Found the site.. want to come off Klonopin

Hi,

 

I am a regular Klonopin user for about a year and a half.  It started at .5mg/day but has been at 1mg/day for over a year now.  I am a 240lb man and on my day-to-day I don't notice the drug... maybe I've become so accustomed to it.  I don't want to be on this forever - but I have concerns.  Will I be able to sleep?  What about work - a high stress, high pressure environment?

 

Thank you for making the community, and I hope this will assist in a healthy taper.

Hello orbitchewinggum.  Welcome to the forum, we're glad you found us!  Congratulations on deciding to get off klonopin.  We generally recommend a taper rate of about 5-10% every 10-14 days, though individual rates vary.  Withdrawal symptoms, such as insomnia, are temporary and will go away in time.  Here are a few links you'll find useful:

 

General Taper Plans

 

Withdrawal Support (during your taper).

 

The Ashton Manual is an authoritative source on what to expect in withdrawal and recovery.  Dr. Ashton is an expert in the field.  She describes and explains withdrawal symptoms, and there is also a section with withdrawal/taper schedules.

 

Please take the time to Create a Signature.  This will allow others to see where you are in the process so they can better support you.

 

Again, welcome!

 

 

Welcome  I think it is great that you want to come off of taking benzodiazepines. They really are meant to take only short time for several reasons. One they really don't long term. Over time doses are often increased each time tolerance is reached. That is how so many of us got on such high doses before we came off. I started at a dose much like yours and by the time I came off 13 years later I was on an enormous dose. Secondly, they are highly addictive. It does not take long to develop a dependency, and withdrawal can sometimes be very difficult causing severe and prolonged symptoms. In order to reduce the chance of this a slower taper is advised for a long term user like yourself. The recommended reduction rate is 5 to 10 percent every two weeks. One can always adjust from there. Again, welcome.

Thank you all for the support!  I haven't begun my taper yet - do you feel that it is best to set a schedule and begin from there?  Or just go in?  I don't see why it wouldn't hurt just to begin, every day not stopping is a day wasted.

 

My concerns are:

 

Sleep - how greatly will my sleep be affected?  I'm the type of person where I need a good night's sleep.  Klonopin has helped me sleep better - one of the reasons I was prescribed in addition to anxiety - but I don't want to rely on a drug for healthy sleep.

 

Work - I work in sales - which a high pressure, high volume, high stress, and - you guessed it - anxiety-producing environment.  How do I best go about this without my work performance being too adversely affected?  Sleep concerns tie into this - if I get a bad night's sleep I am definitely not as productive/effective at work.

 

Social Life - I have become a homebody on the Klonopin.  I don't have the desire to do much or maintain a healthy social life.  I live with friends (one of whom is a recovering Heroin addict - clean for 5 months) and am generally well-liked.  However, I don't seem to have the motivation to proactively seek social interaction.  This is one of the main reasons for me wanting to kick this habit.  On a side note, I am not a heroin user - my roommate's use was unknown to me until about two months before he got clean.  I like to think I helped that process by confronting his habit - but at the same time I feel guilty about mine.  I haven't told him about my Klonopin prescription.  I'm excited for the prospect of my social life to improve, but am concerned of increased anxiety during w/d that affects my current social life adversely.

 

Some notes:

 

I have been on the same dose for a long while now.  1mg/day one tablet in the morning.  Sometimes, very very rarely, I will take another .5mg during the day.  This has remained consistent over the term.  I wouldn't say that I wake up feeling sick, but I immediately reach for Klonopin.  I haven't said, "Let me wait until the afternoon today to take my medicine."  I always have taken my dosage within an hour of waking.

 

I don't drink alcohol.  Well.. sort of.  On occasion I will drink - sometimes getting drunk.  Exceedingly minor is the role alcohol plays in my life.  Not that this matters - but figured I would mention it.

 

I do smoke cigarettes and am actively trying to kick that habit.  Vaping has helped tremendously.  It has been some while since I last smoked.

 

I do smoke marijuana on a regular basis.  Legal where I am.  I only will smoke after 9pm (even on weekends) and never before doing a social activity (adds to anxiety).  It does however help me sleep.

 

I am not currently exercising.  Do people find exercising to be helpful?

 

My diet is... not great.  I am 40 or so pounds overweight.  I was an avid lifter/runner before I started taking Klonopin.  My desire to workout has diminished to... well, nothing.  Are there certain foods that people found to be helpful?

 

I am not currently in a relationship.  My most recent girlfriend knew about the Klonopin use.  She was always supportive of my decisions - but urged me to stop taking Klonopin.  I think one of the reasons I broke it off was because I increasingly lost a desire to spend time with her.  I would rather play video games by myself than go on a walk or just hang out and talk.  Even writing that sentence makes me feel weird.  That's not who I am and not who I want to be - but it is the sad truth of what I have become.

 

I am excited to join this forum.  I don't know what's in store for me.  Maybe I will be an avid poster, maybe I'll be a lurker, I'm not sure.  I hope I don't forget - as the advice I have read on this forum has been helpful.  So many people going through the same thing.  All of whom can discuss their journey - the hardships, the successes, and failures all with no judgement.

 

Thank you for letting me join, and wish me luck. 

 

 

 

 

Hey gum, I am on klonopin as well and attempting to taper over time. Like you it has made me more of a homebody and am not too inclined to go out anymore. Before my taper I used to smoke often as well but since tapering it makes me very anxious and I have stopped that altogether. I also work in a high stress environment and am not rushing my taper because i know that my work is affected dude to my withdrawals symptoms.

 

I also lived with an opiate addict for a while and would feel guilty taking my meds as I was not into his opiate use at all. I learned that it was not okay to feel guilty because I was prescribed the medication by a medical professional and I truly have underlying medical conditions and am not taking the mediation to get high..it is to control my anxiety. Don't feel guilty.

 

If you are waking up without any issues why not try to reduce your dose a little bit (8-10%) and see how that affects you? When I stabilize at a dosage and my withdrawal have reduced, I reduce my dosage. Unfortunately I was taking 10mg a day and have gone down to 2mg but I do feel many withdrawal symptoms still that I am trying to live with.

 

Lastly, it is my opinion that if you want to get off klonopin you do not need additional stimulants in your life such as nicotine, marijuana and alcohol as these can increase withdrawal symptoms even more.

 

I hope you reach your goal and find some helpful information here.

Thank you for your kind words and support.  I will try to reduce my dosage by 10%.  I imagine that will be tricky with a 1mg pill... would I be better off asking my doctor for 60 .5mg pills?  Would a 25% taper be too extreme?

Thank you for your kind words and support.  I will try to reduce my dosage by 10%.  I imagine that will be tricky with a 1mg pill... would I be better off asking my doctor for 60 .5mg pills?  Would a 25% taper be too extreme?

 

There is a lot of information on how to dry cut and taper that hopefully a mod can post a link to but I have a difficult time understanding it myself. I just tapered about two weeks ago from 2.5mg to 2mg and am feeling some withdrawals but better everyday! I will go down to 1.75 probably in about a week. A .5 reduction is a lot for some people, others can handle it. It was personally a lot for me so I think going from 2-1.75 will be easier once I have stabilized at this dose. I wish I could offer some more help but I am new here as well but there are plenty of people that can. I hope someone will chime in.