The Klonopin Klub

[[Im...]]

Hi everyone I couldn't sleep tonight so thought I would check in on everyone This not sleeping is for the birds. I added relaxation exercise's, mag, and even got my family Dr to give me phenergan for nausea, It usually put's me to sleep but tonight it didn't even help the nausea let alone the sleep. Oh goodness here I am on my or should say on one of my complaining stages again. So sorry guys, I really don't mean to complain. So happy on the other hand to see so many folks so near the end of their taper. Wow what great news!!  I personally think you all deserve a trophy. Well hope you all have wonderful days ahead without sx's....

 

                                                                  Imsaved 

 

                                                          You all are in my thought's

                                                                  and prayer's!!!!

 

Cold turkey off Klonipin 2mg three times a day

A month later found a Dr to listen and started me all over on Klonipin (2mg three times a day)

Since I had been without it anyway started out on 3mg a day (1mg three times a day)

First taper to 2.5 mg a day Couldn't handle it (1mg twice a day 1/2mg once a day)

Went up to 2 and 3/4 pill a day ( 1mg twice a day 3/4 mg once a day)

Down to 2 and 1/2 pill again Please pray ( 1mg twice a day and 1/2 once a day)

Down to 2 pills a day ( 1mg twice a day)         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[[...]]

Well, JerryCarl, ithink you get the prize for catching on quick.  About updosing.  i had to updose to start my taper... sx were NOT manageable...but that was it, from that time on I was very careful to not take more than I had prescribed for myself.  I think those blood levels are very important.  That's why, I think, we need to fool our brains w/ very small cuts and then wait till we are stable and confident enough to move on.  I do think that at what dose you jump is probably quite personal.  After several unsuccessful attempts at jumping from .25, on previous tapers, I'm not chancing it.  I'm taking it to .02 and then if for whatever reason Ithink i needto go lower, Iwil, because I'm not going back... I know what unmanageable is and I know I've done everythingto prevent that... if it doesn't work.. i still have to go forward and I'm not going back.  I can almost tell what sx are going to hang on... they are exaggerations of preexisting CNS problems.  But, even then, I see it getting better as time goes on and if it doesn't .. Iwill still free of this @#$%.  Good morning everyone.  Regards for a bountiful day Njoy  PS:  you guys are the best. 

[[Ju...]]

Glad you are coming up for air SkyZ. I dont have acne or hives, but I have psoriasis which is kind of like those two things put together! I am not worrying about it too much because I think it will clear up when my CNS and hormones are back in balance. I am pretty sure neurotransmitters and hormones are all connected in one intricate network and you cant throw one out of whack without impacting the other.

 

Njoy the scale expert.... I am probably confused, but does a 1 mg pill of klonopin weigh 1 mg? When you (or others) cut by weight are you talking about the weight of the pill or proportionally the amount of active ingredient in your slice? Maybe you are taking less than you think if you are going based on the weight of the pill fragment? I have a feeling this was already discussed but I cant remember.

 

I decided to take an intro to CBT class because I figured no matter where the anxiety comes from I need tools that dont involve meds to help. The instructor/therapist spent a long time talking about how benzos are a terrible way to deal with anxiety and should never be taken for more than a couple of weeks and are very addictive. Plus (in her opinion) CBT doesnt work if you are on benzos. Glad she is so informed but it left me in a funk about my whole situation and angry again that I was repeatedly prescribed klonopin by people who supposedly were taking care of me. 

[[Te...]]

Yeah Deinoncote I wish I would have seen your thread because I'm breaking out like a teenager! And I didn't even break out when I was a teen...I always had clear skin. Figured it was something to do with the benzos...i've had all sorts of minor issues throughout this taper but the only constant issue was the acne. I scrub my back every day in the shower and nothing works hopefully it goes away when I jump

 

@justkeepswimming

 

I did CBT when I first started taking benzos and it still helped me a lot. I haven't had anxiety issues during my taper and I know the therapy/CBT helped that greatly. I feel more in control.

[[...]]

JKS:-  I'm no expert.. it took me weeks just to be able to calibrate it.  No, 1mg of K is not the same as the weight of the pill...as I recall the 1 mg tabs were about 180 mg. and the .5 around 80  mg.  I use the weight of the pill so I won't get confused.  When I say I'm down to 3 doses of .020 each...that is the weight of the pill.  I'm not good at math but I think the equiv. of K would be around .125 mg.  I'm not sure... someone else may be better at figuring it.. I figure that as long as I weigh them out and always take less, than it should work and it has been.  If I had started at a higher dose, I would  probably had to figure it w/ the amount of K but this has worked well.  I have to take issue w/ the therapist that says CBT doesn't work w/ benzos... it may not be as effective, but I've used it heavily, especially for the agoracrap and I've been quite amazed at how effective its been. Unless the instructor is saying you can't come because you are on benzos... I think it will be very helpful to you.  Good Luck w/ it.  I haven't had problems w/ acne but I have noticed a mottling of  :)my skin... may just be age. Today has been a good day.  I need to change my signature line.  Total daily dose is now .060 or .020 3x/d. 

