Hello and Greetings Here's to my Second Attempt at Complete Removal of Clonazepam from my Life

[[Ra...]]

Hi I'm happy to have found this website. I've been taking clonazepam (klonopin generic Teva brand) for just over 10 years. In a nutshell, I began taking clon for anxiety/depression which I've had since childhood. Always had an exaggerated reaction to stress in areas of social (school, work, gatherings, etc.)  I've never been to a ball game or concert because of the anxiety it would cause at the thought of being in the mix of so many people. By the age of 22 I had had 120ish jobs. Some lasting a day, some lasting maybe week or a month. Eventually I became self employed selling online since I could work around my condition. Anyway, after six years of taking 2mg per day (one mg upon awakening and one mg before going to bed) I decided to stop taking the medication. Somewhere inside me I just felt the need to. I still experienced anxiety and depression and social situations were still unnerving. So I decided on a rather fast taper, cutting my dose in half for one week then to nothing. That was an obvious mistake for my chemistry anyway. It took about two weeks to begin to feel somewhat normal. During those initial two weeks without any clonazepam I experienced a vast array of withdrawal symptoms including what appeared to be pink eye in both eyes though it resembled more like demon eyes. They were so red it was scary. I lost significant strength on my right side (I am left handed luckily), could not fall to sleep for several days without that "kick to the gut" feeling which would pull me right out of that "just about to go to sleep feeling". I lost my appetite at first then it came on so strong i couldn't get enough to eat. I had what I've read to be "brain zaps" that would come and go. I noticed that when I looked at anything with a straight edge like the corner of a wall, a street sign, etc. it would appear to start vibrating or moving slightly but ever so fast. Hard to explain but I could not drive during this period. I also experienced some of the most lucid dreams (not frightening) I've ever encountered and still remember them as if they were a part of something that happened in real life. The list goes on.

 

Once I hit the three week mark I began to feel euphoric. My mood was incredibly well. I laughed about the silliest things and the colors of the trees, flowers, everything was once again sharp, clear and so beautiful.  For the first time I sat and talked with my step-son for hours. I had always avoided him in the past. As I began to venture back out into the world I was amazed by everything. I could go into a crowded mall and not have hands dripping with sweat. I began working out again. Something I had stopped doing for six years. I used to box, lift weights, and do mma back before there was such a thing. Then something happened. I began to feel the anxiety and depression creeping back in. Within days I was back inside, reclusive, emotional and all I seemed to be able to do was read books. My life had closed in once again. I thought that it may be a temporary hitch and tried riding it out for a couple more weeks but to no avail. It was getting worse. Life was quickly becoming meaningless and I decided to take "just one" to see if it would help. That "just one" led me back in daily dosing.

 

Currently I am taking .5mg three times a day. My Doc and I tried various methods to counter what became an obsession for researching what to take next. Finally after months of reading, I found that for some a combination of low doses of Aleve (naproxen) and dextromethorphan would alleviate both the anxiety and depressive states. For me it was an instant success. However, it also became a nightmare in itself trying to regulate how much of which to take and when. I began a mood journal to track what I was taking to try and identify what seemed to be the 'magic mix'.  After a solid year of tracking I found no common theme, no correlation. That began three years ago.  Yes, I've been taking low doses of both naproxen (110mg) twice a day and 5-10ml of dextromethorphan usually every day though I tend to skip it when I feel somewhat balanced. Side note to this drug... it is the main ingredient in NueDexta, a new drug used to treat bipolar disorder. Never clinically diagnosed, I've suspected bipolarism to be the culprit for years since my mother was diagnosed. Her mother apparently had it as well. I share the same mood swing anomaly. Some days I'm on top of the world and other days I don't want to leave the bedroom. So much for "nut-shelling" this, sorry

 

Moving to "now", my goal as mentioned at the beginning is to remove clonazepam from my life because I do not want to increase the dosage to get out of tolerance withdrawal and it hasn't been nearly as effective (for me) in treating my specific conditions as low-dose dextromethorphan and naproxen has. Though I would like to think that I can find the root cause of my anxiety/depression and remove those as well since both are not good on the internals.

 

I am seeking advice from fellow BenzoBuddies members in hopes to accomplish my goal of becoming benzo free.

 

Thank you!

 

RangerNineFive

[[Ju...]]

 

Hello RangerNineFive,

 

Welcome to BenzoBuddies.

 

I'm sorry you've had difficulties in trying to discontinue Klonopin.  I believe your mistake the first time was attempting a rapid taper.  A slow taper of reductions of no more than 5-10% of current dose, every 10 to 14 days, seems to serve many folks well.  

