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Micro Tapering/Daily Tapering off of Klonopin – Success Story -


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Well I just went through hell and yes it felt exactly like acute benzo withdrawal. But how come? I have not taken a benzo in two years and all my symptoms have resolved?

 

I started WD type symptoms, Racing heart, anxiety and horrible fear, hyper hearing, digestion shut down and could not eat. Rapid weight-loss. Adrenaline surges at 3:00am working up every morning for 19 days.  A rash I had when I was in bezo withdrawal came back.

 

I went to GP, told to get therapy! Went to GYN thinking it was perimenopause and told it is the change and go home and cry! Went to a new GP and was told I was doing it to myself! By this time I slipped in a deep depression. Finally I was so desperate I went to an Urgent Care place. They did blood panels, and an EKG which turned out to be normal.

 

I had been googling for days and on that last day I put in my high blood pressure medication. I was taken off for awhile and then my BP was slightly elevated so went back on to Losartan lowest possible dose. I read 5 people out of 1000s had these exact same symptoms and they were on it for years without problems.

 

I emailed the new doctor with what I found he called and said to stop my pill. Within 24 hours almost all the symptoms stopped. I still have ringing in my ears and am shaky and very tired.

 

I can't believe that it felt exactly like benzo acute withdrawal.

 

 

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  • 5 months later...

Update:

 

Okay it has been months and 4 doctors later. I do not have a solution but as more time passes from March it is getting better. Every freaking symptom I had in WD I went through with this reaction. I do not believe I was in a window for two years and then went into a wave, I just don't buy it. What I do believe is that I was injured by Klonopin to begin with even before taper. A few things make sense now and looking back through my journal it is really making sense.

 

I have had "reactions" before, even before tapering. I was tapering my AD, Lexapro. I was in the middle of the taper so tapering for 7 months when I had eye surgery. Being as my taper was going pretty good and had no idea what benzo withdrawal was (I was still taking my dose of konopin), I didn't give it a thought. I got home after surgery and went to sleep, when I woke up I was in terror, had no idea why, asked the doctor the next day and they had no idea why and I was in that state for 7 days. It took seven days to calm down, I chalked it up to stress and tapering.

 

NOW I know, anyone going through acute benzo withdrawal knows what that is.

 

But even before then a few years earlier I was in the ER with food poisoning. They gave me  compazine for nausea in an IV ... 10 ..9... 8...7... 6  BOOM, same thing, terror. Bad. That took 5 days to calm down, I went to my doctor and he said "Oh that happens, it s no big deal". SAME feeling as acute.

 

This last week I looked up compazine, this is what I read about the drug:

 

Compazine (prochlorperazine) is a phenothiazine anti-psychotic used to treat psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia. Compazine (prochlorperazine) is also used to treat anxiety, and to control severe nausea and vomiting.

 

They gave me an Anti-psychotic for food poisoning?????

 

So you got Now ... March 2017 this reaction from my blood pressure pill, exactly like acute withdrawal while taking the BP pill (losartan)

Then before that 2013, Woke up in this state, found out it was my klonopin I was still taking, same exact reaction but I had to slowly taper off.

 

Before that 2011, same type reaction after eye surgery.

 

Before that the reaction to the IV in the ER (compazine) 2006.

 

If this is from CNS damage then my CNS was damaged long before benzo withdrawal and from Klonopin.

 

The reason I am not suffering at this moment is when I found out it was the BP pill I stopped it, within 24 hours the major symptoms subsided.

 

Then I noticed 2.5 years after my taper and having no symptoms up till the BP pill event, I could not drink coffee, drink whey protein shakes, drink bone broth.  All high in glutamate. I started to be sensitive to foods again.

 

My GP tried me on a Chanel Calcium Blocker (Amlodipine 2.5mg) (bad anxiety, felt like acute, swollen ankles)

 

So he tried a water pill. I didn't have an acute type of reaction but I had an regular allergic reaction.

 

So then he wrote a prescription of the lowest dose of a beta blocker 6mgs (carvedilol). I have taken then years before (metoprolol) and even during taper. But I had an adverse reaction but thought it was an inter reaction with medications from dental work .. I was wrong because I took the 6mg beta blocker and my BP soared!!!! I had to go to the ER, they could not do anything because I can't take anything.

