Adjusting to daytime dose looking for encouragement

[[Mi...]]

Hello -

it’s possible I’m having interdose withdrawal from klonopin. I currently take 0.75 at bedtime.  I tried taking the smallest dose at lunch - just .03mg - it makes me tired yet I can’t nap.  I’ve been told most people adjust.  And it doesn’t make them tired.  Any advice or tips to cope appreciated.  
Xoxo 

[[Go...]]

Hi @[Mi...] what makes you think you’re experiencing interdose withdrawal? Are you adding the dose at lunch on top of the .75 you’re taking at night? 

[[Mi...]]

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

Hi @[Mi...] what makes you think you’re experiencing interdose withdrawal? Are you adding the dose at lunch on top of the .75 you’re taking at night? 

Thanks for your quick respond @[Go...] - I am not adding medication - just taking .03 during day and .72 at night;  I seem fine in the mornings - yet get nervous/heart beating in late afternoon evenings and have no appetite - this also might be a “wave” as I’ve just been through some other issues that definitely destabilized my nervous system - sorry so long but here it is - I thought I’d turned a serious corner on July 2nd and was eating and sleeping again no nervous feelings - but it just came back 😞

here’s my history:  (you are so sweet to respond and to care - thank you!) 

 

2012 - prescribed ssri told to take 0.125 Klonopin nightly for sleep 

 

2022 - switched from nightly 0.125 klonopin to nightly .5 Xanax and 25mg trazadone 

 

December 2023 - realized having interdose withdrawals from Xanax - immediate switch to 0.75 klonopin and 88 mg trazadone 

 

January 2024 - just 10 days after this big switch I tried reducing trazadone.  Too much anxiety so reinstated.  I tried reducing klonopin - to much anxiety so reinstated.  I switched from Prozac 40 to cymbalta 40.  So basically (I now know it was horrible I did all this, I never let myself stabilize) 

 

February 2024 - was impatient - kept trying to fiddle with medication,  ended up reducing trazadone by about 50% in one week 

 

February - april 2024 had anxiety and panic attacks but dr said to wait it out wasn’t trazadone 

 

April 2024 - updosed trazadone by 12mg seemed to help a little 

 

june 12th 2024 - was having panic attacks akathisia anxiety - dr had me increase cymbalta by 10mg to 70mg total 

 

June 15th 2024 - reinstated trazadone back to 88 - could sleep through night and within 2 days Akithisia gone 

 

July 1st  - realized coffee was major contributor to anxiety attacks. Figured out 8 ounces of half caff was enough to not go into withdrawals yet also would not give me anxiety attack.  

 

July 3rd - seemed to take a turn for the better - eating; sleeping 

 

July 15 - some symptoms have improved but no appetite, anxiety second half of the day has come back 

 

Current medications - 

70 cymbalta (at night) 

0.75 klonopin (at night) 

88mg trazadone (at night) 

 

[[Go...]]

@[Mi...] wow, what a difficult road you’ve been on. I also started off on several medications and am down to just the klonopin. I know it can be tempting to try to mess with our doses but the best thing I can suggest based on my own experience is to only taper one thing at a time. That way you always know which medication is causing the effects. I was actually on cymbalta at one point and stopped taking it cold turkey and had a severe episode of panic/thinking I was going to die. As far as the klonopin, I personally feel better stretching my dose out throughout the day rather than taking it all at once. I am also currently at .75mg of klonopin and I take .25 in the morning, .25 in the afternoon, and .25 at night. That makes me feel balanced throughout the day. I would recommend trying that. This is of course, not professional advice, but just my own personal experience. 

[[Mi...]]

10 minutes ago, [[G...] said:

@[Mi...] wow, what a difficult road you’ve been on. I also started off on several medications and am down to just the klonopin. I know it can be tempting to try to mess with our doses but the best thing I can suggest based on my own experience is to only taper one thing at a time. That way you always know which medication is causing the effects. I was actually on cymbalta at one point and stopped taking it cold turkey and had a severe episode of panic/thinking I was going to die. As far as the klonopin, I personally feel better stretching my dose out throughout the day rather than taking it all at once. I am also currently at .75mg of klonopin and I take .25 in the morning, .25 in the afternoon, and .25 at night. That makes me feel balanced throughout the day. I would recommend trying that. This is of course, not professional advice, but just my own personal experience. 

Thank you for the advice - when you first started taking it that way did it give you fatigue? It seems just the tiniest dose is giving me fatigue - I’m hopeful maybe it will go away but I don’t know. I know everyone is so different.  For years I was on 0.125 and never had this problem but it seems I’ve done some damage - it’s frustrating.  

