Klonopin taper

I can tell you my story but each person has a different one: number, dosage of meds, length of time on that pharmaceutical (pharmaceutical sounds better than drug, no?)!

I was prescribed 4-5 Clonazapam for a head tremor .. and anxiety because of it!
I wanted to be calm in control, not look like a nervous person.
I became dependent on Clon.... and then I read much later that this drug affects memory and mood!
Was the benefit (no tremor) worth the cost(change in memory and mood)?
I decided I would rather have a tremor than the increasing loss of memory.
It took a few years for me to figure that out!

I am tapering with no help from the prescriber. I went to a doctor who both counsels and prescribes. ( a psychiatrist.)

We are humans. We make mistakes.
Try not to live in the past and live each day the best you can.

Do not be ashamed to seek help. If you find a ‘helper’ who is NOT helping, move on. Do not give up.
Ask a professional whom you respect for a reference: a nurse, a doctor, a behavioral counselor (you might want to try cognitive behavioral therapy CBT. ... psychologists do not prescribe but some consult with an M.D. psychiatrist or neurologist about titration from your pharmaceutical.

Do not give up.
Sounds like a lot of work, doesn’t it?
YOU are WORTH it!
Peace,
Let us know how you are doing.
I have high expectations for you... and for me .. on this journey. We will be surprised by the number of people on the same road!

P.S. you ARE going to get out of that house.
If this nervous Nelly can do it, YOU can and will.
We are waiting to hear about your first step.

Thank you Helen! Thankfully I have met with my new neurologist, and they will definitely take over prescribing my Klonopin and help me taper, according to how I feel. They are familiar with patients who develop tolerance and withdrawals. So I am thankful to have found help. So far, I am two weeks into my big drop from the last doctor. I just have minor tremors off and on, some days hardly at all, some days not too bad. Today, I seem to have slight muscle weakness in my arms and legs. I haven't had any issues with mood so far. I pray it stays that way. I will keep you updated as I go down. Thank you all for listening.

@colleenyoung
Thank you for bringing that to my attention I have absolutely no idea where that came from. When I use the dictation feature it sticks in words in odd words sometimes and that’s what must have happened because I certainly didn’t write that. I guess I better be more diligent about checking whatever I write from now on.
Again thanks for making me aware of this issue.
Jake

@lizaa
Some members have had good success with the liquid taper. Leaving your taper in your neurologists hands may be a good idea but at the first sign of any withdrawal effects I would take it right out of their hands and decrease your taper more slowly. Successful tapers are dependent on several factors. How your body adjust to these tapers is a very individualized process. Some people can stop quickly and never have a problem. That certainly wasn’t the case with me. Your dose, the length of time you’ve been on the medication often factors into the equation. Do you mind sharing what your taper was when you said you tapered slowly?
Jake

@colleenyoung
My updated reply is above. previous response was beyond bizarre even for me.
Jake

Jake Duck 1: I have no knowledge of klonopin caper but your response being beyond “bazaar” even for you (I think you meant “bizarre” is the best laugh of my day!

Phew, Jake. Thanks for explaining.and reposting.

@susu2
Oh good grief, I can’t do anything right.
Thank you for pointing that out I’ll fix that.
Jake

I was planning on going to Costco now but I better put that on hold, I’ll probably get into an accident the way my luck has been running.
There have been people who have had no problem whatsoever getting off Clonopin quickly but I wasn’t one of them. I imagine the massive dose I was taking had something to do with it also. There is a lady here who tapers by 1/2 of 1% a month and she is still having issues so it just goes to show what a difference there is in how people’s bodies react.
I hope this post came out OK I don’t trust myself anymore. @susu2, I need you as my personal proofreader, lol
Jake