Want to come off Benzos

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Need some help and advice. March of this year my gp put me on 1mg of Xanax twice a day. Then in Oct I had surgery and the doctor put me on klonopin 1 mg twice a day as well. So just taking the Klonopin. I want to get off of them. Can I do it cold turkey or taper down? I see my gp on the 18th. The only thing that scares me about cold turkey is the seizures part of it. I was once a drug and alcoholic been sober 14 years and didnt want to start the benzos at all but had a really bad anxiety attack. What should or can I do? Please help.   

[[Di...]]

So going by your intro post, you aren't taking the xanax at all now? How did you feel being yanked off the xanax and put onto klonopin? If you'd been on it since March you would definitely have had time to become dependant on the X.

 

However, if you're okay with just the klonopin now I would not recommend going cold turkey, because even though you have only been in it for a short time, you have been on a benzo for quite a number of months. I would suggest you do a slow taper down. Usually the amount recommended is 5-10% over 2-4 weeks, but I always err on the side of cutting the smallest amount possible, and maybe doing it more often if you can. This is far less stressful on your body.

 

I don't have any first hand knowledge of tapering off Klonopin, but if you go to the klonopin support thread I'm sure the lovely people there will be able to give you some guidance. http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=57791.0

[[Tx...]]

Thank you for the reply. Yeah no Xanax since I was put on the klodpoin. I didnt have any problems being switched. I just want off of them. I dont feel I need to be on them anymore. I just want to be off them

[[Di...]]

Well that's great that you're only on the K now. At least it has a reasonably long half life (although not as long as valium/diazepam) and that can make tapering a little bit easier.