Recent benzo user, really lost and terrified, please help get off Clonazepam

I've been taking Clonazepam on an as needed basis for about 22 days, averaging about ~.20 mg per day but generally taking it every other day. I am ready to be off this stuff now as I don't need it anymore for sleep but I'm already getting anxiety when I try to stop cold turkey. I took about .375 mg on Monday, nothing on Tuesday (I had mild but totally manageable anxiety that day) and then by Wednesday AM I felt really on edge and panicky and like I was having withdrawals. I ended up taking .35 mg today. I find doses of even 0.25 mg are really strong and turn me into a zombie for a while. I'm wondering if I should take multiple smaller doses throughout the day.

I'm really worried about becoming stuck on these meds and am looking to taper down. Can anyone please advice on how best to proceed from here? It just freaks me out that I can't just stop taking this stuff even after just a few weeks at a lowish dose. Do I need a detox hospital or is this safe to do myself?

All the information I find about tapering schedules is more for users taking higher doses and for longer periods of time. What should I do in my situation? Please help  .

firstly, its gonna be ok you are lucky to spot the issues early and be wanting to address it.

 

im sure more knowledgeable people will weigh in, but the way i see it, from your position your best bet is to

 

1) find a dose and frequency at which you feel stable and "ok" (not great!) and stick to that, not chop and change too much

2) do a bit of reading (ashton manual is great, someone else will be able to link it) and begin tapering down. someone on here will be able to point you to a good guide, there are heaps out there

3) in my opinion (not a doctor !!) 22 days use probably won't justify a switch to Valium for the taper, but happy for someone to correct me, you can probably just taper down on your clonazepam slowly.

 

bank on feeling a bit crap for a bit during the taper and when you come off, but shouldnt be too major, and try keep in mind that however shitty you are feeling, it will definitely pass

 

Yeah I agree you should try to stabilize on a set dose. You said 0.25 is too much for you so try a lower dose for a few days or week, and taper down when you feel comfortable. It's something I never did but wish I had.

You have to accept a little anxiety unfortunately the only way to avoid it is to stay on them, and I wouldn't do that if I was you.

 

Hopefully you will just be a little uncomfortable for a while, but will be ok

Thank you so much for the responses! Really appreciate it.

 

Since I haven't been on these meds as long, do you think I can try to taper more aggressively? I am thinking of attempting to stabilize on 0.125 mg/day and then rapidly cut down from there and just deal with the short term withdrawal for a few days and be gone. Is this even possible?

I'm far from an expert, and definitely no doctor. But what it's worth, I'm sure there's thousands of people who do and have no problem, I personally CT'd a few times no problem. But there's always a chance of a bad WD. I wouldn't drag it out for months on end, but just listen to your body. Stabilize 1st, make a cut and see how you feel for a few of days. I'm sure there will be more experienced people that will have other ideas

Since you haven't used for over a month, we typically don't advise to do a long slow taper bc that would actually put you at more risk by being on the drug longer. But CT can be harsh as well.

In this case you could probably do a rapid taper, under the supervision of your doctor. It sounds like you may experience typical withdrawal symptoms, but know that it will pass eventually. I think its great you caught this so soon and will not be enslaved to this drug fro a long time and go through what many ppl here have had to.

Staying on this drug will cause harm. I recommend after you jump get rid of whatever med you have left to avoid the temptation of taking them should you have rough days.

You will get through this. So many others have and healing happens!

Thanks again for your insightful responses folks.

 

I talked to a doc and he recommended tapering over about 14 days. Going to 0.125 mg for a few days to stabilize and then drop to .0625 mg for a few more followed by .0625 mg every other day and then stopping. Today I have dropped to 0.125 mg. I feel anxious already but it seems mostly from the anticipation of the withdrawal symptoms.

 

What do you guys think of this taper? Too slow? Any idea on how long the withdrawal symptoms last each time you drop the dose like that? The doc thinks it won't be too bad for me given the short duration of use. I hope that is correct. It gives me some peace of mind when people here point out that the withdrawal symptoms always pass even though they suck.

Since I haven't been on these meds as long, do you think I can try to taper more aggressively? I am thinking of attempting to stabilize on 0.125 mg/day and then rapidly cut down from there and just deal with the short term withdrawal for a few days and be gone. Is this even possible?

