Quit klonopin cold turkey, felling like going to die HELP

I originally wanted to post this here, so here it goes.

 

I have been on benzos for about a year and a half, 1.5 mgs-2mgs a day for the past six months after several years of alcoholism for panic syndrome. After reading about all the things that benzos can do permanently over prolonged use, I decided to stop taking them after my last bottle ran out. It's been 8 days and it's absolutely unbearable. Sensations of electricity and liquid runnign through my body, vertigo, several long panic attacks a day, numb and tingling limbs, and recently a low fever.

 

I realize now that I prbably should've spoken to my doctor and weaned myself off gradually, it was a rash decision. I've decided I'm going to back on them tomorrow but with a goal of weaning myself off them.

 

I'm now reading that this could be possibly lethal. What's the likelihood of that (I'm sure it's small, but it would be nice to hear it)? I'm likely panicking, but I'm considering going to the hospital after how dangerous I've read this withdrawl can be.

 

UPDATE:

 

I went to the ER and talked to the doctor. He recognized the withdrawl immediately. He reassured it's not lethal but it can feel like it is. He gave me a dose of Ativan and a small perscript for two more doses of Ativan to get me to an appointment with my psych doctor. He recommended talking to him about a taper plan.

 

I just want to make sure I'm going to be okay, I honestly feel like I'm at death's door.

Hi wodonnell,

Well you did the right thing going to the ER and also getting in to see your dr. tomorrow. You are not going to die...don't even go there in your mind. The best thing I think to do is get stablized and then start tapering with your Dr. on board.

It's quiet around here at this time..I'm sure in a few hours more will see your post and reply.

Just take slow deep breaths and hang on, my friend...you will get through this!

You are going to be okay! Okay?

God Bless You

w1

 

Hi wodonnell,

Well you did the right thing going to the ER and also getting in to see your dr. tomorrow. You are not going to die...don't even go there in your mind. The best thing I think to do is get stablized and then start tapering with your Dr. on board.

It's quiet around here at this time..I'm sure in a few hours more will see your post and reply.

Just take slow deep breaths and hang on, my friend...you will get through this!

You are going to be okay! Okay?

God Bless You

w1

 

Thank you. Just words like that are really all I need to get me back down. Didn't want to keep my gf up any more, she's already been through so much with this with me.

 

I don't know what the hell I was thinking getting off it so suddenly. I just read what damage long-term benzo use can cause and didn't think it was helping anymore, got that same moment of inspiration I got when I stopped drinking, and made a stupid mistake. This is gonna be interesting explaining to my psych doc. Any ideas for suggestions to give to him? I'm hearing about tapering and maybe using valium to get off klono?

Hello wodonnell,

Here's a link to the Ashton Manual: http://www.benzo.org.uk/bzmono.htm

you might want to print that out and bring it with you to leave with your dr. Many here use the manual's taper schedule. There is a wealth of info. too. Valium has a longer 1/2 life than Klonipin though many taper directly from Klonipin which also has a long 1/2 life (not as long). see manual. I crossed over from xanax to valium as xanax has a relatively short 1/2 life and the longer the 1/2 life, (the school of thought is) the smoother the transition as one tapers. It's a wonderul thing that you got yourself off the alcohol..sounds like you had an awakening..and now the klonopin...one step at a time. You can do it!

Take good care of yourself..be gentle with yourself...this too shall pass

w1

Thanks wishful. I've been reading this throughout the night, very helpful. I'm thinking maybe 1.5 for a month or two, then a month of 1.25, then a month of 1, then a month of .5, then jump to valium for the last leg. Maybe make one of those steps two months if it starts to get bad again. I'm willing to take the steps I need to to get healthy, but I don't think I can do sudden withdrawal again.

