Need help tapering off of Klonopin

[[Da...]]

Hello.  I joined Benzo Buddies in order to help me taper off of Klonopin. 

I took Prozac and Celexa for 17 years for depression and anxiety and it did work wonders for me, especially during the first few years.  I was always afraid to try getting off the SSRIs because I feared the return of my symptoms and that's why I was on them for so long; but I finally decided back at the end of 2013 that I was going to quit.  Even before I stopped taking the SSRIs I got my GP to prescribe Klonopin to me on an as needed basis to help deal with occasional nervousness.  I have been taking the Klonopin "as needed" for the past couple of years.  Usually a bottle of twenty .5mg would last three or four months.  I would usually take them at night to help me sleep and I could feel the effects for a day or two. 

 

I started my SSRI taper around November 2013--I had switched back to Prozac from Celexa in order to help with my taper and I was on Prozac for over a year before actually starting my taper.)  I took my last dosage of Prozac in the middle of January 2014.  I never had any of the brain zaps but did start to experience irritability, depression and some anxiety.  I continued taking the Klonopin on an as needed basis.  In April 2014, I awoke to severe cramps and anxiety and thought I was having kidney problems.  I got over that bump and continued along not really feeling any better but not having too many problems.  My anxiety was still fairly high and I continued taking the Klonopin "as needed" usually at night.  In September 2014 I started a new job and my stress level went through the roof.  My memory had gotten worse after stopping the Prozac and I was anxious about having to learn a lot of new computer equipment.  I work as a Computer Administrator.  I started taking the Klonopin more often on an almost daily basis, sometimes twice a day.  I started noticing around a month ago that whenever I went a few days without taking a dose I would started feeling very shaky and nervous.  At first I thought the stress was getting to me and causing the physical symptoms but then I began to realize that I was experiencing Benzo withdrawal.  It scared me to death to think that I had become dependent on the Klonopin since I wasn't taking more than prescribed and I didn't think that I was taking a very high dosage.  I went back to see my GP and he told me I needed to go see a psychiatrist; so I did.  The psychiatrist told me it wasn't the Klonopin.  He thought I had an anxiety condition and that I need to go back on an SSRI.  I was resistant but finally gave in to trying a small dosage of Prozac, 10mg /day.  My depression got much worse, I had a heavy feeling in my head and couldn't concentrate at all.  Also, my anxiety had increased.  I was experiencing muscle twitches and my eyesight was even shaky at times.  This was during the Thanksgiving Holiday so thankfully I was on vacation during this time.  I took the Prozac for 7 days and then had to stop taking it due to the bad side effects.  I know that it takes at least two weeks for the bad effects to wear off when starting Prozac but I couldn't afford another week of feeling that way so I stopped.  Within a couple of days I started feeling better. It's strange that I reacted so badly to the Prozac because when I first started taking it 17 years ago I didn't have these really bad symptoms.  I suppose the Klonopin has caused my nervous system to become super sensitive to anything I take.  I used to love drinking coffee but can't tolerate it anymore because it increases my nervousness.

 

I  have been taking Klonopin .5mg twice a day for the past month and my psychiatrist suggested I try tapering my dosage by 50% to .25mg twice a day.  I was able to handle this for around three days before I started feeling the shakiness and nervousness.  The best way to describe the shakiness is that it is like a buzzing feeling in my upper body fueled by anxiety.  I went back to .5mg at night and cut my morning dosage by 1/4 of the .5mg tablet.  That makes my morning dosage .375mg.  So I have cut my total daily dosage by 12.5%.  Even at this dosage (a much lower taper than 50% as suggested by my doctor) I am still feeling a little shaky and I'm hoping that I will stabilize after a week.  I asked my psychiatrist about switching do Valium but he wasn't very open to the idea.  Again, he doesn't think I've been taking Klonopin long enough or at a high enough dosage to have developed a dependence to it.  I wish he could spend a few days in my shoes to see what it's like.

 

I hoping to use the titration method to taper of Klonopin because reducing my daily dosage by even 1/8 is causing me lots of anxiety.  I did use the titration method to taper of Prozac and so I have all the necessary equipment. 

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Guest [Mi...]]

Hi, Daves not here.

 

Welcome to benzobuddies. 

 

Your symptoms sound like benzo withdrawal as opposed to an "anxiety condition" per the pdoc. Hopefully that's the case and you'll feel much better off the Klonopin. You're coming off quickly - a slower taper may help reduce your symptoms. Sounds like you've done some research since you titrated off of Prozac in the past.

 

A good resource about benzodiazepines is the Ashton Manual. Here is a link to the manual: Professor Ashtons Manual  It’s great for learning about these meds and for taper plans. Ashton recommends reducing between 5 - 10% every 10/14 days.

 

You'll find a great community of people here who will support and encourage you. Feel free to check out the forum and to post to any of the dedicated boards.

 

In addition to the Ashton Manual, here are some other resources:

 

For information regarding titration, post here:Titration Taper Plans 

 

For support with any symptoms you may have, post here: Withdrawal Support

 

Please add a signature (history of medication/doses etc). It will help members give you relevant advice. This link will show you how to Create a signature

 

Please let us know if you have any questions.

 

~ Mind