PLEASE HELP -- I am losing it-- REPOST -- PLEASE ANYBODY WITH KNOWLEDGE-- LOSING

I believe the .75 clonazepam is making me sicker. 

 

1. I am not sleeping very well -- the very thing I started taking this for in the first place.  I woke up @ 3:30 this morning after taking .75 around 11 (unsure) last night. 

 

2. I am very stressed all the time—even though had anxiety never had it this bad before this.  My car is still at mechanic’s so husband picked me up after work yesterday and as driving told me he was going to stop taking his digoxin and metropolol (he has been cutting it in halves) – he has afib (he is going to stay on the Coumadin) and then he was discussing cutting a tree that might fall on our fence and it is very high and I got worried about something happening to him.  I won’t be able to go on without him as he is the only one I have (no sister/no daughter/no friends – only God).  That sent me over the edge – Looking back, I believe the panic attack I had in February was exacerbated by the clonazepam

 

3. I no longer care about eating.  Nothing sounds good.

 

4. I forgot  A1C was very high (8??) and I was diagnosed as a diabetic a few years ago.  I did not take the diabetic medicine and got it down.  I took blood sugar fasting  a few weeks (month or 2 ago and it was 101 I believe.  Today I took it and it was 115.  I do not know if stress is doing this or it was the honey.

 

5. I have no quality of life…. I cannot sleep, I cannot eat…. I cannot really be with husband in the den because I cannot take the noise of TV so we moved my recliner to the front room.  I cannot sleep with him because after over 34 years I hear him snoring.  I do not care about anything…plants at work, ….etc. just in survival mode trying to eat and sleep.  Washing clothes and cooking is too much.  Losing hope and he is frustrated.

 

6. My heart is racing a lot.

 

 

How I got here:

December - started taking .5 clonazepam around 12/15/14 innocently for sleep -- had been to emergency room for abdominal pain -- given CIPRO and had to have a colonoscopy  -- we had sewage backup in our house around that time, my credit card was hacked, I lost my driver’s license.

 

Then my sister went to the hospital for low sodium on 2/10 and nearly died .. then they took her off of prozac and she attempted suicide (shot herself in the chest and survived)  on 3/1

 

I began to take 2 or 3 clonazepams on the weekends this past feb (end of)/march but 1 the rest of the days. 

 

I did not think I was addicted.... tried to stop cold turkey on 3/30 after only being on for 16 weeks when my husband read about Stevie Nicks –went off cold turkey for 4 days ... by 4/4 only slept 2 hours

 

4/6 not well – took 2 (.5 mg) then went back to .5 --- did not sleep real well but took from 4/7 to 4/13. 

 

4/14 tried to go to .375 mg and could not sleep so then tried 2 pills (.5 mg) on 4/15 but too much so took .75.  took .75 one day 4/16, then tried to do water titration of .25 to 25 ml and cut 1 ml each night and take the .5 dry on 4/17/, 4/18 & 4/19.  Did OK first and 2nd nights but the last night woke up at 3.... only got 5 hours sleep. 

have been on .75 since 4/16 and it is not helping and I am getting worse. 

 

I do not think I will be stable until I get off and even then it will take time to heal.  I need to keep working to pay off debt and have regular insurance, but August will be a very stressful month when school starts.

 

What do I do now?  I have now been on them for about 19 weeks and am up to .75 instead of .5.  How do I cut back?  Do I do dry cut or mix it with water?  Since I do not have a gram scale and they do not appear to be accurate plus I do not know if I cut ¼ of .25 will be too much too quick or if I should mix in water and cut that way.  I tried to work out a schedule to sorta guide me, BUT I DON’T KNOW.  If I cut 10% every 2 weeks with water of the amount I am taking, it will take me until December which is 8 months (longer than I have been on now)…  PLEASE HELP ME.  I am so lost.  WHAT DO I DO???  I believe I should start tapering this weekend since won’t be going to work, but how?

