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Hi, I think I'm addicted to Klonopin


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Ok so last November, had some drastic hormone issues and was prescribed klonopin(all my pills are 1 mg), I had 5 pills. I got another prescription in January and since January to July 3rd, I've taken probably around 50 1 mg pills, I started using it more frequently in March, a quarter to half a pill. I've never gone more than 4 or so days without half a pill. I started noticing last month that I would wake up in the morning feeling nauseous, jumping out of my skin and severe misperceptions about my body. I've dropped a lot of weight and I look gaunt and I don't feel like this is from my hormone issues anymore. My healer brought to my attention that I might, well, I probably do have klonopin addiction and withdrawal. If I take 1 pill, I'm good for 2 days but then the 3rd morning I wake up feeling horrendous. I'm pretty freaked out that this is happening, I don't do any drugs and I don't consider myself a drug addict but I guess I am. I can list off a ton of other withdrawal symptoms if needed. I don't know what to think at this point. Please advise. Thank you.

 

edit-I feel like I've had to up my dose, the .25 and .5 aren't really doing it anymore. Could that be the cause of my morning freak outs?

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Hi, sugarlily.  ;D

 

Welcome to Benzo Buddies.  Most every one here is what I call an accidental addict although I think that strictly speaking we are dependent on our benzos, not addicted to them.  You haven't been hounding your doc to increase your dosage, right? Well, then you aren't an addict.

 

I think you have been having interdose withdrawal.  There are a lot of safe ways to taper off of klonopin if that's what you want to do.  Could you get .5mg pills or even .25mg  pills?  It is easier to make smaller dosage cuts with smaller dosage pills (duh) and smaller cuts spread out over 7-14 days seems to work fine for most people.  Because klonopin isn't very long-acting, some people "crossover" to valiun/diazepam and then taper off valium.  If you are interested in trying this or even just directly cutting down on your dosage, we can help you with that.

 

It would be a good idea if you would start taking the same amount every day at about the same time. If you currently aren't taking more than .5mg, that might be a good starting point.  You might be able to get by on .25mg/day since you haven't been taking them every day.  The idea is to get a steady level in your blood and then slowly reduce it. 

 

Want to know more?  Just ask.  The board administrator tapered off of klonopin and I know she will have some good advice as well. 

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It's going to be hard for me to get smaller dosages and no I don't hound my doctor to up my dose lol, I just thought I would get a refill(which now I have 30 pills with 5 or 6 refills) for "just in case." I think I can get by with just taking .5 mg but then it has to be everyday, instead of every 3 days, but it sounds like that's better because then I won't wake up with the severe morning withdrawal. Ok, so stabilize it and then reduce. I can't do this quickly, before I realized that I might have an addiction, I thought I was just having a hormonal panic attack and tried all my usual herbal remedies which of course did not work, which is how I indirectly realized that the klonopin is causing this. Anyways, that was a HORRIBLE day and I don't think I can mentally do that again. My mind and body were freaking out reallllllly bad. When should I start to look at tapering? 7-14 days?

 

I'm still trying to wrap my head around this...I can't believe I screwed up so bad, I honestly cannot believe I was so dumb to not read up more on how addicting klonopin is.  :idiot:

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It's going to be hard for me to get smaller dosages and no I don't hound my doctor to up my dose lol, I just thought I would get a refill(which now I have 30 pills with 5 or 6 refills) for "just in case." I think I can get by with just taking .5 mg but then it has to be everyday, instead of every 3 days, but it sounds like that's better because then I won't wake up with the severe morning withdrawal. Ok, so stabilize it and then reduce. I can't do this quickly, before I realized that I might have an addiction, I thought I was just having a hormonal panic attack and tried all my usual herbal remedies which of course did not work, which is how I indirectly realized that the klonopin is causing this. Anyways, that was a HORRIBLE day and I don't think I can mentally do that again. My mind and body were freaking out reallllllly bad. When should I start to look at tapering?

 

Hi sugar,

 

Well, you have plenty of klon to taper with. But it may hard to taper all the way with only 1mg pills. Tapering by a quarter pill is a pretty large cut using 1mg pills.

 

Yes, you should def. stabilize on .5mg daily for a couple of weeks. One good option, especially when unable to get smaller dose pills, (the smallest klon pill is 0.5mg) is liquid titration. This entails mixing your benzo with milk or water, allowing for much smaller smoother cuts. 

The other option, as beeper mentioned, is crossing over to valium. The advantage of this is that valium pills come in much smaller dosages relative to klon, making it possible to directly taper off of them. Another advantage is it is longer acting, and makes for a smoother taper.

