How to ween off Klonopin (or any Benzodiazapeme)

@obedad In a word, slowly! I took 1mg in the morning and at bedtime for many years, and spent several months titrating off Klonopin. I cut the 1mg pills in quarters, and reduced by 1/4 mg at a time. I would take 3/4 mg at bedtime instead of 1mg for a few weeks, then try .5 mg until I felt good about going lower.

Recently I needed to take 1mg at bedtime for a few weeks to keep my feet still at night, to help my Achilles tendons heal (which they haven't, but that's another story), and 2 nights ago I stopped taking it. I did not sleep much the first night, but I did pretty well last night.

Have you talked with your prescriber about this? Sometimes people take a second medication while tapering, which kind of bridges the process.

The best advice I can give is to taper slowly. Don't let anyone bully you into going too fast. Pay attention to your body. If you feel like you can't handle the current taper level, you can back up and give your body time to adjust.

Jim

Great advice. My doctor who wasn't happy sleep doc prescribed this crap Klonopin suggested trying trazadone to help me sleep. I stopped klonopin cold turkey, which is never good, but it was causing issues while on it so either way I was screwed. The trazadone (which is a sleep med) didn't help as the instant withdrawal of klonopin caused constant insomnia for a few weeks before relief from insomnia started to get better. This medication should never be prescribed in my opinion but some folks swear by it. But once on it for any period of time, one becomes dependent, most just don't realize it. For that reason alone, it should never be given for longer than a couple of weeks, which is what the manufacturer says btw. Crazy.

Last year all doctors stopped prescribing me Klonopin, and sent me to a psychiatrist to monitor a taper. It was very slow - I went from 1mg to .75, then .5, .375, .25 and 0.125mg with decreases every 4-6 weeks. I had been taking it for sleep and laryngeal dystonia for 12 years. Only at bedtime and it was a Godsend for me. But apparently, it is risky for the elderly and I was turning 65. It took 9 months to get to 0 and it has not been easy. My psychiatrist discharged me before the end and only prescribed an antihistamine, which did not work. I had many, many sleepless nights and it affected my work performance, social and family relationships and just about all aspects of my life. My primary care doctor would only prescribe Remeron. I took it for 4 months and it did not help. Finally, I got a referral to a Sleep Specialist (neurologist) and she did not believe that just because a person is 65, they should not get help for sleep. She was willing to give me the Klonopin, but I declined because I did not want to go through the terrible withdrawals again. We are in the early stages of finding the right medication for sleep. I tried a small dose of Ambien, but I had morning nausea and daytime anxiety. Switched to Lunesta and it is better, but I have night sweats. At least I am now sleeping all night. I don't think you would do well to do to a facility because it is such a long process and needs to be very slow. I would suggest you find a Sleep Doctor or Psychiatrist to assist you in a LONG withdrawal to miminize the withdrawal. Best of luck to you.

Lots of good advice here. I was on another benzo, Ativan, that was originally prescribed for short term anxiety but I began relying on it for sleep. A sleep medicine doctor helped me wean, but I adjusted to the attached schedule that I did even slower. Happy to say that I’ve been off it since June and now take Remeron which is not a benzo and all my doctors are more comfortable with. (I’m 69)
Good luck!

I have been on klonopin since sleep study. About 15 yrs too. I had liver transplant and am having memory and cognitive issues. Dr is helping with lowering .25 mg every 2 weeks. As soon as I cut out morning dose I started having trouble sleeping. I was told it would get better. I am seeing a therapist and she helps with different tactics for sleep. I am willing to suffer 3 months to get my old brain back.

Hang in there. Keep trying new strategies and reaching out.

And also, have patience. I went to a psychiatrist to help wean off after only several months on it, and it is a terribly hard process. What a horrible drug! I think in the end you just have to be accepting that you’re not going to sleep very well for a few weeks and anxiety will ebb and flow and that isn’t the end of the world. You can make it through this process with determination, meditation, exercise and faith. It is a long ordeal of tapering so going to a facility is not usually recommended as that is a really fast taper. Good luck! With time you can do it!

Your taking klonopin sounded just like my experience. Sleep study and then idiot doc. put me on this terrible medication. Negatively affected my life for 18 months. You will sleep better in time as this medication makes its way out of your body/tissues, where it can evidently hang out for long period of time. I am convinced that drug has a negative impact on your cognitive faculties as well so better to be off for good.

I literally can't understand how docs give out this crap and most have no idea of the side effects or are in denial.

I am telling you, I am now retired but was in key mgt. role in running a large health plan and over time I realized how one needs to be their own healthcare advocate. Physician malpractice and errors are the third leading cause of death in this country. I almost had one kill me about 12 years ago via a simple procedure gone wrong. Best of luck to you!