 

DO NOT EVEN KNOW IF THIS IS ACCURATE WAY

day start dose dry titrate water ml tit/ml throw ml drink ml decrease 0.25 total

27-Apr 0.75 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 1 49 0.005 0.245 0.745

28-Apr 0.745 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 2 48 0.005 0.24 0.74

29-Apr 0.74 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 3 47 0.005 0.235 0.735

30-Apr 0.735 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 4 46 0.005 0.23 0.73

1-May 0.73 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 5 45 0.005 0.225 0.725

2-May 0.725 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 6 44 0.005 0.22 0.72

3-May 0.72 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 7 43 0.005 0.215 0.715

4-May 0.715 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 8 42 0.005 0.21 0.71

5-May 0.71 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 9 41 0.005 0.205 0.705

6-May 0.705 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 10 40 0.005 0.2 0.7

7-May 0.7 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 11 39 0.005 0.195 0.695

8-May 0.695 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 12 38 0.005 0.19 0.69

9-May 0.69 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 13 37 0.005 0.185 0.685

10-May 0.685 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 14 36 0.005 0.18 0.68 2 weeks 0.675

 

11-May 0.68 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 15 35 0.005 0.175 0.675

12-May 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 16 34 0.005 0.17 0.67

13-May 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 17 33 0.005 0.165 0.665

14-May 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 18 32 0.005 0.16 0.66

15-May 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 19 31 0.005 0.155 0.655

16-May 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 20 30 0.005 0.15 0.65

17-May 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 21 29 0.005 0.145 0.645

18-May 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 22 28 0.005 0.14 0.64

19-May 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 23 27 0.005 0.135 0.635

20-May 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 24 26 0.005 0.13 0.63

21-May 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 25 25 0.005 0.125 0.625

22-May 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 26 24 0.005 0.12 0.62

23-May 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 27 23 0.005 0.115 0.615

24-May 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 28 22 0.005 0.11 0.61 4 weeks 0.6075

 

 

 

 

 

hi Mrs yyeehhaaww ,

i love that nickname !! i shouldve had a nickname like that being a texan with a ranch !

 

i noticed you take generic klonopin , long ago i took phenytoin which is a generic dilantin to treat a seizure i had 11/2004 for 11 months that stuaff felt horrible thats why i told the dr to give me a different type of medicine when i had another seizure 2/2012  he gave me xanax . On my final month of taking phenytoin 10/2005 i asked pharmacist to give me the name brand dilantin and wow it felt much better i felt no horrible side affets . after this i figured that generics are made differently than name brand medicines . so have you ever tried taking Klonopin instead of clonazepam ?  it costed just like $5 more when i got the name brand dilantin

i just thought i'd give you a heads up on this since this affected me in the past. i really really hope you feel better and find the right stuff that can help you,

katie (babyangel)

I believe the .75 clonazepam is making me sicker. 

 

1. I am not sleeping very well -- the very thing I started taking this for in the first place.  I woke up @ 3:30 this morning after taking .75 around 11 (unsure) last night. 

 

2. I am very stressed all the time—even though had anxiety never had it this bad before this.  My car is still at mechanic’s so husband picked me up after work yesterday and as driving told me he was going to stop taking his digoxin and metropolol (he has been cutting it in halves) – he has afib (he is going to stay on the Coumadin) and then he was discussing cutting a tree that might fall on our fence and it is very high and I got worried about something happening to him.  I won’t be able to go on without him as he is the only one I have (no sister/no daughter/no friends – only God).  That sent me over the edge – Looking back, I believe the panic attack I had in February was exacerbated by the clonazepam

 

3. I no longer care about eating.  Nothing sounds good.

 

4. I forgot  A1C was very high (8??) and I was diagnosed as a diabetic a few years ago.  I did not take the diabetic medicine and got it down.  I took blood sugar fasting  a few weeks (month or 2 ago and it was 101 I believe.  Today I took it and it was 115.  I do not know if stress is doing this or it was the honey.

 

5. I have no quality of life…. I cannot sleep, I cannot eat…. I cannot really be with husband in the den because I cannot take the noise of TV so we moved my recliner to the front room.  I cannot sleep with him because after over 34 years I hear him snoring.  I do not care about anything…plants at work, ….etc. just in survival mode trying to eat and sleep.  Washing clothes and cooking is too much.  Losing hope and he is frustrated.

