Getting off of Klonopin (Clonazepam)

[KindredSpirit]

Hello everyone,

I wasn't sure which forum to write this in but I really need some help getting off of this horrible drug called Klonopin and anyone that is an ex-klonopin user I would really appreciate your advice. I've been taking K since June of 2005. I went up to 1 mg 3 X a day back in Febuary of 2007 (Big mistake)
I started a tapering down on Friday November 6th of this year. I'm reducing at a rate of .25 mg a week and now I'm down to 2.5 mg.
I have some questions for the people that have gone down this road before. I would just like to know if I should be cutting back .125 mg a week instead of .25 mg a week.
I was actually seeing an addictionologist to help me out with this back in October and she turned out to be a real drug pusher. She told me that I had Bi-Polar 2 or Type II Bipolar Disorder which I don't have and she wanted to put me on Depakote.(She actually wanted to put me on Seroquel first) When I refused to take the Depakote she pretty much kicked me out of her office. (If you want more details on that fiasco just PM me)
I just recently met this guy on Y.T. that's coming off of Klonopin too and he's been on it for like 18 years, so he's really goin through he** right now.
He's come up with a special tonic that consist of 4 oz of warm water,
1 -1000 mg capsule of Calcium and Magnesium, 3 - 100 mg capsules of
L-Theanine, 100 mgs of 5-HTP and a few drops of Organic Vanilla extract.
Does anyone think this is unsafe or is it harmless?
I would greatly appreciate anyone's input because I have a long road ahead of me.

[n1kkuh]

I know that all those supplements you posted have been used and seem to be relatively safe, but unfortunately, I haven't found any of them to give me any powerful effects, although I've never taken them all together. I heard pregabalin and gabapentin can be used for withdrawal, maybe you can ask your doc about that, although those have dependency issues as well, just not nearly as bad as benzos I've heard. I say if you wanna go the "natural" way then this is certainly worth a shot.

[Vini Vidi Vici]

Originally Posted by KindredSpirit

Hello everyone,

I wasn't sure which forum to write this in but I really need some help getting off of this horrible drug called Klonopin and anyone that is an ex-klonopin user I would really appreciate your advice. I've been taking K since June of 2005. I went up to 1 mg 3 X a day back in Febuary of 2007 (Big mistake)
I started a tapering down on Friday November 6th of this year. I'm reducing at a rate of .25 mg a week and now I'm down to 2.5 mg.
I have some questions for the people that have gone down this road before. I would just like to know if I should be cutting back .125 mg a week instead of .25 mg a week.
I was actually seeing an addictionologist to help me out with this back in October and she turned out to be a real drug pusher. She told me that I had Bi-Polar 2 or Type II Bipolar Disorder which I don't have and she wanted to put me on Depakote.(She actually wanted to put me on Seroquel first) When I refused to take the Depakote she pretty much kicked me out of her office. (If you want more details on that fiasco just PM me)
I just recently met this guy on Y.T. that's coming off of Klonopin too and he's been on it for like 18 years, so he's really goin through he** right now.
He's come up with a special tonic that consist of 4 oz of warm water,
1 -1000 mg capsule of Calcium and Magnesium, 3 - 100 mg capsules of
L-Theanine, 100 mgs of 5-HTP and a few drops of Organic Vanilla extract.
Does anyone think this is unsafe or is it harmless?
I would greatly appreciate anyone's input because I have a long road ahead of me.

i took Klonopin for 4 months, and Xanax for 3 months. the best thing to do is too taper down as slow as possible.....supplements that helped me were Valerian, Chamomile Tea, Sleepytime extra tea....Kava kava could also be used too. kava was very effective for me but i never used it do get off Klonopin. its effects are very similiar to klonopin....you could try taking more L-theanine.... Also Lyrica and Gabapentin can be very helful in withdrawling from Benzodiazepines. Also, Carbamazepine is used frequently and can be really helpful. (Its an anticonvulsant like K-pin, but has much less addictive potential). the Depakote would probably have helped a little bit, not a whole lot, but a little. but unfortuantely it can cause some weird brain ammonia imbalances in some people. K pin works by raising/strengthening the effect of GABA on GABA-A neurons. Anything that strengthens/raises GABA should help with the withdrawal

[Redefine]

When I withdrew from klonopin I went too fast. I went down .125 mg every 3 days. I was taking 2mg a day at one point so it took me the entire summer to come off. The worst parts were the last few weeks of tapering and the first few weeks off. I never took any natural supplements besides magnesium. I really don't know if it helped at all. The worst part of the withdrawal was the insomnia. I still have an extremely hard time sleeping without sleep aides. I also had a lot of nausea during my withdrawal. The only med that helped with both of these was remeron. It put me right to sleep and gave me my appetite back. I would definitely recommend remeron for benzo withdrawal.

