Need help withdrawing from 18 years of Klonopin

[[th...]]

Hi all,

I’ve had GAD and depression my whole life with bouts of panic in between.  The panic lasted years and they weren’t short attacks.  They would go on for hours.  As a result, I became a recluse even after the panic finally went away with Klonopin.  It was like I had some kind of PTSD or leftover fear after the many days of enduring them.

This past year my life has fallen apart.  My dog passed away, I’m getting divorced and I’ve begun menopause at a kind-of early age.  I was 47 when it began.  My hormones have always given me a run for the money with severe PMS and now this.

Anyway, the depression and anxiety right now are horrible, but I’ve begun to wonder if my meds are making it worse.  I’ve taken 1.25 mg of Klonopin as needed for 18 years, and have also been on Prozac and Lamictal for most of those 18 years.

My usage of Klonopin increased this past year with the escalating stress.  I take it about 3-4 times a week.

How can I start tapering myself off? I haven’t taken it in two days and feel kind of twitchy, but at this point I’m chronically nervous so I have no idea what’s med-related and what is from my life stressors.  For the past year I’ve also had suicidal thoughts (not plans, just thoughts).

My psych is pretty much a waste of time.  They just see me for 15 minutes and give me refills.  They offer no real guidance at all.  My previous psych spent 45 minutes with me and was always thinking of what might work without upsetting my gut (I have IBS so my med options are very limited), but sadly she retired.

I would appreciate any advice you could give me.  I’m tired of spending money on what feels like useless and/or damaging psych meds.

[[pi...]]

Hello @[th...] and welcome to Benzo Buddies!

I am terribly sorry for the trauma and sadness in your life right now. Losing your dog, a member of the family is very hard. Add to that the divorce and hormones, it’s no wonder you are feeling low.

We can help you work on a taper plan. These types of drugs are tricky and often create depression and anxiety due to tolerance to the dose.

I notice you don’t take klonopin daily, is that correct? Even irregular use can cause a physical dependency. However, the nervous system needs consistency. It will likely be necessary for you to dose daily, stabilize and then start a slow taper. The idea would be to find the lowest daily dose that allows you to feel stable. 

I’m sorry your psychiatrist isn’t much help, often they just continue medicating because they think it’s in the best interest of the patient. This is not necessarily the case.

We support your desire to take stop taking drugs that no longer work. It is doable, with a sensible taper plan. Keep posting, we will answer your questions. 

[[th...]]

Thank you so much! I don’t like using the term PTSD since I’m not a veteran and haven’t been through any horrible situations like rape, but it just seems like the best way to describe how I was left after the panic attacks.  I became afraid to do things and was a shell of myself.  It stayed that way for 10 years.

To answer your question, no, I don’t take Klonopin daily.  At most, it’s usually four days a week, but that’s about it.  The dose is usually 1.25 mg but on bad days, I sometimes take 1.5 mg.  What would I need to take daily to start tapering?

I see my psych again in December so I’ll be getting another refill.  I should have enough to take this slowly.

 

[[pi...]]

Hello again @[th...],

I am not a very good expert in tapering. I didn’t find this forum until after I finished my taper and my doctor and I were sort of the blind leading the blind trying to figure out how to do this.

However, we do have very knowledgeable and helpful members who can help you determine a good daily dose. The weekends can be a little slow but someone should be around soon to offer their help.

[[Ch...]]

You sound like me but I was taking daily. I started my taper November 5th. 5 percent every 14 days. There are expert on tapering I am sure will respond. I hit tolerance in March on 2 mg of Clonazepam since 2010 

[[Fa...]]

Hi, @[th...].  Welcome to BenzoBuddies!  As @[pi...] mentioned, if you have been taking 1.25-1.5mg of clonazepam 3-4 days a week, over a long period of time - you most likely have become physically dependent. 

Hopefully finding a dose to take daily will help you 'stabilize' over the course of a couple weeks while you determine which taper strategy suits you best.  Your average weekly consumption sounds to be in the 5mg range.  This would equate to roughly .75mg clonazepam per day.

What is the longest you have gone between doses in the past month or so?  Do you feel that your body has become physically dependent to the clonazepam?  If so, does a daily dose of .75mg sound like a good starting dose for you to taper from?  

[[th...]]

Thanks for the welcome, everyone.  @[Fa...] The longest I’ve gone is probably a week, maybe two, but it’s rare.  I don’t know if I’m physically dependent, but mentally I am.  I have to know it’s there in case a panic attack happens.  If there isn’t any, I’m scared I won’t have something to stop the attack.

Thing is, it’s frying my brain so I want to try and get myself off, or at least just take it very occasionally should I have a flare up.  Maybe I will try half of a 1 mg pill every couple of days to prevent symptoms.  I’m not sure how long I should do it for though.  At what point can you just stop?

[[Fa...]]

@[th...] Unfortunately taking it every other day would not be advisable.  Your brain/body craves consistency.  If you have gone 2 weeks recently in between doses, and you are currently 2+ days since your last dose, perhaps you can walk off with minimal to mild symptoms? 

The other option would be to pick a daily dose and get ‘stable’ on this dose.  Your average appears to be around .75mg per day; however, you could try .5mg per day for a couple of weeks and see how you are feeling? 

[[th...]]

I definitely haven’t gone a week or two weeks recently.  This is one of the most stressful times I’ve ever had.  Maybe I’ll just try a half each day and see what happens.  If that goes well, I could try .25 daily after a month or so?

A pharmacist told me I could just stop.  I was like, “what the?!” 😬

[[Fa...]]

@[th...] I’m truly sorry you are going through such a difficult, and stressful, time in your life.  Better days lie ahead.

You can certainly take .5mg daily and see how you are feeling after a week or two.  It is important to pick a time of day to take your dose and stay consistent.

Also, avoid taking any additional ‘rescue’ doses.  If it becomes too difficult for whatever reason after a week or two, you can consider going up to .75mg per day.  Please do keep us posted and reach out with any questions or for additional support. 

[[ou...]]

I second everything @[Fa...] said. One thing I'd like to add is that, since you average 1.25mg every other day, you could try stabilizing on .625mg if you can get .125mg doses.

[[th...]]

Thank you, @[ou...]. I will get my pill cutter out.

Weaning off is a daunting prospect because there is nothing else that can ease the chronic anxiety.  Propranolol helps with my heart rate, but that’s about it.  I can’t take most SSRIs because they cause my IBS to flare.  Prozac and Lexapro don’t, but neither do much of anything for me.

I can’t even say Lamictal is doing anything because I’m too afraid to stop it should the absolute rock-bottom thoughts start again.  Maybe I could quit it and be fine, but so far I’m too chicken to try.

I tried Abilify but it also messed up my GI system and didn’t produce results.

BuSpar was another fail.

Is there anything else out there that is generic and can ease the rush of thoughts and anxiety symptoms?

Edited November 26, 2023 by [th...]