Klonopin .5mg usage 22 to 23 years

Started on Klonopin around 1996 or 1997. Reason for klonopin was for help sleeping.  However I went to the doctor asking for Atarax to help with sleep. The doctor told me to try klonopin because of my situation. Which was moving and starting a new job at a place I was not happy about. My work shifts changed all the time. Making it difficult to adjust my sleep patterns. Plus my girlfriend would not move with me.

 

The doctor said I was under stress and probably having anxiety. Then he gave me a months supply of klonopin at .5mg to take as needed. Then to come back in a month. Around 30 days later he gave me a 3 months supply. However I told him the medicine allows me to sleep but i really didn't have anxiety. He stated that's because of the medicine.

 

The first month I would take the klonopin .5mg 2 or 3 times a week.

 

After the first 3 months supply of klonopin I went back the doctor and she told me she was moving to another state. But she had another doctor who would take me.

 

A couple months later I met my new doctor. This is when I asked about the safety of taking klonopin. I was told I was on such a low dose that I would not become dependent on them!

He said only people who take large amounts might have a problem stopping the medication.

 

Up until 2005 I was taking .5mg once a day only. Sometimes I would skip a day and would not feel any withdrawal problems.

 

2005 is also when I moved. I figured it's time to stop this medicine.

However by the third day of stopping klonopin I was feeling the withdrawals. I knew then it was the medication. Luckily I had enough pills to hold me over until I found another doctor.

 

I told my new doctor about the withdrawal symptoms. He told me to either go CT or keep taking the medicine every other day or take .5mg one day, and the next to take half a pill.

He told me he will never increase the dosage and many people take these medications for life.

 

In 2013 I called a relative who is a physician. Very embarrassing to do! I told him my situation.

He was very upset and told me I have a huge problem. He stated he stopped prescribing these medications because of the dependence people end up having. He told me he was not going to give me medical advice but stated he would tell me what he would do if it was him in this situation. His advice was for me to Taper off slowly and it could take a long time. He said CT is inhumane to do to people and dangerous! He said he would try and find a doctor who would help with the taper if it was him.

 

Through 2013 I could not find a doctor who would help taper me. Instead I was offered other medications..... all over having a little sleeping problem because of my life situation in 1996 or 1997.

 

By 2015 I started having dizziness and ear ringing. At least once a week while walking I would feel like I was leaning over and would fall. I knew it was from the medicine. However i didn't have these symptoms every day. Was taking .5mg 5 to 6 days a week by 2015.

 

Fast forward to September 2017. While on a ladder I had a dizzy spell and fell off a ladder. Luckily I was not very high up.

Went to a doctor and had all kinds of tests done to see if I had another medical condition. Everything came back good.

 

October went to my doctor and asked if he ever had people come off klonopin. I was told frankly that he does not discuss other patients problems!

 

December 2017 found benzobuddies.

 

January 2018. Seen my doctor. Asked again if he ever had patients taper off. He spun it and said he has 70 year old people taking ativan at the same dose for 20 years and never had to increase the dosage... and that my situation was fine as I been taking the same dose and never had to increase. Next I asked him how would he go about tapering me off klonopin. He said since you are on ,5mg that he would have me cut .125mg every 5 days!!!! Nope not gonna happen after learning about benzobuddies.

 

Then as I was leaving he said (with a crazy smile) try cutting your dose in half if you want to quit taking the klonopin. I told him I had no plans to taper off. However I had every intention of tapering off this demon medication.

 

After I left I noticed he cut my supply from 90 pills to 80!

 

January 17 cut 12.5mg from .50mg to .375 mg. Taken once a day. After 3 days had trouble sleeping, headache, dizziness, ear ringing, burning skin, muscle twitches, feeling hot then cold.

Lower back pain, some sensitivity to light and noises. However these symptoms came a went and most the time were bearable. Sleep was around 4 hours per night.

 

January 24 cut dose to take two times a day for a total of 37.5mg. Withdrawal symptoms less severe and very bearable. By January 30th felt ok, good enough to make a cut to .25mg...

 

As of February 5th 2018 (taking now .25mg klonopin since January 30th) have severe ear ringing, some slight skin burning, very light headaches that come and go, dizziness from manageable to severe.

Sleeping is around 4 hours per night however don't fall a sleep until 3am.

Mornings are the best I usually wake up with zero ear ringing or dizziness. However after 1 hour the ear ringing starts and some dizziness.

 

Will hold at .25mg until around 18 February and then start a slow micro taper.

As I have to be off klonopin by the end of May.

 

Thank you.

P.S currently not working but will start back in September.. Overall I found spacing the doses over the day to decrease symptoms and feel I could possibly work while coming off the top end doses, however as the dosage get smaller I dont know what to expect.

 

 

 

 

 

Hello drake4-

 

We are very glad that you found us! The symptoms you are describing sound like typical withdrawal symptoms. I would like to suggest that you do some research on the various boards & become well informed. By doing this it will enable you to have all the tools you need for a smooth taper & recovery. There are many well informed, kind, compassionate members here to support you. Ask questions. Our various boards are full of vast amounts of information to guide you through your journey. I have enclosed some links below that may help you in your search efforts. Please check them out.

 

Please take the time to Create a Signature. This will allow other buddies to see where you are in the process, so that they are better able to support you. Go to the top of the page and select Profile then choose Forum Profile then insert drug history/timelines into the text box and click Change Profile

 

Wishing you a smooth, successful taper & speedy recovery!

Bella 

 

 

Links:

Professor Heather Ashtons Manual

 

     

 

For those who are currently tapering, we suggest reducing at a rate of 5%-10% every 10-14 days

 

Hi drake4 

 

Let me welcome you and congratulate you for taking your fate in your own hands.

