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

@jeWssupman
Wow, that is a truly interesting story. What a gift to have such reprieve and get off meds without much difficulty I live in Maine where winters are long and brutal and enough. Vit. d hard to get then.
Your story points out how eveone is so different in what works for them, My story is so different. I don;t know how old you are, but I am1 81 and and clo. is not recommended for the elderly, but was given it anyway without knowing that in that in the first place.
After a month I developed a tolerance for it and began to wake with severe tremors and nausea and fear and called 988 which help talk me down and calm we some what. Also believe I developed rebound activity where the symptons are worse that the original ones.
I'm on .25 twice a day and do not want to go up, so I am seeking a provider that can taper me off and have yet to find them. They can put you on it but not take you off it, most of them I have found.
I have looked in detox but the "comfort" meds seem very strong to mr who am sensitive to a lot of medications. Has any one had experience of getting off clon. and how they did they do it and how did they feel in the process and did it hold?
I am interested in following your story, so please do keep us posted.
I am glad we have this outlet as it is hard to find people who know about this..
I wish you all the best.

I was introduced to benzodiazepines young in life and being in my 70's today, there wasn't much information about them and no one worried about using this drug, certainly not the doctors. I managed to stop taking them on several occasions and not by using another medication but rather suffering for a while with the withdrawal effects. I suffered my whole life from anxiety and PTSD but therapy never really addressed the issues. I'm referring to the old days when help was limited, in today's world we had many, many more options to choose from but I'm not really sure if this is a benefit in the long run, people stay in therapy for years and often remain troubled, the search for better options is neverending and can truly eat away at your joy in living life to the fullest... my other concern is the vast amount of drugs out there and all of them giving you hope to feel better but it doesn't really ever happen, perhaps for a while but it just never really ends. I think from my own experience that I have never been entirely satisfied with my life and all the changes that keep coming up, we never really get cured from mental and physical turmoil so we keep on searching for help and we forget about living our lives the best way we can. I also know that we get manipulated by the system including Pharma bringing out newer and better options but it's just a business that taps into our vulnerability. It just shocked me as a victim of this ongoing cycle that there isn't a cure or even an ending to this rollercoaster other than to step back and just accept what we have and pray for the best outcome so we can really focus on the good things that life has to offer, it's just my thoughts about the rut I fell into and I hope that others can do the same or in other words, "stop the madness ' Amen.

It is important to recognize everybody has different experiences.
On myself, cold turkey off of Klonopin in February of last year. And it has been an absolute nightmare.
I didn't want to continue taking it as I noticed that I wanted to take more than my original prescription which was 27 years ago. I felt like I was completely dependent and was anxious about wanting more.
But I didn't speak with a doctor about it, and I understand the repercussions of that awful decision.
Here I am 13 months later and still struggling.
My heart goes out to anyone that is experiencing this type of frustration.

@frouke
I appreciate your message. And I very much align with what you're saying.
I am currently in therapy twice a week, and it has been helpful.
I've been willing to really take a long hard look at myself, and Address issues that I have kept hidden away due to ignorance (not understanding that certain things weren't my fault), and shame.
I'm also in a relationship with someone who is willing to practice communication and move through triggers and fear. When you find a partner that is willing to do that, it is almost a miracle.
I've attached the oil painting that I did a few years ago representing my personal trauma.
It depicts standing in the shadows and seeing the light through the trees, but not knowing how to step into it.
I pray that you'll find Personal peace.

@shauna1, Thank you so much for your kindness and depth of insight, it truly means a lot to me, your picture is very inspiring to me and depicts my inner self very closely, Frouke 🌷

@shauna1 Love the painting. Hope you continue to resolve issues that will bring you peace. It truly helps to have understanding people surrounding you. 💕

@shauna1 It is my understanding that it is easier for some to come off of Benzos than others. Jordan Peterson is a good example. He did all the right things titration etc. and still became seriously ill. I don't know what his present condition is, but last I heard, it was not good. I'm sure you know it is not recommended to go off cold turkey. Is there a reason you decided to go that route? No judgement here, just wondering. I was originally prescribed clamazapam with trazadone for sleep issues. I had to titrate myself off of the trazadone because I was getting increasing panic attacks. Coming off of these types of drugs can be torture no matter the method.

@gunshy I've been taking Clonazepam 1mg twice a day for 20+ years. I've never increased it from the original prescription. I spoke recently with my psychiatrist about tapering off it, and she was going to speak with the pharmacist about the best way, probably switching to Valium, which is easier to titrate from. I'm considering a treatment that requires no benzodiazepine for 36 days. It also requires that I stop Buproprion, which I've been taking for 20 years @ 450mg. I'm concerned about stopping both of them because I don't want to regress to the depth of depression I was in 20 years ago. We'll see what I end up doing about the meds, wondering if I can replace them with something else temporarily. Clonazepam is very difficult and slooow to taper off, though maybe not so difficult at .25mg. Good luck with the transition.

Jim

@nannybb Hi.
As I stated, in my original statement, I thought I was becoming physically dependent having no idea I already was.
I also knew by then that benzo's along with several other medication's can Hasen dementia. I have worked with clients that have dementia and that disease is so heartbreaking. (I understand there's so many other chronic diseases that are heartbreaking as well, but to see families suffer so much up close...)
And at that time, honestly, I did not understand how damaging a benzo is.
So completely ignorantly I just stopped taking it.
Believe me if I had of understood the damage a cold turkey does, I would've titrated. But again, I was completely ignorant.
So, here I am.
And it has been difficult. I would tell anyone that had any questions to definitely titrate over a long period of time.
My central nervous system is really damaged. And I imagine it's gonna take a couple of years more before I'll heal.
But I do believe that I will heal.

@shauna1 I had the same problem with percocet. After I got married I went on birth control. I already had a history of migraines. Birth control pills magnified my headaches unbearably. So after trying several different birth control pills, the doctors thought trying to find a "fix" for the migraines would be better. Problem was, the headache were almost every day. I was working for Kaiser in OBGYN at the time, and narcotics were not viewed as harshly as today. I knew I was in trouble when I was at the point of taking three in one dose. I was very close to my chiropractor. He was able to help me go off of them, but he did the cold turkey trick. I caught pneumonia from the ordeal. Not sure how that happened, but that was my body's reaction. So, I know how horrible it can be coming off of most any scheduled drug. I love your view on healing. That puts you way ahead of the process for sure. You go!