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Replies to "I do not want to withdraw from Clonazepam (Klonopin) I have been on it for over..."
Depression & Anxiety | Last Active: Apr 2, 2023 | Replies (547)
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Replies to "I do not want to withdraw from Clonazepam (Klonopin) I have been on it for over..."
For @lorraine59. I can understand what you are going through because I have myself been through a Klonopin taper 4 years ago, and failed. I was on Klonopin 1 mg [plus many antidepressants] for about 2 years. Then my psychiatrist prescribed Venlafaxine 75mg/150 mg for three weeks. It did not suit me at all and my anxiety increased to an extent that I became suicidal. I took the decision to stop Venlafaxine Cold Turkey AGAINST the advice of my doctor. That saved my life. But the withdrawal from Venlafaxine was so severe that I had to increase my dosage of Klonopin to 2 mg. That helped me to gradually return to normalcy. Then I thought that I could reduce Klonopin to 1 mg, which was my earlier dosage. It was a very slow taper--0.25 mg every 2 weeks. The first taper of 0.25mg went off well. but when I started the second taper, I began experiencing severe anxiety and restlessness. After a few days, my doctor restored the dosage of 2mg/day of Klonopin, but he also had to increase my antidepressant dosage to bring me back to normalcy. Four years later, I am still on 2mg/day Klonopin. I am prepared to continue it for the rest of my life.
Therefore, since you have taken a dosage of 6 mg/day of Klonopin for 30 years, I am not sure why your doctor is insisting on tapering it now. I am not sure if it is safe for you. I don't know how old you are; the safest thing may be to continue Klonopin indefinitely, because tapering it might result in a great deal of suffering. But then I am not a doctor who can prescribe anything for you. All I am doing is sharing my experience with you. The final word in the matter probably belongs to a qualified psychiatrist. Hope this helps. God bless you.