 

Since I could not take BP pills I started to take supplements to lower blood pressure. Guess what??? Adverse reactions and my BP Soared! (Hawthorn Berries and Celery Seed Extract)

 

I went to a cardiologist that just didn't believe me. But I found studies with similar reaction to bp pills with a rash, which I had with the bp pill AND klonopin. A round rash and it looked like ringworm but is no, is a DRUG REACTION! Well that or cancer but with blood panels ruling that out, I had a "rare" drug reaction with two different medications in different years. 2013 and 2017.

 

So now the cardiologist says I am too sensitized. So its rest and going to be rechecked in November.  As March 2017 gets further away I am feeling better symptom wise, in fact each month is getting better and better.  because I am not taking anything.  I can't get treatment for high blood pressure or take supplements so I feel like a sitting duck and Cardiologist have never heard of this so no one knows anything and I feel as if I have to protect myself from the ignorance of the doctors yet fear the blood pressure.

 

Because the GP had be take medication after medication my BP went up, I hope it slowly comes down and I don't have to take anything for many many years. I don't even know if I could ever.

 

I do think I was injured again with the BP pill and I know healing happens for with out this happening I would have sworn I was healed, that show good I felt. I'm not really suffering now, Intrusive thoughts, anxiety and all that stopped last month, right after March it was every day, then it started up every other week, then every other month and now seems to be gone and I lack energy.

 

I do think I am sensitized and it is not just BP pills. I think this can happen to anyone who was inured by benzos with any medications.

 

 

What am I going to do now?

 

I don't know I guess wait till November, Pray and keep healing.

 

I have turned down medications, a GP tried to get me to take Klonopin!!! Also a steroid I turned down for the rash and an anti-fungal which I had to tell the doctor it is not ring worm, he sent me to a dermatologist who said it was not ringworm and prescribed the steroid which I refused to use. It would have been 6 weeks treatment with a very strong steroid. Yeah right! Not going to happen! Funny this is, the rash was because of the drug reaction and ALL these doctors missed it. 

 

 

 

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  • 1 month later...
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I am very lucky to have find a cardiologist that does not rush me on pills. He is having me rest and my BP is coming down somewhat, not to the place I want. But what can I do.

 

The rash has proven to be a drug reaction so now I have more of the medical community on my side because there is some physical proof I guess.

 

I don't fit in here because I am not protracted or all the way healed (because of the drug reaction) so there is no support here, But thought I would add to my story so that if anyone gains anything is to watch out for other medications even though you feel healed. And not think it is a weird wave years alter after having no symptoms. 

 

And to the person who Pmed me saying they would help me and then ignored me, all I have to say is .... I don't need your help, it is cruel what you did (Thank God I am not a new person in this) and now I know why and who.  I am getting through this and will get through this without the special "help" Shame on you playing with people like that.  and to everyone else, beware of people PMing you telling you they know everything about WD and to have them "guide" you through it.

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  • 2 weeks later...
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I am very happy today, I had an appointment with my cardiologist. He researched benzo withdrawal (wow huh?) says my BP is coming down somewhat slowly. He does not want me on harsh medications and is giving me 6 months of rest on no medications. He wants my CNS a chance to settle down and if my bp comes down a little more I can be med free and if I need any medications when I am older I can probably take them.  If he has to medicate he promises tiny doses of the least harmful medications and closely monitoring. He was surprised to learn how long I was put on klonopin and how much stronger klonpin is than Valium. 

 

Another doctor advised me to use a resperate breath monitor to lower blood pressure. Says she has had good results with it. It teaches the body to breath correctly, not to fast and not to slow.  I will see.

 

 

This is the first every doctor to not only believe me but to look into it.  I never thought it would happen.

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Wonderful news, Kay2020! I'm very glad to read of the advice you were given and to know that you've got a good doctor on your side. Thanks for sharing it here, too. So many BBs have had bad experiences with doctors, so it's great to hear of something quite the opposite.  :thumbsup:  :)
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Thanks Lapis2,

It does help to have some understanding from the cardiologist, I don't really care if a GP does not believe me.  I think the stress is not wanting a doctor to unknowingly hurt us because of not understanding or believing.  I have felt better since that appointment.  :)

 

We all deserve our symptoms and worries to be reassured and respected.