[[Ju...]]

Thanks for the support and the confirmation that CBT could be helpful.

 

Njoy if you are working with a 0.5mg pill and it weighs 80 mg, then there is 0.5/80 mgs of klonopin per mg of pill. If you are taking 0.06 mgs of pill a day that works out to 0.000375 mg klonopin. That's not much! Someone should check my calculation... and you should use an exact weight for the pill but either way 

[[br...]]

Hey K-Klub:

 

I've been meaning to post for a while.  Thanks to everyone that gave me advice and support from my last post.  This website and the support of the people on here is invaluable to me.

 

I met with my psychiatrist on Thursday.  He is surprisingly agreeable lately.  Maybe he sees that I really want to get off K.  He said there is no right way to come off.  He thinks I'm making good progress.  This is the same guy that told me he has never heard of withdraw symptoms when I first cut from 4mg daily to 3mg daily almost a year ago.  I will never understand psychiatrists.  He wrote me out a script for .75 mg K daily.  So I will be cutting from 1mg daily to .75mg daily.  I currently take one pill (.5mg) twice a day.  For this next dose I will be cutting all my .5mg pills in half to become .25mg pills.  I will take .25 mg three times a day (morning, afternoon and midday), for a total of .75mg daily.  Has anyone had any luck spacing their dose out into three times a day?  He also said I could double one dose.  So like .5mg in the morning dose and .25mg midday dose, making a total of .75mg daily.  Anyone have any luck with either method?

 

My psych also gave me the option to drop to .5mg daily.  Again I would still cut my .5mg pill in half to become .25mg pills.  I would take .25mg in the morning and .25mg midday.  This would be a drop from 1mg daily to .5mg daily.  He told me I could try this and if I feel like the cut was too harsh; I could bump up to .75mg daily.

 

It seems the biggest difference in the way I have been doing this, as opposed to a lot of people on here, is spacing out the cuts by 3 months.  I always take a week off from work when I cut.  Also I feel like this 3 months allows me the time to really adjust to the new dose.  Also I was on a pretty high dose when I started; 4mg K daily!  I can't believe I ended up on such a high dose.  I feel like the 3 month between cutting affords me the opportunity to make bigger cuts than perhaps people how are lowering every 2 weeks or 3 weeks.

 

Anyway, as always, I would love to hear people's feed back.  Your input is invaluable.  Y'all have supported me, given me advice on tapering and how to deal with withdraw symptoms.  I need it now more than ever; as I inch a little closer to the end of this 6 years benzo fiasco.

 

Thanks.

 

Be well all.

 

Brian

[[...]]

JKS:  I don't think its that small.. the pieces are tiny but big enough to be cut at about 4 per 1/2 b.  tab  But, yeah, its getting there.  I'm very proud of how far I've come and not much impresses me about myself these days.  I'm not the basket case I was but its a far car from the woman I'm beginning to remember occupied this space.  Brain recovering... those are big cuts... the problem is w/ each cut, you still have some of the old cut in your sys.  So you don't feel it until you are a few days into your new cut.  You really have to be careful or you will be back tracking... I've been making a few cuts lately that are more than my usual 10%, but not that much...and I am down to very minute amouts.  I have no doubt some people could jump from here but I'm not going to... when the weight of the entire daily dose is .02... then I'm jumping.  I know the amount of K will be less and that comforts me

[[ho...]]

Brainrecovering

I agree with Njoy, you have made big cuts in the past but may find it difficult as you get to the lower doses. Perhaps you will be one of the lucky ones who will slide off the K fairly easily. IMP if you have a hard time with your next cut you may want to go much slower. There are options. I wish you the best of luck with your taper.

 

hopeful2013

[[De...]]

agoracrap

Love it!

 

JKS - I checked your math and that's accurate.  Njoy, that's awesome!

