The Klonopin Klub

[[...]]

Mogeii:  good to hear you haven't lost your sense of humor.  Good to hear from you Sky. 

[[ja...]]

Hey Mogeii,

 

Yeah, you're in the thick of it - 15 days sucks. Sucks. I remember it well - I think my second week was the worst. At 15 days, I called my doc to reinstate - and had to leave a message because he wasn't there. In the process of hanging tight (as Njoy's kids would say  ), I braved it out. He called back 2 days later and I was pissed - but it was a godsend, because when he called back, I told him that I had decided not to reinstate after all. So difficult. But you can do it!!

 

Note on water. My husband and I always say, "Water; it's good for what ails ya." Found that to be true. When I was experiencing awful withdrawal, I drank so much water trying to get the drug out of my system. Not sure if that worked, but I felt like I was doing something. I do that in general, always a sippy-cup in my hands...lol

 

Some really good news - my parents and my husband's mom are letting us borrow money for a security deposit on a new apartment. This makes things a lot easier. So wish us luck.

 

And...you guys know what tomorrow is for me... 

 

Hugs,

 

Jax

[[re...]]

Good morning, folks--how is everyone?  Drinking lots of water?    For two or three weeks I've been doing a version of that thing called "water therapy," where you drink a fairly nauseating quantity of water first thing in the morning, then don't eat or drink anything for 45 minutes.  I started out drinking about 40 ounces as soon as I got up, but in the end I couldn't handle that much--it seemed to be too hard on my innards, or something, so now it's between 30 and 35 ounces.  Then I wait 45 minutes before having breakfast--and of course I stay hydrated throughout the day, too.  I have NO IDEA whether doing this is really accomplishing anything or not, but I figure it can't hurt. 

 

Jaxy, TOMORROW!  This'll be almost a year for you!!      Good news on help with the apartment, too.  And meanwhile, how is that sweet kitty of yours doing?  You know, when I got my precious kitten back in the summer of 1984, when I was 24, I said to myself, "I hope she makes it at least until I turn forty, and then if she does even better than that it'll be icing on the cake."  Well, we got six years' worth of icing.  May you and Gabe be at least equally blessed.

 

I hope you guys are all hanging in there, hope everyone got some sleep -

 

Peace,

 

Rek

[[hu...]]

Hello,

 

I've been taking clonazepam for anxiety for about 6 weeks. .5mg per day at night. I told my doctor I wanted off of the stuff because I didn't want to become addicted/dependent. I've had alcohol problems in the past (I haven't drank in 10 months though!). Interestingly enough, I got onto Clonazepam because of anxiety about my tinnitus, which I have read can be a side effect of benzo withdrawal!

 

My doc suggested I taper like this

.375 x 7 d

.25 x 7 d

.125 x 7 d

.0625 x 7 d

 

Then off of it. Does this sound reasonable here? I don't think I was taking as much of it or as long as a lot of people, so I hope I don't experience significant problems. I'm just really worried that it will make my tinnitus permanently worse! I really feel like I've jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire, you know?

 

[[Sk...]]

Greetings, Hudson. 

 

Well... That all depends on your individual body chemistry.  I would say to try your doctor's approach and if you are suffering in horrid agony, then you might want to talk to him/her about it then, but if you get through your taper with no major problems, then great!  

 

-SZ-

[[No...]]

Hudson, if it's any comfort to you, before I took Klonopin, I took Xanax for a short time and Ativan for at least a year (a low dosage on an as-needed basis, but usually once a day, sometimes twice). I stopped taking it with no problems at all. That's why I was so shocked when I had the problems I've had with Klonopin, but I've been on Klonopin much, much longer, at a higher dosage.

 

It's great that you have a doctor who seems to understand the dependency issues that can occur with benzos, even in a short time. If I were you, I'd follow that schedule and see how it goes. Things can always be adjusted if it's too fast, but from what I've gathered, the chances are that you'll do just fine.

 

 

[[Sk...]]

Hudson, if it's any comfort to you, before I took Klonopin, I took Xanax for a short time and Ativan for at least a year (a low dosage on an as-needed basis, but usually once a day, sometimes twice). I stopped taking it with no problems at all. That's why I was so shocked when I had the problems I've had with Klonopin, but I've been on Klonopin much, much longer, at a higher dosage.

 

It's great that you have a doctor who seems to understand the dependency issues that can occur with benzos, even in a short time. If I were you, I'd follow that schedule and see how it goes. Things can always be adjusted if it's too fast, but from what I've gathered, the chances are that you'll do just fine.

I agree. 

[[aw...]]

Hello, Hudson:

 

I don't really "belong" here, being an Ativan person and having no personal experience with K. However, your doctor's schedule has a 30% cut for the first week and a 50% cut for the second week. That could be a bit steep. It would be great to lose the benzo that fast, and I'd be on the look out for sx developing several days after the cut. Have a rescue dose ready if needed.

