1. < Depression & Anxiety

Starting Klonopin Taper, Scared of the Horror Stories

Posted by njp1013 @njp1013, Jan 26, 2020

Hi all- I am expecting to get a plan from my psychiatrist to begin tapering down .5mg of klonopin 2x daily that I have been on for 4 months (I have been taking buspar for a month and hope to use that as my anxiety med, also am on 225 mg effexor daily), the stories on the internet about doing this are horrifying and right now i feel like the prospect of doing this is the #1 cause of my anxiety, feel like I’m getting ready for surgery or something. Has anyone gone thru this process and found it manageable? I need to hear it’s possible. Thanks.

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sears | @sears | Feb 15, 2020
In reply to @njp1013 "@elwooodsdad hi I completely agree taking meds has nothing to do with strength or weakness. I..." + (show)
@njp1013

@elwooodsdad hi I completely agree taking meds has nothing to do with strength or weakness. I don’t want to give the wrong impression or pill shame. I’m trying this because my psych recommends it and also bc I have ocd and my current fixation seems to be klonopin, so if I’m not taking it then I don’t have to worry about it and I think that would help me more than the med does (which it does). if I could take it without worrying about it like I do effexor and buspar id probably keep taking it, but for me and the way my brain works just can’t seem to do that. It’s a net stressor for me. But every body is different and needs to do what makes them ok.

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What exactly do you worry about when taking Klonopin?

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njp1013 | @njp1013 | Feb 15, 2020

@sears my main fear is that I will eventually will have to stop as my psych does not see it as a long term solution. So I am very reluctant to become too comfortable with it.

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1 reply
thankful | @thankful | Feb 15, 2020
In reply to @jimhd "Hi, Jim @thankful I'll be 70 in August and I've been taking Clonazepam since 2016. My..." + (show)
@jimhd

Hi, Jim @thankful

I'll be 70 in August and I've been taking Clonazepam since 2016. My prescription is 1mg at bedtime and a second as needed. I rarely take the second one, mostly if I can't get to sleep. Initially it was for anxiety, and I suppose it's helpful for that, but along the way I found that it has stopped my flailing and kicking, acting out my dreams. It may not be doing anything for my anxiety, but it's really effective for my wife's anxiety. Of all of the meds I've taken, that's one she doesn't want me to stop.

I did try to taper off it a few years ago, cut down from 1mg to.75mg for a week, but decided that I needed sleep more than I wanted to be off Clonazepam.

Jim

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@jimhd- Interesting. It seems that the vast majority of people taking this drug chose to take it in the evening before bed to help them sleep as well. For me I have always taken it in the morning because the daytime was when I experienced my anxiety & panis issues.
I have always sleep well and have been on Cpap therapy for as long as taking Clonazepam. Jim@thankful

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thankful | @thankful | Feb 15, 2020
In reply to @elwooodsdad "Breathing air is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s, cancer, heart disease, and whatever else lurks out..." + (show)
@elwooodsdad

Breathing air is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s, cancer, heart disease, and whatever else lurks out there to escort us off this spinning orb...If medication is working, and absent sure and certain knowledge that taking them under care of a physician that continued use would absolutely cause an avoidable physical/mental issue, I support taking medication. Taking medication responsibly is not a sign of weakness any more than self tapering is a sign of strength. I get that some just have an issue regarding taking pills. They are prescribed for a reason...

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@elwooodsdad- Well said!! Jim@thankful

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1 reply
Ellen | @helenfrances | Feb 15, 2020
In reply to @thankful "@elwooodsdad- Well said!! Jim@thankful" + (show)
@thankful

@elwooodsdad- Well said!! Jim@thankful

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Obesity, lack of exercise, eating food high in cholesterol are often contributors to heart disease.

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Mentor
Jim, Volunteer Mentor | @jimhd | Feb 15, 2020
In reply to @thankful "@jimhd- Interesting. It seems that the vast majority of people taking this drug chose to take..." + (show)
@thankful

@jimhd- Interesting. It seems that the vast majority of people taking this drug chose to take it in the evening before bed to help them sleep as well. For me I have always taken it in the morning because the daytime was when I experienced my anxiety & panis issues.
I have always sleep well and have been on Cpap therapy for as long as taking Clonazepam. Jim@thankful

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Jim @thankful I've taken a daytime pill when I knew something stressful was going on that day.

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sears | @sears | Feb 16, 2020
In reply to @njp1013 "@sears my main fear is that I will eventually will have to stop as my psych..." + (show)
@njp1013

@sears my main fear is that I will eventually will have to stop as my psych does not see it as a long term solution. So I am very reluctant to become too comfortable with it.

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I know EXACTLY how you feel. Fear of the unknown.

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njp1013 | @njp1013 | Feb 16, 2020

Yeah I think for people who are prescribed this for anxiety it’s different than those for insomnia. we are anxious by nature and tend to ruminate. For me going slow and gathering information about how I feel and for how long after a step down helps. Make the unknown more known. some of the withdrawal effects I felt earlier in the week are getting better so that’s a good sign and helps me build confidence that I can do this again.

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thankful | @thankful | Feb 16, 2020
In reply to @jimhd "Jim @thankful I've taken a daytime pill when I knew something stressful was going on that..." + (show)
@jimhd

Jim @thankful I've taken a daytime pill when I knew something stressful was going on that day.

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@jimhd- What I began doing when I would be putting myself into stressful situations such as flying somewhere was to take along a 1 mg. Klonopin pill cut in half for "just in case" anxiety and 95% of the time I didn't use it. I think the fact that my anxiety often shows up when I put myself it situations where I feel I have lost control that just knowing I have a "back-up plan" helps me through those times.
I think this is very common for many that deal with anxiety as I've talked with many that deal with this and I encourage them as well as any of you to fight back and find a simple, but effective solution. Jim@thankful

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