 

For low doses such as yours (does NOT apply to higher doses!), I think it just depends how much you can tolerate.  I jumped from 0.25mg klonopin 12 days ago.  I had been on 0.5mg  for less than two months, and had tapered for a couple weeks to get to half that amount.  I experienced horrible anxiety and tremor the day after I missed my first dose.  Since then I've had a combination of waves and windows.  Sleep issues.  Anxiety.  Mild to moderate derealization.  Was it a mistake to jump so soon?  Maybe.  But I was having bad anxiety in the afternoons from withdrawal between doses, and cuts seemed to make it better after a few days.  I'm 56 years old, and have been on klonopin several times before in my life so I'm likely kindled a bit as well.  When I was in my 30s, my doctor had me stop it by taking 1/2 pill for a week, then no pill.  I don't recall anything overly dramatic happening then.  I tapered over a 4-month period in 2013-2014, after being on it for 2-3 months.  I never had the severe anxiety, but I did have to put up with increased anxiety and a couple sleepless nights with each cut.  And my afternoon anxiety did not go away as long as I was still taking any at night.

 

 

Since I haven't been on these meds as long, do you think I can try to taper more aggressively? I am thinking of attempting to stabilize on 0.125 mg/day and then rapidly cut down from there and just deal with the short term withdrawal for a few days and be gone. Is this even possible?

 

For low doses such as yours (does NOT apply to higher doses!), I think it just depends how much you can tolerate.  I jumped from 0.25mg klonopin 12 days ago.  I had been on 0.5mg  for less than two months, and had tapered for a couple weeks to get to half that amount.  I experienced horrible anxiety and tremor the day after I missed my first dose.  Since then I've had a combination of waves and windows.  Sleep issues.  Anxiety.  Mild to moderate derealization.  Was it a mistake to jump so soon?  Maybe.  But I was having bad anxiety in the afternoons from withdrawal between doses, and cuts seemed to make it better after a few days.  I'm 56 years old, and have been on klonopin several times before in my life so I'm likely kindled a bit as well.  When I was in my 30s, my doctor had me stop it by taking 1/2 pill for a week, then no pill.  I don't recall anything overly dramatic happening then.  I tapered over a 4-month period in 2013-2014, after being on it for 2-3 months.  I never had the severe anxiety, but I did have to put up with increased anxiety and a couple sleepless nights with each cut.  And my afternoon anxiety did not go away as long as I was still taking any at night.

 

That sounds pretty scary, good on you for having the strength to do it. I understand that some discomfort with anxiety is inevitable but my biggest fear with getting the withdrawal symptoms is how do I know it won't be dangerous or life threatening? Stuff like seizures or delirium? The fear of dangerous effects seems to run my anxiety up while I'm tapering.

 

That sounds pretty scary, good on you for having the strength to do it. I understand that some discomfort with anxiety is inevitable but my biggest fear with getting the withdrawal symptoms is how do I know it won't be dangerous or life threatening? Stuff like seizures or delirium? The fear of dangerous effects seems to run my anxiety up while I'm tapering.

 

I'm not a doctor, but doctors are generally advised to warn patients about suddenly stopping a high dose.  I know when I was younger, doctors advised me to cut to half a pill for a week and then stop.  That is faster than I tapered and stopped this time.  And when I was younger, I don't recall stopping in that way being all that bad.  I figured now since I am older, and kindled, I needed to be more careful.  I guess I don't know for sure how safe it was.  How do I know I didn't almost have a seizure?  I don't.  But I know 0.25mg is a relatively low dose, given that its not unusual for doctors to prescribe 3mg a day for people.

 

 

That sounds pretty scary, good on you for having the strength to do it. I understand that some discomfort with anxiety is inevitable but my biggest fear with getting the withdrawal symptoms is how do I know it won't be dangerous or life threatening? Stuff like seizures or delirium? The fear of dangerous effects seems to run my anxiety up while I'm tapering.

 

I'm not a doctor, but doctors are generally advised to warn patients about suddenly stopping a high dose.  I know when I was younger, doctors advised me to cut to half a pill for a week and then stop.  That is faster than I tapered and stopped this time.  And when I was younger, I don't recall stopping in that way being all that bad.  I figured now since I am older, and kindled, I needed to be more careful.  I guess I don't know for sure how safe it was.  How do I know I didn't almost have a seizure?  I don't.  But I know 0.25mg is a relatively low dose, given that its not unusual for doctors to prescribe 3mg a day for people.

 

I guess we're all different. 0.25mg might be a small dose relative to what some take but it is enough to turn me into a drugged up zombie for many hours. I guess I am just that sensitive to it or lack the tolerance so far. You would think I should be able to cold turkey but my earlier attempt this week was unbearable.

