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Taper from clonazepam


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After having an allergic reaction to the antibiotic ZITHROMAX (better know as z-pack) I developed severe anxiety, heart palpitations, cheat pain digestive shut down, body aches, hives and the list goes on and on..... I thought I was going to die.  After doctors denied it was from the z-pack I found a review place that had over a thousand other people that had the same exact symptoms after taking the antibiotics.

 

My doctor gave me clonazepam, 0.5 mg to take 3 times as day.  This was on 4/24/17 (about a month ago).  At first I took them and they did nothing to help as the z-pack symptoms were way more powerful to get rid of the symptoms so I didn't take them much the first couple weeks.  As the z-pack is leaving the system (slowley as many who had a bad reaction as I did had symptoms that lasted anywhere from 2 months - 6 months (I am at the 6 week mark now)

 

I started takeing 3 a day a week ago (more than the 1-2) and want to taper down now even if i still have the zpack symptoms.

 

I did 3 a day  for 3 days - then did 2 and  3/4 the last 2 days.  Now I want to cut more and would like advice.  I would like to try 1 and 1/2 today but would that be too much?  I took a half this morning and have some anxiety (as usual) but hard to tell if z-pack aniety or from the pills....

 

Any suggestions if i should try to cut faster seeing it has been a month......what do you folks think is the best way in my situation

 

 

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Yeah - debating here to just go cold turkey after today.  I'm just clueless because of the z-pack crap going on.  I feel like I have been to hell and back through this ordeal.

 

I wish you much success in your battle - such evil, evil drugs they are.

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My experience: the slower the better, esp. With clonazepam. Read the story of Jennifer Leigh; helped me al lot.

Good luck.

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Thanks - I'll read it.  I'm assuming the story is in this forum?  Ill try a search for it...

 

Thanks again :)

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You haven't been on that long, which is a really good thing. Jennifer Leigh was on the pills for almost 20 years, I don't think you are going down that road. Though you might be able to cold turkey, play it safe. I would drop a pill and see how you feel. If after a few days you feel fine, drop another pill. After a month of taking the 3 pills you will probably not need a long taper. Try the 1 and a 1/2 a day and see how you feel. Just don't drag out the taper. You don't want to taper longer than you have been on the drug.

 

  Good luck.

 

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I would say just get off as quickly as you can. Yes, your original symptoms of anxiety, insomnia, whatever may return, but don't do a dragged out taper. If I were you I would just stop taking them and not taper at all.
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Thanks everyone for advice - I so much appreciate it.  I know in my case its a tricky one as the z-pack is still running through me with same symptoms as a withdrawal from clonazepam (from what I have read about the withdrawls from them)

 

What I did was take a half of one 0.5 pill this morning.  Actually it was not so bad today.  Yes the anxiety is there, however after that z-pack first 2 weeks (OMG I cringe at the thought of what I went through - non stop 24/7 panic attacks) I can deal with what I felt today.  I have been pushing myself to do things which I feel is healing even though I get so tired still by end of day.  The zpack killed everything in me and the painful process of everything returning to normal will be a while.

 

But the good news is I did quiet well with just that half pill...I even noticed I didnt have that drugged feeling as much.  NowI still have th depression because I want my life back NOW!!  And knowing that won't happen yet depresses me.

 

Before I came on here I took the other half out of fear I was cutting too fast.  But if I can keep this for a day or two then do just a half for two days - or maybe none at all...I guess I'm planning to see how this works tonight as if it stays where it is at right now I can manage the anxiety level I have had today.

 

I'll keep you posted how it goes.  But I certainly agree to get  off as fast as I can....

 

You guys are great - thank you

 

 

 

 

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Here is my update:

 

from the prior 0.5 3x a day (but not all the time) I had cut a quarter out (2 pills and 3/4 of one) for 3 days.  Then as in my post above I was going to try cutting to maybe 1 pill cut in half.  I decided to do 1 and a half pill instead (3 halves).  I wanted to try just one cut in half but that same day my son who was visiting had to leave and then husband went to wash the car and threw out his back (which he does every couple years) and I'm the only one that knows how to get him back on his feet with massages and exercises.

