I have been in Clonazepam 0.5mg TID for 18 years
My psychiatrist retired and I was left to find a replacement. It seems there are a majority of nurse practitioners these days taking patients as providers, many do not take insurance. I found a nurse practitioner with a very good educational background. I saw her in person and she renewed the medications I was in for 6 months. Next month we had a zoom meeting and she told me she wanted me off the Ambien and Clonazepam because I would get dementia or Alzheimer’s with long term use. She insisted I start tapering against my will. I had school phobia in grade school, began having depression symptoms in my 20’s, and in my late 20’s had two major panic attacks. I have been depressed with anxiety most of my adult life. I have been hospitalized twice because of this. I have never asked for an increase in dosage of Ambien or Clonazepam fur 18 years after I found a wonderful psychiatrist who was so good at medication management.
Now, tapering Ambien and Clonazepam I have started self mutilating by picking my fingers raw until they bleed. I can’t sleep at night, I have become socially phobic. I have become isolative and often think of suicide with no plan. I am 73 years old and I think it is so cruel to put me through this when all I want is to have quality of life, not quantity. I live with my husband in adult senior living which I have not adjusted to. Taking these meds away has decreased my desire to exercise and my endurance is decreasing. My new provider told me if I didn’t want to taper my medication that I should find a new one provider. I did manage to taper the Ambien but I am down to half of the Clonazepam and feel like I can’t go on. Please help me. I am on Paxil and Wellbutrin for depression but it is anxiety and insomnia making my life miserable. I am not the same person I was a year ago.
I feel miserable, she has destroyed any quality of life I had. I really don’t want to live anymore.
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@skeast Thank You. hope yo have a blessed day this Sunday
@frouke Good luck. Unfortunately they take 4-6 weeks to start working but I am sure you will find the right combination.
Good luck to you.
@daveshaw Thank you 😊
@jeanne51 Are you seeing a psychiatric nurse practitioner? Neither my PCP nor PNP have suggested stopping Clonazepam 1mg bid that I've been taking for 20 years. But I might have to taper off the Clonazepam to have TMS treatments, and the PNP said the pharmacist would help, probably by switching to Valium to make the titration - it's easier to titrate from Valium because of dosage availability. Maybe you've already resolved this. If so, would you mind sharing how you did?
Jim
@joseph1963
I have General Anxiety and major clinical depression and have been taking Lexapro 10 mg for 5 years now and it's helped.
Along with 1 mg Klonopin a day when the Anxiety grabs and won't let go.
However this week, my Lexapro has seemed to fail me and I've fallen into a depression this week ( and not situational ar all).
Just a paralyzing cloud where I don't (can't) even make myself a cup of tea.
Curious about what your experience is with depression / anxiety?and Lexapro ?