 

I've decided this will be my taper schedule, fairly slow given my brief duration of use but I hope it will feel more pleasant. Today is day one of 0.125 mg. Hopefully 0.125mg will be fine even though it represents a 38% reduction in the average daily dose I've taken over the 3 weeks I've used this drug.

 

.125 mg (4 days)

.095 mg (3 days)

.0625 mg (4 days)

.0325 mg (4 days)

Jump

 

I will shorten some of these stages if I find I'm feeling fine of course.

 

 

I guess we're all different. 0.25mg might be a small dose relative to what some take but it is enough to turn me into a drugged up zombie for many hours. I guess I am just that sensitive to it or lack the tolerance so far. You would think I should be able to cold turkey but my earlier attempt this week was unbearable.

 

I've decided this will be my taper schedule, fairly slow given my brief duration of use but I hope it will feel more pleasant. Today is day one of 0.125 mg. Hopefully 0.125mg will be fine even though it represents a 38% reduction in the average daily dose I've taken over the 3 weeks I've used this drug.

 

.125 mg (4 days)

.095 mg (3 days)

.0625 mg (4 days)

.0325 mg (4 days)

Jump

 

I will shorten some of these stages if I find I'm feeling fine of course.

 

That's still a fast taper.  Depends on your age, overall health, and what you can deal with.  In 2013, I tapered a total of 4 months from 0.5mg to 0.  If you are feeling ok at your present dose, there is no reason to rush it this much.  If you are having withdrawal symptoms already between doses, and are younger and/or generally healthy otherwise, a faster taper may make sense.  Some people taper from full dose (for small dose) to nothing in a couple weeks without experiencing major symptoms, but everyone is different.

 

 

 

I guess we're all different. 0.25mg might be a small dose relative to what some take but it is enough to turn me into a drugged up zombie for many hours. I guess I am just that sensitive to it or lack the tolerance so far. You would think I should be able to cold turkey but my earlier attempt this week was unbearable.

 

I've decided this will be my taper schedule, fairly slow given my brief duration of use but I hope it will feel more pleasant. Today is day one of 0.125 mg. Hopefully 0.125mg will be fine even though it represents a 38% reduction in the average daily dose I've taken over the 3 weeks I've used this drug.

 

.125 mg (4 days)

.095 mg (3 days)

.0625 mg (4 days)

.0325 mg (4 days)

Jump

 

I will shorten some of these stages if I find I'm feeling fine of course.

 

That's still a fast taper.  Depends on your age, overall health, and what you can deal with.  In 2013, I tapered a total of 4 months from 0.5mg to 0.  If you are feeling ok at your present dose, there is no reason to rush it this much.  If you are having withdrawal symptoms already between doses, and are younger and/or generally healthy otherwise, a faster taper may make sense.  Some people taper from full dose (for small dose) to nothing in a couple weeks without experiencing major symptoms, but everyone is different.

 

You think? It is a 15ish day taper for about 22 days of use. The doctor felt this was a fairly slow taper. Also doesn't it add some risk for a short term user like me that hasn't used the drug that long to do a really long taper? It seems like it would increase my total use time of the drug by a lot.

 

Based on this first day of 0.125 mg, I can tell I will need a few days to stabilize here though. I'm not a nervous wreck but am on edge. I'm sure some of the anxiety is just me being worried about tapering. Tomorrow will be interesting to see how I feel.

 

 

ComfortableEar, your plan sounds good to me for just a few weeks on med, unless you have other significant history or meds/alcohol...

Thing is, your having problems this early on, so while it *might* sting a bit, extended time on the med tapering may not have the effect of allowing the body to adjust in a positive way that is the reason we taper (more slowly)..

I feel your in a pretty good position all considered, but if it gets rather hard, understanding, acceptance, and distraction are some of the tools we use.. -We can expand on those if need be/arises...

Obviously dont taper yourself into oblivion though, If it gets hard there might be some “tweeks” that help, like holding a bit longer between cuts, or smaller more regular cuts, even splitting your daily dose perhaps..

I guess I have always felt avoiding excessive shock to ones system as important as anything else...

 

I dont think your a seizure risk, certainly not a statistically predictable one at all... But there might be some waves of pretty “odd” stuff, -again, post for reassurance and clarity if that eventuates..

 

Best wishes..

ComfortableEar, your plan sounds good to me for just a few weeks on med, unless you have other significant history or meds/alcohol...

