I have been in Clonazepam 0.5mg TID for 18 years

You’re not alone. People are being cut off allover. Benzos are going the same way the opioids did.

@sears, I’m very interested in what you know, please elaborate.

Yes, I too, felt kicked to the curb.
Now I am waiting to see another provider with hopes that she doesn’t continue the taper. To me it is unimaginable how a provider can do this. In my search for a new provider many don’t take Medicare and many won’t take “old” patients, most saying no one over 65.
I hope you found someone else to help you. For me, being on Clonazepam for 18 years and being expected to taper off with my long history of depression, anxiety, panic attacks and now social anxiety, it is bordering on negligence to just drop me in mid taper when all I want is to go back to my original dose.

Yes, I too, felt kicked to the curb.
Now I am waiting to see another provider with hopes that she doesn’t continue the taper. To me it is unimaginable how a provider can do this. In my search for a new provider many don’t take Medicare and many won’t take “old” patients, most saying no one over 65.
I hope you found someone else to help you. For me, being on Clonazepam for 18 years and being expected to taper off with my long history of depression, anxiety, panic attacks and now social anxiety, it is bordering on negligence to just drop me in mid taper when all I want is to go back to my original dose.

You bring up an interesting point that most folks don't understand. The reason docs don't like seeing folks over 65 is because once we are on Medicare, the reimbursements from the govt. via Medicare is much less than the doc receives for a younger patient on traditional insurance via their employer plan. It's really night and day, so providers typically lose money on Medicare patients and make their money on those under 65. It's called cost shifting, so employers are in effect subsidizing low reimbursements via Medicare. 99% of people don't know this, only reason I do is because I was an Insurance executive and consultant until I recently retired. Sad that docs are dropping older folks but thats the reason. Best of luck to you!

Please find another doctor. I also have anxiety and depression. Left on my own I can not sleep. My doctor proscribed Trazodone for sleep. It was a god send and allows me to sleep soundly through the night.

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.

It is true that you need to understand your providers stance on prescribing Benzos. My primary care stopped prescribing and said I had to go to a psychiatrist to get Klonopin. So I found one and the first visit he told me I needed to taper off this “bad drug” while I argued all the ways it helped me. We did months of talk therapy and then a 10 month slow taper. It went ok from 1mg to .25mg but the side effects hit with a vengeance. He kept telling me that my body knew how to be calm and sleep and offered nothing to ease the problems. Before the taper was complete, he discharged me because the practice doesn’t treat seniors and I was turning 65. I felt kicked to the curb with no support.

Yes, I too, felt kicked to the curb.
Now I am waiting to see another provider with hopes that she doesn’t continue the taper. To me it is unimaginable how a provider can do this. In my search for a new provider many don’t take Medicare and many won’t take “old” patients, most saying no one over 65.
I hope you found someone else to help you. For me, being on Clonazepam for 18 years and being expected to taper off with my long history of depression, anxiety, panic attacks and now social anxiety, it is bordering on negligence to just drop me in mid taper when all I want is to go back to my original dose.