Other than that, nothing else is going to make you better besides time. It's going to take some time for your brain to return back to normal and repair your receptors. It's really the only way you're going to get better. I still have a hard time sleeping after three months of my last klonopin.

[99x]

I don't know about the supplements. I've never tried those. The best advice is to taper slowly. I'm at .5 mg klonopin a day. Last week I got impatient and stopped taking it for 3 days. That was a big mistake and I still haven't stabilized.

[Freesix88]

Originally Posted by rubyruby

10% every 7 to 10 days. Go to the Ashton Manual in the UK for more info.

This sounds like a good plan.

[shy797]

I am trying to do the same thing. I took Klonapin 0.5mg for about a year in 05' and just stopped one day with NO problems. Then I would only take it as needed if I had a speech or interview with a beta blocker. Recently with the stresses of school, work, and being in a bad relationship I have been getting panic attacks several times per day so I would take 1mg here and there for speeches. Now I can barely make eye contact with someone unless I have the Klonapin otherwise I'll start getting a panic attack. I've also started blushing way easier than before...I've tried 5htp which works great for the depression but still doesn't help much for the panic attacks. Also taking gaba and magnesium. Niacinamide in high doses is supposed to work really well, I have taken it in small doses before and was going to try getting of the Klonapin by using that, look it up and let me know what you think. They all help a little bit, but I still get panic attacks unless I take the .5 of Klonapin. If you figure anything out let me know...Starting to think maybe my SA is just getting worse and maybe its not even the Klonapin, either way Klonapin is a really bad drug and I want to get off of it too!

[Vini Vidi Vici]

Originally Posted by shy797

I am trying to do the same thing. I took Klonapin 0.5mg for about a year in 05' and just stopped one day with NO problems. Then I would only take it as needed if I had a speech or interview with a beta blocker. Recently with the stresses of school, work, and being in a bad relationship I have been getting panic attacks several times per day so I would take 1mg here and there for speeches. Now I can barely make eye contact with someone unless I have the Klonapin otherwise I'll start getting a panic attack. I've also started blushing way easier than before...I've tried 5htp which works great for the depression but still doesn't help much for the panic attacks. Also taking gaba and magnesium. Niacinamide in high doses is supposed to work really well, I have taken it in small doses before and was going to try getting of the Klonapin by using that, look it up and let me know what you think. They all help a little bit, but I still get panic attacks unless I take the .5 of Klonapin. If you figure anything out let me know...Starting to think maybe my SA is just getting worse and maybe its not even the Klonapin, either way Klonapin is a really bad drug and I want to get off of it too!

dude u should try Kava Kava....apart from the possible liver damage and skin deteriorating (both of which only occur with long term use) it helped me quite alot, especially with panic attacks, social anxiety and all that stuff. it was really strong for me.

[shy797]

Originally Posted by Vini Vidi Vici

dude u should try Kava Kava....apart from the possible liver damage and skin deteriorating (both of which only occur with long term use) it helped me quite alot, especially with panic attacks, social anxiety and all that stuff. it was really strong for me.

Thanks, think that's the only one I haven't tried...I'll pick some up this week!

[euphoria]

Some that should help:

Magnesium (one of the types that work)
L-theanine
Taurine
L-tryptophan

Maybe consider these:

St. John's Wort (I don't recommend mixing with other serotonergics)
Kava (I don't recommend non-root preparations)
5-HTP

Also I would recommend avoiding calcium in general. Definitely don't supplement it.