Thing is, your having problems this early on, so while it *might* sting a bit, extended time on the med tapering may not have the effect of allowing the body to adjust in a positive way that is the reason we taper (more slowly)..

I feel your in a pretty good position all considered, but if it gets rather hard, understanding, acceptance, and distraction are some of the tools we use.. -We can expand on those if need be/arises...

Obviously dont taper yourself into oblivion though, If it gets hard there might be some “tweeks” that help, like holding a bit longer between cuts, or smaller more regular cuts, even splitting your daily dose perhaps..

I guess I have always felt avoiding excessive shock to ones system as important as anything else...

 

I dont think your a seizure risk, certainly not a statistically predictable one at all... But there might be some waves of pretty “odd” stuff, -again, post for reassurance and clarity if that eventuates..

 

Best wishes..

 

Thank you for your insight. Indeed I have no prior history of drugs or alcohol. So far the only symptoms I've had today on 0.125 mg are anxiety and just being on edge. When you drop to a new lower dose, how long does it take for these effects to improve? Do they come and go through the day or do they improve across days? I guess it might be different based on your duration and dose?

 

The symptoms suck but at least I take some comfort in knowing the odds of anything dangerous happening are very slim. Just need to endure this discomfort over the next week or two.

 

I have found that splitting my daily dose does indeed help keep the drug level a bit more steady instead of getting highs and lows. I think I'll only back off and add a tiny extra dose on any given day if I just break into full on panic and can't take it anymore.

Hi, -I just added a few words to my last post...

 

There are so many ways a cut can go that its hard to say.. Sometimes the first day or two can even feel a bit better, then symptoms drop in and improve somewhat over the next week or two... Probs better for others on the same benzo to share their experiences as examples.. Half life comes into play there..

 

Being your first cut, and given its a hefty one, I could see value in letting it run its course for a week or two and reassess your situation from the general experience.. Like pick a tentative path and adjust as needed...

 

Its good you respond to more even dosing, that can help a lot..

 

 

 

Thank you for your insight. Indeed I have no prior history of drugs or alcohol. So far the only symptoms I've had today on 0.125 mg are anxiety and just being on edge. When you drop to a new lower dose, how long does it take for these effects to improve? Do they come and go through the day or do they improve across days? I guess it might be different based on your duration and dose?

 

The symptoms suck but at least I take some comfort in knowing the odds of anything dangerous happening are very slim. Just need to endure this discomfort over the next week or two.

 

 

Here is what I have experienced so far.  Like you, I was on a relatively low dose for a fairly short time. 

 

Each time I made a cut, I experienced increased anxiety during my afternoon "withdrawals" for a few days.  After that, it seemed the afternoon anxiety was no worse, and possibly slightly better, than before the cut.

 

The first day after I cut from 1/2 mg klonopin to zero, I experienced severe anxiety and shakiness most of the day (not just the afternoon).  Since then I've had two waves, each lasting a couple days, where I had severe insomnia, and anxiety all day long (about the same level as the worst of the afternoon "withdrawals" before).  I've had one window where I felt almost completely normal for a whole day.  The rest of the time has been in between.  In recent nights, I have woken up every hour or two, but I go back to sleep pretty quickly until an hour or two before time to get up.  During the day, I'm definitely not 100% well - I have some anxiety, as well as occasional brainfog, but I have been able to function fairly well most of the time (getting needed tasks and work done).  I don't feel great, but I'm not horribly uncomfortable. 

 

 

 

Thank you for your insight. Indeed I have no prior history of drugs or alcohol. So far the only symptoms I've had today on 0.125 mg are anxiety and just being on edge. When you drop to a new lower dose, how long does it take for these effects to improve? Do they come and go through the day or do they improve across days? I guess it might be different based on your duration and dose?

 

The symptoms suck but at least I take some comfort in knowing the odds of anything dangerous happening are very slim. Just need to endure this discomfort over the next week or two.

 

 

Here is what I have experienced so far.  Like you, I was on a relatively low dose for a fairly short time. 

 

Each time I made a cut, I experienced increased anxiety during my afternoon "withdrawals" for a few days.  After that, it seemed the afternoon anxiety was no worse, and possibly slightly better, than before the cut.