 

6. My heart is racing a lot.

 

 

How I got here:

December - started taking .5 clonazepam around 12/15/14 innocently for sleep -- had been to emergency room for abdominal pain -- given CIPRO and had to have a colonoscopy  -- we had sewage backup in our house around that time, my credit card was hacked, I lost my driver’s license.

 

Then my sister went to the hospital for low sodium on 2/10 and nearly died .. then they took her off of prozac and she attempted suicide (shot herself in the chest and survived)  on 3/1

 

I began to take 2 or 3 clonazepams on the weekends this past feb (end of)/march but 1 the rest of the days. 

 

I did not think I was addicted.... tried to stop cold turkey on 3/30 after only being on for 16 weeks when my husband read about Stevie Nicks –went off cold turkey for 4 days ... by 4/4 only slept 2 hours

 

4/6 not well – took 2 (.5 mg) then went back to .5 --- did not sleep real well but took from 4/7 to 4/13. 

 

4/14 tried to go to .375 mg and could not sleep so then tried 2 pills (.5 mg) on 4/15 but too much so took .75.  took .75 one day 4/16, then tried to do water titration of .25 to 25 ml and cut 1 ml each night and take the .5 dry on 4/17/, 4/18 & 4/19.  Did OK first and 2nd nights but the last night woke up at 3.... only got 5 hours sleep. 

have been on .75 since 4/16 and it is not helping and I am getting worse. 

 

I do not think I will be stable until I get off and even then it will take time to heal.  I need to keep working to pay off debt and have regular insurance, but August will be a very stressful month when school starts.

 

What do I do now?  I have now been on them for about 19 weeks and am up to .75 instead of .5.  How do I cut back?  Do I do dry cut or mix it with water?  Since I do not have a gram scale and they do not appear to be accurate plus I do not know if I cut ¼ of .25 will be too much too quick or if I should mix in water and cut that way.  I tried to work out a schedule to sorta guide me, BUT I DON’T KNOW.  If I cut 10% every 2 weeks with water of the amount I am taking, it will take me until December which is 8 months (longer than I have been on now)…  PLEASE HELP ME.  I am so lost.  WHAT DO I DO???  I believe I should start tapering this weekend since won’t be going to work, but how?

 

DO NOT EVEN KNOW IF THIS IS ACCURATE WAY

day start dose dry titrate water ml tit/ml throw ml drink ml decrease 0.25 total

27-Apr 0.75 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 1 49 0.005 0.245 0.745

28-Apr 0.745 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 2 48 0.005 0.24 0.74

29-Apr 0.74 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 3 47 0.005 0.235 0.735

30-Apr 0.735 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 4 46 0.005 0.23 0.73

1-May 0.73 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 5 45 0.005 0.225 0.725

2-May 0.725 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 6 44 0.005 0.22 0.72

3-May 0.72 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 7 43 0.005 0.215 0.715

4-May 0.715 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 8 42 0.005 0.21 0.71

5-May 0.71 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 9 41 0.005 0.205 0.705

6-May 0.705 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 10 40 0.005 0.2 0.7

7-May 0.7 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 11 39 0.005 0.195 0.695

8-May 0.695 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 12 38 0.005 0.19 0.69

9-May 0.69 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 13 37 0.005 0.185 0.685

10-May 0.685 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 14 36 0.005 0.18 0.68 2 weeks 0.675

 

11-May 0.68 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 15 35 0.005 0.175 0.675

12-May 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 16 34 0.005 0.17 0.67

13-May 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 17 33 0.005 0.165 0.665

14-May 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 18 32 0.005 0.16 0.66

15-May 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 19 31 0.005 0.155 0.655

16-May 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 20 30 0.005 0.15 0.65

17-May 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 21 29 0.005 0.145 0.645

18-May 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 22 28 0.005 0.14 0.64

19-May 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 23 27 0.005 0.135 0.635

20-May 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 24 26 0.005 0.13 0.63

21-May 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 25 25 0.005 0.125 0.625

22-May 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 26 24 0.005 0.12 0.62

23-May 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 27 23 0.005 0.115 0.615

24-May 0.5 0.25 50 0.005 28 22 0.005 0.11 0.61 4 weeks 0.6075

 

Wow...that is lot to have had to deal with! I'm sorry you have had such a tough time. I really hope you are getting some relief and that things will start going better for you.