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  • 3 weeks later...
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Wow, it has been a wild trip. This "reaction" from a blood pressure pill was exactly like WD, the whole WD experience. First was the acute like stage, then an anxiety stage and now a pain stage. But this time around the symptoms were way less intense and passing quite quickly. My only challenge now is to not have the cardiologist give me something to complicate things.

 

Each stage is happening exactly like it did in WD but less intense.  Stage 1: Acute type. Stage 2. Anxiety, intrusive thoughts both on for a week off for a few weeks till Stage 3: pain stage, nerve, muscle and shocks but again way way less than the first go around. Next if this goes like the first time is pain free and a level of healing.

 

Funny no benzo to have to "detox" yet it went on to each stage. That makes me think that the "stages" is not the benzo leaving the system, but the brain healing or rewiring.

 

Also I started klonopin for panic disorder, I had panic attacks for many years. Since the last of my taper I have yet had any panic attacks, just once when I was driving in the pouring rain and I just learned how to drive for the first time in my life. But since then not once have I had a panic attack or at any time since tapering have I had any type of phobia or agoraphobia, even my fear of heights is gone.

 

I have met with a medical practitioner who is farther out than me and has experienced the same thing, he calls them "cycles" and he says each "cycle" is less intense then the "cycle" before.  I had a good two years with no symptoms, so I'm up for another two :)

 

Even with this "cycle?" I have not let it keep me in. I have reconnected with friends and it has remained that way.

 

 

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  • 1 month later...
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Everything is heading in the right direction. Symptoms are gone. I lack some energy but that is about it.  Which if memory serves me correctly that is how it went last time. I am very happy with my progress. All I did was slow down my exercise to a passive type exercise and stopped the medication I had these acute type symptoms with.  Looked and found new doctors and rested.  Doctors do not believe this, but I find myself not caring anymore. I control any treatment and my family is well versed now in case of an accident or something. At some point we got to live!

 

:smitten:

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Oh, that's so wonderful to read, Kay!!!!!!!! I'm happy for your progress and healing!!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!  :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

 

You're right about the doctors. You have control now. You know your body best!

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Thanks Terry that means a lot to me.  :smitten:

 

I have returned here to my success story to report the latest. My set back that I reported is not quite a set back in benzo withdrawal it seems. This situation that occured was not a far out wave. No. It is drug induced akathisia. I am not sure if this susceptibility is from benzos.

 

I have had 4 reactions  in total like this to medications in my lifetime, two of which were before tapering, years before.

 

First one was compazine in an iv in the ER for food poisoning. I was taking klonopin not tapering. (12 years before WD) (lasted two weeks)

 

Second one was after eye surgery after waking up and going home and then going to sleep I woke up in sheer terror. I was taking klonopin as prescribed. (three years before WD) (lasted 3 weeks)

 

Third one was Klonopin WD.

 

Forth one was my blood pressure pill generic being changed out and I had this reaction.

 

The first two was a one dose reaction.

 

The last two had warning signs I did not understand, the rash being one of them started months before the big crash.

 

Each reaction was exactly like acute benzo withdrawal. So I wonder if acute benzo withdrawal as I know it, is it really akathisia? Some people taper off with little to no problems, are the ones with BWS really akathisia? I used to think akathisia was just a movement disorder, but I find that I was very much mistaken. I have joined akathisia forums and they are exactly like this forum with the same symptoms, questions and support. It blew my mind.

 

The good news is even with akathisia there is healing and I am healing from this. I felt like I was at square one in the beginning but when I removed the bp pill my recovery has been sped up. I no longer have symptoms or anxiety. I am tired. It's my only complaint.  And now things make so much sense.

 

This is good news in the sense akathisia is better or easier, it is just as hard as WD, there are fast healers and protracted people in akathisia, it is just like benzo withdrawal except they get in this state due to benzo and or other medications taken as prescribed.

