Arthur57. You’re lucky you were on it for a shorter time. Most older folks have been on it for decades, but some still have a terrible time getting off after only a month. It’s a horrible drug and no one is ever really informed. No one believes the withdrawal side effects. They can be so terrible and bizarre. Hopefully, you’ll heal soon. If you don’t, check back with me. Unfortunately, most doctors have absolutely no clue because most people didn’t come off of them until recently… or when they stop working and then doctors just prescribe more. You could’ve been in tolerance which was causing the symptoms. No way to know. Watch Take Your Pills on Netflix if you can. It gives a mild version of what’s going on. Ugh. Horrendous for many. Best of luck to you and anyone else trying to get off.
Thanks cking56! After my tremors/body buzzing/eye twiching started all kinds of scary thoughts started from MS to PD etc. But the Klonopin crossed my mind as I realized it all started a month or so of starting the medication. After being told twice that the drug wouldn't cause these issues I started doing a deep dive into Klonopin online and read that although rare, tremors were indeed a potential side effect. My sleep doc who prescribed it obviously never saw this before or doesn't understand how it can affect people differently, which is obviously the case with all meds. Only med. I take is 10mg. of atovastatin and frankly probably don't need that so I knew this was only thing that changed in my daily life. I feel horrible reading what others have gone through for years of taking this med. I'm still in disbelief of the dosage that others take, as I said at double or triple my dosage I would have been confined to a wheelchair as this benzo does a number on ones central nervous system. I now have a greater compassion for those hooked on all meds. Take care!
Thanks cking56! After my tremors/body buzzing/eye twiching started all kinds of scary thoughts started from MS to PD etc. But the Klonopin crossed my mind as I realized it all started a month or so of starting the medication. After being told twice that the drug wouldn't cause these issues I started doing a deep dive into Klonopin online and read that although rare, tremors were indeed a potential side effect. My sleep doc who prescribed it obviously never saw this before or doesn't understand how it can affect people differently, which is obviously the case with all meds. Only med. I take is 10mg. of atovastatin and frankly probably don't need that so I knew this was only thing that changed in my daily life. I feel horrible reading what others have gone through for years of taking this med. I'm still in disbelief of the dosage that others take, as I said at double or triple my dosage I would have been confined to a wheelchair as this benzo does a number on ones central nervous system. I now have a greater compassion for those hooked on all meds. Take care!
Arthur57, I’m so glad you were as lucky as you were. BTW, tremors are VERY common side effects when one is in tolerance or withdrawal. You won’t find a ton of common side effects in medical/pharmaceutical literature because the research was never done beyond 4 months of use. Doctors were never taught because there was nothing to teach. So much comes from Dr. Heather Ashton and more recently, groups like Benzodiazepine Information Coalition. Most everything else comes from patient websites like benzobuddies and Facebook groups, with tens of thousands of members, but doctors do not take any of this seriously. It does seem incredulous - until it happens to you or someone you love.
I wish you the best. It sounds like you are doing well. 🙂
Am I addicted to Klonopin after taking .5mg at night for 2 weeks? After 1 week I started to doze during meditation, and now yesterday and today I've been mildly sleepy during the day. I'd like to taper off of it.
I am 60, I have had access to Klonopin for 30 years. Always took (1mg) as needed, (as prescribed,) NEVER more.
I rarely took it daily. Maybe a few days, then not again for a month or more. Never any issues and /or abuse. Starting 5 months ago I began taking (1mg) a day to deal with sudden onset of crippling Tinnitus. But within a month or so I started to notice strange symptoms surfacing. anxiety, bad sleep, killer headaches, bizarre moods and blurry vision. Don't know if it's the Klonopin or the stress from the blaring Tinnitus... but decided its time to get off the Benzo. ( Read a lot about Benzos causing Tinnitus. ) Started taper by dropping from 1mg to .75. Not feeling great, but not as bad as I feared. Plan on staying there for 3 or 4 weeks... now what? I know every ones
case is different, but, I'm interested in hearing how to move forward.