 

The first day after I cut from 1/2 mg klonopin to zero, I experienced severe anxiety and shakiness most of the day (not just the afternoon).  Since then I've had two waves, each lasting a couple days, where I had severe insomnia, and anxiety all day long (about the same level as the worst of the afternoon "withdrawals" before).  I've had one window where I felt almost completely normal for a whole day.  The rest of the time has been in between.  In recent nights, I have woken up every hour or two, but I go back to sleep pretty quickly until an hour or two before time to get up.  During the day, I'm definitely not 100% well - I have some anxiety, as well as occasional brainfog, but I have been able to function fairly well most of the time (getting needed tasks and work done).  I don't feel great, but I'm not horribly uncomfortable.

 

Sounds like you are well on your way to recovery. Great work.

 

I just finished 3 days at 0.125 mg. The first day after dropping from 0.25 mg I had some moderate anxiety for hours and I was just on edge/irritable. Next 2 days were much better. The only remaining symptom now is waking up multiple times in the middle of the night in kind of a panic. I'll wake up and my heart rate will spike and I'll briefly kind of panic before calming down and going right back to sleep. Strange symptoms I've never before had. Otherwise I am now feeling good during the day. Thinking I might drop to .0950 mg tomorrow based on how I'm feeling.

Hi, -I just added a few words to my last post...

 

There are so many ways a cut can go that its hard to say.. Sometimes the first day or two can even feel a bit better, then symptoms drop in and improve somewhat over the next week or two... Probs better for others on the same benzo to share their experiences as examples.. Half life comes into play there..

 

Being your first cut, and given its a hefty one, I could see value in letting it run its course for a week or two and reassess your situation from the general experience.. Like pick a tentative path and adjust as needed...

 

Its good you respond to more even dosing, that can help a lot..

 

 

Yeah I found splitting my 0.125 mg into 3 doses makes it MUCH easier than taking it all at once, getting a high and then crashing.

 

Trying to CT from taking 0.375 mg was crazy feeling but this taper is so far feeling much more manageable. The information from all the amazing users on this site has really helped me prepare.

Sounds like your doing pretty good all said n done..

 

I remember my first “doom n gloom” wake-ups, and the “toxic naps”...  -a bit of a shock to the system for sure..!!

I practiced a “go to” mantra.. “Its the meds, -not ME”..

 

Sounds like your doing pretty good all said n done..

 

I remember my first “doom n gloom” wake-ups, and the “toxic naps”...  -a bit of a shock to the system for sure..!!

I practiced a “go to” mantra.. “Its the meds, -not ME”..

 

 

Yeah it is going pretty well thankfully, 0.095 mg today and felt a little anxiety earlier but very acceptable.

 

My doctor still insists that I take 0.5 mg up to twice a day for a month more and he thinks that will be safe even though I've told him I don't think I need medication for anxiety anymore. I just needed it for an acute situation that has now passed. He thinks there is little risk of addiction from doing that. I just can't understand why doctors feel so comfortable prescribing this high risk drug for such lengthy periods. Makes me really lose faith in the medical system sometimes.

Sounds like your doing pretty good all said n done..

 

I remember my first “doom n gloom” wake-ups, and the “toxic naps”...  -a bit of a shock to the system for sure..!!

I practiced a “go to” mantra.. “Its the meds, -not ME”..

 

 

Yeah it is going pretty well thankfully, 0.095 mg today and felt a little anxiety earlier but very acceptable.

 

My doctor still insists that I take 0.5 mg up to twice a day for a month more and he thinks that will be safe even though I've told him I don't think I need medication for anxiety anymore. I just needed it for an acute situation that has now passed. He thinks there is little risk of addiction from doing that. I just can't understand why doctors feel so comfortable prescribing this high risk drug for such lengthy periods. Makes me really lose faith in the medical system sometimes.

Well I dont know what your Dr is thinking, but I dont see anything wrong with your own..!!

Good to hear your doing pretty well..

 

I've completely lost faith in them too. But glad to hear things are going well

Had to go back up to .125 mg last night since I was feeling a bit anxious and was having trouble sleeping. Probably could have powered through it but I see no point in feeling the extra discomfort to save a few days. Especially since I currently am fighting a cold.

 

So far I've done the following since the start of the taper:

Friday .125mg

Saturday .125mg

Sunday .125mg

Monday .0950mg

Tuesday .125mg

 

I'm not sure the anxiety I felt was really even from the withdrawal or more just my anxiety around the withdrawal process itself 

Asides the cold (be aware it *could* be benzo flu), your finding your groove, or tapering parameters..

Sadly its a bit tricky on quicker tapers, It can be hard enough us slow taperers.. Dont get discouraged, just do the best you can as it unfolds..

 

Hope you feel better soon..