But klonopin is a medium acting benzo, and some doctors actually will cross patients over to klon from the short acting benzos like xanax and ativan. So you can taper just fine off this one using titration.

You can certainly try coming directly off your 1mg pill. Some people are able to cut their pill in 1/8ths. though I don't know how they do it, lol! You could also  crush a 1/4 pill and split into two piles, reducing by one, which would equal 0.125mg.

Anyway, let us know what you would like to do.

Here is a link to the tapering methods. http://www.benzobuddies.org/buddiesguide/methods     

 

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I can get the .5 mg, by it being a pain, I meant that I would have to see one of the nurses at school and they just ask me a bunch of annoying questions, but they will give it to me and probably some sort of tapering schedule. The titration is confusing to me and so is the chart. I think I will study both of those and consider them but so far, just cutting my pill sounds like the best bet. I feel terrible on xanax. I could look into the valium though. I think I need another day to get my brain around this. Thanks so much for the help though, this is a really nice forum.
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I can get the .5 mg, by it being a pain, I meant that I would have to see one of the nurses at school and they just ask me a bunch of annoying questions, but they will give it to me and probably some sort of tapering schedule. The titration is confusing to me and so is the chart. I think I will study both of those and consider them but so far, just cutting my pill sounds like the best bet. I feel terrible on xanax. I could look into the valium though. I think I need another day to get my brain around this. Thanks so much for the help though, this is a really nice forum.

 

I wasn't suggesting going to xanax. That would be a back step! Xanax is one of the shortest acting benzos, and usually (though not always) needs to be crossed over to a longer acting benzo such as klon or valium for the purposes of direct tapering.

  No, you can cut from klonopin using 0.5mg. It can be a little tough for some but is doable for many. I did it. I cut by 0.125mg every two weeks, give or take. And i started my taper at 1.25mg. I did fine.

So I think this would be fine for you, especially since you haven't been on a regular daily dose. If worse comes to worse, you can switch to titration when you get to the low doses. But I don't think you will have to.   

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hi sugarlilly.meet an idiot who took 6 mgs klomopin for 7 years and then cold turkeyed .i know every chemical in klonopin agonists and all the other goodies that make up the drug.one good thing you havnt taken it too too long and not a huge dose it does have a bite .oh yeah im 9 mos clean and much better so dont worry only builds adrenaline and thats not good .plenty of smart people here who have tapered and crossed to valium and they will get you through the stabilization and then cuts i just want to assure you it is doable .peace the outlaw
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Hi Sugarlily,

I wanted to say hello and glad to see you found this place. I noticed you said your Healer. So right away that tells me you are very in tune with yourself, so you should know yourself well enough not to blame yourself for taking something a doctor gave to you. Let that go right away. I took 0.5 everyday for 4 yrs. I listened to what the people here had to say. I cut by a 1/4 every 14 days. At the end I went to an 1/8. I did not have any problems.Your body will tell you what pace to go at. These people really do know what they are talking about. They are kind, they truly care and they will help you. Don't waste any time beating yourself up, just move forward. and heal. You can do this. We are here to cheer you on. :thumbsup: Kel

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Okay! Well, sounds like I'm on the right track. I need to figure out a time of day to take it and be consistent so I don't have the ups and downs. Then I'll take it down a quarter in 2 weeks and see how I feel.

 

Ya, you're right, it's pointless to beat myself up, it's just that my medical history since last November when I stopped Mircette birth control and had a hormone crash and depression and anxiety and everything else, then doctors and naturopaths and tests and more bs. I found a healer on curezone.org(she found me actually) and she is the first one who has actually truly helped me. And she's the only one who picked up on my addiction and withdrawal symptoms from the klonopin and sent me here(my ND and other doctors totally missed it). I was absolutely clueless. I can feel a mood change within 3-5 seconds, so yes, very in tune! I'll be posting here soon.

 

Has anyone else experienced dramatic weight loss and sort of a gaunt look from being on klonopin? I should add that I'm ridiculously sensitive to any "drug" or supplement that I put in my body. Just curious.

 

Happy to know everyone here. M.

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Hi Sugarlily and welcome!

I'm also very sensitive to all kinds of medications and supplements which is what led me to klonopin in the first place. I was prescribed a med that caused severe anxiety, then another med to get through that. Just when I thought things were fine again I took another med for back pain which caused a bout of insomnia that I just couldn't shake. Went through all the usual recommendations including herbs, homeopathy, and other prescriptions before I got the doc to prescribe something that worked. I have to admit that klonopin did wonders for the insomnia but, not wanting to stay medicated any longer, I decided to go off it. Discovered benzobuddies and am now on a liquid titration taper. Even though my taper is very slow I tend to feel each cut very quickly, though not as severely as when I was cutting faster.

