I am having a VERY difficult time with Klonipin withdrawal

Posted by lisalynn @lisalynn, Jun 29, 2023

I have been on Klonipin for a BIG Panic disorder for over 15 years. I recently had to wean down off of 3 to none fast. The withdrawal was the worst thing that has ever happened to me. I have my normal prescription now. However, at a lower level. But, I am still having a withdrawal symptom that is plaguing me. I am still taking it, but half of what I had been. I hear my Heart thumping in my ears, very loud and fast, 120 beats per minute. Did anyone else have that symptom? Or describe their withdrawal? Oh, and I NEVER want to speak to that new and cold Psychiatrist I have.
Struggling. Thanks.

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@sears

Please keep in mind how addictive this drug is and you will eventually have to taper this one too. The withdrawal is similar to benzodiazepines.

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GABA withdrawal is nowhere near as hard as benzo withdrawal.

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@johnbishop

Hi @lisalynn, Sorry to hear you are struggling to get off of Klonopin. There are a couple of discussions you might find helpful for suggestions.
--- Getting off Klonapin (klonazapam): https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/getting-off-klonapin-klonazapam/
--- Klonopin taper: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/klonopin-taper/.

The American Addiction Center also has some information that might help here:
--- Clonazepam Withdrawal Symptoms, Timeline & Detox Treatment
https://americanaddictioncenters.org/withdrawal-timelines-treatments/clonazepam
Hope this helps!

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Lisalynn, how many mg, were you on? I have taken Klonopin since 1992 the same amount.
0.5 in the morning and 2 and 1/2 at night and it puts me right to sleep. I think it is the best
med. out there I take it for Essential Tremor, I have it in my hands and arms. I don't ever want to get off it and I am 82. I just got over a bad case of Shingles, but I took Advil for the pain.
I am not a pill person, that is the only pill I am on. Again what Milgram were you on? that could make a difference.
marcia115

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@hopalongnm3

GABA withdrawal is nowhere near as hard as benzo withdrawal.

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That is correct. Nothing is as hard a benzo withdrawal.

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@dedra

Oh def . Agree lol yes , benzos and opioids ? Not much difference with the wd cycle !! My dad died 10 yrs ago and nobody told me that they were addictive or what would happen if I took extra ( which I did ) and after that refill . I went back in and told him that they actually made me feel better so he took me off of Ativan ( lorazepam) and gave me about 2 refills for clonazepam ( klonopin) he explained from same family .. just stays in your system a little conger and won’t feel the effects right away though..fine with me .. so you can all imagine how the story went when I started to take extra during the day ( didn’t follow the orders ) asked him to increase it bc I found that it wasn’t working as well .. so he gave me another .5 mgs per day .. than ? I decided I was better ? Omg ?2-3 days felt like I was going crazy ? Just stared at ceiling and could only watch shows like ( threes company ) mindless shows that’s it ? Couldn’t eat , couldn’t drive couldn’t stop crying ? I thought I was going through a nervous breakdown . Paranoid , started thinking about all of the bad stuff or weird stuff I’ve ever said to anyone ? Right back to primary , I started crying bc I fell off of merry go round and the kids laughed or whatever bc I wasn’t tough enough ? Lol that’s how bad the wds are !! And I didn’t even know for 3 days ? Until I looked up clonazepam on Google ( first time ever ) omg ? At least I knew I wasn’t going crazy ..but would this end ? Or am I stuck on cpam for ever ? That was 10 years ago . I just picked up my monthly refill ? So this is one I guess I’m taking with me ? The only thing now is I’ve been taking 2 (75mgs) per day of pregabalin? For shingles ? But they have also made me not reach for my purse to get a cpam ? For 2 weeks now .. the one day I took a 1/4 of cpam and the rest of day nothing . Didn’t feel any different . Except wanted to go out visiting and cleaning and shopping ? So if this stays like this ? Wow I even gave up my zopliclone? I took one before bed . I’m tired now and just fall asleep without even trying ! Asked dt and 3 pharmacy’s about it . They all said the same . It has been known to work but usually only used as a tapering process while trying to come off of benzos.. never seen it used completely instead of with (5) days under your belt and not one wd symptom ? Then I won’t have them . The wd from pregabalin is much easier than benzos …however ? Do I want to come off of these ? I feel great ! I can’t explain it ? The worry at night is gone ? I just feel very calm but also want to get up and clean !! Lol we’ll see I guess ? Can’t be any worse than taking the cpam for the rest of my life ? But I put the refill on top shelf . I’m not giving them up until I see how this all plays out . So far so good ..

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We all took Benzos because they made us feel great. At some point in time they’ll make you terribly ill. You need to research benzodiazepine tolerance. Hitting tolerance on a benzo is a special kind of hell. You don’t want to go there.

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@marcia115

Lisalynn, how many mg, were you on? I have taken Klonopin since 1992 the same amount.
0.5 in the morning and 2 and 1/2 at night and it puts me right to sleep. I think it is the best
med. out there I take it for Essential Tremor, I have it in my hands and arms. I don't ever want to get off it and I am 82. I just got over a bad case of Shingles, but I took Advil for the pain.
I am not a pill person, that is the only pill I am on. Again what Milgram were you on? that could make a difference.
marcia115

