Greetings and salutations

[[Sp...]]

Hi folks. I have been on Klonopin for almost 8 years. In the past 18 months I have made three failed attempts to get off this drug (all of them too fast, hence the failures). On December 1, 2011, I began an ultra-slow taper using the liquid titration method detailed on BenzoBuddies. I have been a longtime reader of the forums and look forward to being a full participant. Thank you for providing a place for us to share our experiences and support one another.

[[Sc...]]

Hello Sparrow, and welcome to Benzo Buddies!

 

Congrats for beginning your slow taper off of Klonopin.  What dose are you tapering from.  I was on 1mg of Clonazepam (Klonopin) for 3 years (and many more years on an "as needed" basis).  I am now 7 months off!

 

How are you feeling now that you've begun your slow taper? 

 

I am so happy you have found the forum for support.  It's a great place to share stories and feelings.

 

All the best and take care,

Schatje

[[Sp...]]

Thank you for the welcome, Schatje.

 

I am tapering from a dose of 0.5 mg/day, doing the milk titration and reducing by one mg every other day. My previous three attempts were dry-cutting a quarter of a pill at a time over a period of a couple months. I would get down to zero and within a week, unable to bear the withdrawal sxs, I would have to reinstate. The slow liquid titration has been more tolerable.

 

However, I am an epic mess. Since October 2009, I have weaned off Trazodone, Effexor/Pristiq, Lamictal, and Dextroamphetamine. I have no life now. My brain is fried to a crisp. I cannot tolerate much of any sensory input, rarely leave my house, spend weeks on end lying in bed with the blinds closed. I avoid everything and everyone I possibly can, even my own family. Everything ratchets up the anxiety. Even being around my husband (the kindest, most patient man on Earth) is difficult. I have lost interest in every single thing that used to be meaningful for me.

 

My situation has been complicated by a number of other health issues: autoimmune thyroid disease; menopause/hormone problems including six months of continuous uterine bleeding resulting in anemia and two surgeries; a horrible bout of Epstein-Barr virus (mono); and more.

 

Anxiety, Apathy, Anhedonia, Agoraphobia. That's my existence -- or rather, lack of it -- in a nutshell. If Dante had known about 21st-century psychopharmacology, the Inferno would surely have included a tenth circle of Hell.

 

I hope to eventually contribute something more to this forum than a litany of misery, but that's all I've got right now. Thanks y'all for being there.

 

Sparrow