 

Doctors I have come across do not believe it is benzo withdrawal when it is longer than a few months. Well they are getting to know the term akathisia. And I feel I have a solid ground talking to doctors when I use the word drug induced akathisia. 4 times!

 

I know I have healed from benzo withdrawal which is why this time around with akathisia it is not as bad as others and hopefully with doing what I can for myself I can put more time in for healing.

 

Hope Springs Eternal

 

Kay

 

 

 

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  • 9 months later...
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Wow 3 years and 8 months since my last dose of Klonopin.

 

I have learned so much.

 

I had a set back which I know a little bit more about.

 

I had been on blood pressure pill medication. Losartan. In 2017 I felt like I was back in acute wd. But had not touched a benzo. I was still on losartan. Then realized the manufacturer was changed. I could not gt back on the old one because it was out of business.  Back and forth with the doctors which were no help at all (I know shocking right?) was put on a channel calcium blocker which put me further in more hell. Taken off that then put on a water pill and has an allergic reaction, not acute type but a regular allergic reaction. I was taken off that and put on a Beta blocker and told to find another doctor.  Had an adverse reaction to the beta blocker and ended in the ER. ER said they could not help me because I could not take any bp medications they had to offer.  Meanwhile I could not sit still had to pace 18 hours a day., plus the terror and all that goes with akathisia.  Come to find out that I had Tardive Akathisia which they use benzos to treat as first-line treatment.

 

I don't know what the next step would have been because I took myself out of the medical stuff and was in full akathisia mode. I tried to learn as much about it from others suffering.  I know it was caused by the benzos, that it was brain damage and that others had it from different medications just as bad or worse than me. I know that the damage is the same as them which is why the symptoms are alike. Just like benzos withdrawal.  I read. I talked to and I listen to many and I used what I learned to help myself stay sane as I just let the akatisia run it's course. I come to learn that my past reaction which felt the same were previous akathisia reactions. From a IV in the ER, From the drugs I was given during surgery, From benzos and now finally from BP pills.  Two of those times were well before I ever tapered benzos or ADs.

 

So now I know .. and I meet so many. I do believe in protracted WD but I do now know some don't have this but they are stuck in akathisia, either by taking an offending medications like bp pills or thyroid pills or antibiotics and not even know it.

 

During the time after taper and before this akathisia I had no bad symptoms,, things got better but something still didn't feel right. What is strange after akathisia and doing research about it I feel better than the two years after taper.  Only thing I can think of is being off the that certain bp pill. So I have the opinion since the bp pill caused the akathisia not only did the akathisia lifted (well after 8 months of 3 week windows and 1 week waves) but I have more progress now then over. I can report to having neural plasticity and it is amazing. I don't doubt that I was traumatized by the sudden set back. but  the progress afterwards is amazing.  When your in akathisia you can perceive this at all.  BTW I jsut saw a report of a woman who got Akathisia from losartan and a channel calcium blocker who never took a benzo or an AD or AP.

 

So currently the only symptom I have is the ringing in the ears. But no other symptoms since the akathisia has lifted. And so many improvements. I know this is an ongoing things and I hope to lose my sensitivities down the line. My goal is to not get further injured by the medical community.  And I'm in the middle of addressing the PTSD which is helping this situation.

 

Kay

Hope Still Springs Eternal  :)

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So true Kay, Akathasia is hell on earth. Like you mine was drug induced 18 hours a day pacing and zero sleep. The "inner turmoil" was unrelenting. I too was diagnosed with tardive dyskinesia (and Parkinson's) by neurologists. It was all drug induced!

So glad you came through it....many drugs can do many bad things to our CNS. Thanks for the help back in the day with my milk taper. Almost 21 months off myself and living life again!❤

 

B strong

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  • 3 months later...
[b0...]

4 years off today, well yesterday.  :thumbsup:

 

I had the reaction to blood pressure pill two years off and it caused akathisia. So after that let up I continued to heal. I have stayed off of medications and still want to know why and how to protect myself if I have to take medications. That is a main learning about drug induced akathisia damage and the aftermath stuff if there is any that is.

 

I have zero symptoms  currently  :)

 

The only fear I have is medications. No more panic attacks, no more anxiety, no more all the nonsense labels doctors threw at me when I started to worsen when medications were added or upped in dosage.

