Short Term Klonopin Usage

Hello all. I'm really struggling here and just looking for some advice/words of encouragement. I'll try to keep my story short:

 

Wife and I went through a lot of challenges in about a year long period. Went through a depressive episode. Went to PCP. He prescribed lexapro and klonopin. I was afraid of Lexapro side affects but was having health anxiety panic attacks so I started taking the klonopin. I went through 20 .25 mg pills over the course of about 3 1/2 weeks (so less than 1 per day). I read about how dangerous they can be and I'm also an addict (8 years clean of opiates) so got off the klonopin when the script ran out.

 

The depression persisted so I went back to the doctor and he gave me Wellbutrin. It helped my depression massively but caused me to have INSANE anxiety so I stopped taking it after about 13 days.

I then saw a psych who prescribed me Buspar and insisted I take klonopin again to keep my anxiety under control for the 2 week adjustment period to buspar. (even after telling him I didn't want to be on benzos).

 

So now here I am on .25 mg klonopin again for about 12 days (after being off it for about a month)....and I decided to start tapering myself down because I started to have HORRIBLE symptoms (which maybe could be kindling? hit tolerance?). I'm down to about .125 mg a day (for about 5 days now)and it's been so rough. Sleep is horrible, anxiety is horrendous, feelings of DP/DR, head pressure, and my depression is surfacing pretty bad again.

 

I guess my question is, I have a new psych appointment with an office that does NOT prescribe controlled substances on Thursday, but in the meantime....am I safe to jump off here? I just want this poison out of my system so I can work on myself and get back to living my life.

 

I'm so sad that this is my life right now but I know I can get through this

Hello Varn23,

 

Welcome to BenzoBuddies.

 

Generally speaking, it is considered medically safe to 'jump off' 0.125mg Klonopin. There will be exceptions of course (for those prone to seizures, for example), so you must discuss this with your doctor.

 

After a relatively short period of use, there are probably no long-term problems with quitting. I would caution, though, if your intention is to quit, drawing out short-term use by following a long withdrawal plan might lead to dependency where there is little to none in the first place. Again, though, talk with your doctor.*

 

* When I write, 'talk with your doctor', these are not 'covering my ass' words - I mean them! By all means ask for opinions from people in a similar boat or have gone through benzodiazepine withdrawal, but your precise medical situation is unique to you. So yeah, talk with your doctor before you make changes to your medication.

 

Good luck for Thursday.

I feel like I'm past dependence because if I go 1 day without taking any my symptoms are horrific. You think if I just push through I'll come out the other side okay? I find it so hard trusting doctors. They put me in this mess in the first place

You’ll most likely suffer from symptoms after you discontinue the drug but I agree with Colin, doing a long taper won’t be helpful and yes, I believe you’ll get through this okay, most of us do. 

Edit: Typo

If you are not almost dying then I would indeed stop as soon as possible. I started a rapid taper (I had still no idea what I was on) but I was so so so ill there was no way I had survived going fast after very short use but since my time I have seen many short term users come and already leave pretty much okay.