I am 60, I have had access to Klonopin for 30 years. Always took (1mg) as needed, (as prescribed,) NEVER more.
I rarely took it daily. Maybe a few days, then not again for a month or more. Never any issues and /or abuse. Starting 5 months ago I began taking (1mg) a day to deal with sudden onset of crippling Tinnitus. But within a month or so I started to notice strange symptoms surfacing. anxiety, bad sleep, killer headaches, bizarre moods and blurry vision. Don't know if it's the Klonopin or the stress from the blaring Tinnitus... but decided its time to get off the Benzo. ( Read a lot about Benzos causing Tinnitus. ) Started taper by dropping from 1mg to .75. Not feeling great, but not as bad as I feared. Plan on staying there for 3 or 4 weeks... now what? I know every ones
case is different, but, I'm interested in hearing how to move forward.
1 mg to .75 is a 25% reduction, that's a lot. Moving forward, you may not be able to make reductions of that size, more like 5-10% at a time, or less, depending on how your system handles it. GO SLOW. Consult the Ashton Manual, because most doctors don't know shit about tapering the benzo patients they created. In that arena, we are largely on our own. Benzo withdrawal is a very individualized thing. You may move reasonably smoothly through a gradual taper, making small cuts and holding until you feel stabilized enough to do it all over again. Or it may be more complicated and difficult than that, as it has been for me, also a long term benzo patient. I have found it impossible to get off this drug, to my great distress, but I am in the minority from what I understand. Both taking benzos and stopping benzos can cause the symptoms you describe - my very bad sleep, anxiety, headaches, mood swings began as I reduced K, not while I was on a steady dose. It's withdrawal, and you are experiencing it because you hit tolerance, so effectively you are already in withdrawal while still on the drug. Best of luck with it.
Am I addicted to Klonopin after taking .5mg at night for 2 weeks? After 1 week I started to doze during meditation, and now yesterday and today I've been mildly sleepy during the day. I'd like to taper off of it.
I would stop immediately while you can. I read addiction can start in as little as three weeks. I took it for a few months. Eventually it didn’t work at all and getting off of it was hell for nearly two months. I could barely sleep and had extremely high anxiety. You may even have some issues after taking it for two weeks!
I am 60, I have had access to Klonopin for 30 years. Always took (1mg) as needed, (as prescribed,) NEVER more.
I rarely took it daily. Maybe a few days, then not again for a month or more. Never any issues and /or abuse. Starting 5 months ago I began taking (1mg) a day to deal with sudden onset of crippling Tinnitus. But within a month or so I started to notice strange symptoms surfacing. anxiety, bad sleep, killer headaches, bizarre moods and blurry vision. Don't know if it's the Klonopin or the stress from the blaring Tinnitus... but decided its time to get off the Benzo. ( Read a lot about Benzos causing Tinnitus. ) Started taper by dropping from 1mg to .75. Not feeling great, but not as bad as I feared. Plan on staying there for 3 or 4 weeks... now what? I know every ones
case is different, but, I'm interested in hearing how to move forward.
My doctor helped me taper off by reducing the dose by .25 every two weeks. It does get extremely trying towards the end, but you have to keep in mind that it is temporary even though it is extremely hard and uncomfortable. I also had tinnitus and it has dissipated immensely since stopping this awful drug. The secret is to power through those hard times with whatever you’ve got in you! I used meditation, visualization, and exercise. It took me two months before I felt fairly decent and I only took .75 mg a day for 3 months. Good luck to you.
I stopped cold turkey as of March 3 (last dose) so almost to 2 months and slowly getting better, although I do notice some mild body buzzing still going on at times, particularly while sleeping. I am still amazed that my sleep doc prescribed this med. I suspect my mild body buzzing may linger for some time to come but other than that it's much better. As for as daisypia only being on it for 2 weeks, I would stop now! But that's me, I would doubt he/she would have issues stopping this soon. I thought I had read, typically takes around 3 months to be addicted to it?