 

There were so many doctors dxing so many things and it was the reaction from the bp pill. So many wanted to put me on strong steroids and not one wanted to look at what I was taking. Thanks to the internet I ran across only 5 people with this reaction and they thankfully listed what symptoms they had. I took this information to an urgent care doctor who then said stop the bp pill and all the symptoms stopped.

 

The biggest lesson I learned is that when I'm not getting answers that make sense or feel that something is wrong walk away and never stop trying to get real help for the issue.

 

I no longer care what doctors believe me or not all I care about is the type of care I need.

 

Another thing I learned is some doctors are bullies, also some people online are bullies, there are people who try to control groups where ever you go. The beauty is we all can walk away from this type of treatment no one needs to take it or suppress their symptoms. No one has the right to tell you how you are feeling or label you with their opinions.

 

There is something to these set backs we are seeing, they are not just delayed late windows so don't accept someone else's reasons for it. Unless you want to.

 

I do think this all will come to light and there will be means to prevent these types of reactions and chemical injuries at some point.

 

Kay

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4 years off today, well yesterday.  :thumbsup:

 

I had the reaction to blood pressure pill two years off and it caused akathisia. So after that let up I continued to heal. I have stayed off of medications and still want to know why and how to protect myself if I have to take medications. That is a main learning about drug induced akathisia damage and the aftermath stuff if there is any that is.

 

I have zero symptoms  currently  :)

 

The only fear I have is medications. No more panic attacks, no more anxiety, no more all the nonsense labels doctors threw at me when I started to worsen when medications were added or upped in dosage.

 

There were so many doctors dxing so many things and it was the reaction from the bp pill. So many wanted to put me on strong steroids and not one wanted to look at what I was taking. Thanks to the internet I ran across only 5 people with this reaction and they thankfully listed what symptoms they had. I took this information to an urgent care doctor who then said stop the bp pill and all the symptoms stopped.

 

The biggest lesson I learned is that when I'm not getting answers that make sense or feel that something is wrong walk away and never stop trying to get real help for the issue.

 

I no longer care what doctors believe me or not all I care about is the type of care I need.

 

Another thing I learned is some doctors are bullies, also some people online are bullies, there are people who try to control groups where ever you go. The beauty is we all can walk away from this type of treatment no one needs to take it or suppress their symptoms. No one has the right to tell you how you are feeling or label you with their opinions.

 

There is something to these set backs we are seeing, they are not just delayed late windows so don't accept someone else's reasons for it. Unless you want to.

 

I do think this all will come to light and there will be means to prevent these types of reactions and chemical injuries at some point.

 

Kay

 

Kay,

Thank you for coming back to report your experiences.  Unrelated to benzo withdrawal, many years ago I had a toxic reaction to a medication.  Due to abnormal blood tests the Dr wanted me to take high doses of prednisone and azathiaprin. I asked if I could just come off the other drug first and see what happened.  He reluctantly gave me 2 weeks.  My blood tests improved markedly!  Then 2 more weeks, my blood tests were normal!  And he was going to load more drugs on top!  What a shame that would have been.  We really have to be our own advocates.

 

I will be ever more wary post benzo with your cautionary tale.

Thank you.

 

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Kay,

Glad you're doing well. You are so right about doctors, we are our own advocates! If you don't believe it's for your best interests by all means don't do it!!! I had a neurologist who diagnosed me with Parkinson's and prescribed a drug for it that had many serious side effects including giving you drug induced Parkinson's side effects including tremors, muscle spasms, etc. Since I was already having so many side effects including these prior to the drug I asked him about the side effects. He then refused to help or treat immediately and told me "if you don't do what I tell you without questioning me, I am not allowing you to see any other Neurologists in the practice". He blacklisted me when I was at my lowest and suicidal. I tried to see another neurologist and they told they couldn't treat me per the other doctor! I could have died!!

Fortunately looking back I was able to make it through and got off ALL drugs, no thanks to any doctor. I am well and doing great; with absolutely NO thanks to doctors. I can't help but think there are others that didn't make it through and are suffering BECAUSE of doctors. You are right Kay, Doctors can be bullies.

