tapering off klonopin

[[el...]]

Hi SP,

 

Have you decided if you are going to start a taper yet? Have you discussed it with your doctor? If you are ready to do this, we will help you with it. But you have to stick with a strict dosing schedule, whether you taper or not. It just won't work if you don't.

 

The sooner you are free of benzos, the sooner you will get well and get your life back. 

[[sw...]]

i told my counsler about my depression and she just told me to come home and deal with

[[sw...]]

I think right now i need to stick the strict dosing schedule even though i would love to be off the med. I feel its making me sick i went to see my counsler about going into the hospital but our ins is out so my counsler said to come home and try to deal with it,,,,and if later i have to into the hospital we will see about it

[[sw...]]

oh i was wondering is it withdrawal still from the xanax and the klonopin that im having/ Is the dizziness withdrawal or from the ativan

[[sw...]]

My counsler told me that the ativan should be helping with the klonopin withdrawals,,,i really wonder about her sometimes....she says she wants to help me,,,but im so bad,im having such ttiredness and dizziness nd im suppose to jsut be happy and get up and go on about my life when i feel like im dying,,,,im trying to be strong..i feel like i need to take a ativan to help me but its not time and then like i said maybe its making me sick  i dont know and i ahve run out of help from anyone here professinaly

[Guest [st...]]

Hey, SP,

 

At least you said "I FEEL like I"m dying".  You didn't say you WERE dying.  That is a step in the right direction.  Getting off these benzos is a very difficult job but it CAN be done.  I really think that I may have had adverse reactions to the Xanax so my thought was to get off them in a reasonable amount of time.  You NEED to get off these meds in order to feel better.  Do continue tapering no matter what symptoms you may get.  Baby yourself and think positive thoughts even though it may be tough.  You CAN do this.  We can support you when you are feeling down but you are the only one that can physically come off these meds.  Do it, do it, do it.

 

Patty  xo

[[sw...]]

hi stoney may i ask what kind of adverse reactions u felt u were having as i think i am to ativan,,,but my drs wont believe me and im wonderin how to deal with the anxiety as i get off the ativan

[[sw...]]

Ok I decided I need to do the taperr and get off the awful drug.....i will fight..please pray for me tonight and i will be praying for alll of you

[[sw...]]

Just a crazy thought but im wondering if i spaced the ativan differntly like not take it hole would i feel better,or is that palying with trouble...i just wonder if i was to take a less amount at a time if i would feel better

[[el...]]

oh i was wondering is it withdrawal still from the xanax and the klonopin that im having/ Is the dizziness withdrawal or from the ativan

 

It's possible you are having some effects from being switched over so fast, but it should probably be mostly leveled out by now.

benzos made me dizzy. light headed/faint feeling. But as I tapered off, it continuously improved, as did all of the benzo effects including depression and anxiety.

I hope you decide to begin your taper soon! 

[[el...]]

Just a crazy thought but im wondering if i spaced the ativan differntly like not take it hole would i feel better,or is that palying with trouble...i just wonder if i was to take a less amount at a time if i would feel better

 

You tried that with the klon and it backfired on you, remember?? Please don't start messing with your dosing schedule.

[[sw...]]

im ready to taper

[[el...]]

im ready to taper

 

This is good news!

Ok. Here are my suggestions for you.

You are on 3mg ativan. 3 pills of 1mg each. Let me know if this is incorrect, and I will adjust it.  First of all, it's very important to stick with your dosing schedule. You are taking 1 pill 3 times a day. You need to decide what time of day you will make your first cut from. You have to stick with this for at least a week, ok? I'd like to suggest cutting from the middle dose, but it's up to you.

You will cut one pill in quarters, like you used to do with your klon pill.

So lets say you are starting your cut with your middle dose. You will only take 3/4's of this pill. (This is 0.75mg.) You can save the other quarter for future use. But put it away for now.

In the morning and evening, you will continue to take a whole pill at both those times.

Repeat this everyday for a week.

