Withdrawal???

[[To...]]

I have been taking .5 mg of clonazepam twice a day for a year. The last few months when I wake in the mornings I have had this overwhelming nervous feeling in my head and chest with racing thoughts. I have to wait till mid morning to take 1st dose to ensure coverage until evening dose that is taken after 5pm to ensure coverage till bed time. I have never known of someone having withdrawal symptoms while taking medication. I am curious if anyone else is familiar with this experience. I plan on talking to my primary physician about tapering off this medication. I am very concerned about the withdrawal effects while tapering considering the symptoms I am having now while taking as prescribed. I would appreciate any insight or advice for my situation. I would also be curious to know what methods or techniques have worked for others. I truly appreciate any/all advice 

[[Cr...]]

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

I am sorry you found yourself caught in the same web many others people have found themselves in. Hopefully we can help you sort this out.

28 minutes ago, [[T...] said:

I have never known of someone having withdrawal symptoms while taking medication. I am curious if anyone else is familiar with this experience.

Sometimes when taking a benzo people get what is known as interdose withdrawal. That is where the effects of the medication wear off before the next dose is taken. That is a common sign of physical dependence.

Another issue that may arise is tolerance withdrawal. Overtime your body may adjust to a medication to the point where it is not as effective as it once was and so you start to experience withdrawal-like symptoms even when taking the medication regularly. In this case a patient would need to move up to a higher dose, but eventually tolerance may strike again. So tapering off is often the better choice.

We will gladly help you figure out a suitable taper plan. The core basis for most taper plans is done using the Ashton Manual. If you have not checked that out, I highly suggest you do so to educate yourself about this process. 

Generally such tapers use 5 to 10% cuts every 1 to 2 weeks, with variances depending on a person's individual needs and what they can tolerate.

I hope you find the support on this site helpful in navigating you through this.

[[To...]]

56 minutes ago, [[C...] said:

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

I am sorry you found yourself caught in the same web many others people have found themselves in. Hopefully we can help you sort this out.

Sometimes when taking a benzo people get what is known as interdose withdrawal. That is where the effects of the medication wear off before the next dose is taken. That is a common sign of physical dependence.

Another issue that may arise is tolerance withdrawal. Overtime your body may adjust to a medication to the point where it is not as effective as it once was and so you start to experience withdrawal-like symptoms even when taking the medication regularly. In this case a patient would need to move up to a higher dose, but eventually tolerance may strike again. So tapering off is often the better choice.

We will gladly help you figure out a suitable taper plan. The core basis for most taper plans is done using the Ashton Manual. If you have not checked that out, I highly suggest you do so to educate yourself about this process. 

Generally such tapers use 5 to 10% cuts every 1 to 2 weeks, with variances depending on a person's individual needs and what they can tolerate.

I hope you find the support on this site helpful in navigating you through this.

 

[[To...]]

I briefly read over the Ashton manual and it is informative. I did not see a withdrawal plan for my dosage which is .05mg twice daily. The plans I saw were much higher dosages. What withdrawal strategy would you suggest I use with my current dosage?

[[Ch...]]

3 hours ago, [[T...] said:

I have never known of someone having withdrawal symptoms while taking medication.

It sounds like you're experiencing "tolerance withdrawal," which means that you've become accustomed to your current dose, and would need more of the drug for the intended effect. However, relief does not always come (or not for long) with an increased dose. The way to deal with tolerance is to safely taper off the drug.

Do you intend to taper off directly from Klonopin?

See the Ashton Manual, Schedule 5.

[[To...]]

yes. I plan on tapering off the medication. I feel increasing the dosage only compounds the problem and lowers quality of life. I just want to find a good withdrawal plan. I am concerned about the withdrawal symptoms as I am already having them while taking as prescribed. 

[[...]]

5 hours ago, [[T...] said:

... I have never known of someone having withdrawal symptoms while taking medication. I am curious if anyone else is familiar with this experience. I plan on talking to my primary physician about tapering off this medication...

Hi, @[To...], i had the experience of withdrawal symptoms while actually on benzo. For me, the further, the worse they were getting, but i never really tried to up-dose bc simply couldn't guess benzo was responsible.

I absolutely agree with Chester1965. The best way to feel better is to taper off of it. I also think it shouldn't take too long due to the risk of growing tolerance more. As soon as i tapered off of benzo, i felt first improvements in my condition, although my taper was rather hard. 

Sorry i'm bad at tapering but hope and believe others will help you with a proper withdrawal plan. Good luck! 

[[Ch...]]

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

yes. I plan on tapering off the medication. I feel increasing the dosage only compounds the problem and lowers quality of life. I just want to find a good withdrawal plan. I am concerned about the withdrawal symptoms as I am already having them while taking as prescribed. 

