Intro : I am so glad I found this support group!

[[ja...]]

Hello everyone,

 

I have been taking kolonopin for 2 1/2 years as a sleep aid. I was taking 4mg for at one point. I don't think my doctor really knows what he is doing. At the same time you could say I was ignorant to take this medication for so long without knowing the consequences. I had no clue that I would have to spend half a year trying to tapper off. The medication started to give me bad headaches and a constant hang-over feeling, that really messes with me and makes me feel like a zombie. I don't remember the last time I felt awake. Anyway, tappering off has been so tough. I thought tapering down to 1 mg was a difficult and long journey, but tapering below that has proven to be a vicious and nasty task. I am finally down to 1/2 a mg, which my doctor recommended was a safe mg to kick the whole medication from. Ha yeah right, maybe if I want to seizure. I feel like the journey has just started. I have tried tapering lower and it seems impossible. From what I experienced, it will probably take 2 1/2 to 3 months. I could really use your support and to be able to hear and share experiences, strengths, and hopes. No one understands the nature of this beast except you. Thank you for reading and I hope to join you all in recovery.

[[Sc...]]

Hello JamesP86, and welcome to Benzo Buddies!

 

Wow, good for you to be already down to .5mg of Clonazepam (Klonopin) from 4mgs.  That is something to be very proud of.  Many people hit a bit of a wall during their taper and it seems impossible to carry on.  I hit it twice during my taper, but eventually it did level out and actually got a bit easier towards the very end. 

 

You are right to NOT jump at .5mgs!  You've come this far and slow and steady is the best way to go to prevent any further serious issues. 

 

The good news, is that within a few months you could potentially be off of the Klonopin for good and then your body will begin to fully heal.  Your body is already working hard to repair what has been damaged.  What are you experiencing while tapering? 

 

You will find many people here ready to offer support.  A few are "healed" (though most who are have moved on and are living life to the fullest), many are finished their tapers and working through life post-benzos, and then there are those like you who are working hard to come off of them. 

 

All the best and take care,

Schatje

[[ja...]]

Schatje,

 

thank you for your support; it means a lot. Yeah, I think ill taper slowly. I was initially wanted to taper quickly because I thought I would be done with this madness after I jumped. Apparently that is just when it starts. Slowly sounds good to me now. While tapering I have been experiencing:

Feeling overly anxious

Feel constantly drained of energy

Bad headaches and memory hardly works

 

Its tough, but not unbearable. In a week I will be dropping .125. I'm excited and kind of afraid to see what happens.

 

take care,

 

James

[[pi...]]

James,

 

Welcome to Benzo Buddies.  You will find so many kind and caring people here who are going through or have been through withdrawal from K.  I was on Clonazepam (K) and even though I was always on a very low dose I found it difficult to withdraw from so I c/o'd to valium.  It sounds like you are doing pretty well with your taper.  Just take it slow and easy and you will make it.

 

Best Wishes,

 

pianogirl 

[[Re...]]

Ditto from Piano girl. Congratulations thus far and tapering to such a low dose!

 

Proud of you!

 

Go slowly and you can get good information under the "taper" sections. I crossed over to Valium- still have a ways to go but taking it slowly in hopes of not having protracted symptoms ( symptoms that persistant well after weaning the medication.

 

Take good care of yourself and sounds like you are well on your way to doing that!

 

Recover

[[we...]]

Dear James,

welcome to BenzoBuddies.

Congratulations on getting down so low. 0.5 K is quite an accomplishment. Your next planned cut of 0.125 milligrams is 25 percent of your current dosage. Some people prefer to cut 10 percent, others 4 percent, others 2.5 percent. Since you are finding it difficult you may want to consider a reduction in cut. See how it goes, but it's not uncommon for people to go much slower.

 

Keep in mind that if you took that medication for sleep, you may well get rebound insomnia. You may want to check the insomnia section of this forum and read other people's experience, and see what helped them. I had bouts of insomnia after coming off lorazepam, but my sleep is starting to come back now.

 

Headaches are pretty normal during withdrawal, mine have finally let up, for the most part. This may be an opportunity to educate your doctor, as unfortunate as the situation may be, they seem mostly unaware of this.

[[ja...]]

thank you everyone. If .125 is too much to tapper I can actually cut it in half. Thanks for everyones advice and suggestiosn