1. < Depression & Anxiety

Klonopin taper

Posted by dawgbone @dawgbone, Jul 31, 2017

I have been on some kind of benzo for almost 40 yrs. I am trying to taper from 1.5-2 mgs of klonopin daily . Began in mid may 2017 and my last cut was very small on 7-2-17 to get to 1mg. Honestly feels like i am dying. I also take trazodone 75 mgs and 4 drugs for high blood pressure. I have been researching gabapentin and seroquel to help with the withdrawal symptons. Please offer any suggestions or help. I am 69 yrs old and cant even leave my house to visit my kids and grands. Thank you for any help!

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g0ldengirl1952 | @g0ldengirl1952 | Apr 1, 2023
In reply to @jakedduck1 "@g0ldengirl1952 Hello Denise, Of course everyone is different but if you are just starting your taper..." + (show)
@jakedduck1

@g0ldengirl1952
Hello Denise,
Of course everyone is different but if you are just starting your taper it's easier to taper a larger percentage. But chances are high as you continue at one quarter less my bet is you will be suffering withdrawal effects. If I were you I'd cut them into eighths. If you continue on the path your on and have any withdrawals increase it unti the withdrawal effects disappear and decrease your taper even more.
I tapered off Klonopin without any effects until my taper was almost over. I then chipped off smaller and smaller pieces that stopped the effects until I was off.
I was taking much more than you for seizures. My taper lasted over two years.
But what difference does it make how long it takes as long as your doing so safely, regularly and avoiding withdrawal symptoms.
I was glad to see your reductions are once a month.
Ideally using a compounding pharmacy and reducing by 5-10% so the percentage of medicine is consistent. The percentage when cutting pills changes month to month and can be significant.
Wishing you a withdrawal free taper,
Jake

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Hi Jake, I had done this 2 summers ago and I think I went to fast, had to because my doctor was deciding for me, but now I'm deciding for me.

The 1/4 works very good, I just went a month with no ill effects, but I felt unsure going down to .5 so I'll stay another month at .75 mg and see how I feel at that point end of April.

What is a compounding pharmacy Jake? I'm guessing you mean can they give me .5 tablets, but the pharmacies here don't go lower than ,5 size. I need to get a pill-cutter, that's for sure.

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1 reply
reese1 | @reese1 | Apr 1, 2023
In reply to @sears "In all my years of benzo use, withdrawal and research have I ever come across a..." + (show)
@sears

In all my years of benzo use, withdrawal and research have I ever come across a statement saying benzo withdrawal causes heart attack. Where did you get this info. I think a lot of us would like to know.

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I did not mean to say that it causes a heart attack, but it CAN cause it if tapering is done "cold turkey." I do not remember which site it was, but I did read it and yes it can cause it if withdrawal is done suddenly (without weaning.) I will look again but I think it was on one of the rehab hospital sites. There were times that my palpitations were so bad that I did feel like I was having a heart attack, but I was weaning off of it. Sometimes, anxiety can make a person feel like they are having a heart attack also and that is why I wasn't sure what was happening to me at that time. I would never try to quit suddenly, especially if I was going to have a heart procedure and that is what I meant to express to her. Sorry about the misunderstanding.

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reese1 | @reese1 | Apr 1, 2023
In reply to @sears "In all my years of benzo use, withdrawal and research have I ever come across a..." + (show)
@sears

In all my years of benzo use, withdrawal and research have I ever come across a statement saying benzo withdrawal causes heart attack. Where did you get this info. I think a lot of us would like to know.

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This is one of the sites: https://www.phoenixrisingrecovery.com/rehab-blog/10-reasons-why-quitting-drugs-cold-turkey-is-a-bad-idea/

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1 reply
sears | @sears | Apr 1, 2023
In reply to @reese1 "This is one of the sites: https://www.phoenixrisingrecovery.com/rehab-blog/10-reasons-why-quitting-drugs-cold-turkey-is-a-bad-idea/" + (show)

I have never heard of anyone having a heart attack due to abruptly stopping benzodiazepines either. I do agree that palpitations are common. I also do not pay any attention to info put out by rehab or detox centers for benzo withdrawal. They want peoples money, they fear monger, they don’t taper properly, one couldn’t afford to stay there long enough to do a proper taper. Can you provide a source other than a detox center.

