tapering off klonopin

I was put on 1 mg of xnax 3 times a day in feb 08( i have past history of being on xanax for 17 years but had been on klonopin for 8 months when a dr stop it cold turkey i ended up in hospuital and dr decided to try me on xanx again) In april i ask my dr to get me off the xanax,,so he said yes but i would have to tapwe with klonopin so he put me on 0.5 mg of klonopin 4 times a day,,,,i did that till may 28 when he said i would be better off all meds even thought i still have anxiety,,so he had me go downf from 4 klonopin to 3 (at this time i had got down to 1mg of xanax and still on it) and after 1o days i was to drop from 3 klonopin to 2 and do that every 10 days till off the klonopin.....i made it downt o 2 for 2 days and i became so full of anxiety so back to 3 pills i went,,,,,,,now im feeling like a zombie like im all drugged out and tired i dont understand.........i want off this med its making me depressed and i dont know if the drug out feeling is from tapering off the klonopin or what im at the end of my rope.any advice

im not sure this is where i post,i was taking off xanax by using klonopin im still on that last 1 mg of xanax this all started on april 23 08.dr had me on 1 mg xanxa 3 times aday started me on 0.5 mg of klonopin 4 times aday......i got down to 1 mg of xnax and now he is taper me off klonopin i feel awful on may 28 i went from 4 klonopin to 3 and was to do that for 10 days then  drop another one thats where i got stuck i went back to 3 and i feel all drugged out and depressed i dont know why but i need off this med,,,,,,i feel like im dying........any ideas why i would feel so de[pressed and drugged out since i have only  cut it back by 1 pill adn cant seem to taper any more even though i want off this med,how do i find replys to my posts Thanks

Hi sweetpea. I posted some questions in your first thread

 

Do you have 0.5mg klonopin pills?

 

As I understand it, you are currently on 1mg xanax and 3mg klon. Is this correct?

 

What might be a good idea at this point is to cross over from the xanax to klonopin, that way you will only have one benzo to deal with.

 

 

 

Welcome!

 

A great starting point for launching any visit to this forum is at the top right  (new format) - click on "Show unread posts since last visit". You get every thread that has changed since you were last here. It's GREAT!

 

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yes im tapering off the 0.5 mg of klonopin..........i was on xanax and was tapered off that by using the klonopin........is it normal to feel drugged out and depressed when tapeering off these meds,,,i dont want to go back to xanax......i was suppose to be off the last 1 mg but am afraid as i had awful withdrawls from xanax before'any advice

I"m sorry sweet pea, i'm confused!

 

You say you don't want to go back to xanax, but then you say you are still taking it?

Just to clarify.

 

You are on 1 mg xanax, and 3 mg klon?

 

 

And you are using 0.5mg pills?

Hi Donna, I"m going to stick with this thread of yours, http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=8418.new#new

 

so things don't get complicated

Just about anything is "normal" when our GABA receptors are in shock, and it appears you may have been tapering a little fast, so, each person being different, one can expect just about anything, from depression and anxiety, to depersonalization and derealization, to just plain feeling like hell. No you aren't strange, nor going crazy, and there isn't anything wrong with you that can't be made right by tapering off slowly and healing.  :thumbsup:

 

Good luck.

 

Tony

 

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Will tapering off klonopin cause you to feel horrible im cutting back slow started tapering may 28 from 0.5 mg 4 times a day and went to 3 pills till a couple days ago now im trying 2 1/2 pillss i feeel bad,shakes,chills,drugged out,,,,,,,,dont know what to do is there anything that will help me.Im still on 1 mg xanax was tapered off it beginning april23 using the klonopin but im afraid to stop the last pill.My dr is running out of ideas,,so im at  aloss,,can you have a siezure while withdrawing from klonopin

Hi sweetpea,

You won't have a seizure at the rate you are tapering. I think you should slow down a bit at this point though.  Why don't you do 2 and  3/4 pills instead? This would be 1.375mg, if you are on 0.5mg pills. You never answered me on that, so I am just assuming.

Can you check your other threads?

 

You should hold for at least a week or two between cuts.