[sweetcakes]

mm, complicated... i took clonazepam but in my country the name for it is "ravotril", 2grams, the strongest there is of it. once i took a whole box, used to overtake it and lie to psychiatrists just to get big dosages, but one day i just decided to stop because my life was pretty much sleeping and laughing for no reason and being a zombie, and that was it. i simply stopped going to the doctors, they said i'd die without the pills, i didnt die... i even stopped cutting and all the stupid things i used to do, i grew up, and never looked back, all this supplement things sound so new to me. Sure i have trouble sleeping at my time, but i practice self control and that's it...


good luck with all of it =)

[complex]

Right now I am taking 2mg a day I want to stop taking it I have been on it for almost 3 years but have just been through a bad break up, school, work its all really hard right now so might not be the right time but i want to find something natural to help me when i do decide to stop taking it. My doctor wants me to find the right time so I guess asap trying to cut back would be a great idea... anyone with suggestions please let me know thanks.

[desk]

Well, you may actually want to think about getting on the depokote, you may or may not be bi-polar, but if you have head aches or anything like that it will help you and can help you feel better,---you may want to consider why you want to get off the cloazapam though, it is a attictive drug, yes, but in a lot of instances it can help you live a very carefree, easy going lifestyle. I'm not a neurologyst but I know for me 1mg a day was fine, and for me it deffinatly took away my anxiety. I am unfortunatly off of it now, I was able to slowy get off of it by breaking 1mg tablets in half and taking the larger half, and then slowy working my way down, I found that a small alcholic drink in the morning was very benificial(the equivilent to one beer) but I don't know if this could cause prblems for some people, for what its worth i don't see it as being a bad drug,--on a seperate note I strongly recomend that people don't go on effexor. I was on that drug about 10 years ago and it was horrible, the addiction is worse than herion(I think) and the side effects are terrible, they are literally nightmareish. If your doctor wants to put you on a greater does get a second opinion(or get off of it), if you are deprest or suicidle change your life in a major way, move to a new city, jion a church, go to the carribean, go sky diving, but suicide is not the answer, life is long, and it can get very good

[shyguydan222]

I am currently taking 1 mg of Clonazepam. My psychiatrist recommend that I start to taper off the drug slowly but surely. As long as you and your specialist have great communication I don't see why you can't reduce it altogether. I wish you good luck with coming off of the addictive drug

[Klonii]

Just out of curiosity - for the people that klonopin is working for - why do you want to stop?

[seafolly]

Originally Posted by Klonii

Just out of curiosity - for the people that klonopin is working for - why do you want to stop?

I'm sure this varies with every individual but for me, it's because I've been on it for 9 years worked up to 1 mg/day. I was pushed by many doctors to go higher but by the time I hit 1 mg I was studying pharmacology and the little that I read terrified me and I didn't budge, thank goodness. Plus the memory loss side effect is really difficult for a science student. Originally, 0.25 mg was enough for me but I simply grew a tolerance to it.

I'm really happy to have this thread handy and this group of people available. There never really is a good time to start weaning off a benzo. I weaned off Trileptal which wasn't all that bad actually but I understand this will be much, much worse. The longer you're on it, the more difficult it is to get off. My situation doesn't look too great. : / Unfortunately my anxiety is not at a point where I can wean off. I wish I had taken advantage of my healthier years to at least reduce the dose.

[subfl0wer]