 

Yay, you are going to do great this time Sweetpea, I can feel it! 

 

[[ha...]]

Hi SP,

Good Luck!. I'm so happy to hear something positive, That you are ready to taper. We will support you. Be strong, always hold on to exactly how you felt when you wrote those words. Stick to the schedule and you will do great. I'm praying for you. Kel

[[sw...]]

Ok Eljay..yes im on 1 mg 3 times a day.....but the times vary as  sometimes i get up at 4 am and other times its more like 6...at first i was taking them every 8 hours now its more like 6 hours...my counsler said most people take them at breakfast lunch and dinner,,,on my question about withdrawals its because u all say im in withdrawals well what else wouuld i be withdrawing from if it wasnt the xanax that i had been on since feb and the klonopin i was put on in april and stopped in aug when i was put on ativan............also i have the shakes going on baad tonight they r like inside me not on the outside,,,,and i usually only have been having them in the morning,,,,i have no pshy till set 23 i was going to commit myself back into a hospital today but our insurance for mental is out and it was going to cost us,,,i am in a bad way....i have no help i cant sleeep and i cant drive anymore and im about to lose everything,,,how do i hold together,im depressed and no help for that either

[[el...]]

I'm sorry sweetpea,

You just have to hang on and believe in your own inner strength. It's there, even though you can feel it or see it right now. Try not to look at the other aspects of your life right now. That will sort itself out in it's own time. But for now, your number one priority is your own health, and getting off of a substance that is making you so sick. Try to make that your main focus right now. 

[Guest [st...]]

Hi, Sweetpea,

 

I felt worse after taking my pill and that is why I felt I was having an adverse reaction to the Xanax.  I would definately recommend that you stick to a strict schedule when taking your pill.  Try not to give in by taking it earlier.  Just ride it out until your scheduled time.  I took my pill at 6a, 2p and 10p.  My first cut was off the 2p dose.  I am SO glad you are going to taper.  You can do it.  I can feel it in my heart.  I also want to mention the symptoms that I had before and during my taper process but I also want to stress that the symptoms were less and less the lower I went on my dosage.  The only times I saw a doctor was to get my meds for the taper program.  I knew my symptoms were from withdrawing and adverse reactions.

 

abdominal pains, cramps, diarrhea, constipation, bleeding hemorrhoid

head pressure, teeth grinding, increased mucuous production, tingling and numbness of the face and feet

aching muscles, tremors (inside and out), muscle jerks

agitation, irritability, obsessive thinking

anxiety, overbreathing, gasping for air, panic attacks, feelings of doom and feeling that I was dying

apathy, mood changes, sensitive to the news or loud and disturbing tv programs

urinary frequency, blurred vision, seeing waves

feeling like jelly, sensitive to smells and sound

feeling electrical shocks

clumsiness, dizziness, lack of co-ordination

weight loss with loss of appetite

early morning awakenings, moderate insomnia

inability to feel pleasure or happiness

inability to complete sentences, forgetting words, poor memory

weight loss with loss of appetite

fluctuations of blood pressure, heart palpitations, pounding heart

nightmares

flashbacks of my life

sweats and chills

loss of interest in people and things

morbid thoughts

sensitive to sounds

fatigue with no energy

 

 

I wanted to mention these symptoms because they were all related to the benzos.  I figured the sooner I could get off this med, the better my life would be.  Some symptoms were worse than others.  It doesn't mean that you will experience all of these but I just want to make you aware what these benzos can do to us.  You will be back to yourself and get rid of these horrible symptoms as you start to taper.  You already have alot of these symptoms so it only makes sense to stop the benzo madness.  I am rooting you on, Sweetpea.

 

Patty  xoxoxoxxo

 

 

[[sw...]]

What im noting is wierd i was having pretty clear thinkng and not shaking and then i took my morning ativan now 2 hours after taking it im shaking ,not as clear thinking and full of fearand i have to be able to function today i have to go see the heart dr and i need to drive,,,i hope the shakes will go awy and the fear like is inside me bad  i cant figure that out..i know io do bad home alone

[[sw...]]