@kittymama I was on 2mg Klonopin for many, many years. Just recently I got my doctor to help me make a plan to get off because it no longer worked for my anxiety. She helped me make a plan to taper by 0.125mg every two weeks. My tablets come in 0.5mg so I take away 1/4 of a tablet every 2 weeks. It is easy because my tablets are scored so they're easy to break into quarter tablets. I take my Klonopin divided into three doses a day. So far it is working but with some increased anxiety and "brain zaps" both of which are hard to cope with but I am determined to get through this. Good luck to you. If I could give any advice it would be to get your doctor involved and keep them involved for the duration of your taper. I see my doctor every 2 weeks. We talk about how I am feeling, do I need to slow the taper, or am I coping with the withdrawal symptoms fairly well. Hope this helps. Blessings.
Thank you for sharing. I have been on 0.5 of Klonopin for 12 years for sleep. It stopped working and I tried to taper myself and couldn’t. I am under a doc care now but not sure about his method of taper.
My worst problem is sleeping. I take 0.125 twice a day. I seem to have anxiety and racing mind at night. Other meds he’s given don’t work. He just gave me Seraquel but when I read it’s a anti psychotic drug it made nervous. Have you ever taken it?
@shannie
Researchers don't recommend Seroquel as a sleep aid and I doubt a good doctor would prescribe it as a sleeping aid. Speaking for myself, I definitely wouldn't use it for that purpose.
as far as Klonopin is concerned, it took me over 2 years to get off it but I had no withdrawals. Remember Klonopin is a sedative so if you have sleeping problems those is sure may well return.
I had sleep problems and reset my circadian rhythm and used good sleep hygiene, which worked for me.
The ideal way to get off KLONOPIN in my opinion would be to use a compounding pharmacy and have the doctor write a prescription to reduce it by 5 to 10% every 3 to 4 weeks.
Your doctor will probably squawk at the compounding pharmacy and think it should be tapered quicker. If it’s important for you to get off quicker, you most likely will pay the consequence of having withdrawals for awhile.
Good luck,
Jake
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Thanks cking56! After my tremors/body buzzing/eye twiching started all kinds of scary thoughts started from MS to PD etc. But the Klonopin crossed my mind as I realized it all started a month or so of starting the medication. After being told twice that the drug wouldn't cause these issues I started doing a deep dive into Klonopin online and read that although rare, tremors were indeed a potential side effect. My sleep doc who prescribed it obviously never saw this before or doesn't understand how it can affect people differently, which is obviously the case with all meds. Only med. I take is 10mg. of atovastatin and frankly probably don't need that so I knew this was only thing that changed in my daily life. I feel horrible reading what others have gone through for years of taking this med. I'm still in disbelief of the dosage that others take, as I said at double or triple my dosage I would have been confined to a wheelchair as this benzo does a number on ones central nervous system. I now have a greater compassion for those hooked on all meds. Take care!
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2 ReactionsArthur57, I’m so glad you were as lucky as you were. BTW, tremors are VERY common side effects when one is in tolerance or withdrawal. You won’t find a ton of common side effects in medical/pharmaceutical literature because the research was never done beyond 4 months of use. Doctors were never taught because there was nothing to teach. So much comes from Dr. Heather Ashton and more recently, groups like Benzodiazepine Information Coalition. Most everything else comes from patient websites like benzobuddies and Facebook groups, with tens of thousands of members, but doctors do not take any of this seriously. It does seem incredulous - until it happens to you or someone you love.
I wish you the best. It sounds like you are doing well. 🙂
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2 ReactionsAm I addicted to Klonopin after taking .5mg at night for 2 weeks? After 1 week I started to doze during meditation, and now yesterday and today I've been mildly sleepy during the day. I'd like to taper off of it.
I am 60, I have had access to Klonopin for 30 years. Always took (1mg) as needed, (as prescribed,) NEVER more.