[[Go...]]

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

Thank you for the advice - when you first started taking it that way did it give you fatigue? It seems just the tiniest dose is giving me fatigue - I’m hopeful maybe it will go away but I don’t know. I know everyone is so different.  For years I was on 0.125 and never had this problem but it seems I’ve done some damage - it’s frustrating.  

Well, I’ve been taking 2mg/day of klonopin for 5 years so it doesn’t make me feel fatigued at all anymore. And if your goal (idk if it is or not) is to taper off of it, then I wouldn’t be too concerned about it making you tired. Once your body stops experiencing the sedation that probably means your body has adjusted to it and potentially become dependent and you don’t want that. I guess I should ask, what is your long term goal?

[[Mi...]]

Also @GoldenBee does this sound like interdose withdrawal to you? Just curious about everyone’s opinion on this 

[[Go...]]

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

Also @GoldenBee does this sound like interdose withdrawal to you? Just curious about everyone’s opinion on this 

I think it’s pretty uncommon to experience interdose withdrawal on klonopin because of the long half life. That’s also why a lot of people tapering off of other benzos end up switching to klonopin, to decrease the chance of interdose withdrawal. 

[[Mi...]]

@[Go...] my current goal is to stabilize and to be able to function as a mom to my kids.  I can’t taper until I do that.  I’d love to taper and get off completely - I’m very scared to do that but willing to try.  

[[Go...]]

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

@[Go...] my current goal is to stabilize and to be able to function as a mom to my kids.  I can’t taper until I do that.  I’d love to taper and get off completely - I’m very scared to do that but willing to try.  

Totally understandable. I have 2 young kids of my own. I can just tell you that my klonopin has always been prescribed to me to take multiple times a day and that’s allowed me to feel the most stable. You can always take maybe .5 at night and split the remaining .25 up earlier in the day. You will adjust to it and the drowsiness will go away. I’ve taken my full 2mg at once at night and not felt tired because of my tolerance. 

[[Mi...]]

6 minutes ago, [[G...] said:

Totally understandable. I have 2 young kids of my own. I can just tell you that my klonopin has always been prescribed to me to take multiple times a day and that’s allowed me to feel the most stable. You can always take maybe .5 at night and split the remaining .25 up earlier in the day. You will adjust to it and the drowsiness will go away. I’ve taken my full 2mg at once at night and not felt tired because of my tolerance. 

Thank you @[Go...] it would be a dream to not feel tired on it.  Any idea how long it took you to adjust to drowsiness? Sorry I know I’m annoying with so many questions - it’s just been a lot and I’m looking for any signs of hope.  And yes I was prescribed it 12 years ago only to take at night - wish someone would have mentioned all this to me back then.  Oh well.  The fact that you are a mom doing this is inspiring to me that I can do it too.  Thank you so much for any advice.  It’s helping :-) 

[[Go...]]

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

Thank you @[Go...] it would be a dream to not feel tired on it.  Any idea how long it took you to adjust to drowsiness? Sorry I know I’m annoying with so many questions - it’s just been a lot and I’m looking for any signs of hope.  And yes I was prescribed it 12 years ago only to take at night - wish someone would have mentioned all this to me back then.  Oh well.  The fact that you are a mom doing this is inspiring to me that I can do it too.  Thank you so much for any advice.  It’s helping :-) 

It didn’t take me long at all to adjust. I would imagine in the next couple of months the daytime drowsiness will wear off. When I do feel daytime fatigue (due to withdrawal) I drink matcha, which helps me. I do not drink coffee. 

[[Mi...]]

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

It didn’t take me long at all to adjust. I would imagine in the next couple of months the daytime drowsiness will wear off. When I do feel daytime fatigue (due to withdrawal) I drink matcha, which helps me. I do not drink coffee. 

@[Go...] not only do I have drowsiness I feel sort of drugged - did this go away for you too? I’m considering drinking some half caff coffee - which is probably a terrible idea as coffee was recently giving me panic attacks - but I have to be more alert to take care of my kids - ugh. 

[[Go...]]

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

@[Go...] not only do I have drowsiness I feel sort of drugged - did this go away for you too? I’m considering drinking some half caff coffee - which is probably a terrible idea as coffee was recently giving me panic attacks - but I have to be more alert to take care of my kids - ugh. 

Yes that feeling is normal. Coffee creates too much anxiety for me. Matcha is concentrated green tea which has caffeine but it’s less than coffee, yet better absorbed by the body, creating a more lasting energy without the crash. I’ve been using it instead of coffee since February and it’s been great for me, personally.