 

If you are using klon to taper from xanax, why are you tapering your klon now? Maybe you should hold your klon taper and finish tapering the xanax, so the klon will cover the xanax taper. Does that make sense?

Bad experiences sadly are part and parcel of the tapering process. We can hoe to minimize them, but rarely do we get off without some pain. I hope t eases off for you sometime soon.

 

Tony

I was suppose to have stopped the 1 mg of xanax a couple weeks ago but im scared to.........and this klonopin withdrawal is terrible.I want off these meds because i have pretty much been on then for going on 18 years..........i want to know what im really like and plus they dont seem to help my anxiety anymore and the klonopin makes mes depressed.....is there a medication i could take to help me not suffer so much with the .klonopin withdrawals,,,,,,,i assume since im on the klonopin i could just stop my 1 mg xanx.....as my dr told me to stop it a couple weeeks ago..i just dont think i can handle the way im feeling so week nauseated,chills worse anxiety and my dr is at a loss...........and i dont reaally sleep how i feel is all i thin about..........i could use advice.............how often should i be taking my klonopin and should i be taking it at the same time ever day..oh and i also have a fear of meds

Hi SP,

 

Since you added the klonopin in order to get off the xanax, then yes, you should be able to just stop the xanax safely. But since it is scaring you to do so, why don't you step down off it? cut to half a xanax for a week. Stop tapering your klon for now though. You are on the klon to cover the coming off the xanax.

 

 

Yes you should take your klon at the same time everyday. It really does not need to be taken more than twice a day as it is relatively long acting. 

Hi sweetpea,

 

Since you have been on these meds for so long (18 yrs?), I recommend that you go extremely slow to minimize any withdrawal effects. I really believe that there is, in general, a huuuuge difference in the rate of speed people can be comfortable with while tapering depending on the years they've been on benzos.

 

Please take it from someone who's been on it for a long time also - GO SLOW!!!!!

I know you are eager to get off of it, so am I, but you don't want to be totally nonfunctional and miserable.

 

You need to stabilize first... As Eljay said, get off xanex slowly and attack klonopin afterwards, slowly again.

 

Take care sweetpea!

 

Tanya

Is there a med i could use to help with the klonopin withdrawals.........im sure i can stop the xanax i was suppose to according to my dr 2 weeks ago,i just cant keep feeling this way,,,,,,,,i just sit here and do nothing i have no energy,,,,someone told me there are meds you can take to help with withdrawals...does anyone know of any meds.thanks

There really is nothing you can take to reduce the pain. Certainly it is not within our mandate to suggest medications. Some people benefit from anti depressants, apparently most do not. The rest (Neurontin, Lyrica, Tegretol) that doctors use have serious addiction potential of their own, which doctors will deny, but it is true.

 

So sorry. We all have to suffer, some more, some less, during our taper as our damaged GABA receptors adjust to being of the poison.

 

Tony

Im not sure where to post anymore,,,,,,,,,,,Im so afraif of seizures now i cant think im shaking............i have pretty much been on benzos 18 years started tapering off 1 mg xanax 3 times a day in april 08 im down to 1 1mg now,,,,,,,,by the use of klonopin now im tapering off the klonopin as of may 28 beenon it since april 23 08(was onit from amy 07 till jan 08) thena dr stopped it,im down to 2 1/2 0.5 mg pilss of klonopin from 4 pills..lots of people teeling me i could have a seizure and lately my heart rate and blood pressure have been doing odd things and my m=neck hurts aand headaches,,,,,,,,i have pain in just the right side of my face but that could be my sinues how commom is it to have a seizure when tapering from these drugs..........im going to stay at the 2 1/2 mg of klonopin for awhile before i try to go lower i know its gonna be hard since i have pretty much been on them for o long,,,,,,,,,but now all i can thin about is im going to have a seizure i would like the whole communty to read this but i dont know hwere to post,,,,,,,,,,im shaking bad im so scared please anyh advice

Sweetpea -

 

It is very UNCOMMON to have a seizure when withdrawing from benzos and even LESS common when a person tapers off over a period of time as you are doing.  Did you have seizures before you started tapering?  I have a niece with seizure disorder and they are scary.  But you don't have to be afraid of getting one because of your taper.  Just keep cutting slow and steady.   

