Klonopin/Clonazepam has been an absolute nightmare trying to get off of 3mg after 4 1/2 years, However do not give up, try to find a practitioner who will use a shorter acting benzo and very gradually taper down. It has taken 9 months to nearly taper completely off. These Benzodiazepines are an evil drug that will hook you directly to hell if used longer than a couple months. These manufacturers should be sued over the severe addiction issues and taken off the market after a $100 Million dollar lawsuit. Money over people is what this drug is all about.
I was only on .5mg of klonopin for 7 months and now more than 3 months after stopping cold turkey I still have ongoing body vibrations. The vibrations started about 6 weeks into taking drug but doctor said he didn't think it had anything to do with klonopin. This drug is not good for ones central nervous system so I have to believe it's the cause. I have been quite healthy until this drug was introduced.
I'd be interested in what withdrawal symptoms you've experienced? Best of luck to you!
It’s been almost 2 years since I’ve been completely off of any benzos, but I remember the nausea and the “zingers” . Very well. I still have the zingers very infrequently.
The second time I was prescribed benzos was by a psychiatrist who diagnosed me incorrectly. It took me quite a while to realize that the drugs that she put me on we’re not helping me my family was confused.
There’s a lot of research around the concept of rekindling I think staying with the withdrawal since you’re so far out now is the way to go and to just realize that your nervous system Hass to clear itself of these drugs and it takes a long time.
Not one provider in Albuquerque had any idea how to help me discontinue a benzo my therapist (psychologist in private practice with prescriptive privileges) started me on for insomnia. A year later, after I had a major surgery, and was on other medication‘s for pain, I thought that taking a benzo with the pain medicine would be too much for me, so I stopped the Klonipin 1 mg at night.
The withdrawals are enormous, suprizing in the intensity and duration.l
I resorted to looking on line for help since none in the medical establishment here had a clue.
In he UK, a doctor that has since passed away, has written the only method that works…
Her name is Heather Aston,MD. She published the ASTON MANUAL in 1999 folks!!
Why haven’t any of the medical establishment used this? Instead we are told to reduce the dose and in two weeks quit it. It takes months and even years to withdraw from these medication’s depending on how long you use them and your dose.
I am a board-certified, psychiatric nurse practitioner, who had not heard of this method in all of my 2 Master’s degrees from 2 top flight nursing schools in NM.
It makes me wonder if the pharmaceutical companies have such a tight grip on practitioners, that they would want to keep this information from providers.
These drugs are extremely harmful. I would never prescribed them again for more than 3 days.
The Ashton Method has been a life saver for many. You usually only hear about Heather Ashton in the various benzo forums. You’re correct in that most doctors never heard of the method.
Klonopin/Clonazepam has been an absolute nightmare trying to get off of 3mg after 4 1/2 years, However do not give up, try to find a practitioner who will use a shorter acting benzo and very gradually taper down. It has taken 9 months to nearly taper completely off. These Benzodiazepines are an evil drug that will hook you directly to hell if used longer than a couple months. These manufacturers should be sued over the severe addiction issues and taken off the market after a $100 Million dollar lawsuit. Money over people is what this drug is all about.
It’s a fact that you would want to use a long acting benzo such as Valium to taper. Klonopin would be the second choice. The short acting Benzos such as Xanax, have interdose withdrawal which can be a terrible hindrance when used for tapering.
Hi frank. I just read what you said about what would happen to you if they discontinued benzodiazepine…I felt like you were reading my thoughts.. I have used benzodiazepines for over 20 years and I’ve tried many times to replace them but with little to no success.. it’s frustrating that they don’t individualize each case to see how they are doing instead of painting us all with the same brush. I have managed for years to stay on the same dose and I also made several attempts to stop using them and trying something else, this too didn’t work out for me.. I was 48 years old when I got on them and I’m 72 now.. I am living out the last chapter of my life and I want to be left alone with my meds, they help me better than other ones I tried.. I wish that they would leave me in peace and live out what is left..also, remember if they did decide to remove benzodiazepines, they would most assuredly have to provide us with something else that’s similar otherwise they will create another major crisis considering how many of us there are.
I an so sorry!!! Every good doctor knows you have to taper off these meds! I am on klonepin at this time for sleep. I am a certified health and life coach and I help clients with depression and anxiety. If you or anyone is in crisis, there is a crisis text line you can use! They have counselors 24/7. Text 741741.
We've all learned by now that if you take away something that people want or need, they will find another means to get it, hence the Black Market, much easier to access today with computers and such. We have currently a national disaster going on with people who are addicted to pain medication, no fault of their own, they were lied to that their drugs weren't addictive, also the doctors were lied to by the "big pharma" so now what to do. They still haven't corrected this wrong and in the meantime the people are left to their own devices ... imagine for a moment how horrible it must be to need something so desperately that you're risking your life to get. If they decide to do the same thing with benzos we will all suffer from the total chaos this will create... desperate people do desperate things and having said this, they will have to come up with a safer drug that doesn't interact with pain medication and at the same time, are not addictive,
I an so sorry!!! Every good doctor knows you have to taper off these meds! I am on klonepin at this time for sleep. I am a certified health and life coach and I help clients with depression and anxiety. If you or anyone is in crisis, there is a crisis text line you can use! They have counselors 24/7. Text 741741.
