taking Klonopin for very long.
Sometimes if the underlying cause of anxiety has not been sorted out, tapering off drugs prematurely will only make the anxiety/original problems resurface and therefore the drug itself  is not always to blame.
Anxiety can easily generalize if not treated (i.e go into agoraphobia or other phobias).  
Sometimes we need drugs to control anxiety to a degree to which it is possible to do the necessary psychological work and gain new confidence(or reassociate with earlier confidence).

Nora

[Paxiled]

There's no way to know the cause from your description; most mental disorders like agoraphobia seem to come from nowhere.  We were all perfectly fine until we weren't.