Tapering off Klonopin, any info is useful!

[[Al...]]

Hello to all. I’ve been taking klonopin for about a year now and notice that during that time I have not even gone a whole month without taking it, as it’s prescribed as a PRN. My dose is a 0.5 (low dose I know) but I would like some advice from anyone out there who did a taper and how they did it. I have a baby girl she’s 4 months and I’m also postpartum so my anxiety is coming from many places. I’m a young mom just trying to not take my prn unless it’s needed. I only have been taking it more because I experience rebound anxiety a two/three days after last dose. The longest I have gone sadly is only a week with out taking my medication but at that time I was only taking the 0.5 now I take 2 during the day (one in morning, one at night) please any advice helps. ❤️

[[Pa...]]

Hello @[Al...], welcome to BenzoBuddies,

First, I’m glad you’re aware of the dangers of taking these medications long term, its suggested by the drug maker to only be used for 2-4 weeks because dependence is likely, even taking them PRN can cause this.  Dependence is not addiction, your body adapts to the drug and needs more to achieve the same effect.

These medications can begin to cause the issues we went on them to address, like insomnia, anxiety and panic, only it feels much worse than our original issue.

Secondly, you are not on a low dose, Klonopin is one of the most powerful benzodiazepines, if you’re taking 1 mg each day, thats the equivalent of 20 mgs of Valium!

We typically suggest reducing your dose by about 5-10% every couple of weeks in order to stay functional but what works better is to let your symptoms guide your taper.

We’re happy you found us and hope we can help you figure out what to do.

Pamster

[[Al...]]

@[Pa...]aw thanks so much for your response! Okay so if some days I take 0.5 and some days I take two like I said one in the morning and one at night. When should I start my taper? Do I start a few days after my last dose. Also when you say 5-10 % what exactly is that amount? 

Edited January 20 by [Al...]

[[Al...]]

@[Pa...] And also like you mentioned I am not addicted but my brain has become depended on it. I don’t notice horrible symptoms maybe they just seem horrible because I’m so used to taking my medication. I thought I would start taking half of my .05 when I experience withdrawals from last dose and taper that way. Do you have Benzo substitutions for klonoin that are less powerful? Maybe I could I talk to my dr and have her prescribe me something less potent/powerful? 

[[Pa...]]

@[Al...], I don’t know if your body is dependent on the medication yet, I’m just letting you know its a possibility and you’re wise to be aware of your increased use. 

What I would suggest to start is to take the same amount every day, you might try limiting that to either .5 or .75, and do this for about a week.  You can divide your dose and take it morning and night.  You may be uncomfortable with less of the medication but if you’re functional then we would consider this stable enough to begin a taper.

Please DO NOT cut your dose by 50%, a slow steady reduction of dose will allow your brain and central nervous system to reverse the changes made by the drug.  

I would not suggest crossing to a different benzodiazepine, typically the only reason to do that is to prevent interdose withdrawal and Klonopin half life is long enough that most can taper directly from it.

Let’s keep talking, but please don’t make any snap decisions, this process requires planning and commitment and you need to be functional to take care of your family. 

[[Al...]]

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

@[Al...], I don’t know if your body is dependent on the medication yet, I’m just letting you know its a possibility and you’re wise to be aware of your increased use. 

What I would suggest to start is to take the same amount every day, you might try limiting that to either .5 or .75, and do this for about a week.  You can divide your dose and take it morning and night.  You may be uncomfortable with less of the medication but if you’re functional then we would consider this stable enough to begin a taper.

Please DO NOT cut your dose by 50%, a slow steady reduction of dose will allow your brain and central nervous system to reverse the changes made by the drug.  

I would not suggest crossing to a different benzodiazepine, typically the only reason to do that is to prevent interdose withdrawal and Klonopin half life is long enough that most can taper directly from it.

Let’s keep talking, but please don’t make any snap decisions, this process requires planning and commitment and you need to be functional to take care of your family. 

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

@[Al...], I don’t know if your body is dependent on the medication yet, I’m just letting you know its a possibility and you’re wise to be aware of your increased use. 

What I would suggest to start is to take the same amount every day, you might try limiting that to either .5 or .75, and do this for about a week.  You can divide your dose and take it morning and night.  You may be uncomfortable with less of the medication but if you’re functional then we would consider this stable enough to begin a taper.

Please DO NOT cut your dose by 50%, a slow steady reduction of dose will allow your brain and central nervous system to reverse the changes made by the drug.  

I would not suggest crossing to a different benzodiazepine, typically the only reason to do that is to prevent interdose withdrawal and Klonopin half life is long enough that most can taper directly from it.

Let’s keep talking, but please don’t make any snap decisions, this process requires planning and commitment and you need to be functional to take care of your family. 

 

[[Al...]]

@[Pa...] thanks so much. So when you say every week am I taking the reduced dose once a week or daily? When should I start my taper? Yesterday I took 1.5 mg because I was very stressed but up until then i would take .5/ 1mg the amount differs for me it just depends on my anxiety that day 

[[Pa...]]