To ease your current symptoms, you could try taking your current total dose and splitting it into 3 or even 4 doses per day. That won't help tolerance, but it might help any inter-dose withdrawal you may be having.

If you are planning to taper directly from Klonopin (instead of switching to Valium, as per Ashton), then you probably want to look into water tapering. I am sure that someone here can help with that, or you can go to the Facebook group Beating Benzos and get a free individualized taper plan.

[[Cr...]]

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

I did not see a withdrawal plan for my dosage which is .05mg twice daily. The plans I saw were much higher dosages. What withdrawal strategy would you suggest I use with my current dosage?

Since the doses and medications are so numerous, it would be impossible for the manual to lay out a full term example taper for every possible situation. The core message of the guide is that it is best to taper at 5 to 10% cuts every 1 to 2 weeks. So the math could be figured out for any medication and any dose.

The only other factors are how you want to taper. If you are experiencing interdose withdrawals, then a cross-over to longer-acting benzos like Valium may be helpful. You can do dry cuts using a scale. You can do liquid titration. You may be able to find a compounding pharmacy to make the correct doses for you. Or you could just eyeball it and see what you are capable of handling (least recommended).

[[To...]]

My doctor will not write me Valium. I am going to have to taper off directly. 

[[Pa...]]

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

My doctor will not write me Valium. I am going to have to taper off directly. 

Not a problem @[To...], most taper from their original benzodiazepine and you've been given some great suggestions on how to get started.  I'm wondering if the suggestions you've gotten to take multiple doses a day would be a good way to start since you're dealing with what sounds like interdose withdrawal?  If you decide to do this, I would suggest not reducing your dose until your body has acclimated to the new dosing regimen. 

[[To...]]

That makes sense to me. I could cut the .5mg in half and taper that way. 

[[Pa...]]

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

That makes sense to me. I could cut the .5mg in half and taper that way. 

Cutting the .5 mg in half will work if you're planning to increase the number of times you take it each day, but when you begin your taper, you'll need to make much smaller reductions, but we can talk about that once you settle into your new routine. 

[[To...]]

What kind of tapering regiment would you suggest with my current dosage of .5mg twice daily. I am so ready to start that process as I am miserable most of the day now. 

[[Pa...]]

First I need to know if you're planning to add another dose or two to your day, or if you'd like to stick with the two doses. 

[[To...]]

I would like to start ASAP. I will start tomorrow with my current 2 dose regimen. The only reason I would cut them in half for more smaller doses would be to get relief from the current symptoms I am experiencing. I just want to be smart and do this soon. 

[[Pa...]]

I'm concerned starting your taper while dealing with interdose withdrawal is going to be rough, are you sure you don't want to stabilize a bit before embarking on your taper?  This process takes a long time, there is the taper, which in your case may take several months, then there is recovery once off the medication and that can take even longer.  I quit Klonopin cold turkey, but it took me over a year to recover, so you see, this isn't a quick or easy process. 

If you're determined to start your taper, I would suggest a very small reduction, perhaps somewhere between 5-10%.  This means you'll need to decide the method you'd like to use.  @[Ch...] mentioned a liquid taper, here are some other methods. Titration - Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Support (benzobuddies.org)

I understand you want to get started, you've made up your mind and that's a good thing, but planning this out is important.  You'll want to speak with the significant others in your life, educating yourself and them will help ensure your success because you're going to need help.  This process hurts us physically, mentally and emotionally, we get hit from every direction, its a big commitment.  

We'll help you with whatever you decide, I just wanted to lay out some realities of what this will look like. 

[[To...]]

I will try cutting them in half the rest of this week and take smaller doses more frequently. I will plan on beginning the taper in a week. 
I truly appreciate all the advice and support. My wife doesn’t understand she acts as if I can just focus on other things and the symptoms will go away. 

[[Pa...]]

Please be methodical when taking your doses, plan on taking them at the same time each day but keep them practical because this will be your new dosing schedule.  You'll want to plan to take them when it makes sense for you and your lifestyle, 3 or even 4 doses might work well for you.

We know its difficult for our loved ones to understand what we're going through. The problem is, not everyone will suffer with these medications like we do, so even our doctors doubt us because their other patients appear to do just fine.  But there are many organizations who are trying to bring awareness of our plight, hopefully your wife will take some time to understand. 

Home - Benzodiazepine Information Coalition (benzoinfo.com)

Home - The Alliance for Benzodiazepine Best Practices (benzoreform.org)

 

[[To...]]

Again thank you for advice. I truly appreciate your input. This support forum is truly a blessing   I can tell there is a lot of heart felt support and understanding that a lot of people like myself would not have otherwise and it’s not because our loved ones are not sympathetic but rather lack the experience of these meds   God bless you all