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Doctor wants me to taper off meds; I don't understand why
Depression & Anxiety | Last Active: Aug 22 11:24am | Replies (35)Comment receiving replies
@lorraine59
Hi. I know the hell all to well of trying to get off of klonipin. My new Dr. didnt want to prescribe it so i tried to taper off my 1.5 mg klonopin. I have been taking it for at least 34 yrs. From everything i read it said to do it extremely slow so thats what i did, But i still had extremely bad panic attacks, fearfull,hearing voices. Finally i gave up and went to see a neurologist. The first question he asked me was,( So tell me Jody why do you want to stop taking klonopin?) U was shocked! I told him why si he gave me 2 options. I could take Gabapentin and klonipin together then just increase the Gabapentin when i tapered down on the klonopin. Well needless to say i ended up in the hospital because it made me feel suicidal. I called my neurologist and told him about it and he told me to stop the Gabapentin and stay on my klonipin. So i do a tella visit with him every 6 months and he gives me my 6 months refill. I believe there is no benefit to get off of klonipin when you have been on it for as many yrs as i have, 30 plus yrs. So yes you could say that im an addict but if you take any medication your body needs your an addic as well. I feel so,so very sorry for all the people who take their klonopin as their Dr. recommended and then all of a sudden they want you to taper off. The hell with that. Its mental torture. I will be on mine until the day i die. Good luck to everyone. God bless!
Replies to "@lorraine59 Hi. I know the hell all to well of trying to get off of klonipin...."
@kittyjohnson1964 You said it so well. Fortunately I have a Doctor whose practice is entirely seniors like myself. Like you I have taken Klonopin/Clonazepam for over 30 years along with Zoloft, Buspar and Wellbutrin.
I am now 75 and retired but every time I read on this site how terrible Klonopin is my PCP chuckles and tells me to stop looking at the site.
I don’t, drink or smoke and I exercise at least two hours five out of seven times a week. I would probably exercise seven days a week but my partner likes to see me occasionally.
After retiring I cut my Zoloft to 50 mgs a day and added 5mg of daily Cialis. Gone were the sexual side effects.
Many young doctors are black and white regarding the use of Klonopin and don’t see the shades of grey.
I have never increased my dosage of 1mg in the morning and 1mg at bedtime. I sleep great and as she said insomnia is far worse for your health than Klonopin if you don’t abuse it.
Relax people on this site. There are far more things to worry about at our age.
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@kittyjohnson1964 I’m moved by your message because this topic of fear of addiction comes up often. First, it’s good you were able to find the neurologist who understands your needs. Second, the way I see it is that if your body requires a medicine to function properly it’s not addiction in the sense of wanting more and more. We don’t say a diabetic is addicted to insulin. There’s a stigma around needing medication to function but that’s just the reality of certain physical and mental conditions. I’m glad you are getting back to better health.