 

Brian... I would absolutely try to avoid up-dosing.  I think that's treading on dangerous ground.  Slowing your taper down can't hurt, but there's some strong evidence to suggest that up-dosing too much can be harmful with a kindling-like effect.  In other words, the more you up-dose, the harder it gets.  I had to up-dose, and I'm very glad I did, but when I began my titration that was not an option for me.  As far as I know, there's only anecdotal evidence to suggest up-dosing can cause kindling, but that was enough for me!

 

Best of luck to you! 

 

I hope everyone is doing better today!  I'm slowly but surely recovering after a pretty bad wave on Tuesday.  I still have some pain, but I don't feel like a basket case.

 

:thumbsup:

[[...]]

does this mean I can jump?   I'm not sure I'm ready... if I'm here...wow!  I don't know...seems like I should be down to at least just one of those little pieces.   Maybe I could knock one dose out and then the second and then let it go in 6 weeks.  How great would that be.  Or, if I'm realyy being a  wuss and you all t hink I'm holding on to really microscopic amounts, I'll listen.

[[ho...]]

Njoy,

 

I titrated to zero. I have no idea how much K was in that last ml. but that's what I was comfortable with. I don't think anyone here is a wuss. Look what we' ve been thru. You should play this out however YOU want to. Your almost done, it's your call.

Wishing you the best.

hopeful2013

[[...]]

Thanks hopeful, I think I'm going to take it down a little more... maybe to zero... its going so well, I'm in a near panic just thinking about blowing it.  Very lethargic today, no energy, no brain... headaches earlier but they're gone now.  I hadn't thought about it but I don't know what I'm going to do when I can't blame benzos for my state of mind anymore

[[Sk...]]

Greeting to you all!  I am feeling better and made a dose cut.  Thank you all for your continued support. 

 

-SZ-

[[Ju...]]

Njoy there is definitely a mental as well as a chemical component to this process, so don't rush anything. But I think you can feel confident that when you feel ready you are ready and you have done everything you can to make it a success.

 

SZ

 

Brian- if you can cut those pills in half you can cut them in quarters. Try going to 0.875 first and see how it feels. You can always go to 0.75 later. If you have been dosing once a day stick with it an try spreading out your doses if you run into problems.

 

I had a massive headache most of today but I was so happy to have a physical symptom to deal with instead of mental. Silver linings

[[br...]]

Hey all:

 

Thanks for your advice.  I've looked at some of your taper histories and I see that some of you hit a wall and had to up-dose in the past.  I want to avoid that for the many reasons y'all stated.  I also see "unmanageable w/d symptoms" in your taper histories when you lowered too much or too fast.  So alas despite my desire to throw out all my pills and say I'm benzo free today; looks like I'll be slowly tapering for a long while.

 

I'm going to lower to .75mg daily on August 1st.  I know some of you feel a cut of .25mg is too much as the total dose is lower but I feel like it's the right thing to do at this point.  Given that I'm cutting to .75mg; what do y'all suggest:

 

    A) .25mg taken three times a day; spaced out evenly (morning, midday, night) = total .75mg daily

   

    B) .5mg morning dose and .25mg night dose = total .75mg daily

 

Thank you all again.

 

Congratulations to all of you who jumped recently and who are nearing the end of your taper.  Please tell me what the other side looks like.

 

Be well all.

 

Brian

[[re...]]

Hey, folks -

 

I have gotten so hopelessly behind on this thread, there is no chance whatsoever that I can address everyone, the way I used to do 'way back when.  But I do like to check in now and then, and I WOULD like to make at least one or two specific comments:

 

NJoy--you are NOT mean!  I think you've already been plenty reassured on this point by others here, but thought I'd put my two cents in.  And so glad you'll be out on the water soon, if you haven't gotten there already!

 

And Jaxy (JaxNJ, that is)--you most certainly are NOT a loser.  You are finding your feet.  You will find them, you will you will.  Tell us more about the September job!  I think it's impressive that you've found something in a new field already, even if it doesn't yet entail the hours and salary you might hope for.

 

SkyZ--although I was lucky enough never to get hives, muscle and joint pain were one of THE WORST symptoms I contended with after getting off clonazepam.  Those symptoms fluctuated a lot for many months, but are immeasurably better now.  I had severe pain in my upper arms that was relentless for about six months.  I kept wondering whether it was something else, had nothing to do with the benzos.  And then it just . . . went away.  And now I can lift weights again--little ones, but that's fine, I'm not ambitious.  Hang in there.

 

And to everyone I haven't named, I am, as always, sending you my warmest, most heartfelt wishes for windows, hope, strength.

 

Take care, friends -

 

Peace,

 

Rek

 

[[Co...]]

Hi everyone I am helping wean my mom off klonopin, she has been taking it for 17+ yrs.

