Coming off Klonopin four times daily 2 mg total

[[Cl...]]

I am so scared to get off this medication. Does anybody have recommend recommendations? My doctor did give me gabapentin to take in between

[[Le...]]

I am not the best person for this but a slow taper is always best and I think there is very limited success with other drugs to help. 

You will get some good advice here. All I can give is dont do it rapidly. 

[[Le...]]

is your doc aware of slow tapering ?  some good videos here and info for doctors if they arent. 

[[Fi...]]

Hi Clairekilluh! Welcome to BB!

A slow taper - paying attention to your body and how it's reacting to the dosage change - is the way to go. At one point, I was on 8mg of Klonopin per day  and I've managed to reduce that to .75mg per day. I pushed myself in the beginning and the symptoms were rough but, once I slowed down and started reducing based on my body's schedule - not my brain's - the effects of lowering the dosage became much more manageable. The last time I did a cut, I reduced my dosage by 50% in a matter of weeks! I'm not recommending that  but I think I was able to do it because my body was healthy and able to process the side effects.

It will help folks on these boards respond to you if you can include your medications (and dosages) in your signature.

Hang in there!

~ Fiskadoro

[[Ca...]]

That was a very big drop for a benzo taper. You're fortunate you were able to tolerate it.

[[Le...]]

12 minutes ago, [[F...] said:

Hi Clairekilluh! Welcome to BB!

A slow taper - paying attention to your body and how it's reacting to the dosage change - is the way to go. At one point, I was on 8mg of Klonopin per day  and I've managed to reduce that to .75mg per day. I pushed myself in the beginning and the symptoms were rough but, once I slowed down and started reducing based on my body's schedule - not my brain's - the effects of lowering the dosage became much more manageable. The last time I did a cut, I reduced my dosage by 50% in a matter of weeks! I'm not recommending that  but I think I was able to do it because my body was healthy and able to process the side effects.

It will help folks on these boards respond to you if you can include your medications (and dosages) in your signature.

Hang in there!

~ Fiskadoro

I really like these strong positive stories. He is doing things right and so can you. 

[[Cl...]]

I’m very scared they gave me disintegrating tablets .5mg do maybe cut down to 1.8mg 

[[Le...]]

you are going to get lots of help here through all of it. you will be ok. there are lots of scary stories but you are in the right place to prevent that. communicate lots with your doctor. 

[[Cl...]]

2 hours ago, [[L...] said:

I am not the best person for this but a slow taper is always best and I think there is very limited success with other drugs to help. 

You will get some good advice here. All I can give is dont do it rapidly. 

I only been taking it for 7.5 months thanks fully so hopefully not that bad of a taper. But this drug has changed everything about me and makes my anxiety worse and I have so many panic attacks … do any you guys take anything ???? They gave me trazodone and Gabapentin 

Edited May 8 by [Cl...]

[[Le...]]

i had the same reaction. it goes away as you recover and you are aware enough to do it right. it will be totally manageable. people experienced in tapering are already contacting you. 

[[Cl...]]

I’m officially starting the taper Thursday when I get the refill of the new meds! But I have like anxiety tummy ugh

[[Le...]]

yea and its totally anxiety. you will have a hard time knowing if it is coming off or just anxiety in the future. my advice is to assume it is just anxiety and push through. take care of yourself and you will be fine. 

[[Le...]]

i never lived a super healthy way but you can really benefit from starting that now. walk instead of watching tv. get those veg in you. all those things healthy happy people say and i dismissed. it is real. 

Edited May 8 by [Le...]
spelling

[[Cl...]]

Did you take anything for your withdraw?

[[Le...]]

nope. really unsure if there are things that help

[[Ru...]]

@[Cl...] getting started is emotionally taxing, but you've made the decision to do it and that is the first step.

Everyone is different and there are a lot of scary experiences here, but there are some positive ones too. I haven't had much difficulty so far. I decided to go into this taper with a positive mindset. I had to, otherwise it would've gotten the best of me. I'm not saying that there is no discomfort. I think that should be expected, but try to distract yourself and not think about it 24/7. Let your symptoms guide your taper. You can do this!!

[[En...]]

Here is my opinion for someone starting the taper.

Make sure you dont have any external stresses in your life like money problems or relationship problems. These will add to the stress tapering will cause.

Start slow. Do a small amount like 5 or 10% to start and see how you respond. If you can handle that you can increase your next cut to 15 or 20%

Hold your taper until you feel good. Listen to your body and let it tell you when to continue your taper. If you  cut when you are not feeling good you will compound your suffering.

Stay away from supplements such as multivitamins or minerals. Sugar and caffeine as well. I found these aggravate the symptoms.

Try to go out for a walk every day. Go outside and get exercise as much as possible. Dont over do it as this can aggravate your symptoms too.

As you go down in dosage taper slower. Again listen to your body and taper to how you feel nearing the end of your taper. 

We were all prescribed this med for a reason initially. When you are done your taper that issue will still be there. Be it mental illness or insomnia make sure you have a solution to that issue so you do not resort back to these meds as a rescue in the future. Maybe you need councilling or maybe you need antidepressants. Or maybe you need something to help cope with insomnia. 

Stay positive during your taper. Your brain is going to try to fool you into thinking you are stressed out or depressed. Maybe you will develope agoraphobia. Remember this is not you it is the drugs. You will get better as you taper down and off this horrible med.

Some people in our lives will not understand what we are going through and may not be very supportive. Educate yourself on these drugs and what they can do to you. If you find someone you are confiding in is not supportive then dont confide in them. They will make you feel worse about yourself. This includes your Dr or spouse or children or friends.

We are all paddling down the same shit river. It is going to be a challenge. Never updose to a higher dose if you feel bad. It will pass and you will do much better in future tapers. Updosing can cause kindling of your brain and complicate future taper and cause protracted withdrawal prolonging and increasing your suffering. This is why you see horror stories. 

Good luck in your journey back to yourself again. These drugs are good for one time shots not for long term use. Dont let your Dr rush your taper. Listen to your body. You are the one going through this and most Dr do not understand. My Dr tried to rush my taper and I told him I will bring pills next visit for him to try and see if he can tolerate a fast taper. 

This is my opinion only. 

Edited May 8 by [En...]