.25 Klonopin Jump

Hello all,

 

Around two months ago I checked into a medical detox for alcohol.  I have had problems with it in the past, but have been doing pretty well with exception of this one occasion.  When I checked into the detox, they called my pharmacy to confirm the prescriptions that I was taking.  One of those prescriptions was Klonopin, which I have been taking for over 4 years.  I have never abused my medication, nor have ever even wanted to.  I have suffered from panic disorder for years and Klonopin was the only drug that seemed to help.  Once the doctor at the detox discovered that I was on Klonopin, he attempted to take me off of the medication cold turkey.  He explained, as doctors always do, that alcoholics should not take benzos.  Although I know that this doctor was really trying to protect himself by not prescribing benzos, I still was unsure to as why he would want me to quit cold turkey.  I stayed in the detox for a week, and was only given two Ativan the entire time I was there.  He said that I was stable to leave and that I should not have too many problems.  I was taking 1mg a day for over 4 years.  When I returned home, I attempted not to take Klonopin, but I was withdrawing so bad, that I took .25 mg.  It helped alleviate the discomfort.  I have been taking .25mg now for nearly two months, trying to taper myself down.  I ran out of Klonopin yesterday morning, and there is no way that I can refill the prescription.  Also, I am just through with all of this madness.  Today was my first day without Klonopin.  I already don't feel well, but I know that the worse it yet to come.  I am hoping that this jump from .25 will not be as bad as 1mg.  If anyone has any advice please share.

Hi Steve44,

 

I'm sorry to hear you were ripped off of the Klonopin while in detox, but I'm glad you had a reserve you could take once you left the facility.  Jumping off at .25 is a hefty jump, I have to say I think you're correct in saying things are most likely going to get worse.  Are you absolutely sure you want to do this, have you looked around for a Dr who would be willing to help you taper to a lower dose by prescribing enough to allow you to do this?

 

I quit cold turkey so I know what you may be facing.  Whatever you decide to do, we'll be here to help.

 

Pamster

Hey Pamster,

 

Thanks for the advice.  Unfortunately finding a new doctor may not be an option for me at this point.  I am just really hoping that I don't have to go to the emergency room.

Do you have family living with you, I'd feel better if you had someone there with you.  I'm glad you've been taking only .25 a day, that dose is a lot better to jump from than the 1 mg. 

 

Do you think you'll be tempted to drink when faced with withdrawals?  The reason I ask is because many of our members report doing this makes them feel worse, so I wanted to caution you.

 

I hope you'll keep posting, you can make it through this, we'll help you.

 

Yes I do live with other people.  So I have warmed them of the signs.  I will keep posting daily.

Steve44,

 

First of all, that is a real accomplishment to go right from 1mg to .25 mgs like that. Not everyone can handle that big of a leap. I'm sure it was not easy. Especially given that it was essentially forced on you. I think people would like to hear more about what symptoms you were having while on the .25mgs. You said it helped "alleviate the discomfort." Being a little more specific could be helpful. Jumping (meaning quitting abruptly) from .25mgs with crippling anxiety, and jumping with no current side effects are two different things. (Though I think neither a good idea.)

 

As for jumping from .25 mgs of K. That is still a lot, especially considering that you were on 1 mg for four years, and now some months on .25. The world of benzos is completely unpredictable. There's just no way to know how your mind and body will react. Though in my opinion, and from my experience, it is not the best option.

 

(*We write these things, and then when we go to post we get updates showing what others have written in the meantime. I just saw that you believe finding a doctor might night be an option. I would have just erased this whole message if you were absolutely sure. I'll leave the advice I have about approaching doctors on the off chance that you reconsider or think of a way to find one. Sorry if it ends up being useless information. I also saw the note that said Pamster has mentioned much of this more concisely that I am capable of! But I'll put it up regardless because I think it emphasizes a few extra important points of consideration*).

 

My suggestion would be to proactively begin to find a doctor who will prescribe you .25mgs. Sometimes it can take awhile to get a provider or an appointment. You said that you had been taking 1mg for years, was this under a doctor's care? If so, could you go back to them? Most doctors would not see it as "drug seeking" to return asking for a lower dose. If not, depending on where you live (big city, small town, farmland), it isn't always too awful hard to find someone to prescribe benzos, especially at what they often erroneously consider a low dose. Call around, get appointments with several people, go to the earliest person you can find, that way if one doesn't work you have a backup, and you can always cancel with the others, or better yet, meet with them after you have your initial supply and find one who is willing to work with you on a taper if the first one isn't. It's weird that some doctors are much more willing to work with someone who wants to stay on their benzos longterm, then one who wants to taper off them. But that's sometimes the way this works.

 

I think this would be a good thing to consider regardless of what you ultimately decide to do for a number of reasons.

1) If you stopped at .25mgs and were totally fine or had minimal symptoms you could just throw the pills away (though folks are usually encouraged to return them to the pharmacy so they don't get into the water supply).

2) If you stop at .25 mgs and AREN'T ok (which is more likely), then you have a supply and don't have to go looking for them while in withdrawal, which is challenging, and makes it harder to convince doctors that you aren't drug seeking (in the negative sense). Some people actually find it easier to simply tell their new doc that they are taking that dose longterm for symptoms, and not even mention tapering during the first meeting, since doctors will just tell you that you will be fine stopping at .25mgs. This is one of the few times where I think being a little cagey with your information during an initial consult might be warranted, but it's up to you.

3) Jumping from .25mgs is, for many people, really really hard. You might get extremely lucky. But why trust to luck? If you can get a prescription for your dose then you can slowly taper down from there. It might not even take you that long, but tapering slowly will set you up to avoid the worst withdrawals, and it will lessen your chances of getting post-acute withdrawal syndrome. There seems little upside to quitting at your current dose without considering tapering; at least that was my experience.

