skatootle

[[sk...]]

    I have been taking 1 1/2 mgs of clonazepam for over 15 yrs.  I'm 70 yrs old and think its time to quit.  I haven't been feeling myself for a few years and finally looked this drug up online and yikes the side effects sound like a lot of my problems.  I was given it for dystonia but the only thing I can see that it does for me is put me to sleep which I am sure I am capable of doing without this awful drug.  In 1999 I started going to a botox clinic and have been receiving botox every 3 months since then and the botox doctor just keeps refilling this clonazepam script without a thought.  I don't even think he knows anything about it nor has he ever asked.  I've been feeling very weak in my legs for about the last 3 yrs and this seems to be a side effect of clonazepam because the doctor insists it isn't the botox.  So I want off clonazepam.

 

[[be...]]

 

Hi skatootle Welcome to BenzoBuddies!

 

I am so glad you found us. Many of us here took benzodiazepines for over a decade and successfully got off of them. I think with a sensible taper plan that you can too.

 

You might like to check out The Ashton Manual it is an authoritative source on what to expect in withdrawal and recovery.  Dr. Ashton is an expert in the field. 

 

Please feel free to post to any of the dedicated boards, we have a wonderful community of people here, who will give sound advice. Members have been through all aspects of benzodiazepine use and withdrawal and are more than willing to share their experiences.

 

 

General Taper Plans

 

Please take the time to Create a Signature.  This will allow others to see where you are in the process so they can better support you.

 

Again Welcome! 

 

benzos-R-cruel

 

[[Ca...]]

Hello Skatootle.  I also am in the process of tapering off of Clonazepam.  I started September 2nd of this year.  Based on an article I'd read, I started with a 12.5% reduction from 2 mg/day which I'd been taking for 15 years.  Things went very well for 7 days when withdrawal symptoms were said to peak (Benzo Basics. com).  So after 8 days I reduced my historic dose by 25%.  On the 3rd day after this change, things went downhill.  By the 6th day I was dangerously depressed.  On about the 8th day my mind was so distracted, I was unable to remember what dose I'd taken and decided it was time to retreat.  I went back to my original 2 mg dose and felt much better after 4 days.  Immediately I started tapering again only this time more slowly.  I cut approximately 10% beginning September 27th.  Again, no unbearable withdrawal symptoms.  After 8 days, I was so encouraged by that I started reducing my dose by another 10% or as close as I can estimate it using a razor blade on two 1 mg tablets.  Today, Oct. 9, It is near the end of the 5th day and, again, no unbearable symptoms.  My plan is to continue on with this 20% reduction for another 9 days (2 weeks total) just to make sure I don't have another set back.  There have been waves of anxiety and depression but nothing I haven't been able to live through.  My symptoms typically appear in the early afternoon and I seem to do much better in the evenings.  So I just wait it out, knowing each wave will pass in time.

 

The moral of the story is:  you can't rush it.  I use Professor Ashton's schedule for Clonazepam tapering from 3 mg Clonazepam but start at the 2 mg point.  From there the reductions are about 12.5 % for 2 weeks until you get down to 1.5 mg.  After that reductions are slowed to 10% per two weeks until you get down to 1.0 mg/day.  Then reduction increments are further slowed to 5% per two weeks.  I'm going to use this schedule as a guide and if I have very uncomfortable symptoms I will just hold there until things improve before move down to the next level.

 

Maybe we can help each other.  Best of luck to you,

CallmeIshmael

[[ea...]]

HI Saktootle,

 

I think you have made a very wise decision! I am 64, and took various benzos for about 30 years...the last 12, I was on Klonapin. I was given it for sleep. Like you, I began having a lot of symptoms, and ended up having many medical tests to figure out why. I was diagnosed as having IBS, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and a host of other things. ALL of these things went away once I got off Klonapin! I am 64, and while taking a benzo, began falling a lot. I ended up injuring myself badly...and never once did I, or my doctors, make the connection between the drug and my falling. I learned later that older women in particular are much more likely to fall while taking a benzodiazepine drug. Since getting off, I have not fallen once.

Getting off the drug isn't always easy. I would suggest you start reading around this forum, learning a few things. But I will caution you not to be scared by anything you read! The majority of people do not have much problem getting off - its apparently only a few who do, and this forum attracts those few unlucky souls. I sincerely hope that you are one of the lucky ones.

A good taper will always be the best way to get off a benzo. If your doctor cannot help you with this, just know that many people design their own tapers, as long as they have a prescription. Not all doctors are familiar with how to taper off these drugs...in fact, most aren't.

Good luck...and let us know how we can help you reach your goal of being benzo-free!

east