 

I would try tapering much more slowly this time, if I were in your shoes.  Also, going on and off benzos can trigger in some folks a phenomenon known as kindling.  When this occurs, subsequent withdrawals may be more severe than the previous one.  For this reason, I'd want to take my taper slowly.

 

You can do this!

 

Here are some helpful links:

 

The Ashton Manual.  

 

Withdrawal Support, (during your taper) 

 

General Taper Plans 

 

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

 

Juliea

            

[[co...]]

Welcome, RangerNineFive. You're not alone and I think you'll find a lot of helpful support here! I found your introduction interesting because it has been questioned by several doctors if I was bipolar due to a severe reaction I had to the antidepressant, Lexapro. When I took it I experienced insomnia, brain zaps, heightened anxiety, and akathisia. I contacted my doctor and stopped taking it immediately. I felt down that it didn't work for my anxiety/depression but then experienced several weeks of happiness and a "renewed outlook" on life. I don't think it was full-on manic, but for the first time in a long time I felt happy and like I was seeing everything in the world for the first time again. Colors seemed brighter, people seemed friendlier, it was actually quite enjoyable lol. But it didn't last and I haven't really experienced anything like it since.

[[Ra...]]

Welcome, RangerNineFive. You're not alone and I think you'll find a lot of helpful support here! I found your introduction interesting because it has been questioned by several doctors if I was bipolar due to a severe reaction I had to the antidepressant, Lexapro. When I took it I experienced insomnia, brain zaps, heightened anxiety, and akathisia. I contacted my doctor and stopped taking it immediately. I felt down that it didn't work for my anxiety/depression but then experienced several weeks of happiness and a "renewed outlook" on life. I don't think it was full-on manic, but for the first time in a long time I felt happy and like I was seeing everything in the world for the first time again. Colors seemed brighter, people seemed friendlier, it was actually quite enjoyable lol. But it didn't last and I haven't really experienced anything like it since.

 

Yes, long before Klonopin, my Doc tried me on several antidepressants... Paxil, Celexa, Zoloft and the worse one of all, Prozac. They all triggered extreme anger and rage. I also on my own tried Sam-e... big mistake. I tried a 1/4 of a tablet. Glad I didn't try taking a full dose. I lost four days from that one. How I didn't end up in jail I don't know. It literally turned me psychotic. Tried St. Johns Wort only to find myself spiral into a deep depression. Any antihistamines seem to trigger a depressive response as well. Not fun when allergies are in full bloom or I've managed to catch a cold which luckily is very rare.

 

A side note as well, I've come to find I have an extreme reaction to any foods containing MSG. Same result, mood down-turn coupled with anger and if enough gets into my system, all out irrational rage. Something about glutamate perhaps. Don't know. Still trying to put the pieces together.

 

RangerNineFive

[[De...]]

Welcome, RangerNineFive. You're not alone and I think you'll find a lot of helpful support here! I found your introduction interesting because it has been questioned by several doctors if I was bipolar due to a severe reaction I had to the antidepressant, Lexapro. When I took it I experienced insomnia, brain zaps, heightened anxiety, and akathisia. I contacted my doctor and stopped taking it immediately. I felt down that it didn't work for my anxiety/depression but then experienced several weeks of happiness and a "renewed outlook" on life. I don't think it was full-on manic, but for the first time in a long time I felt happy and like I was seeing everything in the world for the first time again. Colors seemed brighter, people seemed friendlier, it was actually quite enjoyable lol. But it didn't last and I haven't really experienced anything like it since.

 

Yes, long before Klonopin, my Doc tried me on several antidepressants... Paxil, Celexa, Zoloft and the worse one of all, Prozac. They all triggered extreme anger and rage. I also on my own tried Sam-e... big mistake. I tried a 1/4 of a tablet. Glad I didn't try taking a full dose. I lost four days from that one. How I didn't end up in jail I don't know. It literally turned me psychotic. Tried St. Johns Wort only to find myself spiral into a deep depression. Any antihistamines seem to trigger a depressive response as well. Not fun when allergies are in full bloom or I've managed to catch a cold which luckily is very rare.

 

A side note as well, I've come to find I have an extreme reaction to any foods containing MSG. Same result, mood down-turn coupled with anger and if enough gets into my system, all out irrational rage. Something about glutamate perhaps. Don't know. Still trying to put the pieces together.

RangerNineFive

 

 

 

Hello RangerNineFive,

 

I too would like to welcome you to the forum 

 

Adverse reactions to MSG are quite common for people who are withdrawing from benzos and for this reason many members try to avoid products containing MSG, here's one of the links I found where this is discussed, if you type MSG into the search box you'll find many threads :

 

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=67426.msg899628#msg899628

 

I'm glad you found us and I wish you success with the taper.