 

These are all just suggestions. If for whatever reason you cannot get a prescription to do a slow taper, then there are people here who can help you navigate those waters. Klonopin (for some people) gives you a few days (mine use to be 5) before real withdrawal symptoms kick in, so you have some time to act, but not a lot. And I found people willing to work with me when I rolled into their office a complete mess, so don't give up, don't let doctors push you around, and always try and be in control of every decision that gets made concerning your taper.

 

Good luck. Keep asking questions. Sorry if this ends up being a bunch of useless verbiage for your situation. Other's have jumped from .25 and gotten through it. You can too.

 

 

QuietQuiet,

 

When I was taken off 1mg for a week, I did not show serious signs of withdrawal until my last few days in the hospital.  I had high blood pressure, an increased heart rate, hand tremors, heart palpitations, headaches, dizziness, and unbelievable anxiety.  I was actually quite surprised that the facility let me live in that conditions, but they chalked it up to general anxiety.  My intentions upon leaving the facility were not to take Klonopin, but my the hand tremors became severe muscle spasms throughout my entire body.  When I left the hospital, I tried to call my primary care provider and explain the situation to see if he could prescribe a taper dose.  In the area that I live in, most of the hospitals and doctor's offices are owned by one medical group.  Nevertheless, the doctor that I had been seeing was part of the same medical group that owned the detox facility.  The doctor had access to my records from that detox, and refused to restart my prescription because I have been labeled an alcoholic (he actually did not tell me that, only to follow up with a psychiatrist.)  Fortunately, I had a reserve that was made up of random tablets that I had accumulated throughout the years.  I took .25mg and within an hour most of my symptoms were gone.  I continued to take only .25mg for the last few months, fearing this day.  Honestly even staying at .25mg has been difficult, but I have made it through. 

I have considered going to another doctor, but I procrastinated until the last minute.  My current problem is that I lost my job.  So now, it would be challenging to pay out of pocket to see a new primary care physician.  The worst part is that I must find a job and deal with this problem simultaneously.  The truth is that I really would like to deal with this problem further down the road once I can get my life back in order. 

I went to a detox facility too, I left AMA that same night when I found out my detox would consist of 2 doses Klonopin and I was to join the general population the next day to learn the 12 steps.  Well, since I'd quit drinking 14 years before, I was already pretty familiar with the steps.  I had no idea benzo's had to be tapered, I thought I'd been poisoned and when I reached out to more Dr's, they thought I was drug seeking, I wasn't, I just needed to know what was happening to me.  This was 12 years ago, and it looks like not much has changed in the way of understanding since then. 

 

I'm not surprised your worst symptoms didn't show up until later, it takes awhile for Klonopin to leave your system, it's one of the longer acting benzo's like Valium.  I remember the first few days off the drug, I felt pretty good, I could think more clearly, and I swear, even my vision improved, it was like a veil had lifted from my brain.  But, then things started to change. 

 

Thank you for explaining what your situation is, we care about what is happening to you, we get nervous when we see someone is about to go through pain, I hope we don't overwhelm you with our concern.

Absolutely, this is just advice, and if you need to go off at .25 then that will be the way it will be. People on this board have gone off of much much larger doses, and are now healed. If that's where you are, then there are a lot of wise folks around who have done this successfully.

 

I hear your concern about your job and insurance. That can be a big problem. I actually went to free clinics for years to get my prescriptions because I didn't have insurance (though I wasn't on benzos at the time). And finding a job during withdrawal presents its own set of challenges. You might consider doing an internet search in your area for free clinics and give them a call. I remember taking a friend to one once that wouldn't prescribe any controlled substances like benzos, (they had a big sign up saying so) so if you went that route I would call ahead and ask so you don't waste your time.  I did a quick search and saw that there ARE clinics that provide that kind of service. So it might be worth a thought.

 

There are other places that will work on a sliding scale. And really, even one month's worth could get you to a better place, and hopefully a job.

But if none of that applies to you, or if you decide .25 is where you want to go from, you will find stories here of people who quit and found jobs and kept working and just got through it.

 

So don't let any of this advice add to your concerns. It's just some ideas that may or may not be useful, and if not, forget about them and look ahead to your post-benzo life. You've already come a long way.

I would cut 5-6% every week or two from the .25 and get down as low as possible and then jump.

 

Let us know how your progress goes.

I was very fortunate today.  I have a family member who used to take Klonopin.  He was able to give me a few tablets today, which I broken down into .125 tablets.  If anything it should buy me enough time until I can find a new doctor.  Hopefully I can find one who let me continue to taper on my own time.  Thanks for all of the support.

This is great news, I'm relieved. 

That's great man. Glad you have a plan to use this reprieve wisely.

When you find your new doctor. You may want to ask for some gabapentin to help with withdrawals.  it has helped me.  I know this is a

controversial subject.  But it is an adjunct med that is used commonly for withdrawal symptoms.  Ibuprofen 800 milligrams helps also.

When you find your new doctor. You may want to ask for some gabapentin to help with withdrawals.  it has helped me.  I know this is a

controversial subject.  But it is an adjunct med that is used commonly for withdrawal symptoms.  Ibuprofen 800 milligrams helps also.

 

I would avoid Gabapentin, it's a painkiller and while not as addictive as opioids, there is still a possibility of addiction and abuse.  Since Steve44 went into rehab for alcohol abuse, in my opinion, this wouldn't be a good idea.  Also, we have a support group on the forum who are dealing with Gabapentin withdrawal, so everything comes with risks.