 

I am not qualified to help with your titration plans, but I did want to pop in and say that Cipro is one of the flouroquinilone antibiotics. While there is significant data showing that this class of antibiotics does not mix well with benzos, I want to add that my personal experience with taking it for several months while on Ativan (another benzo), along with NSAIDs (Naproxen and Advil), caused me to have SIGNIFICANT side effects and that now both my doctor and I believe that experience added to sxs I was having and has impacted my current taper.

 

This is not to frighten you, I'm getting off the benzos anyway, as have most others who had the same exposure to flouroquinilones, but it might help knowing that a history of taking Cipro with benzos, and especially adding NSAIDs to the mix, MAY cause SOME patients to experience more sxs while on benzo maintenance doses and also during their taper so give yourself plenty of time on a realistic taper, leave some flexibility in the taper so you can make it work for you and get plenty of support from family, friends and medical professionals.

 

Also, be aware that benzos and benzo w/d MAKES people more anxious AND it can make us feel and look crazy, but it helps to remember, all these odd feelings, extra anxieties physical sxs and feeling like we are going crazy is directly related to the benzos. Hopefully someone with some better knowledge in re clonazepam and titrating will soon chime in, but in the mean time hang in there and remember that that MANY, MANY people have been where you are and they are now off benzos and healing, so you you can and will be able to do the same!

 

Best wishes,

 

Mo

Hey -I had a similar experience w K. Took it for sleep - then started cutting back - was stressed out all day - took a bit more - cut back  - etc. Basically was getting worse and worse  - couldn't cut .1 without freaking out.. then  I found a Benzo wise doctor. I held out for 2 weeks at 1mg (where I started) until I felt a bit better then switched over to Valium and dry cut to 5mg - then went to liquid.

 

If I knew about liquid options (this site) - I would have just stabilized and gone to a slow daily taper.

Someone here will help you with it!

 

K is very very potent and can people hooked very quickly.

 

Hey Mark, do you think the switch over V made a difference or do you think you could have tapered all the way down with K and have gotten the same results?

Each person is different. V was much easier for me - much much less potent, longer half life and lower doses available. Couldn't take anything out of my 1mg K without horror - but could cut 1mg biweekly from V after I made switch.

 

Many people successfully taper K via liquid on these boards - so it works for many as well.

 

If your doing well on K would stick with it - of not, would consider switch to V.

OK. Thanks for responding. I'm doing OK so far but I have been reading where others are finding it difficult when getting lower in their dosage. Thought the longer half-life might help if I run into trouble.or maybe I just shouldn't read as much

Hi

Sure seems like you have been through a lot! A couple of thing stood out when reading your post. I too am on klonopin,about 1mg now.

First, you can't take more on the weekends and then less during the week. It is important that you keep the blood plasma levels even throughout the day. By changing the dose, you are causing yourself to experience w/d and probably some interdose w/d as well. Have you heard of kindling? Each time you make a big cut, (like .25 at a time ) and then update because you feel so bad after that cut, you might be setting yourself up with a more difficult W/d experience. And yes .25 is way to much to cut at one time, but you know that. I know it seems like forever to do a proper titration schedule, but it is the safest and an LT is the easiest on your system. When you start to taper and commit to it symptoms can actually get better. But it will not be a piece of cake, you will have w/d sxs even if you taper slowly. Going too fast may lead to protracted W/D and you don't want that! 10% every 2 weeks is too fast for you. When you get to below 1mg, you kinda have to slow your roll. I know thats not what you want to hear. But tapering at 5% a month at these low doses isn't unusual! Thats the beauty of LT you can adjust your taper speed to your symptoms. One last thing, you need to split your dose to 3-4 times a day, to prevent interdose w/d, this in particular really helped me, especially with sleeping. I guess less is more. And I would not cut your pills!! It is very hard to regulate your dose this way, unless you get  a scale, but frankly LT is sew much easier! Best of Luck to you!