I've had nothing but tylenol since Feb, 5 2017, and am so glad I decided to get off drugs against doctors advice, and without any help from them.

Stay strong Kay!

 

B strong

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[b0...]

circlestar and B Strong!

 

Wow same thing happened to you guys! different drug but same kind of treatment, I think they call it gaslighting? Scaretactics! What I just don't get is them not understanding that we didn't have the horrible symptom before taking the drug!

 

B Strong yes there are people who got in deeper and deeper its horrible.

 

I was lucky the doctor I saw said she won't medicate a hysterical woman, he is waiting for me to come to my senses. He could have dropped me. See when this was happening I was scared out of my mind and I was scared not to follow the doctors advice and scared to do so. Every time I did it got worse! Now that I am out of that fear I can think clearly, ask question be as difficult as I need to be to protect my brain.

 

But it was pretty hard when all hell was breaking loose. And everyone even benzo people doubting me. No one wants to look at the setbacks, they are real and not late waves. I'm still determined to know the best thing to do, to know why it happens I mean really know.  I'm not just going to sit her and be told its somatic or its a late benzo wave ... no because its more than that. But I also think deep down there is deep healing.

 

B Strong: I am so glad you didn't take the parkinson's drugs, that is no little harmless drug. A dopamine antagonist right? I know a few people who did, some got way worse right away and others got stuck on the drug and then suffered DAWS (Dopamine antagonist withdrawal syndrome) and that is even worse than benzo withdrawal, its like another run down in hell, like all these things lead to hell. 

 

Kay

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Just read this entire thread and can only say thank you so much Kay for sharing your story and journey over 4 years - it is very very inspiring!

 

I am doing a slow DLMT and so happy after seeing your success that I chose that path - even if it takes a long time.

 

Thank you so much and congratulations!

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  • 2 weeks later...
[b0...]

SoberHope,

I know many people who taper this way and healed, they got off just fine. Its the safest taper anyone can do and I wanted to choose the safest options no matter what. I am very grateful that I tapered how I did and you will be to!  The one problem I always kept seeing is people chasing horror stories and get more and more anxiety. That's the one thing I made sure I didn't do.

 

Kay

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have not come to this forum on a regular basis. Due to the many opinions of taper methods I stayed away. At first I sifted through the many opinions. I did join Jana's group in July/Aug 2013  to start micro tapering. But I rather like the term “Daily Tapering”.

 

The taper was the right choice for me. I left the group midway and just took care of myself for the rest of the taper which was considerably many months.  I found certain things not true on my own and other things very helpful.

 

I started tapering the last day in July 2013 by December 2013 I was noticing lots of improvements however I did go through two frozen shoulders, one at a time and that was painful.

 

I had all the symptoms most people list so I am not going to list every single symptom.

 

If I can look back most my psychological symptoms faded away in December 2013. I now consider that a phase one. Phase two was the pain phase, nerve pain, arm pain muscle pain and all that started to fade by October 2014 in fact I had hardly any symptoms so end of phase two and onto phase three which was the healing phase. I lost all my symptoms except for fatigue and started to improve dramatically after October 2014. I was tapering but the only thing that reminded me was taking the actual doses and being fatigued, other than that I felt pretty normal, I still had dry hair and skin though.

 

My taper took 15 months for .50mg Klonopin.

 

Did I heal before my last drop of a dose because of the taper?

 

Or was it because of the time it took?

 

Would I have healed in the total time of 15 months if I tapered faster? I will never know.

 

Am I totally healed now? I would say yes to all the withdrawal symptoms however I feel that I am returning slowly to homeostasis.

 

I am happy that I did it this way because I wanted the safest taper possible I could find and even though this was incredibly slow it delivered what I wanted. I was tapering and able to regain a lot of my life and function while tapering. If I had to go back and do it over again I would do exactly how I did it.

 

I was on Klonopin for over 20 years and in my opinion this was the best plan for my situation.

 

The first time I tapered I tapered 5 percent every two weeks and I got down to .25mg a day. I held for eight months due to my best fried passing away.  Then one morning about 3:00am I woke up in a bolt of blind terror. I had no idea I was in acute tolerance withdrawal. After about a week of that I went to the ER, I had no idea it was the klonopin because I was still taking .25mg a day.

