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 | Mar 20, 2020

How is your anxiety level?

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njp1013 | @njp1013 | Mar 20, 2020

Anxiety level has definitely been up this week but I think that has much more to do with all going on in the world than the reduction in meds. It’s been manageable though.

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1 reply
sears | @sears | Mar 20, 2020
In reply to @njp1013 "Anxiety level has definitely been up this week but I think that has much more to..." + (show)
@njp1013

Anxiety level has definitely been up this week but I think that has much more to do with all going on in the world than the reduction in meds. It’s been manageable though.

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Good to hear! I agree that with what’s going on right now are causing people without anxiety disorders to now have one!

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njp1013 | @njp1013 | Mar 20, 2020

Yes it is a challenging time for sure. I’ve made use of every tool I have learned many times in the last week. I’m glad I already have medication and therapy for support.

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sears | @sears | Mar 20, 2020

If you don’t mind my asking what medication are you now taking?

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1 reply
njp1013 | @njp1013 | Mar 20, 2020
In reply to @sears "If you don’t mind my asking what medication are you now taking?" + (show)
@sears

If you don’t mind my asking what medication are you now taking?

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Effexor 225 mg/day, buspar 20 mg/day and klonopin .25 mg/day

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Ellen | @helenfrances | Mar 20, 2020
In reply to @njp1013 "@helenfrances thank you for the encouragement! I’m on day 6/10 of my second cutdown, now taking..." + (show)
@njp1013

@helenfrances thank you for the encouragement! I’m on day 6/10 of my second cutdown, now taking .5mg/day split into two doses, so far it has all been manageable, there is some increase in anxiety for me but mainly just in the mornings when my cortisol levels are high, thank you for the kind words and your inspirational story! it means a lot!

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njp:
Let us know how you are doing. This is a time of stress, but we are strong.
I think of our ancestors who came to this country and built a new world.
Carry on! We are stronger than we sometimes know💪 helen

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Ellen | @helenfrances | Mar 20, 2020
In reply to @njp1013 "Hi all, I saw my psych yesterday and he wants me to continue to hold at..." + (show)
@njp1013

Hi all, I saw my psych yesterday and he wants me to continue to hold at .5 mg/day. Not really sure how I feel about that but I promised myself I would follow his advice. he said sometime in the next two months try another cut but there is no rush and that it’s not a race or a challenge. He also said at that low of a dose the klonopin isn’t really doing much for me and that it’s mostly placebo. so anyway that’s where it stands, I’ll probably give .25 mg a try before the end of March. it seems like the plan is cut, hold, adjust, recover and when I feel strong enough repeat. So I guess I’m ok with that.

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nj,
How are you doing?
I bet you are adjusting well to the 2 halves. I have to admit that I took an extra 1/2 on one or two occasions. Now strictly 2 halves a day. Some days I only take one half!.. and find the second half in my pill case.
A pill case is a great tool... available in some version from pharmacies. I have a small case which has a plastic container for each day of the week.
Each day is divided into
Morning
Noon
Evening
Bed

They may also be available on line.
————————————————————
This titration down made me realize that I looked for medication when I was anxious.
I am looking forward to seeing a new doctor who treats anxiety. He is very thorough and contacted the doctor who prescribed Clonazepam. 👏🏼
Keep us posted.
You have a plan!! Hooray 🙏

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1 reply
njp1013 | @njp1013 | Mar 21, 2020
In reply to @helenfrances "nj, How are you doing? I bet you are adjusting well to the 2 halves. I..." + (show)
@helenfrances

nj,
How are you doing?
I bet you are adjusting well to the 2 halves. I have to admit that I took an extra 1/2 on one or two occasions. Now strictly 2 halves a day. Some days I only take one half!.. and find the second half in my pill case.
A pill case is a great tool... available in some version from pharmacies. I have a small case which has a plastic container for each day of the week.
Each day is divided into
Morning
Noon
Evening
Bed

They may also be available on line.
————————————————————
This titration down made me realize that I looked for medication when I was anxious.
I am looking forward to seeing a new doctor who treats anxiety. He is very thorough and contacted the doctor who prescribed Clonazepam. 👏🏼
Keep us posted.
You have a plan!! Hooray 🙏

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Hi helen actually I’ve only been on one half now for about ten days but we will see might go back to two halves. This lockdown is rough stuff but I’m hanging in there. Good to hear that you are doing well!

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njp1013 | @njp1013 | Mar 21, 2020

Also I really miss the days where my klonopin taper was my #1 concern 🙄

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