36 hours with no Benzo, and 36 more to go. Should I wait it out?

[[th...]]

As my signature says I've been on Klonipin for 10 months.  Min .5mg Max 2mg.

 

As is the nature of the beast, my last refill from my doctor disappeared quickly, so I am stuck without any Klonipin for my next appointment, in 36 hours.

 

I honestly don't know where about 15 Klonipin went.  If I took it, if someone stole it, if I lost it.  I am totally and utterly without memory but I have a hunch that I took it.

 

I need advice.  I feel just about perfectly fine, no depressed feelings, no issues with heart rate, and the only anxiety I feel is that I might feel some anxiety soon. 

 

I have the option to pay exorbitant fees to MAYBE get dosed with klonipin earlier.  The only docs who said they will do anything say that I have to pay for an appointment first.  And then MAYBE they will dose me.  I'm talking $200-$300 doctor fees.  My general practitioner can't get me in to see a doctor until a week from now, and I don't even know if a GP can prescribe.  (this would be a cheaper option down the road if they can do that, since they take my insurance).

 

So my question is, is tomorrow and most of the next day going to be too dangerous for me to cold turkey and then drive 30 minutes to my doctor and then have my script filled?  Is it possible that I won't have any issues at all?  Or should I do everything in my power to get Klonipin and start a taper plan tomorrow and spare no expense for my health. 

 

I am leaning towards just waiting, but my Doctor is not very reliable.  His hours are 2 hours per day per week, and he has no office staff that accepts phone calls.  He works off of a 'leave me a message and I'll call you back' system.  Today I called him at 1pm and left a message, and then called him at 7pm during business hours, left a message... And no word from the doc.  So if I make it to my appointment on Friday at 6pm and the doors are locked and the lights are off for any reason... I'm basically screwed until Monday.

 

So.. what do you guys think?

[[ma...]]

Hi thekdawg21

 

If it was me I would get back on a steady dose as soon as possible, and taper off.  Cold turkey is not recommended and can bring about some serious withdrawal effects. You have a two week window for reinstating, so far, you seem to be doing ok.   

 

There is really no way to tell if the withdrawal will get worse for you.  A slow taper would be a better plan.  everyone is so unique in how their bodies react.

 

I will put a link to the Ashton Manual, it is a definitive resource about these medications and how to withdraw. It also discusses the effects these types of medications have on the body.  Professor Ashtons Manual

 

 

Magrita

 

[Guest [Or...]]

Klonopin has a really long half-life. Most people don't feel the effects until about 4-5 days in. You will be fine until your doctors appointment. Unless you metabolize quickly.

[[be...]]

Klonopin has a really long half-life. Most people don't feel the effects until about 4-5 days in. You will be fine until your doctors appointment. Unless you metabolize quickly.

 

According to Genentech, Klonopin's half life is 30-40 hours. You will  get down to the wire, and it will be a close race. Unless of course your metabolizing rate is fast. If not, then I think you will make it, but will not have much room to spare. I have to wonder why his office hours are just 2 hours per day? I suspect he works in a hospital or an Urgent Care facility or has a practice somewhere else. Unless he's very old or just plain lazy. Just out of curiosity, ask him. Bets

[[th...]]

Thank you so much for the insight guys.  I slept 11 hours last night with the help of 2 Hydroxazine.  Dreams were filled with some wacky stuff, especially like feeling as though I'm driving way too fast and trying to brake literally with my foot.

 

I feel a little worse for wear today but not terrible. I know terrible, I've been on opiate withdrawal before.

 

I honestly don't know why my doc has 2 hour office nights.  And no office staff.  He has no pager number and there's no appointment confirmation system.  He's always been there when I showed up for an appointment, though. 

 

Just gotta hope I'll make it.  Thanks for the help again.  First thing I'm going with as soon as I get a re-up is starting the taper plan.  I can't just have 15 Klonipin disappear on me like that. 

 

I metabolize everything quite slowly.  So hopefully that will assist me until a dr's appointment that I don't have any confirmation that I can even go to.  only 13 more movie and maybe some sleep and then I can feel a litte better!  thanks guys

 

[[th...]]

22.75 hours until my appointment (hopefully) with my doctor.  Aside from feeling just a tiny bit 'off' I feel just fine.  The anxiety I have is only from constantly worrying about my doctor and why he hasn't returned my phone call to confirm the appointment. 