I started losing weight after the insomnia kicked in and kept losing after I started k. My appetite is back and I'm holding steady at a good weight now. The weight loss was actually a good thing for me - I'd been trying to lose the same 20 lbs for the last ten years ;D

BTW, the titration schedule was confusing to me at first too but there are plenty of folks here who will help you through it.

 

Good luck!

Lynne

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[b2...]

Hi, Sugarlily,

Yes, I have lost 20 lbs in 3 months.  No appetite whatsoever for 3 months.  I am having some good days since sticking to a regimented taper and that is when I try and get good foods into me.  I stick to a regimented schedule with my Xanax (6a, 2p and 10p).  Because our meds are short-acting, you may find some interdose withdrawals between your pills until you begin to stabilize.  They say you should stay on a certain dose for 7-14 days.

Good luck,

Patty

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I feel awful today. I took more klonopin yesterday and I've been taking it daily in hopes of stabilizing(the last 2 days) but it's not helping my 8am spastic attack where I basically wake up and I feel like I've been injected with cocaine and my whole body aches. This has been going on for 2 months now. I assume it has to be from the klonopin.  It didn't used to do this to me. What am I doing wrong?  :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(

 

I am soooo thin too. I just want to quit this crap cold turkey. I don't even know if I care anymore.

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Sugar - If you are taking .5mg every day at about the same time, you aren't doing anything wrong.  You might want to try taking .25mg in the morning and evening about 12 hours apart and see if that brings any relief.

 

What you are experiencing in the morning sounds like adrenaline rushes. Several members have posted about getting them but I never did.  They will pass.  You've only been trying to stabilize for 2 days if I read you right. This process takes time.

 

I know you have been feeling bad for months and obviously are fed up with pills and doctors from all you've been through. However, you must not quit cold turkey.  You are on a small amount so probably have a low risk for seizures but they can happen.  More likely would be more severe and drawn out withdrawal symptoms. This is from the BenzoGuide:

 

Cold Turkey - Danger!

At BenzoBuddies we avoid being prescriptive, and leave you to decide what is the best course for you to take. However, DO NOT QUIT BENZODIAZEPINES COLD TURKEY! Quitting "Cold Turkey" (suddenly stopping your benzodiazepine medication) will most likely result in acute withdrawal effects which may last for many months, or even longer.

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What about .25 in the morning, .25 in the afternoon, and .25 at night? I feel like in the last 2 days, I've gone from needing it every 3 days to everyday and that I am going backwards. Adrenaline rush....ya that's actually exactly what it feels like. It HURTS. I'm angry and frustrated right now and I am not monitoring my doses, I just took like .75 this morning to try to get the adrenaline rush to stop. This is so freaking hard.
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I don't think it's a good idea to increase your dose like that.  Not long ago you weren't even taking the .5mg every day so going to .75mg/day is a big increase.  You will eventually have to get back down to .5mg and it will take longer to do it.

 

As I understand it, the adrelanine rushes do decrease and eventually stop without medication.  You are trying to treat a symptom with the very thing that caused it in the first place.  It is very unpleasant and a bit scary but it is just a sensation.  You can talk yourself through it. If you like, you could create a new topic in General Withdrawal Support about the a. rushes and find out about others' experiences with it.  As I said, that's one symptom that missed me.  ;D

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Do I have to go back to my doctor to get the .5 pills or can I have my pharmacy call her(I go to a school health center), just curious if I can save myself the drive to school. Ok, I will post in withdrawal section. Sorry, I'm a spaz today. I am allergic to shellfish and had oysters last night so I'm also  :sick: and cranky. Thanks so much guys. I'm sorry I'm just a pain. I really am listening to what everyone is saying, I'm just flipping out.
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hi sugarlily.from a klonopin cold turkey person DONT DO IT MAN .you think your bad now .its a deep dark pit .im 9 mos clean and still get hammered .and one more important thing you cant keep playing with your dose .the rebound can hit you hard .i like the idea of split into 3 doses .it has a short life so id try it and if you notice it creeping back you may have to go 4 times but dont increase the dose trust me its not good the receptors need an even dose to start the process of reduction .i know its hard but so worth it in the end .if i can help just pm me i know a lot about kpin trust me its nuthin to play with peace the  outlaw
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Trust me, you are NOT a pain.  You are gathering information, trying to figure out what's best for you.  It's a good thing.  ;D

 

I'm pretty sure you will need a new script to get the .5mg pills, but give the pharmacist a try. Can't hurt.

