Klonopin taper

Hi Linda, welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect.

When did you start your tapering off? There is a lot of good information in this group but remember to be cautious and always follow advice from your physician on tapering off any medication.

Have you suffered any of the side effects yet?

I have been on .5 mg of Klonopin for 5 years now. I want to taper off. I usually take it before bed each night, I didn't take it last night and I didn't really feel and symptoms until I got sweaty and kinda sick to my stomach tonight. Approximately 48 hours later. I was going to try taking one every other night for a few weeks and then a half of one every other night for a few weeks then try to go longer with it until eventually I dont take it anymore. Thoughts or suggestions? I am getting kinda scared after reading some of these posts.

It's a not unreasonable goal - but you have to see how you feel...but note that some people can have potentially dangerous reactions/withdrawals even from a relatively small dose. If possible, I would at least make certain that your prescriber knows that you plan to taper off - so that they can be alert for any bad reactions.

Thank you, I will discuss it with her at my next appointment.

I started with a dosage of 200mg of quetiapine at night and 200xr during supper. I started tapering the nighttime medication at a rate of 50 mg every two weeks until I was completely tapered off this dosage . Then I stared tapering the quetiapine xr at a rate of 50 mg every two months. I am now only on 50 mg of quetiapine at supper. I also take 0.5 mg of clonazepam twice a day. I missed a few dosages of clonazepam a week ago and noticed difficulty sleeping at night. I also am having difficulty falling asleep and I am waking up earlier than I used to ( around 6: am ). I have had about 5 hours of sleep during the past two days instead of my regular 8 hours. Everything was going smoothly until I forgot taking the pills at night. I am following this tapering schedule from my psychiatrist.

Hi, @linda66 - that is wise that you got this tapering schedule from your psychiatrist and that you are trying to taper off the clonazepam and the quetiapine one at a time.

Hoping members discussing clonazepam here, like @mel6415 @thankful @beatester @imabamagal @gman007 and others may have some insights for you as you navigate the tapering process with both medications.

Wondering if your psychiatrist is planning to put you on different medications after these tapers or move to another type of treatment?

I will only start tapering the clonazepam once I finish the quetiapine taper. I probably will start next year depending on how this quetiapine taper goes. Actually this is the third medication that I have tapered since November 2017 after I came out of the hospital in October. It is a long story , but I went there since I was unable to sleep which was caused by severe back pain. Instead they put me on several different medications and didn't treat the pain. ( trazadone 50 mg, quetiapine 200mg, quetiapine xr 200mg , clonazepam 1mg and tramazapam. As well as baclofen and naproxen. They even suggested that I try ECT to treat my depression and misdiagnosed me with manic depression. During this time the doctors continued to increase the dosages to the point that it will take me at least two years to completely taper off these medications. As well they never discussed any of the negative side effects of these drugs with me before they increased the medications.

Wow! Sounds like you are a very strong person to be able to have tapered off what you have so far. Regardless of the medicine it seems like getting off of them is so hard. In regards to the clonazepam - I am currently taking 3mg. & this is the lowest dose I have ever been on for the 25+years I have been on benzos. I have tried to get off of them 3 times in the past 10 years to go in-patient & taper down. They tapered me down WAY TOO FAST every time - 7-14 days total. The last time was in 2015 & I was on 5mg. of clonazepam & went in-patient and they took me off in less than 14-days. DON'T DO IT THIS FAST! I know you are only on 1mg., but you need benzo. withdrawal is the absolute worst & can cause mental psychosis.
Google "The Ashton Taper" & look at the taper schedule for clonazepam. This is a "substitute taper" where valium is used to taper down the dose. Or do a "gradual taper" by .125mg. every 2-3 weeks, stop 1-week, then continue.
I am about to start a taper & my psychiatrist and I TOGETHER decided that I am going to taper .125mg. every 3-weeks, then go 1-week with no changes, then continue. It is going to take me about a year & a half to get off of them completely. This is completely fine with me, because considering I have been on them for over 25+ years & have been through the 3 "fast-tapers" that resulted in horrible withdrawal I would not do it any other way!
Wishing you the best of luck!

Same to you with your tapering schedule. I will mention the Ashton taper to my psychiatrist during my next appointment with him.

Make sure you have the care of your physician. My internist knows that I am tapering down. I am still....after months at .5mg at bedtime. I have had a bit of an upset with my health, so am not going to taper down again until I get that figured out. I just don't need to deal with the added stress. While I am quite sure that the .5mg of klonopin is doing nothing for me but keeping the withdrawals at bay, I am not strong enough emotionally to withstand the withdrawals. But at least I know how my body reacts so it won't be so scary. The L-theanine has actually helped and I am sleeping very well now. In fact, sleeping too much due to wonky blood issues. But, it shouldn't be a horrible thing and should be able to get back on track with a taper within a few months. I do need a meniscus repair, so there will be that. Maybe when I am down for a few weeks after that. I don't know. But I do know that going down .5mg at a time is way too much. And every two weeks is way too fast. I'll have to do .125mg for at least a month. When I get down to .25mg I will feel ecstatic. But, that may not happen for a while. I'm not pushing it and I don't think anyone should. If you have depression, panic disorder or anxiety disorder then do not do it alone. And make sure that you are under the watchful eye of a physician. One who is well informed. Be careful. Let us know how you do.