 

In a situation such as this:  Friday night at 6pm, my doctor's place is locked and the lights are off and no way to rouse him can be found.. is there any recourse whatsoever?  Is there ANY way to get assistance in a situation where  your doctor has bailed on your appointment?

[[Ch...]]

22.75 hours until my appointment (hopefully) with my doctor.  Aside from feeling just a tiny bit 'off' I feel just fine.  The anxiety I have is only from constantly worrying about my doctor and why he hasn't returned my phone call to confirm the appointment. 

 

In a situation such as this:  Friday night at 6pm, my doctor's place is locked and the lights are off and no way to rouse him can be found.. is there any recourse whatsoever?  Is there ANY way to get assistance in a situation where  your doctor has bailed on your appointment?

 

 

I would go ahead and keep the appointment whether he confirms or not.  Then you stay in the office til he sees you, especially if you need a refill.  Otherwise your only recourse is to go to the ER and hope they'll give you enough pills to get you through the weekend.

 

[[ea...]]

I think an important question for you is what happened to those missing Klonapin. I think your hunch is probably right, and you took them. But this is dangerous, your taking drugs without remembering you did it. Benzos can add up pretty quickly, and your system could get overwhelmed. I have a couple suggestions. One: buy one of those divided pill boxes, and put your doses in it, and have someone HOLD the others for you. Even better, have someone hold ALL your pills and give them to you on time. I know, that would be cumbersome, but if you're taking drugs without recalling it - you could get into trouble.

Good luck with your appointment, and I agree with Challis. Stay there until you are seen.

east

 

[[th...]]

Yeah, that was scary, not knowing what happened to those Benzos but probably figuring that I took them.  I'm already on a bad road, but I think I'll be able to steer the ship correctly.

 

My doctor was in, and gave me a 1.5mg script with 1 refill.  My intent is to at least be down to 1mg a day by the time the refill is up, and maybe less than that.  I'm trying to go extremely slowly, though I know that the longer I am on them the harder it will be to try to get off. 

 

The 'bad road' caused me to take 3mg the first night, and 4mg the second night, instead of the 1.5mg prescribed.  The reason I took more was because I was still hallucinating, feeling like I was withdrawing, and anxiety was troubling me.  Tonight was the first night I took just 1.5mg.  On nights that I work, 4 nights a week, I will take only .5 mg.  I work too hard to worry about what medications I am on, and to be honest the K's only slow me down and make me less effective. 

 

I am now keeping a database spreadsheet now that tracks how many I take, how many I have left, and how many I can take before I run out of pills before my next script.  I'm tapering on my own plan now, very slowly. I know I can handle days/weeks of .5mg because I have before.  With no ill effects, except for the cravings for more.

 

Thank you for the help guys, you helped my anxiety through a tough time.  I may keep this thread updated with my progress in order to A) have a journal of my success/failure B) get some friends to weigh in, C) gain some insight into whether or not I really can get off the K with a taper schedule.  Right now I'm failing, but I really believe I will get it back on track and return to 1.5mg and get it even lower.

[[La...]]

glad you made it dawg. While on the A, I naively thought I could go 5 days without it, and after only 12 hours, I was white-knuckling it, desperate and totally out of my mind. Never again. Never.

[[St...]]

To me, it's concerning that you took over your prescribed amount two nights in a row.  I had similar issues - couldn't control how much I took - felt "sure" I needed to take more just to sleep and survive.  This led to my psychiatrist not filling the prescription and recommending inpatient rehab.  Then I went through hell for a year and now the worst has passed.

 

I think you should stick to no more than your prescribed amount. 

 

Going up & down in dosage (or taking "as needed") messed me up real bad. 

 

Can you get a doctor to help with a taper schedule?  And will you be able to stick to a strict dosage amount?

 

Best of luck.  Keep us posted.

 

[[ea...]]

dawg, Im glad you seem to have figured it out. Keeping a record like that is a good idea, if you follow through on it. Benzos can really mess up your memory...and I know that from personal experience.

Please let us know how its going.

east

[[be...]]

dawg, Im glad you seem to have figured it out. Keeping a record like that is a good idea, if you follow through on it. Benzos can really mess up your memory...and I know that from personal experience.

Please let us know how its going.

east

 

The record keeping is a good idea. However, I am not in favor of a doc scripting these drugs PRN. It can quickly turn into take as needed to take as wanted.

[[ke...]]

Not everyone gets hit badly with withdrawal.