Would appreciate your wisdom - tapering Clonazepam

[[jc...]]

 

Hey- I’m new here so I apologize in advance if this has elements of ignorance, but I love this group so far and would appreciate your wisdom:

 

I’ve been considering tapering down my benzo (Klonopin 1.25 mg / day for sleep at night)

 

My therapist told me to check out this group to learn more.

 

I was prescribed .5mg 13-years ago when I was dealing with a rough breakup and had severe anxiety at night and couldn’t sleep… psychiatrist had me up to 1.5mg at one point.

 

I cut it to 1.25mg at bedtime and have been there for many years. Never thought to stop.

 

I’m 36 now. Run a successful small business. Have a new/great gf, very healthy (gym daily, eat clean.) I meditate, do breath work, and I must say-

 

I’m very content with my life.

 

Recently tho- i've been considering tapering down due to fears of long term consequences later in life.

 

So, I came to this group.

 

To much of my surprised, it has scared me back a bit.

 

Most stories are ones involving “years” of severe pain, anguish, and debilitation.

 

Maybe I’ve stumbled on the wrong posts…

 

But I don’t know if I’d want to sacrifice years of my life right now…

 

Maybe it won’t be so bad for me? I was planning on an extremely slow taper of 5% every 2 weeks or month… getting down to 1mg… waiting…. Getting down to another level… waiting… etc

 

But now I’m just worried I’ll destroy my life, business, relationship, etc.

 

On one side- I’m young and healthy enough to potentially “handle” it better right now… on the other end, I don’t want to risk losing the life I have.

 

Ps- I don’t take any other drugs or prescription meds.

 

Pps- I’ve discussed with both my Psychiatrist and regular doctor. I live in Miami, and I think they’re both use to seeing patients far “more serious” than 1.25mg Klonopin. They both tell me there’s no need to cut back (sometimes they even offer to put me on more stuff…. Yes… that’s Miami!)

Thank you in advance!

JC

 

[[je...]]

Hi @[jc...]

Welcome to BenzoBuddies!

I'm impressed your therapist referred you here. Not many professionals are aware of us. I was on 2mg Clonazepam and after a mistake in my prescription I suffered severe withdrawal. I tapered down from 1mg and have now been benzo free for almost 9 months. A lot of what you have said resonates with me because I had the same questions and concerns. 

I was very scared when I got here and read the horror people went through. I considered staying on Clonazepam for life since my life was 'good' on the drug and it wasn't doing any harm. Now here's the thing, whether you taper or not, that's up to you. We're not here to convince people to get off. We just help and support people to do it safely. For me however, the turning point was reading beyond the withdrawal symptoms to what this drug could potentially do. And that was tolerance withdrawal. There is the potential that with long term use the drug could stop working and then you start having withdrawal symptoms even though you are not tapering. Some people have excruciating symptoms when this happens. For me weighing up the pro's and cons it was just not worth risking it. I would rather get off the drug on my terms than risk tolerance withdrawal. Each of us have to decide what we are willing to risk and the consequences we want to live with.

I also want to assure you that not everyone has a horror story. That is one of the reasons I'm sticking around here. I had a terrible start in my journey, but once I started tapering slowly I was not in benzo hell. I have been functional throughout my taper. My story is not a horror story. I have been able to work, look after my family and live my life to a level of functionality. It has not been easy, don't get me wrong. But I have managed my life. Your suggestion of 5% cuts every two weeks is very reasonable and should keep you functional. As long as you go slow, you should be able to manage the symptoms. I'm not saying it will be easy, but you don't have to lose your entire life to this process.

I found a lot of support and knowledge through this community. We will help you and guide you if this is what you would like to do. 

[[Ma...]]

