My psychiatrist wants to switch me from Ativan 1 mg to clonazepam .5 .

Am happy for you and you are to be commended for your discipline. I know from experience that continuous exercise will keep you healthier and will help keep anxiety at bay. My partner keeps a small amt of Xanax in the safe for only serious episodes that happen very rarely anymore.

Thanks David,

I admire you for keeping the Xanax available but only under extreme conditions and under the control of your partner in a safe. My wife has control over my clonazepam supply and I get only what has been prescribed.

I'd still like to taper off of it completely, and your comments have given me hope. Thank you!

Joe

Clonazepam didn't work out in my favor it lead me to suicidal thoughts and I ended up in an behavioral center for two weeks. Everyone is different though..

After four moths my doc switched me abruptly from .25 of Lorazepam three times a day to ,25 Clonazepam twice a day. I felt a definite up take in anxiety, could slept for only two hours, and had nightmares after the third dose. From what I read, one needs to taper off and that they bind to different receptions in the brain. It was a nightmare. I called 988 four times, tried all the coping skills in my tool box and nothing stopped the severe anxiety. I was going to switch back to my Lor. schedule but read that this was not advised, so I took it and pray I won't have the same reaction to night. This is Saturday night and I canot reach my provider until Monday. It is almost to much to bear. Has any one else made this switch and how did you do it and how did you feel? There is a program n Weimar, CA that uses a natural approach. Has any one done it or looked into it?

@gunshy, I am currently on Ativan 1mg daily, I’ve taken this medication for over 20 years and didn’t want to stop because frankly it works best for my anxiety. Recently the fates have turned and I’m experiencing inter dose withdrawal, what a shock to my system, I have researched endlessly about my options and there are several which brings me to your question about switching from Ativan to Clonazepam, I want to do this too because I tried tapering many years ago with Valium and it didn’t work so I stopped. It’s a bit tricky cross tapering from Ativan to Clonazepam but it can be done, I’m sure you realize that the strength between the two drugs are quite different and the tapering has to be slow just like when you want to stop using these drugs, I will see the doctor next week and discuss my options, I feel so bad physically and mentally and I’m praying daily for help with the battle ahead, I’ve survived cancer twice so I draw some strength from this, good luck with your recovery and hope it goes well.

I'm sorry that I'm not able to address the problem you've had with switching from Ativan to Clonazepam. But, I can share with you that I've been on .25 mg. twice a day for YEARS and have never had to increase the dosage. It's worked perfectly for me -- even through incredibly tragic times our family has gone through the past two years. Feel free to reach out to me at any time -- even if it's simply for reassurance the Clonazepam will eventually work for you. (If you're comfortable sharing your email address, I'll be happy to communicate with you on a more personal level.)

A week ago, my meds lady took me off .75 Lorazepam to .5 Clonazepam daily. The first night was a nightmare, but it has settled down some what. I still have severe nerve pain at night which wakes me up with the jitters. When I exercise (walk in the gym) the symptoms are are not quite as strong. I would like to stay in contact with you to see how you are doing with the switch. The nerve pain can be quite debilitating. Do you experience this and if so, what do you do about? I also take gabapentin and lamotrigine. I have been on benzos since Dec. 6 and not too happy about it. It seems like a holding pattern and not a solution. I need to get to the root of the depression and and anxiety and am looking into a 10-day residential in California that does.

@daveshaw
74 is probably too old to put your body through a withdrawal. I’m 69 and it is killing me. The worst pain in my life. Carry on. Try not to updose and enjoy your life. Never, ever let anyone rapid taper you. Ever. Best to you.

@cking56 I appreciate your comments. My PCP probably didn’t know how rapid was to rapid to taper off a benzo.
I applaud you at 69 for going through that. I have never taken more than 1mg morning and night for over 30 years.
Someone mentioned titration as a better means of tapering in conjunction with your doctor and a pharmacist. Let me know if you look in to that. Even at 69 life is too short to go through what you are going through.
Take care.

I too keep Xanax on hand for when I have an immediate need during the day which hasn't happened in years. But my doctor will give me a small prescription every year so that I it's kind of like a feeling of security. I take 1 mg of Klonopin nightly to ensure that I keep my anxiety at Bay and it helps me fall asleep. I don't build up any tolerance to it. But you remember every person is different. Everybody is different biologically what works for one person might not work for another. So keep in contact with your doctor. Be honest. Tell him your symptoms and go from there. Try not to take our opinions to heart. They're only our opinions and how we have reacted to certain drugs. Take care, I hope you feel better soon