I had a app.with my heart dr today to go over my stress test results,He told me to not worry about my heart..Easier said than done all day today i have had a burning in my chest and a heaviness also and a pain in my neck and shoulder,I told him all this and he listened to my herat and to the veins in my neck he said i sound fine...But i cant get it out of my head that im haiving a heart attack i cant relax.maybe its heartburn or acid reflux it even goes into my back....he did give me some nitoquick to take if i feel like im having chest pains...but its not so much paina  sa  heaviness,,,,do u all think i should worry,he is a cardiologists shouldnt he be able to tell by listing to me if my heart is ok

[[Lo...]]

sweetpea,

If the dr. said that your stress test was normal and your heart is ok, trust him. He can read what the results say. We have to learn to trust when test results come back normal. I had an echocardiogram done and a pulmonary breathing test done and they came back normal. So, now when I have shortness of breath, tight chest, weird heart beats, etc., I just tell myself that my tests came back normal and I am having w/d symptoms, that will only be temporary. Temporary may mean for 3 hours or 3 days, but they do go away. When they return, I just go thru the same process. What is the point of going to the dr. or the ER and getting tests done if you don't trust what the dr. says about what the results are? Learning to calm yourself and your thoughts is sooo important. You can get thru all of this sweetpea.

 

Lori Lee

[Guest [st...]]

Hi, Sweetpea,

 

You know, you don't acknowledge other people's replies to you.  Whatever we tell you just goes over your head.  You really need to start paying attention to what we are telling you.  YOU ARE NOT having a heart attack or a stroke or have kidney disease.  You feel bad because you are refusing to taper from your meds.  The MEDS are making you sick.  You are making yourself sick.  YOU are prolonging your agony.  You have received excellent advice from this forum.  You ask for the advice but don't listen.  The only way you are going to get better is to start tapering your meds.  I am sure the doctors don't have anymore answers for you either.  You must take control over these tiny, little, potent pills.  What happened to the Xanax taper you were planning on doing?  You have been talking about it for months.  I think it is time to do just that so you can start to feel well.  Wishing you all the best.

 

Patty  xo

[Guest [st...]]

Hey, Sweetpea,

 

What meds are you on now?  Is it just the Ativan?  I may be a little confused to what you are taking.  Looking foward to your posts.

 

Patty  xo

[[sw...]]

I am only on ATIVAN..and i still feel like im having a heartattack this morning.My heart dr gave me some nitroquick to take when i have chest pains to see if that helps and if it does then there could be a blockage....im scared to take one.

[[Be...]]

Sweetpea -

 

I started having heart pain (angina) nearly 20 years ago and have been using nitroquick off and on ever since.  I have had just about every heart test imaginable, including angiogram and heart catheritzation, and no blockages were found.  It's an unpleasant often painful feeling but not a sign of anything dangerous.  When you dissolve it under your tongue, which is the correct way to take it, you will probably get a headache and may become dizzy.  This is from the nitroquick and not a sign that anything is wrong. 

 

Eljay left you instructions for starting your ativan taper here:

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=8418.msg119475#msg119475

 

Have you made your first reduction yet?

[[sw...]]

Beeper yes i have cut back...oh i took a nitroquick this morning at 930 and hour later my face  flet like it was burning,,,they said you can get a flush from the med but it usually happens right after taking it,,,,mine came later,,,no headaches as of yet...one pharmasist said i should have burning an hour aftr taking it so i dont know,,,its kinds stopped now but i have the shakes so.went and had my hair done have a counsler app at 2 that will proberly upset me i was thingking about going to med dr to see if he thins my heart is ok or if the nitroquick is doing somethig to me what do u think  i still seem to be having that problem breathing and im scared,i know the dr i would be going to saw me there yesteday seeing the heaart dr..an i know my hubby has palns for staying out late tonight so i need to feel good i dont like that nitroquick and im still having the same pain i took it foe