 

The fear is the worst part. I get little sensations all over my body, and I'd be able to ignore those, but then I get the fear. It's an intense, illogical fear, silencing the smarter voices in my mind immediately and resounding my head several voices all at once: YOU ARE GOING TO DIE IMMEDIATELY. I literally choose every word during state carefully because I think it might be my last. I have been to emergency room countless times, hoping to once again not be visited by that quietly-condescending parental figure of the doctor returning with a clean bill of health. There MUST have been something wrong with me this time. I guess not. Then I become furious with myself for the panic I have put my loved ones through, the productive time I have lost, and for wanting there to be something medically wrong with me to justify this fear.

 

I thought I had seen the worst of it after the last stages of my drinking, when I was told that my pancreas was 150% it's original size and could erupt or begin necrotizing any minute. No, this is far worse.

Hi wodonnell,

Yes..the fear is the worst. I began to speak back to it...out loud (I live alone..lol) saying to whatever terrible thought came into my head...I'd say that's a LIE. I would also just think that..so I would have conflicting thoughts but it beat believing the impending doom. It's a very comon symptom. Learning that almost everyone I have come across here on BB had the same made it easier to deal with. It is no longer a part of my waking or going to bed...It's in the past, thankfully. While you're going through this..try to find anything to distract..be it light silly movie on netflicks...try to get out and walk a little...distraction is key. I'm so glad you found BB. Lot of wisdom here and alot of support.

Hope you are resting comfortably now.

w1

Hi wodonnell,

Yes..the fear is the worst. I began to speak back to it...out loud (I live alone..lol) saying to whatever terrible thought came into my head...I'd say that's a LIE. I would also just think that..so I would have conflicting thoughts but it beat believing the impending doom. It's a very comon symptom. Learning that almost everyone I have come across here on BB had the same made it easier to deal with. It is no longer a part of my waking or going to bed...It's in the past, thankfully. While you're going through this..try to find anything to distract..be it light silly movie on netflicks...try to get out and walk a little...distraction is key. I'm so glad you found BB. Lot of wisdom here and alot of support.

Hope you are resting comfortably now.

w1

Yeah, distraction is my main form of medication as well. TV, Video Games, etc, I really can't make it through panic attacks without them.

 

Thank you again for your kind words. "You are going to be okay" is the best thing for panics. I just have trouble accepting those words from friends and family, since they haven't been through this and aren't doctors. I know that's wrong, but when I'm in panic mode, all logic goes out the window.

 

Anyway, progress update. I took my second dose of Ativan today, 1.5mg. I'm feeling much better. I have one more dose of 1.5 left for tonight, and an appointment with my psych doc in the morning. Planing on making a taper plan with the clonazepam starting at my original 1.5 and going gradually down, maybe switching to valium for the last leg once I'm at .5 clonazepam or so.

Hi - Sorry you are having a hard time!! I wanted to throw in my suggestion that you look into the possibly of moving to Valium instead of Ativan! Ativan works great, but it's a short acting benzo there there is tons of discussion about the notion that using a longer-acting benzo would make a taper much easier.

 

I just started my switch from Ativan to Valium, and already in day 2 I feel a bit more stable (but sleepy).  Since you just started the Ativan, maybe you could ask your doctor what he/she thinks about the idea of moving to a longer acting benzo based on the theory of it being more stable and thus easier to taper.

 

Ativan also comes in tiny pills and is tough to split

Hang in there

Don't know why the ER doc would RX you Ativan when you were dependent on Klonopin. Anyway, glad you got yourself to a hospital. A cold turkey benzo withdrawal can be fatal. This is sometimes under-emphasized among health professionals who are unfamiliar with withdrawal syndromes.

Don't know why the ER doc would RX you Ativan when you were dependent on Klonopin. Anyway, glad you got yourself to a hospital. A cold turkey benzo withdrawal can be fatal. This is sometimes under-emphasized among health professionals who are unfamiliar with withdrawal syndromes.