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2 replies
g0ldengirl1952 | @g0ldengirl1952 | Apr 1, 2023
In reply to @sears "In all my years of benzo use, withdrawal and research have I ever come across a..." + (show)
@sears

In all my years of benzo use, withdrawal and research have I ever come across a statement saying benzo withdrawal causes heart attack. Where did you get this info. I think a lot of us would like to know.

Jump to this post

I have read before about heart issues, and here is one place I just found.

I forgot I haven't been here long enough to post links so you can google it on PubMed, but this is the title of the article:
Clonazepam-associated Bradycardia in a Disabled Elderly Woman with Multiple Complications

Just to be clear, I am elderly and like @reese1 mentioned, I am weaning off the clonazepam and very carefully as I am 70 years old. I do believe some of my issues could come from the use of the drug.

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2 replies
sears | @sears | Apr 1, 2023
In reply to @g0ldengirl1952 "I have read before about heart issues, and here is one place I just found. I..." + (show)
@g0ldengirl1952

I have read before about heart issues, and here is one place I just found.

I forgot I haven't been here long enough to post links so you can google it on PubMed, but this is the title of the article:
Clonazepam-associated Bradycardia in a Disabled Elderly Woman with Multiple Complications

Just to be clear, I am elderly and like @reese1 mentioned, I am weaning off the clonazepam and very carefully as I am 70 years old. I do believe some of my issues could come from the use of the drug.

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Bradycardia is not a heart attack. I’m 70 also. Thank you for your reply.

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1 reply
g0ldengirl1952 | @g0ldengirl1952 | Apr 1, 2023
In reply to @sears "I have never heard of anyone having a heart attack due to abruptly stopping benzodiazepines either...." + (show)
@sears

I have never heard of anyone having a heart attack due to abruptly stopping benzodiazepines either. I do agree that palpitations are common. I also do not pay any attention to info put out by rehab or detox centers for benzo withdrawal. They want peoples money, they fear monger, they don’t taper properly, one couldn’t afford to stay there long enough to do a proper taper. Can you provide a source other than a detox center.

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It's up to me to do the research, if I want to know what's going on in my body. I take everything I read with a grain of salt though and sometimes end up being my own guinea pig with supplements/herbs/exercises/nutrition but at least I'm participating in my own health-care and my doctor cheers me on, especially when he saw I could take care of my own T2 Diabetes without the drug recommended by him. I can't think of the name now, but I had heard things about it as well and wanted to try natural methods first.

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g0ldengirl1952 | @g0ldengirl1952 | Apr 1, 2023
In reply to @sears "Bradycardia is not a heart attack. I’m 70 also. Thank you for your reply." + (show)
@sears

Bradycardia is not a heart attack. I’m 70 also. Thank you for your reply.

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I said it was just one article I've found, and what I found interesting it's the same thing that happened to me when they had to put in a pacemaker in '97, 8 years after I had started Clonazapam.

Any heart issue is serious in my opinion. I didn't mean to imply it was the same as a heart attack, sorry if it came out that way.

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reese1 | @reese1 | Apr 1, 2023

No, but you can ask the Mayo Clinic.

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reese1 | @reese1 | Apr 1, 2023
In reply to @g0ldengirl1952 "Yes, it's good except the part where she talks about substitutes that are other drugs as..." + (show)
@g0ldengirl1952

Yes, it's good except the part where she talks about substitutes that are other drugs as well. The chart shows different drugs to work with tapering off of things like clonazepam. Maybe I am misunderstanding but it never made sense to me to use something else I could also get hooked on.

Now that I type that out, maybe she means to go on another drug that isn't as strong, but I really believe your way of slow-tapering as for me, the 1/4 tablet less each time I find that I am doing great on less, then I can taper off another 1/4 tablet, hope that makes sense 😉

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I did not suggest that you cut your tablet, but I have wondered if I should have cut mine. I cannot suggest to you how to manage your taper. You would have to ask your doctor about that, because everyone's current dosage and chemistry with it is different.

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