I don't know why there are so many that suggest speaking with your pharmacist. Even Package inserts will mention this... Has anyone tried to do that? Most Pharmacists are reluctant to render advice as they feel that they could be held liable, which is probably true. I have been a nurse for over 45 years and often times will be asked questions pertaining to a medical condition and/or medication and will preface my discussion "ask your Doctor what he thinks about this.......... At the end of the day the patient and physician have the ultimate decision.
I agree about not getting much help from pharmacists.
The oncologist says ask the pharmacist and the pharmacist says read the medication insert. And this includes many different pharmacists. I get much more valuable information on side effects and hints for reducing side effects from patient forums, medical websites, and medical webinars that provide patients telling their personal stories and real experiences.
Hi everyone I'm new on here hoping to encourage everyone and get some help too. I've been on 2mgs Clonopin am/pm for 20 Years now and I want to be done with this drug! My med Dr doesn't encourage me too, but I know my body and at 53yrs old now, I don't want this in my body anymore!
I don't know if I should go through my PCP and go through a "Med Wash" of the Clonopin and do it in a safe environment, I do have excellent insurance.
Or do it on my own and take half in the morning at night 1 mg for a week, then half both morning and night for the next week.
Then the following week split the half in half for a week.
Then a quarter in the morning and night for a week then stop.
Any suggestions???
I know how you all feel.... It's like being addicted to something that we are made to feel by our Dr we can never get off of and it's the worst feeling ever. Like we aren't in control and they are. My heart ❤️ goes out to all of you on this platform ❤️
Mama, your mentioned tapering dose plan is way too fast. The tapering should be at very low increments over a long period. Example is 10% daily reduction for 6 weeks then another 10% reduction for six weeks. This could take a year or more depending on your current daily dosage.
Print the "Ashton Method" for benzo tapering and take this plan to your doctor. I haven't started tapering yet but the Ashton Method is what I plan to use. The calculations and achieving the small reductions in the pill splitting can be challenging but doable with input from your doctor and pharmacist.
Withdrawal won’t be too bad if you take a low dose and don’t take it for more than a few months. Many compare gabapentin withdrawal to benzo withdrawal.
I have been on klonopin for 30plus yrs. After my Dr. moved out of the area my new Dr. in the same practice did not want to write a script for it so I went to a neurologist and at that point I had tried to taper down extremely slowly tiny amounts. I was taking 1.5mg at night. He ask me why I wanted off of the medication and I told him my new Dr wouldn't write a script for it. To my surprise he told me there was no reason to get off of it. So I have decided to stay on it. My withdrawals were so painful, it made my body hurt for 5months, at that point I was down to 1/2 mg. I was put on gabapentin 900 mgs that then gave me suicidal thoughts. So my advice is it everyone's option what they want to do. So what i take now at night is 1.5 klonopin, magnesium 500mg. and ramelteon 8mg. I take the magnesium at least 1 hr or more prior to my other meds. God bless
@kittymama Hi, I also am tapering off Klondpin after 20 years. I started around October 2018. I took 1.5mg at night. I just no longer need it but was scared to go off. But decided to taper and to my surprise I am still not having any withdrawals that are hard to deal with. I am going down 10% of the pill every 2 to 3 weeks. That is very slow, but with good results. Just a little sleeplessness once in a while. But I am also taking melatonin 5mgs at night. I am currently at .125mg. I am very happy with my taper. The slower, the better my doctor said. And when I get to the last dose, he said take it every other night. It’s tedious to cut that last 1/2 pill but so worth going slow. Best wishes to you.
Thank you for letting me know how you’re getting off Clonazepam. So happy for you and gives me hope that I can do the same! I had to up my dose because of insomnia, vertigo, migraines, extreme head pressure and anxiety had gotten worse. I was taking (2) 1 mg pills. I am now down to for instance; 1 today and 2 tomorrow. I do that every other day. Just about to start taking 1 pill everyday. God bless and let me know how you’re doing here forward when you can. ❤️🙏❤️
Have been on klonopin 1mg for sleep for 15+ years. Ran out one night and for the next two nights, it was like hell. Thought I was going psychotic. Knew I had to get off. Went to the doctor (and reading Ashton Manuel) got him to write a taper dose and found a pharmacy (Walgreens) that would compound the drug. I am now coming down at a rate of 5% every 2 weeks. So far it is working well and no withdrawal except minor issues with sleep. At the rate Im going, it will take 7 months to get off of it. My recommendation is, find a doctor that will detox you very slowly and find pharmacy that will compound you dose so your not guessing when your trying to cut pills. Good luck everyone, we are all in the same boat.
