The Klonopin Klub

[[am...]]

Hi Wondernova,

 

You CAN and WILL get healed after you taper off the poison. It is not a fun task, but if you stay positive and realize that the medicine withdrawal is making you sick and that you are not going crazy, you will be able to do it. Again, be strong and stay focused on the goal of getting of of this medicine and you will get your life back !!

 

Good luck on your taper ! 

 

Patrick 

[[br...]]

Hey KK.

 

I've stabilized for about a month or so.  I decided to take a little step forward.  I tapered from .75mg K daily to .625 mg K daily.  So far so good.

 

Brian

[[pe...]]

Rek - I'm sorry about your sprain, but glad you've enjoyed your trip even so. Thanks for sending my regards to the ocean. How I long to do it myself. The normal life you speak of is starting to show itself. I taught all day and came home to my family full of energy, goodwill and jokes. My sons, just 2 and 5 years old, lit up. It's like we're all waking up from this long sleep, opening our eyes and really seeing each other for the first time in a year. They can't stop touching me. They cling to me, and sit on me, they fight with each other to get a better position. It's like they're trying to keep me here, in the world with them. I am scared to trust it, have felt the ups and then returned to the valleys. I've read so much here about the dramatic waves after windows that it's hard for me to step fully into the light.

 

Njoy - I think I understand the PTSD you speak of. I hope the sadness and lethargy eases for you soon. It has been my constant companion while on benzos and only now is it starting to wane and only for hours or a day or two at a time.

 

Patrick/Ama and Hopeful2013- I really appreciate your strong and positive voices here. It is powerful to hear voices like yours when I'm falling down again and again. It helps me to pick myself up and push on.

 

Brian - Congratulations on your stability and on your step forward. It's nice to hear from you.

 

Trader - I'm so glad you had some better days. Those good days are what keep me going when things get dicey. I don't remember the good spots so well when I'm in the muck, but my husband reminds me and I trust his memory more than my own.

 

SkyZone and Flutterbye- Happiest of New Years to you, too.

 

Peace to you all,

Peace2

 

[[am...]]

Hi Peace2,

 

It appears you are about done with your taper. Congrats and I wish you fast healing and an awesome 2014 ! 

 

Patrick

[[pa...]]

Happy New Year to all buddies here! I have not checked in here for quite sometime but i always try to read it whenever I have some time to spare at work.

 

Just an update about my situation now.. I just visited my psychiatrist yesterday (was postponed from 7 Dec to 2nd Jan) and proposed to the dr about crossing over to valium. Am glad that she didn't ask much qns about why i'm doing that and she just prescribe to me. On the other hand, abit dissapointed at her professionalism when i ask her about the conversion of clonazepam to valium. She just say she doesn't have the conversion table on hand so can't advise me on it. Bleh.

 

In anycase, she prescribed me 2mg of valium 2 times per day, even though she say she's not sure how much it is equivalent to clonazepam. Even asked me to try taking 2mg first and see how it goes. I'm really losing confident in seeing her each time.

 

After checking out Ashton manual, i'm still abit lost about how to go about c/o to valium. Would much appreciated if any buddies here can give me some advise on starting it. I'm currently still on .25mg average per day. I tried taking 2mg last nite and felt quite sedated already...

 

Should i maintain at this or how?

[[Ch...]]

Copy and past this link for conversion chart, Panic. Looks like you are okay with the 2mg V dosage at 2x per day = .25 K).

 

http://www.benzodocs.com/converter.php?act=convert

 

BUT I am not convinced that your therapist is taking a professional approach to your taper. Perhaps your therapist will cooperate and let you take the lead with carefully-researched information that you find for a safe taper schedule. Also note that even Ashton is a bit over-enthusiastic about taper pacing. Many have learned since her original research that tapering slower is safer and easier on your compromised CNS.

 

Benzo Buddies provides fantastic support. You might want to request a taper schedule from a BB. Wellness provided a water titration schedule for me, and it has worked out very well.

 

Happy New Year to all BBers and KKers! Wouldn't have made it this far without you!

 

Cheery

[[Fr...]]

Hello. I guess I'm in this club now. Sigh. Among several other symptoms, my question today is in regards to the blurred vision. Seems I can't focus in on things and my vision has been quite blurry for a few weeks now. So I am getting concerned. Can there be permanent eye damage. Can someone please respond as to whether this resolves?

 

Thank you.

[[pe...]]

Hi Friday,

Welcome to the club. I've had vision problems throughout my time on k and they increased during my taper. I often can't get my eyes to focus together, do better with one eye shut. It has gotten much better as I've gotten lower in my dose. But I think it will be one of the last symptoms to go for me. To be honest, I don't mind it so much now that I'm used to it and since I've seen it ease up some. I hope it eases up for you too.