 

Upon reading posts after posts in here during several months I realize that although the benzo withdrawal is a real social issue, the number of benzo-educated doctors remains insufficient. Many doctors just recommend to cut the tablet to halves or quarters when they do not ask to abruptly stop. . When the recommendations are to reduce the daily dose by somewhere between 5% and 10% every 10-14 days to avoid rough withdrawal symptoms, cutting a quarter of a tablet is 25% reduction and it becomes 50% when you cut half of a tablet!

 

The various troubles as mind dizziness, tinnitus (ear ringing), burning skin, feeling hot and cold, weight loss, etc are typical withdrawal symptoms I have personally experienced during my last year on benzo. Now I'm 5 months off and with very few exceptions all have faded away.

 

Even after the last dose, it will take time for your organism to adapt again to the state before benzo stepped in with its havoc. How much time will depend on each individual as we are all different. Many will be healed within months, others after years.

 

Do not rush with the last 0.25mg! It actually took me 9 months to taper 0.5 mg/day of clonazepam.

 

Wish you a smooth last part of this long journey. You will certainly come out free. Meanwhile have a look here.

Thanks Jim, I plan on tapering .25mg over 100 days. However my doctor cut my pills last visit from 90 to 80 possibly because I mentioned tapering. I see him again in April. Will stretch out taper if possible depending on the amount of pills.

Hi drake4,

 

How are you going to split a 0.5mg tablet to 1/8 or smaller for doses smaller and smaller? When I tried at that time to split it just to 1/4, the 4 parts were never equal in size when they did not simply crumbled in more parts . If you manage to do it and feel comfortable with the obtained precision than it's fine. If not have a look at the Liquid Taper Method.

Hi,

Currently I'm splitting .5mg pill in half then splitting the half into 3 parts for taking 3 times per day..

 

I understand i have to use liquid taper moving forward....But I do not want to think about tapering more until

I feel good enough. Then will start a liquid taper. For now I'm having ear ringing...  off and on burning to skin around the neck area which is very tolerable.... My worse symptom at this time is when walking, it feels like everything is swaying. I would not feel safe driving.

 

 

Hi,

Currently I'm splitting .5mg pill in half then splitting the half into 3 parts for taking 3 times per day..

 

I understand i have to use liquid taper moving forward....But I do not want to think about tapering more until

I feel good enough. Then will start a liquid taper. For now I'm having ear ringing...  off and on burning to skin around the neck area which is very tolerable.... My worse symptom at this time is when walking, it feels like everything is swaying. I would not feel safe driving.

 

 

 

Hi drake4-

 

Waiting till you are more stable may help your symptoms stay tolerable & is a wise decision. I had that swaying sensation too. I actually dislocated my jaw because of this symptom.The dizziness & imbalance was so bad that I tripped & fell. I was not able to drive for a very long time. So you may want to try to be mindful of your movements so you do not get hurt. Just try to pay attention & go really slow. 

 

It will go away eventually...

Just went over my past symptoms with the wife. I positively have benzo brain in fact I had benzo brain for quite a long time. I been in denial!

1. Around 2005 after 8 or 9 years of klonopin usage is when I started getting forgetful. I was told that is around the time I complained off and on about forgetting things at my job. Things I did everyday would just go blank.

 

2. Had trouble reading and remembering. Usually I could remember a book as if I had a photographic memory. This started around 2008.

 

3. We go to the movies often and around 2010 I wouldn't remember the movie i seen. Later when the movie would come on TV I would argue and say we never seen the movie... Then after watching it for a while I would realize I seen the movie and say "im going senile"

 

4. 2014 started having hand shakes off and on. Very embarrassing.... Thinking back I probably had slight dizziness and ear ringing as early as 2012. But very limited.

 

5. Early 2017 started to have leg jerks in bed. Wife would ask whats the matter.

 

Imagine all this damage and future symptoms to work through because i was having a little sleep problem .. I simply asked for atarax because a friend had told me he used it for a few weeks and it made him sleep every night.

 

However my mind after a couple weeks tapering seems to be working faster...... Already laughing more and have better concentration.....

Drake-

 

I am surprised at all of the symptoms I had that were directly related to using benzo for such a long time. Most of theses issues have resolved themselves. You will get there too. Time is the healer. Try to be patient!

Hi Drake4, welcome to our family. You are in the right place. When I started tapering off of clonazepam, I did not talk to my PCP about it, as I had been to him numerous times with no real tapering plan ever given to me. He sent me to a sleep specialist, who informed me, as he walked into the room, that if I was there for more meds, I was not going to get them. I said I was there to get off of the sleeping meds I was on. He suggested melatonin and yellow lense glasses while watching TV or using the computer, and that was it. I never returned. Two or three years later, I was continually growing worse, so took it upon myself to start tapering. I tapered 1/4 a pill every week, which gave me horrible withdrawal symptoms. I kept searching the internet for ideas and found this site. It gave me hope.  I did not ever tell my doctor I was tapering and so he kept filling my prescriptions at the regular dosage. I never needed that much, but at least I was not stressing over not having enough meds to get me through. When I was finally off of clonazepam after nine months, I did share with the doctor that I had finally gotten off of C. He was both amazed and interested in how I did this. He did know about the Ashton manual, which was good. Anyway, this was my journey, thus far. I wish you well!

nightengale I'm glad you got off the benzo good work.

Thanks! I'm still struggling with the withdrawal symptoms, mainly insomnia, but eventually I will get there. This site did help me succeed at finally being drug free.

You have a great attitude and will make it!