 

I heard multiple times that it was possibly fatal, but both the ER nurse and the doctor assured me that it wasn't, but "it can feel like it is". Someone else on here said that it CAN be fatal, but only in the really high doses given to epileptics and not the 1.5-2 they give to panics like me. I hope that's the case, though now that I'm not this temporary ativan I should be okay until my doc's meeting tomorrow morning.

 

Hi - Sorry you are having a hard time!! I wanted to throw in my suggestion that you look into the possibly of moving to Valium instead of Ativan! Ativan works great, but it's a short acting benzo there there is tons of discussion about the notion that using a longer-acting benzo would make a taper much easier.

 

I just started my switch from Ativan to Valium, and already in day 2 I feel a bit more stable (but sleepy).  Since you just started the Ativan, maybe you could ask your doctor what he/she thinks about the idea of moving to a longer acting benzo based on the theory of it being more stable and thus easier to taper.

 

Ativan also comes in tiny pills and is tough to split

Hang in there

 

Thank you so much for the kind words! If you'll rea d a few posts up, you'll see that I am planning on going back to my original benzo, clonazepam (which is already somewhat long-acting and softer than xanax and ativan), for most of my tapering plan, then I will hop over to valium for the last leg. Once I'm down to .5 clono a day or something.

 

I will say this though, the ativan is making me sleepy as hell. I never had it before, just xanax and clonazepam.

Well, that went well.

 

I described the following plan to my doctor: start at my original 1.5 of klonopin, and reduce by .25 every month. Once I hit .5 a day, I switch over to Valium to ease myself the rest of the way down. He said this was an extremely rational plan and gelled with his usual procedure for tapering. He gave me 3 months of 1.5 klonpin, saying that I should proceed with my plan but he wanted me to have the extra doses just in case. We're going to have a status check-up in 2 months. I pick up the klonopin in an hour.

 

So all-in-all, it went quite well and being my taper this afternoon. Thanks again everyone for your ideas and support. Going to post this in the other thread as well.

Don't know why the ER doc would RX you Ativan when you were dependent on Klonopin. Anyway, glad you got yourself to a hospital. A cold turkey benzo withdrawal can be fatal. This is sometimes under-emphasized among health professionals who are unfamiliar with withdrawal syndromes.

 

I heard multiple times that it was possibly fatal, but both the ER nurse and the doctor assured me that it wasn't, but "it can feel like it is". Someone else on here said that it CAN be fatal, but only in the really high doses given to epileptics and not the 1.5-2 they give to panics like me. I hope that's the case, though now that I'm not this temporary ativan I should be okay until my doc's meeting tomorrow morning.

 

Odd, all of my doctors say the exact opposite. They tell me it is much safer to taper slowly, and to stop even a modest dose abruptly can result in a seizure which could be fatal even in people who are not epileptic. You have to keep in mind that ER doctors and staff are usually new to the field and/or more experienced with more traditional emergencies such as trauma, heart problems, and wound care.

 

Anyway, you might be one of those lucky folks who can taper rapidly and do okay. Not a risk I'd make myself, as benzodiazepines went pretty bad on me and a cut any larger than 10% per month gave me severe physical withdrawal symptoms, but to each his own. I also didn't read how long you were dependent on the drugs. Or if you are even dependent on the drugs. Some regular users don't even get dependent on them.

 

Good luck.

Hi wodonnell,

That's great that the Dr is putting you back on the K and also willing to switch you over to valium after you taper down. You just monitor yourself and see how you feel with the cuts. I am xanax/valium free 6 1/2 months after 4 year daily use. I tapered..and finished at 4 mos...and I'm doing okay. For me the worst part was the taper..but I learned coping skills and after finishing there were tough spots but nothing compared to during. We all have different experiences and also same experiences ..to different degrees. I'm very glad to read that your dr. is on-board!

Take good care of you!

Sincerely,

w1

Take your time, do a proper taper, there is no need to suffer ! Hang in there, things will get better !