Klonopin taper

Hi, I've been exposed to Benzos since September 2017. Firs it was Bromazepan, very low dose for 15 days, a week after finished it  hell started. I couldn't sleep. Started to have bad thoughts, barely could go to work.

Went to a Psych Dr and started to get medicated:

October/November: Zoloft 25 Mg-Lorazepan 0.5Mg (couldn't stand zoloft, Stop cold turkey. Dr said no tapper needed, dose too small...)

Half December: Remeron, stopped after 1 1/2 week (was knocking me out) Lorazepan as needed till the end of December.

January/February/March 2018: Buspar 5 MG- Clonazepan 0.5 at night and

0.5 in the afternoon. Total 1MG.

Started to taper down April. 0.125 per week. Using 0.5 MG pills for the cut.

Started to feel withdrwal symtoms after the third week: Knot in chess. More anxious , feelings of derealization, blur vision. Still thank God can sleep.

Planning to do the .125 reduce every two weeks instead of every one week.

Although feel kind of stabilize before starting the taper, frustrated now to feel bad 3 weeks after started taper. Doctors don't have any idea what people go thru taking this evil drugs.

Now I'm facing to have Hernia surgery while tapering. I really don't know what to do. Take the risk and wait for the surgery till taper ends or go ahead bite the bullet and do the surgery at the same time .

Would appreciate any input on this issues. 

Hello Micedana!

Welcome to BenzoBuddies.  Thanks for joining us.

I'm sorry that you're having so much difficulty with these meds.  I know the doctors are trying to do what they think works for most people, but unfortunately, one size does not fit all with psych meds.  Many people can take these meds for decades with little issue, but some can have difficulties even after just a few weeks of exposure.  Unfortunately, most physicians seem ill-equipped to deal with the minority of us who have a poor response to these meds.

As you've seen, stopping these drugs abruptly can lead to some nasty withdrawal symptoms.  So we strongly recommend a slow taper to attempt to minimize those withdrawal symptoms.  We generally recommend reductions of no greater than 5-10% every couple of weeks.  You're proposing 25% cuts.  The Ashton Manual is an authoritative source on what to expect in withdrawal and recovery.  Dr. Ashton is an expert in the field. Section III explains and describes symptoms, and there is also a section with suggested taper schedules.

Here's a link to the Withdrawal Support section of the forum.  I think it's a good place for you to share your story and read about what others are doing to withdraw.  Withdrawal Support (during your taper)

As for the surgery - I've had dental surgery done under bento-free anesthesia.  I just had to talk with the oral surgeon explain my sensitivity to benzos.  He was able to keep me very sedated without using them.  I'd encourage you to talk with your doctor about the possibilities.  You probably want to get this fixed sooner rather than later, so you can get back into the swing of things.

Please take some time to Create a Signature. This will help other members understand your history so they will be better able to support you.

Go to the top of the page and select Profile, then choose Forum Profile, insert drug history/timelines into the text box and click Change Profile.

Again, welcome!