 

Good luck. You made your own luck by turning around so quickly  I think it's a case of good and gooder!

 

Aweigh

[[ja...]]

Morning, all!

 

I always feel both elated and humbled when I come to the 21st of every month, because it's another month gone by off Klonopin, but yet I have to announce -

 

ELEVEN MONTHS!!!

 

So, hugs to everyone, I'm off to update my Success Story. For those of you who are interested, I've put an entry in every month since 60 days off. It's called "I have crossed the Rubicon".

 

You are all so awesome, I love you guys, thank you for the part you're playing in my success!

 

jaxy

[[...]]

Jaxy:  I say, we need another cake!  ... how about an orange torte w/ layers of (lite) whipped cream and a blueberry sauce instead of icing?  That's my vision for you today.  Its hard to toy w/ the recipes for cakes from scratch but we could probably get away w/ a little less sugar.  Njoy

 

 

[[el...]]

Jax - Congrats on 11 months off - thank you for providing so much encouragement here!

 

Mogeii - how's the headache - You are past the 2-week mark, so I pray this gets better for you.

 

Sky - so great that you have made a significant cut and you are still holding strong!

 

Ellen

[[re...]]

Happy 11 months, Jax!     

 

Cake . . . can we do a gluten-free, sugar-free, artificial-sweetener-free cake?  Hmm.  Sounds doubtful . . . sounds kinda like the rice-cakes I now use instead of bread    I like them, but they do get boring . . .  Oh, well, anyway, I'll just have a "cuppa" [you reading this, Lizie?  ] and raise my mug to you all!

 

I hope everyone's OK today.  Pandemonium here--remember that basement problem from, oh, seven, eight months ago?  Still not resolved.  Getting resolved, slowly, no thanks to the crooks we hired the first time, who totally ripped us off and left a job half-done.  Anyway, the situation now is a matter of living with jackhammering right underneath us, day in and day out.  So glad I'm not in the condition I was in while on, and soon after going off, clonazepam, or I'd be nothing but a puddle of quivering nerves on the floor.   

 

For those of you new or relatively new to KK, sorry about the obscure basement reference.  It's a long, tedious story, not worth going into.

 

Take care of yourselves, all -

 

Peace,

 

Rek

 

 

[[...]]

Happy 11 months, Jax!     

 

Cake . . . can we do a gluten-free, sugar-free, artificial-sweetener-free cake?  Hmm.  Sounds doubtful . . . sounds kinda like the rice-cakes I now use instead of bread    I like them, but they do get boring . . .  Oh, well, anyway, I'll just have a "cuppa" [you reading this, Lizie?  ] and raise my mug to you all!

 

I hope everyone's OK today.  Pandemonium here--remember that basement problem from, oh, seven, eight months ago?  Still not resolved.  Getting resolved, slowly, no thanks to the crooks we hired the first time, who totally ripped us off and left a job half-done.  Anyway, the situation now is a matter of living with jackhammering right underneath us, day in and day out.  So glad I'm not in the condition I was in while on, and soon after going off, clonazepam, or I'd be nothing but a puddle of quivering nerves on the floor.   

 

Well, we might could do gluten free although, it falls apart, we could def. do no art. sweetner.. never use those... maybe could use honey but switching from dry to wet ingred. can be tricky... we could use cool whip... but the brain needs a little fat.  Okay, maybe just a little fruit on our cereal... I couldn't make a cake today if I tried but I find it hopeful that I'm at least discussing the possibility... and how I might accommodate special needs... all good... played my luminosity games this morning and almost had a meltdown trying to keep up... the disadvantage of making progress. Rek, I don't know how you are handling the jackhammers... I would be undone... I got my mower out yesterday, the vibration about undid me.  I'm not sure how I'm going to keep the yard mowed this year.  I signed up for another 6 wks of therapeutic yoga, starting the end of May.  Of course, I'll have to get there, but am hopeful.  If they can't eat cake... give them... I don't know... I'm desperately trying to break my sugar habit but what's really happening is I'm binging... going weeks doing really well and then go nuts and eat anything sweet I can find.  It was a little scary and a little bizarre watching myself (can you really do that?) frantically making some chocolate syrup the other day so I could have a glass of choc. milk.  It tasted sooooo goood!  I didn't sleep all night. Enjoy that "cuppa." 

 

 

[[Mo...]]

Hey folks. First just wanna say how great it is to me that I have been receiving quite a few messages from members. They all are supportive but what really makes me smile is the fact that they are asking for my opinion/experience to help themselves in their processes. It's a particular nice thing for me as I have found in adulthood that my passion in life is listening to other people's stories and giving input when asked. After this benzo mess calms down I will be becoming a High School teacher, and while I am a big fan of proper education and teachings kids REAL things and not textbook standardized nonsense, I am doing it mainly because I feel it is the best way to help kids at an age where I felt the adults around me where not interested. I love listening to people, kids and adults, and I am dedicated to trying to solve the issue of everyone talking to each other but no one really listening. So those private messages talking about their benzo stories that then ask me for my input are really nice. Thanks.

