Looking for support

[[De...]]

Hello,

 

About 11 years ago I was prescribed .5 mg clonozapam, 3 times a day.

 

A year ago I told my doctor I wanted to quit because I was so forgetful it was affecting my every day life.  He tole me I had to cut back gradually, and to try cutting one of the pills in half.

 

So I begin cutting the 2nd one in half.  Gradually I was able to cut my last dose in half, but still took a whole one if I couldn't sleep.

 

After a while I begam cutting the 1st two in half.  My energy and memory improved, but I was also having other symptoms that I later found out was withdrawal.  Still, I wanted to quit.

 

So 16 days ago I went from taking .25 mg twice a day, to none at all.  That was a bad idea.  I felt horrible, and was worried I'd end up in the hospital, so for the next few days I took .25mg once a day.

 

I did this for 5 days before I stopped taking them altogether.  It's been 11 days, and I've had symptoms ranging from nervousness to feeling like I was having a heart attack.  I've lost 10 pounds, I'm constantly clenching my jaws.  I sweat like crazy at night, waking up drenched.  I just started being able to sleep, with the help of an over-the-counter sleep aid, the last couple of nights.  Sometimes I feel so bad I think there is something seriously wrong with me and I hate myself for the mess I've made of my life.

 

This past weekend I researched clonozapam withdrawal and found out that I should have tapered off and not just stopped.

 

I don't know what to do.  I am going to call my doctor on Wednesday.  I should have called him sooner, but I work from 7:30 am till after 5, and whenever I call, I'm put on hold for 20-40 minutes and end up having to hang up.

 

So until I talk to my doctor, I was wondering if anyone had any words of wisdom.  Am I over the dangerous withdrawal phase?  I don't want to start taking them again.  Please don't scold me.  I know now that I messed up.

 

Thanks for reading. 

[[pi...]]

Hello Delilah222,

 

Welcome to Benzo Buddies! No one is going to scold you. Many of us have had rough tapers or no tapers at all. Unfortunately there is not a lot of good information out there about the best ways to discontinue a drug like clonazepam.

 

Clonazepam is a very strong benzo and your first reduction was large, 50%.  It's not surprising that you had some strong symptoms. Likewise, as you indicated, you pretty much stopped cold turkey from .25mg.

 

You have a couple of options. You are in the time frame for reinstatement, that is 2-3 weeks. If you choose to do that, you can stabilize and then start a slow and sensible taper.

 

You can also wait it out. Everything you describe is common for withdrawal, I had everything you mentioned. With time, these will ease up.  The acute phase varies per individual, so does withdrawal, there is no one size fits all in terms of benzo withdrawal.

 

Should you decide to reinstate and taper, a reduction of no more than 5-10% every 10-14 days is suggested. I'll give you a link to the General Taper Plans for additional information.

 

You might also read the Ashton Manual. It is an excellent resource about these types of drugs and how to withdraw. The manual was written by Dr. Heather Ashton, an expert in the field.

 

I'm glad you are here, we understand what you are going through. Let us know how we can help.

 

General Taper Plans   

 

The Ashton Manual

 

pianogirl 

[[De...]]

Thank you!  I have had a new symptom recently, pains in my stomach.  Years ago I had a blood clot leading to my intestine.  I almost died and had several full blown anxiety attacks in the hospital that felt like heart attacks, and this was why I was put on Klonopin in the first place.

 

I thought this stomach pain may not be withdrawal, and if it was I needed to know because of what I went through years ago.  So I took .25mg yesterday and the pain went away.  I had a good day, free from worry, but do not want to take it again!

 

I'm going to read how to taper as a guide because my doctor cancelled my appointment that was scheduled for last week and now he can't see me for another month.