clonazepam withdrawal

I took alprazolam for nearly twenty years but was also a heavy drinking. When I quite alcohol I began experiencing anxiety problems and my MD switched me to Clonazepam 2.5 mg per day. After about six months of unpleasant experiences with Clono he switched me back to Alprazolam .5mg. 5x day.

I'm on my 7th day off Clono and have experienced muscle soreness and depression on an on/off basis. I'm interested in learning about others who made a simiiar benzo switch without tapering.

Hello DAVEM, and welcome to BenzoBuddies!  You'll find a lot of information and support here.  Most of our members are glad to share their tapering and withdrawal experiences.  Please remember that although withdrawal symptoms can be severe, they are only temporary.  Time is the healer, and you will heal eventually.  The amount of time healing takes varies from person to person and really can't be predicted in advance.

I can't answer your question since I've only been on Xanax and valium.  Someone else here may have an answer, though  Are you looking to get off benzos?  Meanwhile, here are a few useful links:

As you know the best way to get off benzos is to taper off if you've used them for an extended length of time.  The suggested taper rate is 5/10% every 10/14 days.  Some taper faster and some slower than that, and the rate can be adjusted to meet your needs.  You can learn more about tapering on our General Taper Plans Board.  The second pink-highlighted post explains the three accepted taper methods.  Also:

The Ashton Manual is an authoritative source on what to expect in withdrawal and recovery.  Dr. Ashton is an expert in the field.  She describes and explains withdrawal symptoms, and there is also a section with withdrawal/taper schedules.

Members discuss their symptoms on The Withdrawal and Recovery Support Board.

Please take the time to Create a Signature.  This will allow others to see where you are in the process so they can better support you.

Again, welcome!

hello DAVEM,

you have come to the right place to get help and support. our members have a lot

of experience and knowledge and will give you good advise to come off the

Alprazolam as well. you have quit the alcohol, so thats one big achievement.

congratulation, well done.

a warm welcome and all the best

from claudia

p.s. muscle soreness and depression are common sxs (symptoms) and they will go away again.

there are 2 links at my signature which will make it easier for you to understand

the whole process.

don't worry, you will be ok again and take care.

Thanks for your support. My situation is somewhat uncommon, in that I'm attempting to switch from one benzo to another, rather than total abstinence.

I took Alprazolam 1.5mg. 3x daily for nearly twenty years for GAD and it served me well but I was also a heavy alcohol user. In January 2013 I quit the alcohol and have been alcohol free since.

At this point I began experiencing anxiety attacks from the alcohol withdrawal and the Alprazolam couldn't control it This is when my MD switched me to Clonazepam. It got me through the alcohol withdrawal and was effective for anxiety, but not for depression. So I asked to be switched back to Alprazolam and I'm now in day nine of Klono withdrawal. The Alprazolam dose is .5mg, 5x daily.

Switching from Alprazolam to Clonazepam was easy but the other way around has proven to be very difficult. I notice that after four hours w/o Alprazolam the anxiety increases and it is necessary to take another pill. I'm optimistic that by day 14 the withdrawal symptoms will have disappeared. I never want to take Klono again as I'm convinced it aggravates depression.

hi again Davem,

you know its up to you if you want to stay on a Benzo , i just want to let you know

that this type of medication is no long term solution and if taken longer

than 3-4 weeks , they can do more harm than good. the longer you are on them , the more

dependant you will get and the wd (withdrawl) will be very very hard.

the alcohol wd will seem like a walk in the park.

however, take care and all the best to you, on whatever you decide.

claudia