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[b2...]

Hi Marina,

Trust me when I tell you that you have to stabilize on a certain dose.  Taking your Klonopin on a schedule throughout the day will stabilize you.  Do NOT taper or up the dose until then.  I learned the hard way.  Just a tiny bit of daily dose fluctuations will make you crazy and keep you in these interdose (between doses) withdrawals.  When I taper I get those adrenalin rushes for a couple of days.  If I wake up at 3am with the rush I will wait until my 6am dose.  I will go on the internet, write, deep breathe or whatever I have to do to keep my mind occupied.  Trust me and the rest of the guys on this forum.  They have helped so many people here.  If you don't understand something just ask questions.  They will answer.

Much luck and we are with you.

 

Patty

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I have been told I had very deep circles under my eyes and was continually losing weight before I came off. If I can make a suggestion. .25 cuts were very hard for me, but I did them too quickly, a 1/8 cut was easier, if you can, take it slow and listen, you do not want to do this too quickly.
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Update-I talked to my healer, she's been reading all the posts on here so she's up to date and I'm on a schedule which I will stick to. Bad news is cutting the stupid pills. We agreed on cutting the .5 into 3 parts, well I tried that and messed up like 5 pills, so then I cut them into quarters and that worked better. So I guess I'm starting out on .25. I cut them with a razor blade, a very sharp one and they just seem to crumble so easily. Is there a section on cutting methods? Can I get a pharmacist to cut them for me?

 

Thanks for everyone who posted about weight loss. I think that's my #1 frustration with all of this. I am losing weight and weighed myself today and there went another pound in the last month and I know I look like a freak, not to mention people like to tell me I look like I'm ready for the hospital.  :pokey:

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hi sugarlily.you can but a pretty good pill cutter cheap it holds the pill in place and can cut 16ths if need be .you can buy them at most big phamacies.looks like your on your way to freedom it may take a while but you will be  free of the satanic drug in the future .keep thinking positive about your healing .it does release a healing chemical ive done the research .and im better because i used this method good luck fellow klonopin warrior its a battle but you will win it.if i can help just let me know.peace the  outlaw
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Update-I talked to my healer, she's been reading all the posts on here so she's up to date and I'm on a schedule which I will stick to. Bad news is cutting the stupid pills. We agreed on cutting the .5 into 3 parts, well I tried that and messed up like 5 pills, so then I cut them into quarters and that worked better. So I guess I'm starting out on .25. I cut them with a razor blade, a very sharp one and they just seem to crumble so easily. Is there a section on cutting methods? Can I get a pharmacist to cut them for me?

 

Thanks for everyone who posted about weight loss. I think that's my #1 frustration with all of this. I am losing weight and weighed myself today and there went another pound in the last month and I know I look like a freak, not to mention people like to tell me I look like I'm ready for the hospital.  :pokey:

 

I think cutting .25mg is better anyway but I understand your frustration about wasting the pills when cutting them up.  When I first started I was afraid I would run out because I "ruined" so many.  The pill splitter, though it also uses a razor blade, does seem to create pretty clean cuts.  Sometimes it depends on the actual pill and it's consistency, for lack of a better word.  Or asking your pharmacist might work.  They'll probably charge you for it but they might do it. 

 

I assume your healer is working with you about your weight and that you are consuming more calories.  I wish I could give you my extra for both our sakes.  :laugh:

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I'll look for a pill cutter. I'm not worried about wasting them, I've got enough refills to make me a complete basketcase with this garbage. I'll relish flushing them down the toilet when I'm done tapering. Well, unless my 30 pills are per month, then I will have a problem. I'm going to try to get a refill today.

 

Well, good news! No gasoline in the blood rush(adrenaline, cortisol) this morning! I'm at 12am, 8am, 4pm.  :yippee:

 

Ya, we are working on the weight thing but at this point, I think klonopin is successfully keeping it off. I'd like to just maintain what I'm at and I think I will be able to if I stabilize with the klono finally. I'm all for reverse lipo at this point.  :2funny:

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I'm all for reverse lipo at this point.  :2funny:

 

You have a more than willing donor right here.  ;D 

 

And GREAT news about the disappearance of the rushes.  Even if they come back, and I'm not saying they will, you will know from personal experience what is going on and that it will end.  You sound so much better today. Yay!

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