@kittymama I was on 2mg Klonopin for many, many years. Just recently I got my doctor to help me make a plan to get off because it no longer worked for my anxiety. She helped me make a plan to taper by 0.125mg every two weeks. My tablets come in 0.5mg so I take away 1/4 of a tablet every 2 weeks. It is easy because my tablets are scored so they're easy to break into quarter tablets. I take my Klonopin divided into three doses a day. So far it is working but with some increased anxiety and "brain zaps" both of which are hard to cope with but I am determined to get through this. Good luck to you. If I could give any advice it would be to get your doctor involved and keep them involved for the duration of your taper. I see my doctor every 2 weeks. We talk about how I am feeling, do I need to slow the taper, or am I coping with the withdrawal symptoms fairly well. Hope this helps. Blessings.
@falon Hello there, this is kind of an old post but I wanted to ask you if you are doing okay with your tappering off process. I have been on Klonopin 0.5 Mg 3 times a day for many years. My nurse practitioner has me trying all kinds of alternative medications such as Pristiq and Cymbalta to help me with the withdrawal symptoms when I start the process. I could not tolerate any of these so I have stopped them. I have not yet started to taper off the Klonopin, however,after reading these posts I am going to suggest to my provider to start by 0.125 mg titration which I believe would be the optimal dosage to safely get off of it. Thank you for your post. I will wait and see if you can answer my question, thanks again.
@kittymama I was on 2mg Klonopin for many, many years. Just recently I got my doctor to help me make a plan to get off because it no longer worked for my anxiety. She helped me make a plan to taper by 0.125mg every two weeks. My tablets come in 0.5mg so I take away 1/4 of a tablet every 2 weeks. It is easy because my tablets are scored so they're easy to break into quarter tablets. I take my Klonopin divided into three doses a day. So far it is working but with some increased anxiety and "brain zaps" both of which are hard to cope with but I am determined to get through this. Good luck to you. If I could give any advice it would be to get your doctor involved and keep them involved for the duration of your taper. I see my doctor every 2 weeks. We talk about how I am feeling, do I need to slow the taper, or am I coping with the withdrawal symptoms fairly well. Hope this helps. Blessings.
@falon I have been on this site many times and I have been taking Clonazepam for over 30 years. One mg in the morning and one mg at bedtime.
I have repeatedly said “ If it is not broke why fix it” I am here to tell you that I have tried twice now to taper off cutting back to .5 mg in the mornings and 1mg at night. This is not something my PCP has suggested I do but rather something I tried to do.
I can tell you that at age 74 I don’t know how anyone can do it. Maybe it is the length of time I have been taking it and the fact that it has worked well in combination with Sertraline, Buspar and Wellbutrin in keeping my depression under control all these years. I was able to reduce my Sertraline to 50 mgs per day with no problems. As far as Buspar and Wellbutrin I have kept my dosage the same and I think these are a nice balance with Sertraline.
I am here to say that I don’t see anyway to withdraw
from my current dosage of Clonazepam.
I don’t know if it would require going to an addiction clinic and even how they would succeed. It only take one day of dropping my dosage to .5 mg In the morning and and I feel like I am losing my mind.
At the age of 74 I exercise strenuously six days a week and don’t drink or smoke. I don’t have any serious balance issues and my PCP whose practice is entirely seniors sees no need for me to get off it.
If anyone who has been taking the same dose for 30 years has any ideas I would love to hear them. I can’t put my brain through this at this point in my life.
I apologize to any that have viewed my past comments as hypocritical.
I welcome any comments. I am overall healthy for my age with severe hearing loss being my biggest obstacle but I can somewhat address that with hearing aids. I have some arthritis but who doesn’t at my age.
@daveshaw
You need to go off it VERY SLOWLY.
You cut your morning dose by 50%. That's far from slow. I took 18 mg and got off it in two years.
Perhaps if you increase the time between each cut.
Tale care,
Jake
@daveshaw
You need to go off it VERY SLOWLY.
You cut your morning dose by 50%. That's far from slow. I took 18 mg and got off it in two years.
Perhaps if you increase the time between each cut.
Tale care,
Jake
@jakedduck1 I don’t know how old you are or who long you have been taking it along with your dosage.
As I said in my post I am closer to 75 than 74 and have taken 1mg in the morning and 1mg at night for over 30 years.
I don’t want to spend two years of hell getting off but even cutting my morning dose to .5mg with my regular 1mg at night had me climbing the walls.
Maybe someone has a better idea.
Thanks for your input.
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I agree about not getting much help from pharmacists.
The oncologist says ask the pharmacist and the pharmacist says read the medication insert. And this includes many different pharmacists. I get much more valuable information on side effects and hints for reducing side effects from patient forums, medical websites, and medical webinars that provide patients telling their personal stories and real experiences.
Mama, your mentioned tapering dose plan is way too fast. The tapering should be at very low increments over a long period. Example is 10% daily reduction for 6 weeks then another 10% reduction for six weeks. This could take a year or more depending on your current daily dosage.