 

The ER Doctor gave me .50mg of Klonopin and when I got relief of my symptoms I realized that what I experienced was klonopin withdrawal. The ER Doctor did not tell me I was in withdrawal all he said was to throw out the rest of my klonopin and he wrote a prescription for seven days of Xanax. I tore up that prescription and called my prescribing doctor who then told me it was break through anxiety and just upped my klonopin to .50mgs 3 x a day.  I knew it was withdrawal and I only took .50mg twice a day for two days when it hit me that this will just happen again in the future. I went back to .50mg a day and started to look for taper types and learned about daily tapering. I took my .50mg dose and put it in whole milk and divided it up to take three times a day, I did this for a month because  that helped me to be stable.

 

I started out tapering at .0005mg a day August 2013 then doubled that to .001mg in November 2013 and decided to stay there for as long as I could.

 

I did not have to slow down towards the end, in fact towards the end I felt really normal. All I had towards the end was fatigue.

 

I keep seeing posts of people saying that slow tapers have to face acute after their tapers and this did not happen to me at all! So it is not true everyone faces acute even if they do a very slow taper. How slow do you think tapering slow is?

 

This taper might not be for everyone but it was the best one for me. I don't have fear of acute anymore, I have freedom from withdrawal and doctors. All my phobias disappeared.  even my phobias I had before withdrawal and before I ever took a benzo.

 

My hair is starting to thicken and the dry part is softening up some.

 

My shoulders are still sore from the frozen shoulders episodes, I hope with exercise my muscle will return. I have already been exercising while tapering and have upped my exercise now and I am building up my muscle mass.  Exercise energizes me now, instead of wearing me out. My skin is making me happy now, no more dry skin (I was so sick of the dry skin) .

 

I do not have any withdrawal anxiety whatsoever.

I do not have any depression whatsoever.

I sleep like a rock now and wake up feeling good and do not have that tired and wired feeling.

I have had coffee and sometimes I feel jittery and sometimes I feel fine,  so I don't know what that means.

 

I will not drink now, maybe will try in a year.

 

I never doubted that the taper would not work, but it took such a hell of a long time that I felt it would never end. But it does end and we do heal, maybe not when we wish but it does and when it does it is wonderful and worth it.

 

I do think it took me such a long time and that was a bummer, however I was able to function like anyone else and that was the plan, I had no idea it would take 15 months. But in my mind I had to pick from fast and non functional or slow taper and fully functional.

 

I just read another tapering story that was horrifying so I was thankful to find yours!  I have been micro-tapering off Clonazepam for over a year now and plan to finish the taper in about 8-months so this has been a Long, slow process for me! Thanks for your success story... truly beneficial and inspiring!  :smitten:

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RaquelRocks

 

Thank you! I am so glad I micro tapered. I had a failed klonopin taper before this one. I tapered to .25mg and held and about 4 months later woke up with a full blown akathsia, probably from tapering too fast.  I up-dosed to .50mg held and found out about the micro taper.  Plus previously had two failed lexapro tapers and then a success with the third lexapro taper.

 

I hope all goes smoothly for you now!

 

Kay

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  • 4 months later...

I used 100ml for .50mg of klonopin.

 

.50mg divided by 100 = .005mg per mil

 

So on the small 1 ml oral syringe you would go up to the .1 (numbered) line for a .0005mg cut

 

 

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These success stories give me hope. I’m kinda of new to this and I need advice from those who have successfully gotten off. My story is in my signature. Basically haven’t stabilized since last cut. I have a weird left over schedule from before. I take quarter mg k at 6:30 and half mg plus an eight at 10:30. I’m holding for almost 2 months waiting for stability. All day I have what feels like interdose withdraw symptoms (might be from not stabilizing from past cuts). When I take my first dose don’t feel it. Even my second dose at night I don’t feel the affect. Meaning, as I take my doses I don’t feel that it makes feel normal. I need some help from the survivors. I’m very scared to make the next move, as I feel it could further destabilize me. Ive put this same question on a thread but didn’t give any feedback. Any insight would be much appreciated.
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