 

Talk about bad timing as I am still so weak from everything going on with me.  So I decided to do the 3 halves a day for the last 3 days (which was a pill and a half)

 

Yesterday i did a half then cut the mid day half into 2 quarters.  I took first one and then the second about 3 hours later (I wanted to see how spacing that does would feel to get my body used to a quarter for a couple hours).  I worked pretty good. By night I felt not too bad and the droggy ness was much less.  I went ahead and took the last half at bedtime.

 

I'm going to try and cut another half to a quarter out today for another 3 days seeing that I have been able to manage semi ok (the anxiety worst in morning to afternoon)

 

So far I took just a quarter of one half this morning (half hour ago) and if need the other quarter can take later.  But am going to go as long as I can.  I think my plan is every 3 days to cut as that seems manageable so far.  I would like to try 1 pill cut in 4 quarters today to see if that works but if need the extra other quarter (which would be a quarter cut from the last 3 days) I will take it to not torture myself.  So I'll try to space the quarters every 4 - 5 hours (or more) for the next 3 days..

 

I hope this is ok to space them like this in smaller doses 4 times a day instead of the 3 times a day.  If this works then I'll be down to 1 pill a day for the next 3 days, however if not manageable can do an extra quarter which will still be a quarter of a pill less for 3 days before my next cut.

 

I have to take care of my husband 24/7 now for a few days which alone is adding extra stress to me as my energy level is so low but I am determined to keep on the path.

 

As I am typing this my anxiety is ......well, it's there but manageable so if it stays like this I'll wait for the other quarter later in day.

 

I'll update how it goes when I can as have my hands full right now with my husband.

 

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Yesterday was HORRIBLE!!  As you know my husbands back is out (though he is improving slowly and can now walk).  But I had to go get some groceries - then to walmart for my probiotics (z-pack killed my stomach which is slowly getting much better).  Then went looking for a better tub pillow for my husband to sit on as the old one is shot.  Walmart did not have so went to a couple pharmacies and they didn't have what I was looking for.

 

My nerves were shot by time I got home.  But I did it! And that alone tells me when push comes to shove you got to do what you got to do.

 

I decided not a good day to cut so kept on the 1 and a half dose (which was all cut in 1/4 doses throughout the day as I had to drive and didnt want to be doped up).  But yesterday symptoms were worse than other days by afternoon so I used up my doses by 7:00 PM (I usually save a dose closer to bed time).  At bedtime I was not feeling so great but was determined I was not going to take anymore of the poison (clonazepam) so I took a shot of nightime nyquil after checking online to make sure I could take Nyquil with the poison.  It must have done the trick as I feel asleep pretty fast.  I hated to do that as I have not put any OTC meds in me for a month now.  I'm trying to have a clean system until the zpack is out.  I'm judging it in my system by the hives I got from zpack  on my arms.  If they were a 10 in the beginning they are now about a 3-4 which is an improvement)...But I know that crap is still in my system.

 

Surprisingly, I woke up feeling pretty good which I am surprised seeing yesterday was so horrible for me.  I woke up 3 hours ago and have not taken a pill yet as my anxiety is not  bad right now (knock on wood), in fact best I've felt for such a long time span without taking the clonazepam (yesterday at 7PM I took my last 1/4 of a 0.5 pill).  So I will wait till I need.  I'm going to try the cut  today seeing that yesterday I was not able to. Just debating if I should stay with the quarter doses or take 1 pill cut in half (one when I need today and one before bedtime)  Of course if I stay feeling ok I will take as little as possible (wishful thinking) :)

 

The symptoms I do have is a slight left sided headache, left eye feels a little weird and woke up with sweats - but have had those symptoms since the zpack before the clonazepam so hard to tell which is which - zpack or clonazepam?

 

This feels like a balancing act - as the zpack leaves my system and my body is repairing from the damage it did and those symptoms get less and less - I have the clonazepam to also deal with in cutting back.  It's impossible to tell which symptoms are from which.

 

But I will enjoy this morning while my husband is still asleep, drinking my coffee (which normally would send me through the roof and can't drink, but so far so good the last 3 hours) I bit the bullet and gave it a go this morning as so sick of not having my regular routine back.

 

I judge my anxiety level on a scale of 1-10 with the first zpack symptoms as a 10+++++++...lol.  Lately, if I get to a 4 it feels pretty bad.  Yesterday felt like I was in the 4 range all day where the couple days before that were not so bad with the cut a had made.  I would say I am at a 2 right now which feels pretty good.

 

I will update and let you know how the day goes later. At least I don't have to drive today as got everything yesterday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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