Print the "Ashton Method" for benzo tapering and take this plan to your doctor. I haven't started tapering yet but the Ashton Method is what I plan to use. The calculations and achieving the small reductions in the pill splitting can be challenging but doable with input from your doctor and pharmacist.
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1 ReactionGabapentin withdrawals are bad.. But Klopenin & Zanaxs Withdrawals are Worse..
I have been on klonopin for 30plus yrs. After my Dr. moved out of the area my new Dr. in the same practice did not want to write a script for it so I went to a neurologist and at that point I had tried to taper down extremely slowly tiny amounts. I was taking 1.5mg at night. He ask me why I wanted off of the medication and I told him my new Dr wouldn't write a script for it. To my surprise he told me there was no reason to get off of it. So I have decided to stay on it. My withdrawals were so painful, it made my body hurt for 5months, at that point I was down to 1/2 mg. I was put on gabapentin 900 mgs that then gave me suicidal thoughts. So my advice is it everyone's option what they want to do. So what i take now at night is 1.5 klonopin, magnesium 500mg. and ramelteon 8mg. I take the magnesium at least 1 hr or more prior to my other meds. God bless
Thank you for letting me know how you’re getting off Clonazepam. So happy for you and gives me hope that I can do the same! I had to up my dose because of insomnia, vertigo, migraines, extreme head pressure and anxiety had gotten worse. I was taking (2) 1 mg pills. I am now down to for instance; 1 today and 2 tomorrow. I do that every other day. Just about to start taking 1 pill everyday. God bless and let me know how you’re doing here forward when you can. ❤️🙏❤️
Have been on klonopin 1mg for sleep for 15+ years. Ran out one night and for the next two nights, it was like hell. Thought I was going psychotic. Knew I had to get off. Went to the doctor (and reading Ashton Manuel) got him to write a taper dose and found a pharmacy (Walgreens) that would compound the drug. I am now coming down at a rate of 5% every 2 weeks. So far it is working well and no withdrawal except minor issues with sleep. At the rate Im going, it will take 7 months to get off of it. My recommendation is, find a doctor that will detox you very slowly and find pharmacy that will compound you dose so your not guessing when your trying to cut pills. Good luck everyone, we are all in the same boat.
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3 Reactions@falon Hello there, this is kind of an old post but I wanted to ask you if you are doing okay with your tappering off process. I have been on Klonopin 0.5 Mg 3 times a day for many years. My nurse practitioner has me trying all kinds of alternative medications such as Pristiq and Cymbalta to help me with the withdrawal symptoms when I start the process. I could not tolerate any of these so I have stopped them. I have not yet started to taper off the Klonopin, however,after reading these posts I am going to suggest to my provider to start by 0.125 mg titration which I believe would be the optimal dosage to safely get off of it. Thank you for your post. I will wait and see if you can answer my question, thanks again.
@falon I have been on this site many times and I have been taking Clonazepam for over 30 years. One mg in the morning and one mg at bedtime.
I have repeatedly said “ If it is not broke why fix it” I am here to tell you that I have tried twice now to taper off cutting back to .5 mg in the mornings and 1mg at night. This is not something my PCP has suggested I do but rather something I tried to do.
I can tell you that at age 74 I don’t know how anyone can do it. Maybe it is the length of time I have been taking it and the fact that it has worked well in combination with Sertraline, Buspar and Wellbutrin in keeping my depression under control all these years. I was able to reduce my Sertraline to 50 mgs per day with no problems. As far as Buspar and Wellbutrin I have kept my dosage the same and I think these are a nice balance with Sertraline.
I am here to say that I don’t see anyway to withdraw
from my current dosage of Clonazepam.
I don’t know if it would require going to an addiction clinic and even how they would succeed. It only take one day of dropping my dosage to .5 mg In the morning and and I feel like I am losing my mind.
At the age of 74 I exercise strenuously six days a week and don’t drink or smoke. I don’t have any serious balance issues and my PCP whose practice is entirely seniors sees no need for me to get off it.
If anyone who has been taking the same dose for 30 years has any ideas I would love to hear them. I can’t put my brain through this at this point in my life.
I apologize to any that have viewed my past comments as hypocritical.
I welcome any comments. I am overall healthy for my age with severe hearing loss being my biggest obstacle but I can somewhat address that with hearing aids. I have some arthritis but who doesn’t at my age.
@daveshaw
You need to go off it VERY SLOWLY.
You cut your morning dose by 50%. That's far from slow. I took 18 mg and got off it in two years.
Perhaps if you increase the time between each cut.
Tale care,
Jake
@jakedduck1 I don’t know how old you are or who long you have been taking it along with your dosage.
As I said in my post I am closer to 75 than 74 and have taken 1mg in the morning and 1mg at night for over 30 years.
I don’t want to spend two years of hell getting off but even cutting my morning dose to .5mg with my regular 1mg at night had me climbing the walls.
Maybe someone has a better idea.
Thanks for your input.
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Helpful -
Hug
1 Reaction