I ws only taking 2-4mg each night and I told her we would start her taper like this:

.5 in am, .5 midday, and 2 at night.. I'll keep her there for 2 wks to stabilize her... And then I will cut it by 10% each two weeks. I'll cut the night dose down 1st.

If she is good with cutting it every two weeks then we keep it like that, if not we'll go slower.

 

What do u all think?

What did u all do to taper or what r u doing to taper?

She is also on a mix of meds:

Oxycotten 20mg

Celexa 10mg

Elavile

 

Once she is off the benzo, then we will get her off the oxycotten 2nd

 

She has restless leg syndrome, and nerve pain.

 

Thanks for all ur help!

;-)

 

 

[[ak...]]

Im on k right now and it is .5mg in the morning and .25 mg in the evening. My symptoms are upper stomach tightness, like I have a fist in my chect and thick mucas. My eye muscles hurt , back of neck hurts. Left pain in my arm most of the time. I have had my heart checked many times. No problems. Leg weakness. Foggy head is the worst . It feels like im always trapped behind a thin layer of a see through wall at all times. really makes me upset and mad that these things can happen to someone. My dr. says you will probably be on these the rest your life. I told her no way. I have to get back to where I feel Alive again.Ringing in the ears..I hope to start the next taper next week. I will be using the water taper. Im goint to make it nice and slow. Like one table spoon per week. See what happens. I feel sorry for people that are just getting all these bad symptoms and dont know how to manage them. Thanks any help I can give please dont hesitate to ask me I have been on the type of drugs for 13 years Im tired of them they have to go.

[[De...]]

I'll be into week four of post-jump on Tuesday and I took a significant turn for the better yesterday.  I was able to get some house and yard work done and go see a movie.  I was starting to get some cabin fever being on the couch most of last week.  I'm really tired today, tho!

 

A long, gradual titration was exactly what I needed to get through this.

 

[[je...]]

I'll be into week four of post-jump on Tuesday and I took a significant turn for the better yesterday.  I was able to get some house and yard work done and go see a movie.  I was starting to get some cabin fever being on the couch most of last week.  I'm really tired today, tho!

 

A long, gradual titration was exactly what I needed to get through this.

 

 

Way to go!  It's wonderful to see experiences in here such as yours! 

 

I'm jealous. 

[[je...]]

Hello KK friends. 

 

I'm having a little trouble as I taper (now cutting);  I began my taper by extending the time between

the same dose (.375mg) in 15 minute and sometimes 30 minute increments, ever few weeks.  Doing

that was effectively reducing my total 24 hour intake by about 5 or 10 percent.

 

I got it down from the original every 4 hours (around the clock 24 hours per day, using alarm at

night to wake me to not miss a middle of the night dose or horrid results came the next day) to the

same dose (.375mg) every six hours.

 

So, the original dosing was resulting in a total of 2.25mg per 24 hours,  and I ended the "time tapering"

at 6 hours, which was 1.5mg per 24 day. 

 

Then, after asking my doc about it, we agreed it was ok to leave it at 6 hours between doses and

begin a 10 percent reduction in the size of the dose taper.  I did my first cut two weeks ago. 

 

Generally the results of the taper by cutting that dose from .375 to .338 has been ok.. I still after 2

weeks don't feel like cutting again.. I don't have the "good" feeling much at all during the day.  Other

symptoms are not much, no real nightmares but disconcerting dreams.. bad dreams most nights

and inability to focus much on my therapy techniques ("Inner Child Therapy") when needed. 

 

I was doing better with the therapy before, but I think that's because it was more needed.. that is,

I don't have the big feelings rushing up much any more.  I think I'm making progress therapy

wise. 

 

But here's the thing:  I feel drugged.. really drugged now when I take a dose most times .. not

every single time.. it's a sedated feeling that I used to get early on when I was switched from

Ativan to Clonazepam.  I don't like the feeling;  it tends to make me feel depressed, down,

like a zombie.

 

I was wondering If I'm making a mistake mixing methods of dosing;  using time before and now

cutting.  I talk to my doc about it this week.. but I admit she seems naive about it all and always

just goes along to my suggestions;  I feel no informed leadership from her.

 

I'm afraid to cut more... I guess I'm confused. 

 

Any thoughts about this from you long time veterans of Klonopin/Clonazepam?  Not the ones

who take other stuff along with this, please;  just the Klonopin/Clonazepam folks please. 

 

- Jerry

[[De...]]