 

My update is hanging in there. Had a family gathering situation today and I was probably 60-80% throughout the day. Headache still around but has settled a bit today, but anxiety and an absurd amount of teeth grinding are making up for the headache pain. Can't sleep tonight, feeling worn out still. Mentally calm, physically ragged. Gatz to Jax on 11 months!

[[...]]

Mogeii... I have a special place in my heart for teachers!  It has been a hard won lesson to learn the body does not seem to  distinguish between good stress and bad stress during this process.  I love it when my family comes to visit but by the time they leave... I'm days recovering from the anxiety related sx.  I was a week recovering from my trip... complete mental and phys. exhaustion.  I slept four hours tonight... that's a good night these days.  I can feel my immunity and mental resilience starting to falter from the fatigue.  Unfortunately, I think it just all goes w/ the territory.  Good to hear from you.  I smile to know you are persevering.  Njoy

[[ja...]]

Happy Monday Morning, everyone! Thank you so much for all the Congratses...it was a really good day. Thanks for the cakes :) I did have a 50 calorie chocolate Vita-cake (great brand, they make Vita-muffins and vita-tops) Next month I'll have to have 2 cakes - a "One Year" cake and a birthday cake. Angel food or chocolate. Yeah...

 

We finally found a place! It's a large 2-bedroom apartment with this huge-ass kitchen and master bedroom. My husband gets his man-cave with the smaller bedroom. It's in a town with a lot nearby and good for both of our works.

 

Hugs to all, lots to do today.  Have windowful days!

 

 

[[re...]]

Hi, everyone!

 

Mogeii, I'm going to chime in with NJoy on the kudos to teachers--and in particular, I think, teachers at the grade-school level, who are really in the trenches, and my hat's off to them.  I teach college kids, who in theory don't need as much supervision as younger students--in practice, a lot of them still actually DO need it; those are the ones that, as far as I'm concerned, should have had a gap-year, but oh well.  Anyway, I wish you all the best in your soon-to-be-embarked-on teaching career!

 

Glad you had a good celebratory day, Jaxy, and that you guys got an apartment! 

 

We had some drama yesterday afternoon, when our dog's hindquarters suddenly went all wonky.  He gets away from us sometimes in the woods, and we don't always succeed in corralling him right away, so my husband concluded that someone had got hold of him and deliberately poisoned him.  I thought it was more likely he'd gotten into something himself--whatever, it was scary, because it looked as if his central nervous system had been affected.  It took my son and me a good 40 minutes to run him down; he didn't want to come to us, probably because he was disoriented himself, and could also sense how freaked-out we were.  Despite his malfunctioning hind legs, he could still run, and did he ever.  Finally, though, he allowed me to nab him, and next, of course, was an expensive trip to the emergency veterinary clinic, where I was told he gave the appearance of having ingested some kind of drug.  Even if he were the kind of dog who got into stuff at home, all the medications are out of his reach, so whatever it was he had to have encountered it in the woods or someone's yard.  The vet wanted to keep him overnight, because he had a high fever, so I left him and went home.  They told me this morning his fever's back to normal and he can go home later today.  They had tested him and found out that, indeed, there was a weird drug in his system.  If I could tell him, "I feel your pain," I would!

 

And with that anecdote I'll sign off--I second Jax in wishing everyone a windowful day -

 

Peace,

 

Rek

[[Sk...]]

Happy freedom, Jax!

 

-SZ-

[[Oc...]]

*applauds and big smiles*

 

I'm feeling like I want to cry today, pathetic and useless. I finally got around to updating my journal, hoping to flesh my story out a bit and give someone a means of which to approach my situation, as everyone's stories ARE a bit different.

 

Let's see... it'll be... 12 days since I leaped. And May 1rst is my next jump. It's causing me grief just to think of it. I know I'm stabilizing though, as I'm beginning to forget to take my pills. In my mind, it's a good sign not to feel as though every time there's a twitch in my chest, I need to dive for the bottle. And it means my SX's, in large, are beginning to abate.

 

So, I hope it's a good day for all. Though I'm depressed, I'm not dying. Cheers to the undeath!

[[Sk...]]

Octoppi:  Congrats on getting so low on your dose.  That is a major thing.  Just hang in there. 

 

Like that Kelly Clarkson song goes:  ( What doesn't kill you makes you stronger! ) 

[[...]]