I rarely took it daily. Maybe a few days, then not again for a month or more. Never any issues and /or abuse. Starting 5 months ago I began taking (1mg) a day to deal with sudden onset of crippling Tinnitus. But within a month or so I started to notice strange symptoms surfacing. anxiety, bad sleep, killer headaches, bizarre moods and blurry vision. Don't know if it's the Klonopin or the stress from the blaring Tinnitus... but decided its time to get off the Benzo. ( Read a lot about Benzos causing Tinnitus. ) Started taper by dropping from 1mg to .75. Not feeling great, but not as bad as I feared. Plan on staying there for 3 or 4 weeks... now what? I know every ones
case is different, but, I'm interested in hearing how to move forward.
1 mg to .75 is a 25% reduction, that's a lot. Moving forward, you may not be able to make reductions of that size, more like 5-10% at a time, or less, depending on how your system handles it. GO SLOW. Consult the Ashton Manual, because most doctors don't know shit about tapering the benzo patients they created. In that arena, we are largely on our own. Benzo withdrawal is a very individualized thing. You may move reasonably smoothly through a gradual taper, making small cuts and holding until you feel stabilized enough to do it all over again. Or it may be more complicated and difficult than that, as it has been for me, also a long term benzo patient. I have found it impossible to get off this drug, to my great distress, but I am in the minority from what I understand. Both taking benzos and stopping benzos can cause the symptoms you describe - my very bad sleep, anxiety, headaches, mood swings began as I reduced K, not while I was on a steady dose. It's withdrawal, and you are experiencing it because you hit tolerance, so effectively you are already in withdrawal while still on the drug. Best of luck with it.
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2 ReactionsI would stop immediately while you can. I read addiction can start in as little as three weeks. I took it for a few months. Eventually it didn’t work at all and getting off of it was hell for nearly two months. I could barely sleep and had extremely high anxiety. You may even have some issues after taking it for two weeks!
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1 ReactionMy doctor helped me taper off by reducing the dose by .25 every two weeks. It does get extremely trying towards the end, but you have to keep in mind that it is temporary even though it is extremely hard and uncomfortable. I also had tinnitus and it has dissipated immensely since stopping this awful drug. The secret is to power through those hard times with whatever you’ve got in you! I used meditation, visualization, and exercise. It took me two months before I felt fairly decent and I only took .75 mg a day for 3 months. Good luck to you.
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2 ReactionsI stopped cold turkey as of March 3 (last dose) so almost to 2 months and slowly getting better, although I do notice some mild body buzzing still going on at times, particularly while sleeping. I am still amazed that my sleep doc prescribed this med. I suspect my mild body buzzing may linger for some time to come but other than that it's much better. As for as daisypia only being on it for 2 weeks, I would stop now! But that's me, I would doubt he/she would have issues stopping this soon. I thought I had read, typically takes around 3 months to be addicted to it?
Thank you for sharing. I have been on 0.5 of Klonopin for 12 years for sleep. It stopped working and I tried to taper myself and couldn’t. I am under a doc care now but not sure about his method of taper.
My worst problem is sleeping. I take 0.125 twice a day. I seem to have anxiety and racing mind at night. Other meds he’s given don’t work. He just gave me Seraquel but when I read it’s a anti psychotic drug it made nervous. Have you ever taken it?
@shannie
Researchers don't recommend Seroquel as a sleep aid and I doubt a good doctor would prescribe it as a sleeping aid. Speaking for myself, I definitely wouldn't use it for that purpose.
as far as Klonopin is concerned, it took me over 2 years to get off it but I had no withdrawals. Remember Klonopin is a sedative so if you have sleeping problems those is sure may well return.
I had sleep problems and reset my circadian rhythm and used good sleep hygiene, which worked for me.
The ideal way to get off KLONOPIN in my opinion would be to use a compounding pharmacy and have the doctor write a prescription to reduce it by 5 to 10% every 3 to 4 weeks.
Your doctor will probably squawk at the compounding pharmacy and think it should be tapered quicker. If it’s important for you to get off quicker, you most likely will pay the consequence of having withdrawals for awhile.
Good luck,
Jake
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