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Long term clonazepam user


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Hi, everyone;

 

I have been using clonazepam for nearly 31 years.  I unsuccessfully tried to taper off three years ago (having severe withdrawal--shaking, psychosis, paranoia) ultimately causing me to go back on my current dosage.  My current dosage is .5 mg three times daily.  When I did try to taper over three years ago,  I did it very slowly, but I cut out the middle dose, which left my body reacting so strongly that I had to go back on my current dosage. 

 

I am hoping that I can in the long term get off clonazepam completely, and not feel blunted, and get my life back. 

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Hello kestrel28,

 

Welcome to BenzoBuddies, we are glad to have you in the community!  I'm sorry you had such a hard time last time you tried to taper off benzos.  Will you be tapering on your own or with the guidance of your doctor? We suggest tapering slowly to minimize withdrawl symptoms, taper safely, and to allow you to stay functional.  We follow the Ashton suggestion of tapering no more than 5-10% of your total dose every two weeks or so.  I've put a link to The Ashton Manual below so you can look at it.  Developing a good (but flexible) taper plan up front will increase your odds of success.

 

Look around the website to see what is here, ask questions, and let us know when you need help.

 

Again, welcome,

 

Kate08

 

The Ashton Manual

 

Planning Your Withdrawal (Taper)

 

Withdrawal Support (during your taper)

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Thanks for the warm welcome. 

 

First, I am going to see if my psychiatrist is willing to taper me off very slowly.  I do have the Ashton Manual in print format, and there are a number of reasons why I want my old brain back.  Emotional blunting, apathy, irritability caused by long term use, "false depression" (what I call it),  spotty work history , etc. 

 

So,  I want to be able to someday say I did it! One thing that I will NEVER do, is stop abruptly like my brother did.  He had all sorts of neurological problems after he suddenly quit. 

 

I am in the NYC Metro area.  Being disabled has its disadvantages.  In other words, I cannot afford a practitioner that does not take my insurance.  So if anyone knows of someone in the Metro NYC area (I live about 60 miles north of NYC) that would be great. 

 

I do want to succeed at this.  However, I am 53, and it just feels like I spent the last 31 years wearing a mask.  I want the world to know the real me. 

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thanks, Pamster. I am familiar with the BIC (Benzo information Coalition).  I will definitely take a look at the other link for deprescribing. 
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Hi and welcome to BB kestrel28.

You said>>

I am in the NYC Metro area.  Being disabled has its disadvantages.  In other words, I cannot afford a practitioner that does not take my insurance.

Are you on SSDI or SSI? Most psychiatrists and GPs will take medicare but not medicaid. I know how challenging Klonopin can be. It is a beast to detox. How long have you been at 1.5. Most ppl start typically at .5 mgs per day. That is what I took for 11 years before I finally became tolerant to the drug's effect.

 

Is the klonopin now making you feel awful between doses? Is that why you'd like to try and get off of it?

 

 

 

 

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well, I was on SSDI.  Then, I started working again, then I lost my current job, then I had to apply for reinstatement of my benefits, which I am still waiting on.  Pain in the neck.  I do get medicare currently.  I never lost my coverage. 

 

I have been at 1.5 mg (.5 three times a day) for three years.  I just feel so dopey and just without energy from years of use.  I tried to come off gradually (I was down to 1.0 mg and again I cut out that middle dose and my brain started doing weird things. 

 

What ticked me off is my current doctor (I told him I was having panic attacks, and he UPPED THE DOSE!) so I did not want to mess around any take more.

 

I am sick and tired of feeling like a dish rag/rag doll.  Like the sails have gone out of me. 

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They actually started you out on 1.5 mgs of K? .5 3X per day? That is a lot IMO.

 

It does not sound like you have become that tolerant, just dependent on the medication so that if you don't take it, you become sick from the withdrawal.

 

It will not be easy to detox. What strength klonopin pills do you have?

 

You will also have to find other ways of dealing with your panic and anxiety.  Getting off the klonopin will not cause (usually) your panic and anxiety to go away.

 

Glad you were able to keep your medicare coverage. Did you do the trial work period when you were on SSDI? I hope you can get the reinstatement. SSA disability is a PITA. It took me almost 2 years to finally get approved. Luckily, I had savings to live on during that meantime awaiting approval/denial decisions. :'(

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That's what I am on right now.  31 years ago, my dosage was pretty low, I'm sure.  It was easy for me to go back on 1.5 mg since I only titrated down to 1 mg.  Perhaps I had gone too slowly. who knows? but that is all in the past. 

 

I'm on .5 mg tabs right now.

 

As far as relaxation techniques go, I know about mediation, deep breathing, mindfulness, etc.  to name a few. 

 

 

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what's dry taper? Is that without adding another benzo?

 

A dry taper method is one that doesn't involve using a liquid to make a suspension or solution.  It could be simply cutting or splitting your pills or it could involve shaving and weighing them.  Here is some information regarding taper plans you can review:

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/benzodiazepine-withdrawal-methods/direct-taper/

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what I am most afraid of is that over three years ago, I tried to come off klonopin with a very slow taper, and I had such extreme panic, anxiety, fear, and shaking.  I ended up having to go to the ER, and eventually, to short hospital stay.  I am afraid that when it is time to taper, the same thing will happen to me again.  My first attempt to withdraw I made it to 1.0 mg (I had cut out the middle dose completely).  I frequently look back and think that if I had to do it differently,  I would never have cut out the middle dose. 
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I understand your fear, I can't imagine facing this again.  The only thing we can suggest is doing this very slowly to hopefully make this time different for you.
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thank you, Pamster. 