Octopii, you are just ahead of me... I tapered to .25k today... my first day... so far, all well.  We'll see how things are going in a couple of days... I don't think things are any worse than they have been all along and in so many ways they are better but the fear is really escalating... its funny to me how I forgot labor so quickly and could have a second child... caught in riptides, bashed over reef, caught in horrific storms out on the lakes in my little boat and time and again  I have been able to get back out there....but this... I can't believe the fear forming inside.  I know part of it is the lack of sleep but I also know it is linked to what happened when I jumped to nothing on those previous occasions.  Anyway, I'll b e watching your progress looking for a little hope.  Cry if you must, but Good Luck.  Sky, good to see you!  Rek, yes, I sit at the feet of my masters.  Glad you found your dog and that he will recover.  What an awful experience.  Njoy

[[Sc...]]

Hi everyone!

I'm new to board and looking for some advice:

 

My klonopin usage varies (although generally follows pattern noted in signature). For example, if I'm in a celebratory mood and out with friends, I'll toss back 2.0 mg with a beer. If I'm feeling shameful...like my life has gone off the tracks...I'll just take .5 mg for that day. All this said, would you recommend I start my taper from 1.0 mg/day? Since I typically take the 1.0 mg at night, should I reduce nightly or do I need to spread dosage out across day (per Ashton)? Any thoughts/experiences welcome!

[[De...]]

Hi Scarlett,

 

My experience with K has always been to take it at night because it was prescribed for insomnia, but I know a lot of people divide up their dose.  However, I think if you find you can tolerate taking it once a day (no interdose withdrawals), that would be the easier route.  I wouldn't want to worry about tapering multiple doses, but everyone is different - you'll probably hear a lot of people telling you this is an individual experience and you need to find what works for you.

 

How bad are your withdrawal sxs now?  I think that would determine the dose from which you begin your taper.  1.25mg would be an average of your doses, but if you could tolerate just taking 0.5, you won't have as far to go.

 

I would highly encourage giving up alcohol while you're tapering.  Alcohol increases blood levels of benzos, so drinking while in withdrawal is counter-intuitive.  It will just make things harder further down the road.  I'm sure that was a contributing factor when I was getting off Xanax.

 

And you quit 6mg Xanax cold turkey - holy aneurism!  I would have had a seizure, too. 

 

But here's my best advice - choose a dose to taper from and stick with it.  Take it the same time every day.  Begin your taper slowly and gradually pick up the pace until you find what you can tolerate.  Reinstating and dose corrections can make your overall taper much more difficult.  Exercise is the best anecdote for anxiety, and it will help your brain heal faster.

 

I remember when I began my taper.  I was frantic to find a solution because the sxs were so bad.  I've been tapering for nine months now and I don't really think about it most of the time.  Once I even forgot to make a cut!

 

Best of luck to you.

 

~D

[[Oc...]]

Thanks Njoy, I've been reading you as well. And all the rest of you. I, too, am glad Rek's dog was found. I'm very saddened to hear what happened though.

 

Scarlett - I would think that your first step would be to discover what a stable dose is for you. That and to quick drinking - drinking will make withdrawal intolerable, as most people have discovered, so I highly ward against it. Caffeine is another substance that contributes to withdrawal, as nicotine is too.

 

IF you vary from 2mg a day to .5, see how you feel taking 1mg every day for a marker of say, 2 weeks. If after two weeks, you feel good, taper from there. IF during that process, you really feel as though you can't tolerate it and need more, up it. Continue the process until you find the dose that works for you. You may be able to taper from it more quickly than the rest of us, at least down to .75 or .5mg - those were the easy jumps for me. Well, "easy" - say that in hindsight, right?

 

I am not a doctor, however, and if my advice is in error, I have no objections to being corrected. It's simply what makes the most sense to me given your circumstance.

 

It might also benefit you to think back on your k-pin's half-life and consider the average dose that is in your body at any given time - if your body runs with a 72 hour half-life, and you took 2mg, then .5 the next, then .5 the next, the easy average for sustaining would be some simple math, 1.3mg a day.

 

Deinoncote - I think I hear an echo! Ahahaa. (Oh, wait, I AM the echo, hah!)

[[Sc...]]

Awesome advice - thanks, guys! I think I'll start by easing down from 1 mg to .75 mg. See how it goes. I agree that I need to listen to my body. About a month ago, I tried to cut back on the klonopin before doing any research and abruptly dropped down to .25 mg/day for 3 days. I was at work the morning of the 3rd day...no sleep...thoughts confused...stomach in knots...practically hallucinating when I realized I was in withdrawal. Luckily, I had the klonopin with me to break it (or who knows...another seizure was probably imminent despite my lamictal). Thank goodness for support boards like this.

 

As for the drinking -- I'm right there with you! In fact, my husband and I have been abstaining for over a week it's been going really well. I feel so much better and just that much more in control! The caffeine may be a little harder but I will try to avoid.

 

Again, your advice and support is much appreciated.