Hey there!
I am new to this forum. I have been clean of pills/drugs all my life up until recently. Ive always been skeptical of traditional medicine but so much as happened in the past few months.
First thing - I have GAD. I knew this all my life but never really did anything about it. It wasnt interfering with my life so I just went and lived my life - never had depression or anything.
Then I moved across the country, lost my cat to a coyote, spent thousands of dollars on my other cat as he got sick, financial probs etc. I was normally able to handle these things but because everything happened at once - my blood pressure rose pretty highly.
So I went to a CRAP doctor. He diagnosed me with hypertension. Im 30! And generally pretty healthy! I work out, eat all organic etc. Does NOT run in my family. SO I started these blood pressure meds. Totally ruined my life. I had constant vertigo, for a MONTH, couldnt focus, felt like crap - it was just ANOTHER thing to add to the list of stressful events. Am I going to have a heart attack? I started having insomnia scared I would have a heart attack in my sleep!!
TURNS OUT - I met a psychiatrist, CHANGED DOCTORS, saw an internal medicine doctor - all said I have GAD and thats what causing my pressure to rise temporarily. They took me off the BP pills asap (thank GOD!!) SO - I decided okay. I need help. This is it. Im not getting any younger. Ive seen several counsellors - all which I DIDNT like. The last one was okay but I couldnt afford her.
My psychiatrist started me on clonazepam (klonopin) 0.5 mg. Told me to take it ONLY for a week to get me back on my feet. I did - but then kept thinking "what if I become addicted? what if I have a reaction when I stop?" sure enough all those things happened because I was THINKING THEM. (GAD). After a week you CANNOT get addicted to this drug. Especially on such a small dose. I know this NOW as I educated myself finally and asked a lot of questions. So sure enough my doctor told me to continue taking it only he doubled the dose! So I was on 1mg. I took that for a few days as I felt like a stoner and did NOT feel comfortable. I weaned down to .75, then .875, and so on I kept cutting my pills in quarters. Finally after a week of being on .875 my doc said to cut it 50% every 4 days! This was about a month taking the drug. Of course I freaked out. But it was ALL IN MY HEAD.
So my psych said I was weaning too fast. So we went back up to .75, he put me on 20 mg of prozac to help control my GAD, and advised I wean a quarter every 2 weeks. And he actually told me its NORMAL to feel SOME anxiety and some side effects with ANY drug when stopping. So I sort of prepared myself.
I am currently back down to .5 and have had a few rough days but Im still sleeping like a baby, going to work (work helps - keeps my mind off it) and Im moving in a few days so Ive been too busy to think about it.
I am still "unsure" and scared as to what might happen when Im officially off the drug -- so far Ive been told as long as I continue weaning this slow the withdrawal will be at the very minimum. I also do yoga every morning, and meditate. Im seeing a new counsellor in a few weeks to do cognitive behavioural therapy (she is covered with my work) and looking forward to it.
So the best thing I can say to everyone is THINK POSITIVE. Easier said than done but BE STRONG. Its a temporary rough patch in your life but we can all get through this. A LOT of it is psychological and of course we will experience physical withdrawal but we gotta tough it out otherwise we will never get off this drug.
I am also not against those who decide to take it for life - the only problem with ME is I am afraid Ill need more and more eventually...thats why Id rather just stop and do LOTS of therapy to train my mind in not worrying so much.
I wish you all the best (and myself! lol) and if you ever want to talk email me or PM me!
Take care.
XOXXOXOXOXOX

[KindredSpirit]

Originally Posted by Klonii

Just out of curiosity - for the people that klonopin is working for - why do you want to stop?

Because it only works for so long, and then you build up a tolerance for the dose you're taking and you have to increase the dose.
It's just a vicious cycle.
All Benzodiazepines are like this. You're better off not taking them in the first place.

[Arisa1536]

Stick with it, it does get better.
I have been on and off this drug for a long time and even though withdrawals from any benzo cause bad side effects, well for me they have been all over the place , its best in the long run. I love them but i also hate them because they are so difficult to stop taking and u also need more and more to feel the same effect u felt a few months ago.

I would try tapering it with something else though
a beta blocker? Sedative like zopiclone or something perhaps?
I have managed to be off clonazepam for three weeks now with only mild side effects thanks to beta blockers and zopiclone, although i know i will need to be off zopiclone soon, coming off them as i have done is not half as hard as coming off a benzo

[Waldessa]

Originally Posted by Klonii

Just out of curiosity - for the people that klonopin is working for - why do you want to stop?

Well, I just discovered that I am pregnant, and with research I have found that there are high risks for birth defect and heart complications, organ development with the fetus. I've been on Klonopin for over 8 years, and it has helped me in the greatest way. My anxiety was so bad, I couldn't sleep and wanted to avoid all people, and tear my hair out to say the least, my mouth would shake when speaking, and I ran out of the room everytime I was called on in college.

Just recently I was hospitalized twice for an immidiate lowered dosage when I moved to another state. Now I am back in my original state with the proper dosage: 1MG 3x's a day (I usually take two or less depending, to keep away from building an extreme tolerance).

So, getting off of this drug will not be fun, or easy, and if doctors allow you to be on these meds for so long, then why can't they come up with a safe equivalent? A drug that is comparable in a different class.
I'm taking folic acid and eating the best foods possible for the baby-to-be, but I'm still worried about the health and development.

My doctor is doing research right now to come up with something to take over.
I am so sure that he'll come up with some anti-depressant (that usually makes me more depressed) and I'll still have really bad withdrawls.

Has anyone been through this, or know of someone who has?