I’m a 49 yo male and I was put on Clonazepam 8 years ago for some acute stress and insomnia.  I’ve always been on 1 mg.  Like you, functioning very well and I never increased my dose.  I basically decided to taper for 2 reasons: 1.  I got tired of being a slave to the pharmacy/this prescription and 2. There are definite cognitive risks and increased risks for falls and other things as you get older.  I started about 6 weeks ago and am already down to .625 mg.  I’ve had some rebound insomnia which has been come and go but has been manageable overall.  My life hasn’t turned into a mess and I’m doing everything i did when i started tapering. Maybe i have a little less energy and my workouts aren’t as great after a couple crappy nights of sleep, etc. but overall I’m doing well.  Also, you’re a lot younger than me so I’m guessing you’d taper off well, but we’re all different.  A lot of the people who end up here are ones who are struggling, so it’s not an unbiased sample.  Most people actually have pretty mild WD and do fine, and you aren’t going to see those people here for the most part (but I’m kinda hoping I’m one of them too, knock on wood).  The whole idea of tapering off scared me, but some of the posts here are very helpful which is why I check in.  I suppose I want to know if I start having issues that there are resources to help. I just have to take some posts with a grain of salt. Good luck to you whatever you decide. 

[[jc...]]

4 hours ago, [[j...] said:

Hi @[jc...]

Welcome to BenzoBuddies!

I'm impressed your therapist referred you here. Not many professionals are aware of us. I was on 2mg Clonazepam and after a mistake in my prescription I suffered severe withdrawal. I tapered down from 1mg and have now been benzo free for almost 9 months. A lot of what you have said resonates with me because I had the same questions and concerns. 

I was very scared when I got here and read the horror people went through. I considered staying on Clonazepam for life since my life was 'good' on the drug and it wasn't doing any harm. Now here's the thing, whether you taper or not, that's up to you. We're not here to convince people to get off. We just help and support people to do it safely. For me however, the turning point was reading beyond the withdrawal symptoms to what this drug could potentially do. And that was tolerance withdrawal. There is the potential that with long term use the drug could stop working and then you start having withdrawal symptoms even though you are not tapering. Some people have excruciating symptoms when this happens. For me weighing up the pro's and cons it was just not worth risking it. I would rather get off the drug on my terms than risk tolerance withdrawal. Each of us have to decide what we are willing to risk and the consequences we want to live with.

I also want to assure you that not everyone has a horror story. That is one of the reasons I'm sticking around here. I had a terrible start in my journey, but once I started tapering slowly I was not in benzo hell. I have been functional throughout my taper. My story is not a horror story. I have been able to work, look after my family and live my life to a level of functionality. It has not been easy, don't get me wrong. But I have managed my life. Your suggestion of 5% cuts every two weeks is very reasonable and should keep you functional. As long as you go slow, you should be able to manage the symptoms. I'm not saying it will be easy, but you don't have to lose your entire life to this process.

I found a lot of support and knowledge through this community. We will help you and guide you if this is what you would like to do. 

@[je...] wow - thank you for this quick and thoughtful response! 

Ya'll really know how to make someone feel welcome.

You raise some excellent points, and really opened my eyes to another way to thinking about it.  I don't truly believe my 1.25mg dosage has given me any therapeutic relief in many years.

At this point it's probably just a placebo, and just holding me from withdrawal symptoms.  

This community is really special. Your response gives me a lot of hope and confidence to give it a try. 

Will let you know if i start!

Thank you for taking the time, and for all the work you do to help here. 

PS - yes my Therapist is great! I only wish I could merge him with my Psychiatrist who would gladly keep me on this drug forever.

[[jc...]]

4 hours ago, [[M...] said:

I’m a 49 yo male and I was put on Clonazepam 8 years ago for some acute stress and insomnia.  I’ve always been on 1 mg.  Like you, functioning very well and I never increased my dose.  I basically decided to taper for 2 reasons: 1.  I got tired of being a slave to the pharmacy/this prescription and 2. There are definite cognitive risks and increased risks for falls and other things as you get older.  I started about 6 weeks ago and am already down to .625 mg.  I’ve had some rebound insomnia which has been come and go but has been manageable overall.  My life hasn’t turned into a mess and I’m doing everything i did when i started tapering. Maybe i have a little less energy and my workouts aren’t as great after a couple crappy nights of sleep, etc. but overall I’m doing well.  Also, you’re a lot younger than me so I’m guessing you’d taper off well, but we’re all different.  A lot of the people who end up here are ones who are struggling, so it’s not an unbiased sample.  Most people actually have pretty mild WD and do fine, and you aren’t going to see those people here for the most part (but I’m kinda hoping I’m one of them too, knock on wood).  The whole idea of tapering off scared me, but some of the posts here are very helpful which is why I check in.  I suppose I want to know if I start having issues that there are resources to help. I just have to take some posts with a grain of salt. Good luck to you whatever you decide. 