 

Best,

Peace2

[[Fr...]]

Thank you. The vision issue is getting worse and really bothers me. I fear permanent damage. I have only been on this drug a few months. Huge mistakes were already made. Firstly my doc told me TO QUIT cold turkey. That put me in the ER with extreme  symptoms including suicidal thoughts despite me never being depressed before. Then I reinstated only to have doc tell me to try cutting from 1.5 mg per day to 0.75mg per day. 50% cut. That was about 5 or so weeks ago and I have been suffering. I will wait this out and hope to stabilize on the 0.75 before tapering further and then do it much slower.

 

I'm interested in your tapering schedule listed. Am I reading that right? You have been tapering from 0.125 mg since June? Such a small dose. That worries me as I hope to get off this sooner than that.

[[...]]

Friday, welome to the club   I, as well, had terrible problems w/ vision both on the dg and early on in my taper... it is getting better, as w/ most things benzo related... it gets better.  Fearing sx are permanent is, I think, just a way for your mind to play games w/ your head... many of us share those thoughts...but every day... I see it getting better.  Sometimes I forget how bad it was till I go back and read some of my posts and journal entries.... it really does get better... it takes a very long time but we're talking about the rest of our lives so... a couple of years is worth it, to me, anyway.  Njoy

[[Fr...]]

Thanks for the reply. I am so happy I found this place and am working on  getting off after only being on a few months.  I'm hoping I stabilize soon so I can continue the taper. I'm hoping that since it hasn't been that long that I will heal faster. But who knows. Hasn't been a pretty ride this far.

[[Si...]]

I wish I could eat!! When I try to eat anything it makes me much more anxious but I'm constantly starving and that is definitely making everything so much worse.

 

I'm afraid of eating, I'm afraid of cutting my dose, I'm afraid to up dose, I feel like I'm afraid of everything. Today I've only had 250 calories or so from on Ensure. This is torture!  :'(

[[pe...]]

Silthrim- I wish I knew of some foods that helped with anxiety. I drink warm milk every night to calm me before bed. Have you tried that? It might be relaxing and if you drink whole milk it will give you some protein, fat and calories.

 

Friday - You probably don't want to hear this, but slow has been the only way. I started at 1 mg in February and tapered down to .125 by June. I had no idea what I was doing at the time, I had no idea that the reason I felt like I was going crazy had anything to do with the klonopin or tapering off of it. I kept cutting my dose by .125 because I always felt sedated. Even when I tried to jump at .125 I was still feeling sedated. A few days later I slammed into a wall of anxiety and was told by a good doctor to reinstate and come down more slowly. I wanted to be off by the end of summer, then by September, October, November, December. But the goal became a moving target because the bottom line was that I had to go slow enough to function. I'm a full time teacher. I have two very young children. I had to be able to manage. Even going as slowly as I have, it's still been a very hard ride down. Everyone is different, but from what I read here it's better to go too slow than it is to go too fast. I am really close now so I fell like it's easy for me to say this now, but If I were you I'd throw out all expectations and follow your body. Try cutting 10% at a time and see how you do. I wish you the very best of luck and I'll be around to cheer you on.

 

Peace 2

[[Si...]]

Thank you peace2! I will try the warm milk. I have heard that helps people

[[Co...]]

Hey Friday,

 

I have had blurred and wavy vision a lot over the past year. It comes and goes and when it is bad I have a really hard time focusing. Welcome to the club regarding physician advice that is bad. The CT and rapid taper can put you in a bad place. I have been there too much. I have learned that s-l-o-w is the way to make it more tolerable. The backlash from rapid tapering is brutal. hang in there, I hope you are feeling better.

[[Fr...]]

Thanks for the reply. My body is just a mess and I guess this just adds something else to the pile. Gotta stay strong.

[[br...]]

Hey KK:

 

Day 4 of my most recent cut from .75mg K daily to .625mg K daily.  Very few symptoms so far.  But as I remember from past cuts, especially my last cut that required me to updose, it usually takes about 6 weeks for me to fully feel the affects of lowering my dose.  Things are ok today so I'll just accept that for now.  If things go well, I want to lowwer from .625mg K daily to .5mg K daily in about 3 months time.  Once I have really stabilized at .5mg K daily (6 months from now?); I might have to switch over to valium.  Dunno yet.  Progress and a long slow process.  Be well all.

 

Brian

[[th...]]

Hi, i confirm visual problems: blurred vision, sensitivity to light and rapid flashes and dots during the day in every situation.

