Tapering Off Clonazepam

[[De...]]

I'm a 45 yo male in the US who's been on Clonazepam (2mg/day) for almost 3 years (fall 2011 to summer 2014). In the summer I started what I thought was a slow taper off, having read up on it before hand. My taper had gone mostly well until this week. The past two weeks have been full of stress and I'm down to only .5mg/day. My body symptoms have been rough:  tense muscles, shakes, spasms, hot flashes, cold flashes, sweating, forgetting, difficulty walking, tingling scalp, facial twitches, cramping, bloating.... My mind has been clear mostly. It's the body symptoms that have been the hardest.

 

I'm looking for a place with support and suggestions on how to keep going. My doctor wants me to take up a little more Clonazepam for now and that makes me feel sad. I feel like it's a step back. But maybe I need a brief step back to keep going forward?

[[me...]]

Hello Decaffnm.  Welcome to the forum, we're glad you found us!  Congratulations on deciding to get off clonazepam.  We generally recommend a taper rate f about 5-10% every 10-14 days, though individual rates vary.  The symptoms you mention are all typical of withdrawal, but they're temporary and will pass away in time.  Many doctors don't understand the value of slow tapering, though, and are often not very helpful in that respect.  Here are a few links you may find useful:

 

General Taper Plans

 

Withdrawal Support (during your taper).

 

The Ashton Manual is an authoritative source on what to expect in withdrawal and recovery.  Dr. Ashton is an expert in the field.  She describes and explains withdrawal symptoms, and there is also a section with withdrawal/taper schedules.

 

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!

 

 

[[De...]]

Thoughts on taking .5mg 2x a day for the rough stretches? Or should I try to keep at the .5mg/a day only?

 

I want to keep going forward but....if I have to take a temporary step backwards to make going forward better, then I'm okay with that.

[[...]]

Hello and welcome,

 

I'm currently tapering this beast,,,,

 

it all depends how you can tolerate the painful symptoms,,,,

its possible that in a couple of days you would stabilise and feel okey,,,,

 

 

maybe also you don't need to uprose for another 0,5 mg,,, sometimes 0,1 or 0,2mg can alleviate your pain,,,,,

 

take care

and keep moving towards your freedom

 

 

eva

 

 

 

[[De...]]

Yeah. I've really noticed the way this comes and goes....waxes and wanes. So, good point. Maybe in a day or two things will feel better and I can get back to tapering down.

 

Thank you for your reply!

[[ME...]]

Decaffnm,  I am also tapering from Clonazepam.  Withdrawal symptoms appear about 4 days after the cut, I try to endure for few days, if it subside I hold the dose for few days more.  If the withdrawal symptoms are not bearable, I give in, I take rescue dose, and after I get relief I return down to the dose where I stop.  It is not a step back, it will just be a few days of delay in the next cut.

 

If you can endure the symptoms and if it is subsiding, waiting will be a better option. 

 

MEexpat

[[Th...]]

Decaffnm,  I am also tapering from Clonazepam.  Withdrawal symptoms appear about 4 days after the cut, I try to endure for few days, if it subside I hold the dose for few days more.  If the withdrawal symptoms are not bearable, I give in, I take rescue dose, and after I get relief I return down to the dose where I stop.  It is not a step back, it will just be a few days of delay in the next cut.

 

If you can endure the symptoms and if it is subsiding, waiting will be a better option. 

 

MEexpat

 

Congrats on making it to .25 expat! Woo!

 

Decaff,

 

Welcome to the forum. I hope you will find the support necessary here to help you through your taper. It's a great community and I am also new and trying to get off clonazepam and have found the support here great.

[[De...]]

I think I read where catastrophic thinking is a withdrawal symptom. I've had that a lot lately. Also, I've had a ton of stress in my life which has made it hard for me to differentiate between withdrawal symptoms and stress overload. So, the catastrophic thinking could be just a side-effect of all the stress I'm feeling.

 

I've been obsessing about my blood sugar like crazy. I have a glucose meter and all my readings are fine but I notice that when I get really hungry my anxiety shoots up like crazy even if my glucose is within range. And I'm hungry a lot! My hungry a lot....due to the withdrawal? Sped up metabolism?

 

Any thoughts,comments, suggestions, support....welcome.

 

Thanks so much for those who've replied and offered their thoughts.

 

 

[[ME...]]

Decaffnmn,

 

I am also having difficulty to differentiate w/d symptoms and panic or anxiety or depression.  But for sure I am having agitation.  If it get worse it will become panic.....then panic attack.

 

I try to calm myself by talking to friends, both in our site office and in this site. 

 

Could you please tell me where you read that catastrophic thinking is a withdrawal symptom.

 

It is interesting.

 

I am really thinking that if I have no Klonopin issues, I will still be in this state of agitation because of life pressures.

 

But you are hinting that my agitation could be a withdrawal symptom.