Newbie here:

[[ji...]]

Just joined today. I've been on clonazepam for 5 years now. My doctor says mydosage of .5 mgs a day is low and "not addictive". Last year I stared to detox on my own without his knowledge and got down to .25 mgs 3 times a day without any noticieable side effects, other than  an occasional  mild anxiety attack, which I hanled by deep breathing exercises.

This weekend I decided to get down to .25mgs a day..........I feel a major difference. I feel like I'm in an opiate withdrawal. My legs ache, lower back pain, and I feel like crying alot. Is this normal? Or is it just pschological? The reason I wqant a fast detox is the following: I've been out of work going on 2 years nd the only work that I can find is truck driving, but first I must obtain my CDL license. Well, I just found out that opiates and any diiazepine is a major NO NO, and driving schools will not even accept me. Any help woiuld very much be appreciated.

[[Ho...]]

Hi Jim,

 

Welcome to BenzoBuddies.

 

I can understand given the circumstances you've laid out why you need to get off this medication sooner rather than later. Many done a rapid taper and have been successful. However, for others a rapid taper can mean months and months of lingering withdrawal symptoms of varying degree.

 

The general guideline for a taper is 5%-10% every 1 -2 weeks. This is why you felt your last cut, you were way over the 10% mark.

 

You'll get more opinions from our members.

 

 

Hope

[[...]]

I am off clonazepam recently. Yal, all the stuff you feel is real. I cut a little fast, which I am probably paying for now. I was a real mess several weeks ago, practically ready to give up. Tapering is the way to go, and if you tell the trucking company to call your doc maybe it will be cool. I was pouring molten metal for chemistries( real dangerous, real hot) while on 1 mg a day of this stuff, it depends on the person. I drove a forklift, prepared meatl samples using power tools and still have all my digits and skin. I also took a drug test and the stuff did not show up, probably cheap generic crap. Anyway, welcome aboard!

[[ji...]]

Thanks for the encouragement, and sorry for the bad spelling in my first post. I just visited my psychiatrist today and he gave me another prescription for 1.5 mgs. a day for the next three months. I explained to him that I was trying to detox, but wanted the prescription anyways. I have been on this garbage for 6 years this month! When I told him that I had reduced my dosage to .25mgs. twice a day he said that I was doing very good, and that the small dosage was only a "placebo" at this point........I am trying to tell my body that it's only a placebo! My vision blurs at times, and I got lost on the way home from the doctors office today, couldn't remember where I was! Not to mention my moodiness and aches. He also told me that clonazepam is the weakest of the diazapine family and that some people are on 16mgs. a day......boy do I pity them!

He said that I should be down to no dosage within three weeks at the most and that I probably wouldn't be able to sleep for another 2 to 3 weeks.