 

I'm afraid you are making yourself sick with worry.  Do you use any relaxation techniques, like meditation, yoga, belly breathing, etc.?  I have had to learn some myself because I still get anxious from time to time.  There will always be things in life that are upsetting or make us anxious so we all have to find ways of coping that don't involve benzos. 

 

BTW, where you are posting is fine.  If you want, you could start a Buddie Blog and post all of your questions, concerns, progress, thoughts, feelings, ... there.  When members click on the "unread posts" button, they will see your new posts no matter where they are. 

 

I like your member name and wondered how you happened to chose it.  I got a baby duckling one Easter when I was about 5 and named her Sweetpea but I have no memory of why; just liked the name, I guess.

 

 

 

Hi sweetpea,

 

It sounds like you have tapered pretty fast and what you are experienceing with the face, neck, sinuses, blood pressure, etc. are all common withdrawal symtpoms.  They certainly make you feel like your whole body is falling apart but it's not, it's the effect of the drugs. 

 

Klonopin is a very nasty drug to come off of but, from what you've said and if you keep tapering, you're not in any danger of seizures.  Going off cold turkey is when you are in danger of seizures. 

 

I don't know who is scaring you with the seizure talk but I would recommend that you stay away from them.  We have a hard enough time with wd without someone trying to scare us even worse.

 

I think you have a couple of threads going and I don't know if someone has set up a schedule for you.  The recommended amout of cutting is 10% every 10-14 days.  Are you planning to taper directly from klonopin? 

 

Stay close to this forum and we will help you.  It's hard to do this on your own...

im following pretty much how my dr said.On may 28 i was on 4 pilss of 0.5 mg od klonopin and i had got down to 1 mg of xanax from 1 mg 3 a day(i was put on xanax in feb 08 and the klonopin in april 23 o8 to help taper off xanax but i also had been on klonopin from may 07 till jan 07 and i had quit xnax cold turkey may 07 after pretty much being on it for ai years.......so i guess we could say i have never been off them.I should have stopped my last 1 mg of xanax 10 days after may 28 according to my dr but i was scared and im still taking it.I feel terrible..........The klonopin i dropped 1 pill on may 28 so that made 3 pills of 0.5 mg.i was to do that for 10 days and drop another 1 tried but felt awful so went back to 3,now im on 2 1/2 pills of 0.5 plus the 1 mg of xanax,,,,im  awreck...........my dr is 220 miles away,,,i have slowed down my taper on klonopin as i decied 1 pill ever 10 days till off them was to fast.........but i feel like im dying heart rate dizzy mind wandering no energy tense cant sleep...how do you think i should tapr i dont want a seizure

I was suppose to have stopped the 1 mg of xanax a couple weeks ago but im scared to

 

Are you still taking the xanax?  Linda said you could stop the xanax right now, she is a nurse and she has tapered herself.  Your dr. also said to stop the xanax since you are on klonopin. If you are taking the xanax are you going continue?

 

What was the total mg of klonopin you were taking before you started tapering?

 

How many times a day were you taking it?

 

You started tapering May 28.  Is that right?

 

How often did you cut and how much? 

 

What size (mg) are your pills and how often do you take them now?

 

I just want to be as clear as possible on what you are doing before going any further. 

I was originally on 0.5 mg 4 times a day from april 23 08 till may 28 i cut back 1 pill so i was on 3 then in 10 days i was suppose to cut back another pill i tried but couldnt so i stayed on 3  0.5 pills till about a week and half ago went to 2 1/2 0.5 mg so 2 whole pillls and a half another one per day,still on the 1 mg xanax a day............am i in danger

No, you are not in danger. You would be in danger if you went cold turkey but you haven't.  I don't know who told you that you are in danger but they are wrong. 

 

I know you feel terrible and you are thinking that withdrawal from these drugs shouldn't be this bad unless something horrible is happening to you.  We have all felt that way at one time or another. 

Ok so to begin with i was only on 2 mg of klonopin.....0.5 mg 4 times a day down to 2 1/2 pills a day so that 1 1/4 mg i believe that im on now tight..is that to fast?