I have been in Clonazepam 0.5mg TID for 18 years

Hi. Just joined. I've been on btween 2 @ 6 mg a day of Lorazepam for the last 20 years. Heard about all this brain damage and decided to go off it. Also I ran out by a week early the last 2 out of 3 months. My doc switched me to 1.5 mg Klonopin. (It was an abrupt switch and I was involved in that decision) it's been 3 weeks now. I'm having massive panic attacks and way worse anxiety than ever in my life. After a couple of falls, I cannot even go out my front door. Questions: Is the Ashcroft manuel still the gold standard for benzo conversion? And how much longer is this going to last? I don't think I can take it anymore. Final comment: medicine has changed a lot in the last 20 years. I've been trained in the new techniques: music, meditation, deep breathing...and honestly, it just feels hopeless

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,

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.

@arthur57 I am one that sides with the doctors on short term use of these meds. I was on clonazepam for 12 years. One day my psychiatrist told me it was time to start getting off. I kicked n screamed, argued that these meds were "the only thing that worked for me". She wasn't going to budge. I've now been off those meds at least 10 years. It forced me to find other things that worked. And guess what? It was the best thing she ever did was force me off. The change in me was like night n day. My ex was a witness to this. I went from hardly having any energy low mood, to completely different. I had been taking .5 twice a day for 12 years. I did not misuse them.
The longer we take those meds the more our brain convinces us "we need it and it's the only thing that works". I found Marijuana. I then found a stronger form of it called shatter. I now use that to control my anxiety. And now I'd much rather use that most of the time then any pill. If my anxiety does peak really high my doctor will give me a supply of 10 Ativan. That I only get a maximum of twice in one year. I asked for it to be done that way bc of how dependant I got from the clonazepam. Did I get dependant on those meds? I absolutely did and I had no idea that I had.
20 years ago I met a man and I was on those meds still. Well he liked how they made him feel and 20 years later he's still on them saying the exact same thing I said- its the only thing that works. When i met this guy he didn't even have anxiety. Had never taken these meds before. I will forever blame myself that i got him started. And so, I get extremely concerned when I hear people say that. It sounds like something an addict would say. I saw above where a woman said she's tried every other med and nothing else works. Have u tried things that aren't medication?? I dunno just my 2 cents. There are many many other ways to combat anxiety other than medication. Another thing I've discovered is the coldest water u can get outta your sink, let it run for a bit, and then splash it all over the back of your neck. That's another thing that works. There are so many other ways to get through this. Mj doesn't work for everyone but I've seen quite a few replies in fb that agree with me.
I'm extremely happy these doctors are realizing just how detrimental these meds can be.
Ps: yes the withdrawal isn't fun. And yes your brain can go a little crazy. By the time I was off them, 3 months was when everything really settled. Give it time for your brain to settle before u think about giving up. They really mess with your mind.

@missstubborn - So glad you were able to get off of this med. It's addictive, people just don't realize that they are dependent on it, and it doesn't take long before that occurs! In my opinion, it's an absolutely rediculous practicew for any provider to write a script for this terrible Benzo. Younger docs have been taught in medical school that it's crap, based upon what I've learned.

I will say once again, I have 3 physicains in my family and two are the brightest of the bright, both at John Hopkins and one of them told me a couple of years ago - Be your own advocate because I can't believe what I've seen in my profession. The nutty doc that put me on this med had no clue what he was prescribing - absolutely none! Best to you!