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Hi! 🙂
Thanks for messaging me.
I was on 4 mg a day!!! Woe,eh? Big time panic attacks and HIGH ANXIETY. I was @6 mg's a day. Incredible , now on 3 mg.'s a day.
I have been on it so long, 15 years that they are, were, weaning me down slowly. But this experience I had to go cold turkey, practically. It was the worst. Don't know how I survived. So bad. Now I got a normal prescription, but only going up half of what is prescribed. Don't want that to ever happen again. I know I should talk to my Psychiatrist. She was of no help. Rude to me. No heart. She is new to me. So I am reaching out here. I am still having a withdrawal symptom. Klopipin was my Life saver. No panic attacks! Man, that was nice. Now, after a week or more of withdrawls,, I am done. But now, I have to keep taking minimal a.ount to keep this Weird noise in my ears, loudly, after exerting any energy. My heart is racing so much I can heart it thumping in my ears and then comes a huge headache. N I w that I wrote this out, sounds not so good, huh? I will just bump my mg.'s up more toward my regular prescription. I am chatty about all this. This is oy 2nd time on here. Well thank you and you take care!
Lisa Lynn

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@sears

We all took Benzos because they made us feel great. At some point in time they’ll make you terribly ill. You need to research benzodiazepine tolerance. Hitting tolerance on a benzo is a special kind of hell. You don’t want to go there.

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Well it’s been almost 3 weeks now and no clonazepam.. but I’m still taking 2 (75mgs) of pregabalin a day …. So after this long not taking cpam .. I might just have to now taper off of the pregabalin. Right now the shingles have caused terrible sharp nerve pain , upper back .. I was told that the nerve pain can last from 3-6 months after having shingles . But this may be the antidepressant that I’ve been looking for …lots of energy and sleeping well .. the best part is that the worry is gone … I feel calm now…

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@lisalynn

Hi! 🙂
Thanks for messaging me.
I was on 4 mg a day!!! Woe,eh? Big time panic attacks and HIGH ANXIETY. I was @6 mg's a day. Incredible , now on 3 mg.'s a day.
I have been on it so long, 15 years that they are, were, weaning me down slowly. But this experience I had to go cold turkey, practically. It was the worst. Don't know how I survived. So bad. Now I got a normal prescription, but only going up half of what is prescribed. Don't want that to ever happen again. I know I should talk to my Psychiatrist. She was of no help. Rude to me. No heart. She is new to me. So I am reaching out here. I am still having a withdrawal symptom. Klopipin was my Life saver. No panic attacks! Man, that was nice. Now, after a week or more of withdrawls,, I am done. But now, I have to keep taking minimal a.ount to keep this Weird noise in my ears, loudly, after exerting any energy. My heart is racing so much I can heart it thumping in my ears and then comes a huge headache. N I w that I wrote this out, sounds not so good, huh? I will just bump my mg.'s up more toward my regular prescription. I am chatty about all this. This is oy 2nd time on here. Well thank you and you take care!
Lisa Lynn

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HI Lisalynn,
Why do you want to get off the Klonopin if it was helping you? Why can't you stay on
it but go down in the milligrams, I think you would feel a lot better.
Let me no what you decide to do. I am here for you.
Marcia115

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benzobuddies.org
benzoinfo.com
benzo.org.uk
Please check these out if you haven't already.
I am sorry that you're having a rough time Lisa💜

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@lisalynn

Hi! 🙂
Thanks for messaging me.
I was on 4 mg a day!!! Woe,eh? Big time panic attacks and HIGH ANXIETY. I was @6 mg's a day. Incredible , now on 3 mg.'s a day.
I have been on it so long, 15 years that they are, were, weaning me down slowly. But this experience I had to go cold turkey, practically. It was the worst. Don't know how I survived. So bad. Now I got a normal prescription, but only going up half of what is prescribed. Don't want that to ever happen again. I know I should talk to my Psychiatrist. She was of no help. Rude to me. No heart. She is new to me. So I am reaching out here. I am still having a withdrawal symptom. Klopipin was my Life saver. No panic attacks! Man, that was nice. Now, after a week or more of withdrawls,, I am done. But now, I have to keep taking minimal a.ount to keep this Weird noise in my ears, loudly, after exerting any energy. My heart is racing so much I can heart it thumping in my ears and then comes a huge headache. N I w that I wrote this out, sounds not so good, huh? I will just bump my mg.'s up more toward my regular prescription. I am chatty about all this. This is oy 2nd time on here. Well thank you and you take care!
Lisa Lynn

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Getting off Klonopin for as high a dose as you were on for so long is going to be really tough unfortunately and will probably take quite some time. I feel for you as I went through this only on a much smaller scale and it’s sheer hell but I am now drug free and feel so much better and am sleeping so much better. I would go to an addiction center for help if I were you because I think you will need support to be successful. Exercise, meditation, and healthy eating are a plus during this difficult time. You tube has some great videos and help from people who quit as well. Shame on whatever doctor let you stay on Klonopin for so long!
Good luck to you. Stay strong and just try your hardest to power through day by day. It is worth it in the long run.❤️

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Google Ashton Manual and read it. Benzodiazepines should NEVER be rapidly withdrawn. Your dose was NOT a low dose. 1 mg Klonopin equals 20 mg Valium.

You are not an addict. Stay away from recovery and addiction centers. Useless for benzo withdrawal. The golden rule, from what research there is, is tapering 5-10% per month from latest dose, NOT the 25% per week US doctors recommend. They are clueless because they honestly don’t know or care to know. Also Benzodiazepine Information Coalition has a ton of info. They were key in getting a black box warning on benzodiazepines in 2020.

Just read the Ashton Manual. You are not out of the woods yet. I hope you are a lucky one, but they are few and far between.

I’ve posted other, longer recommendations here, but I’m too exhausted to find them. I’m 7 months into a taper from 1mg Klon, after 30 years. NEVER WAS TOLD ANYTHING BEYOND IT’S AN ANTI-ANXIETY MED. This was pre-Google. I had no idea. It’s a horrendous drug. CBT works best.

Good luck with it. You could reinstate and start a slow taper, but doing a full CT can make subsequent attempts much, much harder on the CNS.

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