You’re correct that doctors know about tapering. The fact of the matter is that most want to taper much, much too quickly. The docs don’t want to deal with patients who have been on Benzos for decades and require very long tapers. They give ridiculously short taper schedules that are harming people horribly. Doctors don’t want to be in the tapering business, they just want to make a whole lot of money writing scripts. Long time PRESCRIBED benzo patients are treated like dogs by the same doctor s that prescribed them in the first place. The exact same doctors that said they weren’t addictive and safe. Benzo patients are in a bad place right now. The doctors don’t want to prescribe them anymore but don’t want to do what’s necessary to help their very addicted patients come off these drugs in a humane manner.
We've all learned by now that if you take away something that people want or need, they will find another means to get it, hence the Black Market, much easier to access today with computers and such. We have currently a national disaster going on with people who are addicted to pain medication, no fault of their own, they were lied to that their drugs weren't addictive, also the doctors were lied to by the "big pharma" so now what to do. They still haven't corrected this wrong and in the meantime the people are left to their own devices ... imagine for a moment how horrible it must be to need something so desperately that you're risking your life to get. If they decide to do the same thing with benzos we will all suffer from the total chaos this will create... desperate people do desperate things and having said this, they will have to come up with a safer drug that doesn't interact with pain medication and at the same time, are not addictive,
They’re already doing this with Benzos. People are being cut off right and left. It’s only going to get worse. Don’t count on a “safer” drug anytime in the near future. The doctors are now turning to antidepressants and antipsychotics which come with their own horrible problems, side effects and can be extremely difficult to discontinue. The saddest part is these drugs don’t really work for anxiety and or panic.
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Klonopin/Clonazepam has been an absolute nightmare trying to get off of 3mg after 4 1/2 years, However do not give up, try to find a practitioner who will use a shorter acting benzo and very gradually taper down. It has taken 9 months to nearly taper completely off. These Benzodiazepines are an evil drug that will hook you directly to hell if used longer than a couple months. These manufacturers should be sued over the severe addiction issues and taken off the market after a $100 Million dollar lawsuit. Money over people is what this drug is all about.
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4 ReactionsGood morning Arthur,
It’s been almost 2 years since I’ve been completely off of any benzos, but I remember the nausea and the “zingers” . Very well. I still have the zingers very infrequently.
The second time I was prescribed benzos was by a psychiatrist who diagnosed me incorrectly. It took me quite a while to realize that the drugs that she put me on we’re not helping me my family was confused.
There’s a lot of research around the concept of rekindling I think staying with the withdrawal since you’re so far out now is the way to go and to just realize that your nervous system Hass to clear itself of these drugs and it takes a long time.
Good luck and feel free to chat anytime.
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3 ReactionsThe Ashton Method has been a life saver for many. You usually only hear about Heather Ashton in the various benzo forums. You’re correct in that most doctors never heard of the method.
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2 ReactionsIt’s a fact that you would want to use a long acting benzo such as Valium to taper. Klonopin would be the second choice. The short acting Benzos such as Xanax, have interdose withdrawal which can be a terrible hindrance when used for tapering.
What is high amount of Klolnopin use? 2 mg, 3 mg...I have heard people taking these doses and, it scares me!
This!
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2 ReactionsOh yes and I am one of the crisis counselors lol.
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3 ReactionsWe've all learned by now that if you take away something that people want or need, they will find another means to get it, hence the Black Market, much easier to access today with computers and such. We have currently a national disaster going on with people who are addicted to pain medication, no fault of their own, they were lied to that their drugs weren't addictive, also the doctors were lied to by the "big pharma" so now what to do. They still haven't corrected this wrong and in the meantime the people are left to their own devices ... imagine for a moment how horrible it must be to need something so desperately that you're risking your life to get. If they decide to do the same thing with benzos we will all suffer from the total chaos this will create... desperate people do desperate things and having said this, they will have to come up with a safer drug that doesn't interact with pain medication and at the same time, are not addictive,
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1 ReactionYou’re correct that doctors know about tapering. The fact of the matter is that most want to taper much, much too quickly. The docs don’t want to deal with patients who have been on Benzos for decades and require very long tapers. They give ridiculously short taper schedules that are harming people horribly. Doctors don’t want to be in the tapering business, they just want to make a whole lot of money writing scripts. Long time PRESCRIBED benzo patients are treated like dogs by the same doctor s that prescribed them in the first place. The exact same doctors that said they weren’t addictive and safe. Benzo patients are in a bad place right now. The doctors don’t want to prescribe them anymore but don’t want to do what’s necessary to help their very addicted patients come off these drugs in a humane manner.
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4 ReactionsThey’re already doing this with Benzos. People are being cut off right and left. It’s only going to get worse. Don’t count on a “safer” drug anytime in the near future. The doctors are now turning to antidepressants and antipsychotics which come with their own horrible problems, side effects and can be extremely difficult to discontinue. The saddest part is these drugs don’t really work for anxiety and or panic.
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