Try sunglasses with blue light filter, or at least Brown tinted glasses. They definitely help to relax the eyes during sunny days and even neon and halogen lights. Careful also of LCD , smartphones and pads because they emit blue light

Optic nerve is just another nerve intoxicated by the drug. It will be better.. I had months with eyes back to normal, and recently step back to blurred, but i am sure it will pass. Do not worry

 

Cya

[[Fr...]]

Thank you for the reassurance. This whole ordeal is pretty scary.

[[Si...]]

Don't worry Friday13! I have eye problems as well. My vision is always blurry and hard to focus. It hasn't gone away yet but it's not getting worse so far.

 

I wish you the best

[[pa...]]

Dear cheeryme, thank you for ur reply and the benzo converter! very helpful!

 

You are right about it, my Dr is letting me taking the lead base on my own research. Basically, i visit her just to get the prescription.

 

I've been feeling quite aweful since dec until now. The c/o to valium on 2nd Jan is not pleasant as well. I've had some heart palpitations after taking valium. I wonder am i not suitable to take it or have to allow sometime for my body to get used to it?

 

Copy and past this link for conversion chart, Panic. Looks like you are okay with the 2mg V dosage at 2x per day = .25 K).

 

http://www.benzodocs.com/converter.php?act=convert

 

BUT I am not convinced that your therapist is taking a professional approach to your taper. Perhaps your therapist will cooperate and let you take the lead with carefully-researched information that you find for a safe taper schedule. Also note that even Ashton is a bit over-enthusiastic about taper pacing. Many have learned since her original research that tapering slower is safer and easier on your compromised CNS.

 

Benzo Buddies provides fantastic support. You might want to request a taper schedule from a BB. Wellness provided a water titration schedule for me, and it has worked out very well.

 

Happy New Year to all BBers and KKers! Wouldn't have made it this far without you!

 

Cheery

[[Fr...]]

Hey Klonopin Klub. 

 

Looking for some support and reassurance today. Spent all day in a state of dizziness and just overall confusion and inability to focus. Combine this with the chest pain, headache and the vision problems it has been a rough day. In fact most days are like this. I have only been on clonazepam for about 13 weeks. And about 4 weeks ago I cut my dose in half. So it was 10 weeks on 1.5mg. And now 4 weeks on 0.75 mg per day. Why have I not stabilized here after 4 weeks? Might even be 5 weeks. I've lost track. It doesn't seem to be getting any easier. How can my body be so messed up after only being on this drug for such a short time?

 

Given my symptoms are so severe already and I don't seem to be stabilizing I feel like just saying screw it and going cold turkey and just getting this drug out of me. If I'm not going to stabilize and the symptoms are so severe as it is, what's the sense in taking any at all?

 

Why am I not stabilizing? Maybe it's not withdrawal? And is still related to my unexpected panic attack from Sept 13? I have never in my life been so unsure of.myself or in such distress.

 

Someone offer me some guidance please. Surely after such a short time on this drug it's gotta be easier to come off than had I been on it for years?

[[Te...]]

I'm so sorry you're going through this. Someone else would be able to comment in a better way, but I do know that Klonopin is very, very addictive in a short period of time and that a much slower taper would be best. It sounds as if you're going through some really rough withdrawal symptoms. I've been on a slow taper and it's taken me more than five months to get to a lower dose of my original .5 mg., and I still have a couple of months to go. I'm going through lots of symptoms myself, with the small dose I have left. I never would have believed that it would be this rough. I could not do what you're doing. There have been times when I've lessened my dose too quickly, and I didn't do well at all.

 

Someone can give you much better advice about your cuts, but I do want to say that I feel for you very much. It's extremely easy to get hooked on this drug. Dizziness is a major symptom of withdrawal as well as what you named, chest pain, headache, and vision problems. DO NOT GO C/T, PLEASE.

[[th...]]

Hi Friday try liquid tirtation and avoid jumps.

Go smoother like my taper and, apart some crises, you can manage nice reductions by detoxifying slowly instead of making big cuts to be digested

 

I think it s worth a try. This sh*t must be managed slowly. The slower you are, the better the cuts. I think if you cold turkey you dont let the brain recover and you increase the time to be healed, not reduce

I had to stabilize for ten days as i tried to push my taper but it is a mistake (as you can see i tapered from 2 to 1.4 in just fifteen days, a huge 30%, but it is silly. You save time and energy by doing small cuts instead of big ones, small and frequent is the key, not Big and rarely

 

Ciao

[[Fr...]]

Thanks for the reply. But I  am 4 or 5 weeks holding and haven't stabilized.  Terrible symptoms. I read somewhere on Ashton's manual about the possibility of not stabilizing until taper is done. So should I continue to hold or just bite the bullet and continue tapering down? I'm so confused. I didn't even take this crap that long. So frustrating