New and Tapering

Hello,

My name is Jen. Starting November of last year I got into a downward spiral of being prescribed things from a doctor who didn't know what she was doing. Long story short, I went to her for some sleep issues, was given an antidepressant to take at night for sleep, and it was a very dark road until late February. At that time, I finally saw a psychiatrist and was given Clonazepam. Although the Clonazepam helped me out of the dark hole I was in from an array of wrongly prescribed meds, I am now in the process of tapering off. It has been a low dose of .5mg a day, but my body is starting to experience unwanted side effects...some depression (which I never had until the first antidepressant), hair loss, feeling unmotivated, no energy, among other things. Through this whole journey, I have learned how sensitive my body is to mental health meds. It has also reiterated for me why I never took them for the first 42 years of my life despite having PTSD. My body just can't handle them, and side effects get worse for me once they build up in my body. 

I am currently down to .25 at night and .125 in the morning. I talk to the psychiatrist on Monday who is going to help me with a taper schedule. I'm hoping she can also suggest some supplements that may make the tapering easier, but I'm not sure if those things actually exist.

I'm praying this taper is successful and with little issues. I just want to feel like myself again for the sake of my husband and children.

Hello  Jen   welcome to BenzoBuddies! 

We are glad you are here. You are going to be okay, you can do this successfully and you will get plenty of support here.  It's great that your psychiatrist is helping you with a taper.  The best way to come off benzodiazepines is a slow taper  The suggested taper rate is 5/10% every 10/14 days.  Some of us need to taper more slowly,  you can adjust the rate to meet your needs.  You can learn more about tapering on our taper plans board, and you will receive plenty of support and encouragement here.

I suggest you check out the Ashton Manual, you will find It is a valuable resource for learning about benzos and the effect these drugs have on our body.  As well as taper/withdrawal information, it lists  possible withdrawal symptoms symptoms 

I'll leave you a few links:

The Ashton Manual. 

Planning Your Withdrawal(TaperPlans)

I am sure the members on this Klonopin thread will  be happy to help you.

Klonopin Klub 

If you would like to add a signature (history of meds/doses etc) it will help members give you relevant advice.  Go to the top of the page and select PROFILE then choose forum profile then insert drug history into the text box and remember to click change profile

Welcome aboard

Magrita