I have been in Clonazepam 0.5mg TID for 18 years

I’m so sorry to read how badly you are feeling and why, I have nightmares about going through the same thing. I’m also 73 and I have been taking Ativan for about 23 years now, I also never increased my dose and it’s the only medication that works for my anxiety, I have tried so many different medications to no avail but this drug helps me to cope. My doctor is retiring this year and he’s the one who started me on this medication, I know that he’s leaving another doctor in his place but it doesn’t mean that the new doctor will provide the med so I’m already stressed. I think that you should keep looking for another doctor or nurse practitioner that is more comfortable with allowing you to stay on your medication, it’s just unfair to put a person through so much suffering. The whole problem started when the government decided that benzodiazepines are bad and now I’ve been reading so many stories about people who are forced to withdraw from their medication and causing total chaos, it takes years to properly get off the meds and if it’s too fast then chances are they will relapse. Please don’t give fight to get help even if you have to go to the hospital to get help, I sincerely hope that you will find someone else to help you with this situation,

Thank you for your kind reply. I did try one more nurse practitioner and
she feels the same. Benzodiazepine's and Opiates are tabu and it is the
government clamping down on these drugs other than for short term use. I
am not sure what I am going to do because I can't live like this much
longer. These doctors and nurses are paranoid that something bad will
happen and they will get sued. I have a PCP who is of the same mindset.
I would suggest you start looking for a new provider before yours retires.

I'm sorry to hear of your issues. Obviously in your situation I can see the need to stay on the meds, even with risk of dementia etc. which I have read is a possible side effect of clonzapem. It's funny how these drugs effect people so differently. I was only on clonzapem at same dosage you are for 7 months and it screwed me up good and doctor didn't want to accept the side effects I was having as being due to the benzo. Well he's an idiot who has addicted many of his patients and is old school (old period) and I wish now I understood then what he was prescribing for me, simply to help me sleep better. I can understand the issue with benzos now. I will tell you, younger physicians will tend not to prescribe these, it's the older docs who do and did not understanding how they can affect people. I talked to a recently retired pharmacist a year or so ago about clonzapem and he was surprised it was still even available, said it was a terrible drug and from the 70's and 80's. Unfortunately pharmacists understand these meds better than any doc who prescribes them. It's sad. I do wish you well and sorry this is your current situation. I can only hope your body adjusts over time if you can't find a way to continue on these meds.

I’m so sorry for your pain. I’m coming out the other end of a very long taper off 1mg Clonazepam after over a decade. The taper was forced by a young psychiatrist when it was working very well for me, or so it seemed. It was one of the most hellish things I ever went through. I’ve not had this drug for 15 months and I am just beginning to feel somewhat normal. The taper was 10 months. Last year I had to retire prematurely because I could no longer do my job. Anxiety and insomnia were horrible. I was anti-social and lost friends. I was a shell of myself in so many ways. On the upside, I am clearer headed. I no longer have stupid falls, bumps and bruises. I sleep using Lunesta and manage anxiety with yoga and exercise. I miss it sometimes, but I would not take it again. It has a sinister side. A taper needs to be very slow and the recovery period for your nervous system can take years. But it’s possible.

Jeanne-
Find a new practioner! It's quality vs quantity and there HAVE BEEN no studies to confirm that benzos cause dementia. Sleep is the key to everything and sleep deprivation will cause more mental illness than anything else.
I am 75 and without the clonazepam I would not be here today. Read Scott D. Mendelson-retired psychiatrist, author and neuroscientist. Follow your gut!
Reach out to us; I totally understand and will support you!
Hugs

I don’t know if you remember but I took Xanax( much stronger and more potent than Ativan) for 25 years. Up to 3 mgs. (a lot ) per day. I was 67 when I started tapering. I know this sounds cliche, but I swear if I can taper off you can. If I were you I’d start right now trying to find a doctor that will help you taper looooooong and sloooow. In today’s climate don’t count on finding another doctor to continue your prescription. Please don’t wait until some doctor wants to do an unreasonably short taper or even cut you off entirely. Your life depends on this. ❤️ Please remember that no doctor will put his license in jeopardy because you’re 73.

Ask the nursing staff to make a recommendation. They know firsthand what doctor writes scripts for Ambien and benzos.

I totally agree with you, I remember you saying this to me a while back and it really hit home. I have been trying to taper my dose for some time now and it’s going slow but steady, I’m definitely not confident yet that I have it under control but I do feel better than before. I haven’t looked for anyone else yet but I’m still doing the work on my own for now. Hopefully I’ll get lucky with the new doctor and my dose will be lower so perhaps we can work something out, if this option doesn’t come up then I’ll try to find someone who will help me. I sincerely hope that I will be successful in doing this, I might not even like the new doctor but finding a doctor here is next to impossible, over one million people in this city haven’t got a doctor and they are using the hospital to get help.

I can’t begin to tell you how freeing it is to not have to worry about my benzo prescription. It was seriously a blessing in disguise that I hit tolerance and Benzos stopped working for me. Getting thrown into withdrawal was an absolute nightmare but all that matters is that I was able to free myself from that demon. I still need help of course, I have terrible anxiety. The beta blocker, Propanolol, that I take in very low doses has been a lifesaver for me. I would suggest anyone to try this. It really is extremely helpful. It was a blessing during my taper and continues to help immensely. Do some research on this drug that’s been around forever. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

I can truly understand the way you feel, I smoked for over 40 years and I decided to quit before it was too late, cigarettes are very addictive and super difficult to get rid of because they are a constant companion, I never thought that I would be successful but I did it. I was given Valium in my early 20’s by a psychiatrist who gave them out like candies, I took them for two years and then I got pregnant so I wasn’t going to continue taking them, I was told to get off them very slowly but I couldn’t do it for fear that it would harm my unborn baby so I went cold turkey. I was young and strong with a profound fear of hurting my child and after a month of total insanity I finally stopped craving them. I’m so angry that I let myself go on another benzodiazepine after all the suffering but I did so here I am now dependent on Ativan and wondering how I am going to deal with this one. I would love another chance to be free of dependence on anything else and I’m not sure that I will be able to handle it, now I’m in my 70’s and a two time cancer survivor but somehow with God’s strength I will do my best.