@[Ma...] - I really needed to hear this, thanks so much!

I'm so with you on the "slave to the pill"... and those cognitive risks are why "Future Me" is starting to push me in this direction.

It gives me a lot of hope to hear you getting down 30-40% with relative safety. (especially since i'm at a similar dose and lifestyle)

Your point about "a lot of people end up here are the ones who are struggling" also makes a lot of sense!

I quit alcohol many years ago... I wasn't bad, but just wanted to stop. My friend suggested AA for a few months to "learn some wisdom."

And in a similar way... i walked in there and was quite scared. The person speaking that day had an extremely freighting story. 

But then you realize that not everyone is like the "guest speaker" who is highlighting the "worst possible outcome."

There were people like me who were functioning fine and just trying to learn about a new way of life without booz. 

And like you said - i now know where to go if i need help. This is a great place. Thank you.

I supposed there's some sort of Seinfeld observation about all this... we have anxiety so we take a pill for it... we then learn about how scary it could be to get off it... and then that fear just exacerbates our anxiety even more 

*cue bass line and Kramer's entrance*

Thanks again, and cheers on your journey. 

JC

 

 

[[he...]]

Hi @[jc...],

Hopefully you find out that you can taper at a quick rate and do okay, but I like the idea of starting slowly to see how you react. The fact that you don't have symptoms yet is good. I developed symptoms almost right away after starting clonazepam, and that made my taper very difficult once I figured out what was going on. Some people can take this stuff for years and not have any symptoms, while others, like me, have the med turn on them quickly.

You can do this!

[[Ma...]]

To my point, this was an article I found from 2010 which is more reassuring.  And this is a faster taper than what I’m doing, but most people were off their Clonazepam after 4 months. The mean starting dose was pretty high too compared to what you and I are taking (2.7mg) and patients had been on the medicine for at least 3 years. Of note, these were patients had been on a stable dose for at least a year before starting to taper.
 

Takeaway points:

-69% were off in 4 months

-95% were off in 7 months

-Symptoms were mostly mild

 

Abstract

High-potency benzodiazepines, such as clonazepam, are frequently used in the treatment of panic disorder (PD) because of their rapid onset of action and good tolerability. However, there is concern about their potential to cause withdrawal symptoms. We aimed to develop a protocol for safely tapering off clonazepam in patients with PD who had been receiving treatment for at least 3 years. A specific scale for judging withdrawal was also developed, the Composite Benzodiazepine Discontinuation Symptom Scale. We selected 73 patients with PD who had been asymptomatic for at least 1 year and who wished to discontinue the medication. The trial consisted of a 4-month period of tapering and an 8-month follow-up period. The dosage of clonazepam was decreased by 0.5 mg per 2-week period until 1 mg per day was reached, followed by a decrease of 0.25 mg per week. The mean dosage at the start of tapering was 2.7 +/- 1.2 mg/d. In total, 51 (68.9%) of the patients were free of the medication after the 4 months of tapering according to the protocol, and 19 (26.0%) of the patients needed another 3 months to be free of medication. Clonazepam discontinuation symptoms were mostly mild and included mainly: anxiety, shaking/trembling/tremor, nausea/vomiting, insomnia/nightmares, excessive sweating, tachycardia/palpitations, headache, weakness, and muscle aches. The improvement in PD and general well-being was maintained during both the taper and follow-up phases. Clonazepam can be successfully discontinued without any major withdrawal symptoms if the dose is reduced gradually. We recommend reducing the dosage of clonazepam after intermediate-term use by 0.25 mg/wk.

 

[[Je...]]

44 minutes ago, [[M...] said:

To my point, this was an article I found from 2010 which is more reassuring.  And this is a faster taper than what I’m doing, but most people were off their Clonazepam after 4 months. The mean starting dose was pretty high too compared to what you and I are taking (2.7mg) and patients had been on the medicine for at least 3 years. Of note, these were patients had been on a stable dose for at least a year before starting to taper.
 