 

Debbie

[[Ra...]]

Thank you Juliea,

 

Any recommendations on methods to reduce a .5mg pill by 5-10%?

 

Also has anyone had success in "slowly" spreading out doses over a period of time? Didn't see (so far) anyone mentioning this, though I haven't even scratched the surface of the wealth of info on this site.

 

Hope I'm replying correctly and not just replying to my own comments 

 

 

Hello RangerNineFive,

 

Welcome to BenzoBuddies.

 

I'm sorry you've had difficulties in trying to discontinue Klonopin.  I believe your mistake the first time was attempting a rapid taper.  A slow taper of reductions of no more than 5-10% of current dose, every 10 to 14 days, seems to serve many folks well. 

 

I would try tapering much more slowly this time, if I were in your shoes.  Also, going on and off benzos can trigger in some folks a phenomenon known as kindling.  When this occurs, subsequent withdrawals may be more severe than the previous one.  For this reason, I'd want to take my taper slowly.

 

You can do this!

 

Here are some helpful links:

 

The Ashton Manual. 

 

Withdrawal Support, (during your taper)

 

General Taper Plans

 

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

 

Juliea

           

[[Ju...]]

If I were tapering 1.5mg of Klonopin, I would adopt a .0625mg cut and ride it all the way to zero, if possible.  This is what I did on a benzo with a 1 to 1 equivalency to Klonopin, (Xanax).

 

Here's how it went for me:

 

I cut .0625, (this would be 1/8 of your .50mg tablet)

 

Then a number of days later, (for me the 4th or 5th day AFTER the cut), I felt an uptick in symptoms.

 

When the uptick hit, I waited until it subsided.  This generally took 1-3 days, but sometimes it took longer.  After the uptick in symptoms subsided ....

 

I cut .0625 again and repeated the process.

 

I made 32 cuts to get free of 3mgs of Xanax.

 

Some people liquify their Klonopin and titrate off.

 

Some cut their pills with a pill cutter and some weigh their pills using a jewelers scale.

 

There are many options to taper off.  You might explore the taper boards and open a post there if you feel up to it.

 

I don't subscribe to extending time between doses as a way of withdrawal.  I'm more of a stepping down stairs kind of person.  Take a step, wait for the hit, wait again for re-stabilization and then take another step .... Until there are no more steps. 

[[Ra...]]

Ok thank you, makes sense.... to clarify, you suggest removing 1/8th "per" pill and not just 1/8th from one?  Yes, I'm hitting the Taper boards... soooo much info on here

 

 

If I were tapering 1.5mg of Klonopin, I would adopt a .0625mg cut and ride it all the way to zero, if possible.  This is what I did on a benzo with a 1 to 1 equivalency to Klonopin, (Xanax).

 

Here's how it went for me:

 

I cut .0625, (this would be 1/8 of your .50mg tablet)

 

Then a number of days later, (for me the 4th or 5th day AFTER the cut), I felt an uptick in symptoms.

 

When the uptick hit, I waited until it subsided.  This generally took 1-3 days, but sometimes it took longer.  After the uptick in symptoms subsided ....

 

I cut .0625 again and repeated the process.

 

I made 32 cuts to get free of 3mgs of Xanax.

 

Some people liquify their Klonopin and titrate off.

 

Some cut their pills with a pill cutter and some weigh their pills using a jewelers scale.

 

There are many options to taper off.  You might explore the taper boards and open a post there if you feel up to it.

 

I don't subscribe to extending time between doses as a way of withdrawal.  I'm more of a stepping down stairs kind of person.  Take a step, wait for the hit, wait again for re-stabilization and then take another step .... Until there are no more steps. 

[[Ju...]]

Let's say you have 3, .50mg pills, making up your 1.5mg total days dose.  You're remove .0625mg, (1/8th), from ONE pill only on the first cut, bringing your days dose down to:  1.4375mg.  Then after experiencing the uptick in symptoms from the dose reduction and then returning to feeling close to where you were pre-cut, you'd cut another .0625 off of the days dose, bringing the dose to: 1.375mgs for the day.  And wash and repeat, taking .0625 off.  You'll probably find you can reduce your dosage in tiny steps, somewhat manageably every 10 to 14 days.

 

Think of a cut and hold taper like a set of stairs.  Take a step, (cut), pause, (hold), and then take another step, (cut) and so forth until there is no more medicine to taper. 

 

Good luck! 

[[Ra...]]

Glad I asked... I'll give this a go if my "experiment" falls flat, which I just posted. It's an attempt a reducing the withdrawal as much as possible since it seems to be such a nasty one with klonopin.

 

Thank you again!

 

RNF