Klonopin taper

Hello all. It's been 4 days that I am weaning myself off klonopin. I've been on it firc18 years 1.5 mg everyday.. any advice for withdrawals

It's definitely something to do with medical supervision. Unlike tapering off the SSRI's which will make you miserable but isn't dangerous....tapering off benzos can be dangerous. It's very unpredictable and there doesn't seem to be any real correlation to length of time used or dosage....

Hi guys. I need help also. I have been on Klonpin for 30 years. At this time I am on .75 mg. I have a very hard situation at home. I have a bi-polar 2 daughter that is under mental help that I am supporting while raising her two girls. My husband also suffers from the mood disorders which has caused me much anxiety over the years. Recently, my daughter went on a mania high and took 20 of my klonpins. For two weeks I had to go on half doses and it has about killed me. My doctor said there was nothing he could do about it. I have an appointment with him today to discuss getting off this med. I have not had over 4 hours sleep in the past 1/1/2 weeks. My husband takes trazadone at night. I was wondering if there was someone that is on trazadone and something else besides Klonpin to control the anxiety. I feel like crap today and I have so much to do. What do we do?

Hello @imabamagal and welcome to Mayo Connect

I appreciate that you shared your story with us. It does sound like you have a lot on your plate right now with many responsibilities. I can certainly understand that you need to sleep well at night in order to keep up with your busy schedule.

Trazodone is an antidepressant medicine (non addictive) and is primarily prescribed for sleep issues. Here is an article about it from Everyday Health website,

https://www.everydayhealth.com/drugs/trazodone. If you click on the link you can learn more about Trazodone.

Here is a link to another article from the National Institute of Health regarding Trazodone,
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMHT0012504/
Many of our Members on Connect have used it for sleep and have also used it when coming off addictive meds.

Have you ever had a sleep study done to determine if you might have another problem contributing to insomnia?

I'm a tapering off Effexor and klonopin kinda gal right now....so I can only tell you what has been suggested to me...but not tried. I'm not aware of any true anti-anxiety drugs that work better than a good ol benzo...or bad ol benzo. Valium has a longer half-life than klonopin (which is why it is sometimes used to help people who are having problems getting off klonopin)...but it is still a controlled substance like klonopin. Your MD might be able to write a prescription for a different dosage of klonopin if the problem is getting it filled without looking like you are med-seeking and getting caught up in the FDA compliance web; however, if the MD isn't willing to write the scrip, then they might be uncomfortable with how much you are taking -- but it is worth an ask.

In my case, we are considering both Wellbutrin and Trazodone if I need something once I've tapered off. Trazodone will help you sleep but I don't know how it affects anxiety. Wellbutrin has a reasonable reputation as an antidepressant with some anti-anxiety effects. But as I'm sure you know - every person reacts differently.

Teresa, I have a generalized anxiety disorder that runs in my family. The bi-polar and mood disorders are in my husband's family. All my siblings are on some kind of Benzo for it, even my 88 year old dad that still works his farm. But none of us have an addictive nature, we have never took more than our recommended dosage. But I am nervous about the new regulations on benzos and I really do not crave it, I just know if I do not take it, all hell is going to break loose. I have the panic attacks, my heart races so hard, I can feel it in the top of my head and I have been know to hyperventilate if it is a bad episode. I just wish I had never been put on it, I was unaware of what it was doing to me.

YoungSally, I have tried so hard all these years to stay away from anti-depressants. I have seen my daughter on many. Unfortunately, I did not mention, I have to dispense all her meds to her and keep them locked up as she will not take them correctly. That is another thing in my plate that I would rather not have to do. I am not sure if I want to take them, I'm not a fan and I am aware that Trazadone is a type of antidepressant, so I am on the fence on that.

@imabamagal

I understand, just a little, where you are coming from. I have an elderly relative who like you has had a generalized anxiety disorder all of her adult life. Well, at age 90, two years ago, her PCP decided to take her off the benzo that she had been taking for many, many years. It resulted in a real meltdown for her and I had her hospitalized in order to get her meds in order. She was prescribed a small dose of Remeron and Risperdal, just at bedtime. The psychiatrist also allowed her just a smidgen of a benzo that she could take at night if the other two were not helping her sleep.

Have you considered consulting with a psychiatrist regarding the change in meds from the benzos to a different type of med? A good psychiatrist (who is well-versed in meds for anxiety disorders) might be able to help you more than a PCP.

If you are comfortable doing so, please keep in touch and let me know how you are doing.

Yikes, your situation sounds incredibly challenging! I hate to mention the dreaded word “Effexor” but that medication has worked really well for anxiety for me. Lexapro is another anti-depressent that has good data as an anti anxiety med. Also Buspar can provide relief for people. There are also meds called alpha and beta blockers... run these by your doc and see what he or she says. From a lifestyle perspective I found that exercise and meditation can also work well.

Sounds like you definitely have a lot on your plate...and it's unfortunate that you can't trust your daughter around certain types of medications...when one sees that, whether as an adult or kid, it can certainly make you want to stay away or at least be leery.

It took me awhile to get used to taking an antidepressant....but after 20 years...my therapist thinks that I'm not getting (and may not need) their support any longer. I tend to agree with her...especially since I'm down to 37.5mg of Effexor from 150mg in early August, largely without any issues.

Today was probably my worst day - terrible headache, nausea, dizziness-- and I've been on my current dose for 10 days or so. I don't know if it is allergies, that I couldn't sleep at ALL last night (slept about 90 mins before I had to take the train to a meeting at 1:30)...or if it was the heat in NYC today....but I finally had a day where I wanted to just hit myself with a hammer and sleep it off. A/C helped cool me down and I was fine having a detailed financial discussion with a CFO...so I'm happy I wasn't a cognitive mess....I just hope today was an aberration and not the start of the hard part of the taper. But I see the psychiatrist for a follow-up tomorrow and my therapist on Friday....so I'll certainly have a lot of feedback and insight - particularly from my therapist who has been away for a month so it will be our first in person session since I started on the taper.