I’m suggesting taking between .5 and 1 mg daily for about a week so you can stabilize and plan your next steps, .75 might be a good dose to take unless you feel you can get by on .5.  Any dose you land on will be the dose you’ll begin your taper from.

Just the thought of tapering off your dose I’m sure is causing your stress and stress will make everything worse, so taking stock of your situation and planning your next steps will hopefully calm you down a bit.  It’s important to educate yourself about what may be happening to you so you can understand what you’re up against.

When our body adapts to this drug, it quits producing the calming GABA we need so when we withdraw the drug, our bodies have to reverse this process and once again start producing it.  This doesn’t happen overnight, this is why we need to do this slowly.

[[Al...]]

@[Pa...] so after a week what should I cut down to?

[[Pa...]]

On 20/01/2024 at 12:51, [[A...] said:

@[Pa...] so after a week what should I cut down to?

Hi @[Al...], I’ve been absent for a few days dealing with family issues but I wanted to see if you’re still interested in figuring this out. I’m here if you are. 

[[Al...]]

Hi, sorry to hear that and yes I am! 

[[Al...]]

I started my taper two days ago taking .5 as I’m not having significant withdrawals today I will go with out and was wondering if I start to have rebound anxiety the next coming days if I could just take .25?

[[Pa...]]

Hi @[Al...], please let us know what your dose was before you started your taper.  

What do you mean by go without today, its important to take your dose every day so your blood serum levels can stay as constant as possible. 

[[Al...]]

I was taking 0.5- maybe 1mg sometimes just 0.5. My medication is prescribed as a prn and I only get 14 tablets a month. 

[[Al...]]

I didnt have the same dose intake it was I what I felt like taking. I went a day with out and sometimes a 2-3 days with out during my pregnancy as my obgyn told me to stay on my prn and take it as needed. I found myself needing it more after my daughter arrived due to being a first time mother. I am trying my best. I also talked to my therapist about this but I’m here to do a taper so I can have less withdrawals sooner than later

[[Pa...]]

I really hate to see you skip days in your taper, as I mentioned, its important to keep your blood serum levels constant, because if your symptoms become too intense, you may have to go up in dose to get back on an even keel and with you being a new mom, you can't afford to feel bad.

Can you tell us your current supply of Klonopin so we can determine if you have enough to do a slow taper?

[[Al...]]

I go to sleep also around 12 and wake up at 7:30 I also am on Zoloft 100 mg I’ve been taking that for about a month now and 50mg for about a year prior to my new dose

[[Pa...]]

Do you plan to take the Klonopin every day or are you going to skip days as you taper?  If you're going to take it every day, when do you plan to reduce the .5 mg and by how much?

I'm trying to understand your Klonopin taper plan, can you outline it for me? 

[[Al...]]

20 minutes ago, [[P...] said:

Do you plan to take the Klonopin every day or are you going to skip days as you taper?  If you're going to take it every day, when do you plan to reduce the .5 mg and by how much?

I'm trying to understand your Klonopin taper plan, can you outline it for me? 

Well I took 0.5 the last two days and plan to take the same dose again today. I have 11 left. 

[[Al...]]

Just now, [[A...] said:

Well I took 0.5 the last two days and plan to take the same dose again today. I have 11 left. 

I’m just trying to taper enough where I don’t have a lot of rebound anxiety I plan to do what is recommended i didn’t know about blood serum levels so I’m assuming I should follow your advice haha and not skip and do whats recommended!

[[Pa...]]

I'm glad you're taking your dose every day, but the problem is your supply of pills, will you have enough to last you if you continue the path you're on, reducing then holding for a week or two, then reducing again when your symptoms dictate?

 

[[Al...]]

I’m not sure. My doctor usually sends them when I tell her I run out. I thought maybe I would reduce to .5 for a few days then go in half to .25  and then get a refill? What do you suggest 

[[Al...]]

I don’t want to take it everyday I want to only take it as needed. I only planed to do the .5 for a few days because you mentioned blood serum levels. If I can go a few days with out and then take .5 as needed for rebound anxiety I was wondering what you think about that? 

[[Pa...]]

Here's what I know about benzodiazepines, they begin to cause the issues we originally took them for, only much, much worse.  Anxiety, panic, insomnia, restless legs, tinnitus and countless other issues will all be made worse by the drug once we become dependent on it. That rebound anxiety you face is caused by the drug, I guarantee that what you feel on that 2nd or 3rd day after a dose is caused by the drug and made worse by it.

On 20/01/2024 at 08:31, [[A...] said:

The longest I have gone sadly is only a week with out taking my medication but at that time I was only taking the 0.5 now I take 2 during the day (one in morning, one at night) please any advice helps.

Your use is increasing and will continue to increase because it will take more and more to achieve the same effect, this is called tolerance.  Once this happens, the only remedy is to increase the dose or taper off.  If you decide you want to taper, we'll be happy to help you but you may need to let your doctor know so you can be assured of getting enough to do this slowly and methodically enough to keep you functioning for your baby. 

[[Al...]]

Yes I plan on doing the taper I took my .5 the last three days I have appointment with her on Monday and will tell her that I’m working on tapering but she always tells me .5 is such a low dose that I shouldn’t have a lot of withdrawals