Doctor wants me to taper off meds; I don't understand why

After some research, I found this forum, a safe place to connect with people, who are living with the same anxiety, panic, and depression I experience.on a daily basis.But this post left me in tears! @jakedduck1 unless you have actually experienced how debilitating these attacks are, you cannot say they that they are irrational, because they are to us.As for treatment, 2 years of seeing a Physiologist,the coping skills I was taught only helped me while in his office. I also did not mean to initiate a debate over who has had more traumatic experiences in their lifetime As to .my addiction to alcohol, I thought I dealt with many decades ago,and I now feel the same shame and guilt I feel now dealing with Clonazepam taper,. My prayer for you is that you take into consideration that if you have not gone through the paralyzing fear that those of us suffer, you give a great deal of thought before posting something that makes me feel more shame about .being drug addict,as well, because I cannot seem to cope! I apologize if this sounds harsh, but after letting this post sink into my brain for days, I have debated deleting this group!

@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!

@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.

@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!

@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.

@daveshaw Thank you for that very good advice. My worry is not necessarily for me but for so many others who suffer because of plain common sense. Any MD should know what a person would go thru after being taken off of klonipin after 30yrs. They worry to much about their careers and not the patient.

Hi @lorraine59: you'll notice that I modified the title of this discussion to "Doctor wants me to taper off meds; I don't understand why" This title distinguishes the discussion from the other discussions about depression and anxiety, and will bring people into the conversation who have faced similar situations.

it sounds like you know if your heart that turning to alcohol is not a healthy or sustainable coping mechanism. You ask a very wise question: "why taper off this drug if it is working for you?" and really only your doctor can answer that question. I encourage you to make an appointment as soon as possible to discuss this with your doctor and let him know how you are feeling. Be honest and tell him the strategies that you are relying on to get you through this and that you don't like it. Keep asking questions until you understand why he thinks tapering off is important. Then work together to find a way to manage your anxiety that works for you. Are you able to make an appointment with him soon? Can you take someone with you to be a second set of ears?

@kittyjohnson1964 Yes they do worry about their careers and not their patients. I asked my PCP who treats only seniors if she worries about the scrutiny. She said just what you said. Her patients health comes first.
That being said if her patients are trying to up their prescriptions or drink alcohol which doesn’t mix well with Klonopin she gives them two options. Don’t increase your dosage and stop drinking. Otherwise find another doctor.
Ironically the study many doctors rely on to justify not prescribing Klonopin also goes on to say how bad insomnia is for many people as they age.
You and I can continue to get a good nights sleep, exercise and eat right. At 75 I am doing just fine.
I wish you the best.

The benzo I was taking did not do the things that the BP med Lisinopril is doing. I am not functioning well with it as about all I do now is sit and stare. My theory is if it is not broke why fix it?
One plus is once my adult children learned of a BP med they all stopped by on Thanksgiving which had not happened in nearly 10 years.
I realize doctors are concerned about physical health and are trained to prescribe. They are plagued with new guidelines. Enough to drive some away possibly. Longevity seems to be the priority. Choice is mine. All I know is the BP med has me grounded for now. I won’t tell my kids that though. By late afternoon I start to feel alive again. Hoping my body/mind will adapt. Never had this side effect with a benzo PRN. Maybe my brain can rewire.
Sorry talking in circles. This med has me on the road to Dementia for now. 🙁

I'm sorry to hear that you don't feel like drawing, @parus. You might want to check with your doctor or pharmacist before you increase the dosage again. You are just very sensitive to these changes and you might need longer at a lower dose before you increase it again. Take care and I hope you are able to pick up your pencil and draw again soon.