Takeaway points:

-69% were off in 4 months

-95% were off in 7 months

-Symptoms were mostly mild

Abstract

High-potency benzodiazepines, such as clonazepam, are frequently used in the treatment of panic disorder (PD) because of their rapid onset of action and good tolerability. However, there is concern about their potential to cause withdrawal symptoms. We aimed to develop a protocol for safely tapering off clonazepam in patients with PD who had been receiving treatment for at least 3 years. A specific scale for judging withdrawal was also developed, the Composite Benzodiazepine Discontinuation Symptom Scale. We selected 73 patients with PD who had been asymptomatic for at least 1 year and who wished to discontinue the medication. The trial consisted of a 4-month period of tapering and an 8-month follow-up period. The dosage of clonazepam was decreased by 0.5 mg per 2-week period until 1 mg per day was reached, followed by a decrease of 0.25 mg per week. The mean dosage at the start of tapering was 2.7 +/- 1.2 mg/d. In total, 51 (68.9%) of the patients were free of the medication after the 4 months of tapering according to the protocol, and 19 (26.0%) of the patients needed another 3 months to be free of medication. Clonazepam discontinuation symptoms were mostly mild and included mainly: anxiety, shaking/trembling/tremor, nausea/vomiting, insomnia/nightmares, excessive sweating, tachycardia/palpitations, headache, weakness, and muscle aches. The improvement in PD and general well-being was maintained during both the taper and follow-up phases. Clonazepam can be successfully discontinued without any major withdrawal symptoms if the dose is reduced gradually. We recommend reducing the dosage of clonazepam after intermediate-term use by 0.25 mg/wk.

@[Ma...] I've been carrying that same abstract around with me! @[jc...] I'm not a horror story, either. I did a polydrug taper in 2015 that was NOT fun, but this time things are going far more smoothly for me. As mentioned before, most of the people that land here are having a difficult time, and this is a special place, but the folks that do just fine, don't post here, so don't freak out too much. I just started my taper and have been going with what feels right to me. (I'm tapering at what would be considered a faster rate, but so far, for me, it seems to be working just fine.) I do have some side-effects or withdrawal symptoms, but I'm also on chemo, so it's really hard to say what is causing what. I hope your taper goes well, should you decide to go that route! 

Jess

[[Ma...]]

4 minutes ago, [[J...] said:

@[Ma...] I've been carrying that same abstract around with me! @[jc...] I'm not a horror story, either. I did a polydrug taper in 2015 that was NOT fun, but this time things are going far more smoothly for me. As mentioned before, most of the people that land here are having a difficult time, and this is a special place, but the folks that do just fine, don't post here, so don't freak out too much. I just started my taper and have been going with what feels right to me. (I'm tapering at what would be considered a faster rate, but so far, for me, it seems to be working just fine.) I do have some side-effects or withdrawal symptoms, but I'm also on chemo, so it's really hard to say what is causing what. I hope your taper goes well, should you decide to go that route! 

Jess

I’m glad your taper is going so well at a faster rate!  I may or may not be one of these faster taperers, but choose to believe that I will be more likely to be if I hear more positive stories, not to discount that it does take a long time for many.  I do have some WD but it’s bearable so far.  All I can do is deal with today and go one day at a time.  

[[Je...]]

3 minutes ago, [[M...] said:

I’m glad your taper is going so well at a faster rate!  I may or may not be one of these faster taperers, but choose to believe that I will be more likely to be if I hear more positive stories, not to discount that it does take a long time for many.  I do have some WD but it’s bearable so far.  All I can do is deal with today and go one day at a time.  

I know it certainly can take longer for so many, but the people that do well just aren't here. If I hadn't tapered before and had such a rough time of it, I would likely not have known BB existed. I figure that when things are going WELL, I should be here just so others can see that it CAN. And exactly: the symptoms are bearable. I know I'm in a weird place because of the chemo thing with a taper on top, but I would still like to think my experience as I go through the taper might be helpful to others. 

Some days I feel a little bit giddy when I look at my taper plan and I can see the end of it! 

[[Ma...]]

1 minute ago, [[J...] said:

I know it certainly can take longer for so many, but the people that do well just aren't here. If I hadn't tapered before and had such a rough time of it, I would likely not have known BB existed. I figure that when things are going WELL, I should be here just so others can see that it CAN. And exactly: the symptoms are bearable. I know I'm in a weird place because of the chemo thing with a taper on top, but I would still like to think my experience as I go through the taper might be helpful to others. 

Some days I feel a little bit giddy when I look at my taper plan and I can see the end of it! 