Hey Jerry,

 

Sorry to see you're struggling, but let me see if I can remember this correctly: you reached a peak of 2.25mg K.  You began your taper last November and you're now at around 1.3mg.  (I already forgot - wish they'd put taglines in summaries  )  So you've reduced your dose by almost 1mg in 8 months.  That's really cruisin' along.  Cutting every two weeks worked really well for me, but after jumping it's taking a little bit longer than two weeks to recover.  It's important to find a balance of cut size and hold time.

 

A tool I always considered to have at my disposal was slowing down A LOT instead of holding for longer, or worse, up-dosing.  My symptoms were still pretty bad when I began my titration, but my first cut was switching from tablets to K solution.  Then I made 1% cuts every two weeks for a couple cuts.  I increased it from there as I became more comfortable.  In the end, I found I could cut by volume and not by percentage, which was why I was able to move so quickly at the end of my taper.

 

Also keep in mind that 1mg K = 20mg Valium.  This can help put things into perspective.  If I recall correctly  , that would be 26mg Valium equivalent for you.  When you consider this, 0.25, 0.5 and 1mg K don't sound like such small doses.

 

I don't see any problem with switching from time dosing to direct tapering.  They both decrease blood levels of the drug, so I think for convenience's sake, you'll be just fine with a direct taper.  But if you're not feeling well now, maybe consider slowing down for a while. 

 

I should clarify that I'm still quite a way from feeling 100%.  I just had a really rough week last week and now feel like I'm on the up-swing, although I'm a bit more lethargic today than I was yesterday.  But that's the nature of this withdrawal - unpredictable.

 

Best of luck to everyone. 

 

~D

[[Sk...]]

Congrats to all of you who have made recent cuts and jumps.  I will get there soon enough myself.  This journey has taught me true patience indeed.  Something positive to come out of this benzo nightmare.  It is so very important to notice the good in the bad through this.  It is so helpful to me.

 

Good Luck everyone and God Bless!

 

-SZ-

[[ja...]]

Hi from the humid death valley known as Central NJ!... hot as h*ll...lol. I may be the group's "stormchaser" but I don't even want to go out in this weather. Unless it storms. 

 

WOW look at all you peoples! Njoy, I have to say you sound so clear-headed, focused, awesome. And you jumpers!! Go you, I am genuinely proud of you guys!! Brian, keep on keepin' on, as they say. It's been terrific to follow you on this journey. And my friend SkyZ...be proud, be very very proud.  Reks, it's so nice to see you check in with the Klub. When is your year?...next month, maybe?

 

I've taken a bit of time off this thread to kind of settle into my life here at our new place, smack dab in the middle of the state. I love it, it's right near a major university and the conveniences are endless. We moved from a tiny one-bedroom apartment to a 2-bedroom with 3 walk-in closets, 4x15 balcony, close to 1000 square feet. We are carefully and cautiously decorating and putting things away. I've mentioned before that my clothes have always been in a dirty pile, a huge pile...so putting away my clothes wasn't easy - felt like I was fighting myself through the whole thing. On the K, I had slowly let cleanliness fall by the wayside, and I am constantly terrified it's going to happen again. Last night at 10:30 I was cleaning the entire bathroom, motivated mostly by fear. Klonopin Karnage  :'(

 

I've also had a really, really hard time with my mother lately - probably related to Klonopin Karnage as well, although she's naturally a very abusive and troubled woman. My parents are trying to finalize their will and estate, and my mother says to me that my younger brother is going to be the executor of their estate, which I agree with. "But," she says, "if anything happens to your brother, the executor will be..." And she trails off. This is actually important, because my brother is a cancer survivor and we have to think about these things. So, long story longer, she starts naming everyone but me, including two non-blood relatives, to take over from my brother. I told her I didn't understand why it wouldn't be her other kid, and she went on about how the other relatives were homeowners, had families (we have no kids) and were generally "more stable". This really hurt!

 

Also, she said, and I quote, "I have a lot of pictures of your nephews that I've sent to all my friends, but I haven't sent them to you because you will post them on line." What?? Then she tried to cancel the dinner she had planned for my birthday...the list goes on and on. I WENT BALLISTIC. I texted her and I said, "Until you stop thinking of me this way, don't talk to me." P.S., she hasn't spoken to me. She has also warned me against telling my husband about these things, because she says that I would "lie and twist things out of proportion". No wonder I ended up on Klonopin!!!!

 

Enough is enough for now. Big sigh. It was a super-good thing that I chucked the .5mg I found in a pocket while moving, because it would be down my throat by now and I would have relapsed.

 

Hugs to all from your favorite frustrated Jersey Girl...