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My psychiatrist wants to switch me from Ativan 1 mg to clonazepam .5 .
Has anyone psychiatrist switched them from Ativan to clonazepam to taper off? I have been on Ativan since February and I’m worried about side effects so I want to take a walk. He says it would be easier for me to take off if I switch to the clonazepam. Has anyone ever had this experience? How did it work out?
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@jimhd
Dear Jim,
Praying for you that you find just the right way for you to taper off those meds and have no return of the depression. I think what I have been having is paradoxical response where the meds make the situation worse. I don't feel calm on them just shaky and sick to my stomach three hours after taking them at night. Still have not found a tapering plan I am comfortable with.
I am super sensitive and am concerned that switching to Valium may throw things off kilter as I'm 81 and my metabolism is slower. This is the Ashton method which has been successful for many. You can find the document on line. I printed the whole thing out. On the other hand getting off clon. is difficult because it is hard to get smaller doses which may require shaving off bits and weighing them or going to a liquid. If anyone out there has done either one, please let me know how it went.
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1 Reaction@jimhd I have posted before that much like you I have been taking 1mg twice a day of clonazepam for over 30 years. That along with Sertraline, Buspar and Wellbutrin has enabled me to have a very successful sales career and a nice retirement.
Every time I get my yearly physical I talk with my PCP about my use of Clonazepam. The answer is always the same. It is a big “ Why” I tell her about this site and she says to stop reading the horror stories. Everyone is different. I don’t drink or smoke and exercise six days a week. Her practice is entirely senior citizens and there are people she has to take off clonazepam because they refuse to quit drinking or because they start to increase their dosage.
I am speaking only for myself when I say depression is something you are born with and all the talk therapy is not going to make it go away. It is inherited from someone in your family. In my case it was my mother and she chose to self medicate with alcohol. She lived a very troubled and sad life and I chose not to do that once depression started to rear its ugly head. Find what combination of medications work and stick with them. My first psychiatrist always told me “ If it isn’t broke don’t fix it” Every time try to fix it I realized how terrible it was falling back in that black hole of depression. I still have some bad days as everyone does but overall I am very happy with my life.
Just realize you suffer from depression or anxiety like others suffer from other diseases and rather than curse big pharma think what it must have been like before they made all their breakthroughs.
I also struggle with hearing loss and I am so grateful for all the advances in hearing aid technology.
Things could be so much worse.
Good luck to everyone and listen to your PCP. There are good ones out there. You just have to find the right one. I will be 75 years old soon and just want to enjoy the time I have and live in the moment. I hope you all do as well.
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9 ReactionsI’m in agreement that depression is never cured, it’s a life long illness and the best we can hope for is to find helpful therapy to cope but also the right medication, that makes all the difference for a better life. I realize from my own experiences as well as reading about others that it’s not always easy to find what works best for you but you keep trying because it’s really all you can do, I don’t want to read stories about the dangers that our medications can cause because it’s very damaging to our survival, everything comes with positive sides and also negative side but this is how it works in our lives, until someone finds a better solution to help us live our lives better we must do whatever it takes to keep moving forward.
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2 Reactions@nannybb
Thank you.
I have a great affection of sorts for people that have suffered like this.
We tend to be sensitive souls, and so to be kind and supportive is so important. 🩷
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4 Reactions@frouke Sadly 😥 I am a professional Peer Recovery Advocate due to the fact I have first and second hand experience in addiction and mental health. There are so many different keys to chemical dependency.. First and foremost it depends on why your stopping the Benzo whether your doing it on your own choosing/Want to Stop taking it or being forced too.. Also matters why ur taking it in the first place is it just to get high or do you need it for severe CPTSD and Panic disorder like myself I take a .5 mgclonazapam and break it in half which makes it a .25 mg only when im having a actual panic attack its better than the equivalent of Ativan I believe anyways and the best thing u can do if u actually need them is to get put on prazosin
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1 Reaction@daveshaw I dont think you understand that 90% of doctors now are pulling people off because its a narcotic and its not like people can just go find the doctor that will give it to them they will get flagged
I just saw someone post klonopin (clonazepam) is a narcotic. As far as I know, from research, it is a scheduled IV drug and thus not a narcotic. Has something changed recently? It CAN be addictive, that is for sure. Please correct me if I am wrong.
@britneydoeseverythin My PCP has an entirely 55 plus practice and she is never worried about getting flagged.
Opioids are the problem not Benzo’s. I have not heard anyone overdosing on benzo’s. Have you.
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2 Reactions@britneydoeseverythin I'm sorry. Is it you that is stating clonazepam is a narcotic? Looking it up, I find it to be a scheduled IV and thus not a narcotic. Has something recently changed? I know it is difficult to find a doctor who will prescribe it. I take a low dose for the sleep problem I have from fibromyalgia. Can you clarify here you got your information? Thank you.
@nannybb, you are correct, benzodiazepines are not a narcotic, pain killers like opioids or fentanyl are narcotics. The problem is that the people who are addicted to pain meds are in serious danger when they mix their medication with benzodiazepines, it’s proven to be a lethal combination, in my opinion this one of the main reasons why they started going after benzodiazepines, there’s so many drugs that are addictive and used for hundreds of ailments, it’s all a manipulation by the pharmaceutical industry.