I know the feeling.  I look forward to days I’m cutting even though they bring the possibility of WD.  It’s progress.  I have a cut tomorrow night 😎

[[Je...]]

35 minutes ago, [[M...] said:

I know the feeling.  I look forward to days I’m cutting even though they bring the possibility of WD.  It’s progress.  I have a cut tomorrow night 😎

Woot Woot! 

[[jc...]]

On 27/08/2023 at 14:57, [[J...] said:

@[Ma...] I've been carrying that same abstract around with me! @[jc...] I'm not a horror story, either. I did a polydrug taper in 2015 that was NOT fun, but this time things are going far more smoothly for me. As mentioned before, most of the people that land here are having a difficult time, and this is a special place, but the folks that do just fine, don't post here, so don't freak out too much. I just started my taper and have been going with what feels right to me. (I'm tapering at what would be considered a faster rate, but so far, for me, it seems to be working just fine.) I do have some side-effects or withdrawal symptoms, but I'm also on chemo, so it's really hard to say what is causing what. I hope your taper goes well, should you decide to go that route! 

Jess

@[Je...] Thanks for taking the time to read my story and give me your insight. Your wisdom is greatly appreciated! You sound like an absolute warrior and give me a lot of confidence!! Thanks again Jess! 

[[Je...]]

1 minute ago, [[j...] said:

@[Je...] Thanks for taking the time to read my story and give me your insight. Your wisdom is greatly appreciated! You sound like an absolute warrior and give me a lot of confidence!! Thanks again Jess! 

@[jc...] Thank you so much! That is so kind! 

[[jc...]]

On 27/08/2023 at 14:06, [[M...] said:

To my point, this was an article I found from 2010 which is more reassuring.  And this is a faster taper than what I’m doing, but most people were off their Clonazepam after 4 months. The mean starting dose was pretty high too compared to what you and I are taking (2.7mg) and patients had been on the medicine for at least 3 years. Of note, these were patients had been on a stable dose for at least a year before starting to taper.
 

Takeaway points:

-69% were off in 4 months

-95% were off in 7 months

-Symptoms were mostly mild

Abstract

High-potency benzodiazepines, such as clonazepam, are frequently used in the treatment of panic disorder (PD) because of their rapid onset of action and good tolerability. However, there is concern about their potential to cause withdrawal symptoms. We aimed to develop a protocol for safely tapering off clonazepam in patients with PD who had been receiving treatment for at least 3 years. A specific scale for judging withdrawal was also developed, the Composite Benzodiazepine Discontinuation Symptom Scale. We selected 73 patients with PD who had been asymptomatic for at least 1 year and who wished to discontinue the medication. The trial consisted of a 4-month period of tapering and an 8-month follow-up period. The dosage of clonazepam was decreased by 0.5 mg per 2-week period until 1 mg per day was reached, followed by a decrease of 0.25 mg per week. The mean dosage at the start of tapering was 2.7 +/- 1.2 mg/d. In total, 51 (68.9%) of the patients were free of the medication after the 4 months of tapering according to the protocol, and 19 (26.0%) of the patients needed another 3 months to be free of medication. Clonazepam discontinuation symptoms were mostly mild and included mainly: anxiety, shaking/trembling/tremor, nausea/vomiting, insomnia/nightmares, excessive sweating, tachycardia/palpitations, headache, weakness, and muscle aches. The improvement in PD and general well-being was maintained during both the taper and follow-up phases. Clonazepam can be successfully discontinued without any major withdrawal symptoms if the dose is reduced gradually. We recommend reducing the dosage of clonazepam after intermediate-term use by 0.25 mg/wk.

@[Ma...] thanks for this abstract. Gives me a lot of hope and confidence. Just knowing that you've cut almost 40% in a few months gives me a MASSIVE boost after reading some of the scarier stories.

I think my first day on Benzo Buddies it was just a bit triggering...  and i do occasionally catastrophize and definitely a part-time hypochondriac. 

But these responses have really helped "reset" me. I also realize i went from 1.5mg to 1.25mg years ago and never noticed a difference (as i was ignorant to all the potential symptoms)

I think i'm gonna try going from 1.25 to 1mg on a very slow taper (5% every month)... would get me there in about 3 months. See how i feel along the way. If i notice nothing, maybe speed up to 10%... if not- will just cruise down. In no rush.  Thanks again!