 

Where would I post about SSRIs and antipsychotics?  I recently withdrew from Fluoxetine and went on again, and I got off of Rexulti.  Should I post it under "other meds"? 

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Yes, other medications would be good, there are some threads in support groups for various medications but I'm not sure if your part of them.
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thank you, Pamster.

 

I forgot to mention that I voluntarily admitted myself to a inpatient unit for medication management in May 2014, and it was probably one of the biggest mistakes that I ever could have made.  I listened to this nurse practitioner who suggested I go in. 

 

What happened was that I was taken off clonazepam cold turkey for 17 days.  I began to have shaking, panic attacks, and extreme fear in a setting where I was not around anyone I knew. 

 

The thing about this dangerous situation was that I was not suicidal or did not want to harm anyone.  My meds were not working properly at the time.  I know now that medication management should only be done on the outside. 

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Those rapid detoxes just don't work for benzodiazepines, I wonder when the medical community will be able to recognize this?  I'm sorry you were put through that.
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  • 3 weeks later...

thanks, Pamster.

 

I am wondering if I did experience some petit mal seizures in 2014 and 2019.  In both instances, I was staring into space,  I has hyperventilating, my eyes would shift upward, and I had intense fear, talking in incomplete gibberish. 

 

Right now, I am still trying to find a doctor to work with me in tapering off. 

 

Can fits of crying (like I have every so often) be a symptom of long term use?  I haven't had crying episodes like this in what seems like forever. 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I am currently mulling over whether to do a taper without any other substitutions like Dr. Ashton says in her book, or whether to substitute Klonopin with Valium like she shows in one chart. 

 

Problem I have now is I am with a psychiatrist that seems to think 5 percent every two weeks is almost impossible. 

 

I have tried, tried, tried repeatedly to find a doctor that will take my insurance, and when they do, I am put on a waiting list. 

 

Is there a protocol that some of you have tried--asking questions of psychiatrists--like, "Have you ever successfully tapered a client off a benzodiazepine?"

or,  "would you be willing to closely monitor my status if you did decide to accept me as a patient and tapering me off slowly?" 

 

I tried calling some Drs. in New York on the Benzo Information Coalition; one Dr. in NYC said she did not know of any doctors she could refer me to. 

 

It's hard when I find a Doctor that has a good rating, but, that rating means nothing when I do not know if they have any specialization in weaning patients off of harmful medications. 

 

I probably will have to dig deeper and ask doctors if they know anyone who DOES support slow tapering. 

 

I know that I will successfully be off of clonazepam someday;  it is a goal that I have had for over a decade (maybe more). 

 

I've always maintained that clonazepam gives me a "false depression", meaning, I get depressed just from it acting on my GABA receptors.  I know it blunts my enthusiasm and my cognition, too. 

 

Here's a question: does anyone know or suspect that the taking of benzodiazepines can cause iron deficiency?  Because I have low iron right now and have to have iron infusions after having my blood drawn yesterday.  (my ferritin was 17). 

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

 

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I went through this process of trying to find a doctor about a year ago. I decided to stick with the doctor I have and just measure the pills myself as I taper. It's frustrating and infuriating that it has to be this way, but I had to give up searching in the medical community and realized that to do the slow taper I'd have to do it myself.

 

As far as I'm aware the lowest does of klonopin available regularly is .5 mg. I have to be much more exact. I currently use a dry taper with an advanced scale. I take it 4 times a day and go down by 1 mg of pill weight (not medication amount that's different) every other day. I was at .5 mg in August 2020 and am at .2 mg now. (.05 mg 4 times a day)

 

I use the dry taper method. Other methods include a liquid taper or using a compounding pharmacy if you can find a cooperative doctor.

 

I think on thus site there are specific instructions for each method.

 

I hope that helps and good luck.

 

P.s. the amount of withdrawal symptoms  I've had are dizzying  I've experienced so many weird things I just don't do as much as speculating as I used to

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I am thinking that it is ultimately up to me, since there is either apathy, ignorance, or not common knowledge in the medical community that benzo harm is rampant. 

 

Thank you for the advice, hoping4anewlife. 

 

What kind of scale should I get?  I am thinking that since I tried once with a nurse practitioner before and did not succeed, that I should at least try tapering while having a doctor prescribe. 

 

What bothers me about the dr. is the way he came out and first tried to cut the middle dose of .5 mg to .25 mg right away.  That, to me, is NOT slow.  I am fully aware of how powerful and strong klonopin is, and I am determined to succeed this time around. 

 

I know I have been putting up with this nonsense for 31 years, and I owe it to myself to a better life--better feelings, better relationships, less irritability.

 

I want to trust in the process and see the healing as it goes along. 

 

However, I have had tough breaks with employment--I am not currently working, and I am at that age where I feel the clock is ticking for me regarding retirement.  I am 53, and I want to get in several more years of work so I have at least a decent pension. 

 

I am trying to work with a vocational counselor through the state called ACCES-VR so I can get employment once again. 

 

Again, I want to taper off VERY SLOWLY, and since I have three doses, I want to evenly cut the dosages so my body does not react strangely like it did over three years ago. 

 

Where do I look for a good rule of thumb regarding the first taper?  I do have a good pill cutter, but, at some point, I do think I will have to invest in a scale. 

 

I do know that this is going to be hell on earth with withdrawal, but, being that I've experienced it before, I sincerely think I will win this time around. 

 

Thanks in advance.

kestrel28

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