1. < Addiction & Recovery

Any positive stories about Benzo tapering? I need hope

Posted by sears @sears, Nov 9, 2019

Would love to hear some positive stories from people whom have tapered off benzos. Positive only please. Give me some hope. No horror stories! I need some encouragement!

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yvonne55 | @yvonne55 | May 23, 2023
In reply to @jakedduck1 "@yvonne55 Hi, i’m sorry it took me so long to get back to you, but I..." + (show)
@jakedduck1

@yvonne55
Hi,
i’m sorry it took me so long to get back to you, but I just now noticed your message. I was on 18 mg of Klonopin a day. I have epilepsy and took it for seizures. It didn't help so I stopped it.
The maximum dose is normally not over 20 mg.
Jake

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Hi Jake! I guess Klonopin and Clonazepam are different. I WAS on 6mg a day and my doctor almost lost his mind over it. (His temporary replacement put me up to 6 because my anxiety was severe). So upon my regular doctors return he brought me back down to 4 mg. And I'm basically stuck at home now. This is no life for sure.

REPLY
2 replies
andytheman | @andytheman | May 24, 2023
In reply to @jakedduck1 "@yvonne55 Hi, i’m sorry it took me so long to get back to you, but I..." + (show)
@jakedduck1

@yvonne55
Hi,
i’m sorry it took me so long to get back to you, but I just now noticed your message. I was on 18 mg of Klonopin a day. I have epilepsy and took it for seizures. It didn't help so I stopped it.
The maximum dose is normally not over 20 mg.
Jake

Jump to this post

20 mg is a lot! But I guess if you’re having seizures it’s probably normal.
I take 0.5 in the morning and 1mg at 4 pm and I’m having problems getting off of it.

REPLY
andytheman | @andytheman | May 24, 2023
In reply to @yvonne55 "Hi Jake! I guess Klonopin and Clonazepam are different. I WAS on 6mg a day and..." + (show)
@yvonne55

Hi Jake! I guess Klonopin and Clonazepam are different. I WAS on 6mg a day and my doctor almost lost his mind over it. (His temporary replacement put me up to 6 because my anxiety was severe). So upon my regular doctors return he brought me back down to 4 mg. And I'm basically stuck at home now. This is no life for sure.

Jump to this post

Clonazapan is Klonopin and klonopin (Clonazapan) are one medication I take for anxiety. It is a benzodiazepine. Very hard for me to wean off. But they are the same like lorazepam (adavan) and Xanax. are all addictive benzodiazepines.

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Leonard | @jakedduck1 | May 24, 2023
In reply to @yvonne55 "Hi Jake! I guess Klonopin and Clonazepam are different. I WAS on 6mg a day and..." + (show)
@yvonne55

Hi Jake! I guess Klonopin and Clonazepam are different. I WAS on 6mg a day and my doctor almost lost his mind over it. (His temporary replacement put me up to 6 because my anxiety was severe). So upon my regular doctors return he brought me back down to 4 mg. And I'm basically stuck at home now. This is no life for sure.

Jump to this post

@yvonne55
Hi,
You mentioned you had a seizure, was that from a fast taper or do you have a seizure disorder?Clonazepam is the generic and Klonopin the brand-name. Higher doses are generally used in seizure patients.
Some doctors think up to 4 mg is all that’s needed for Anxiety, others depending on the doctor and patients condition use up to 12 mg that I have heard of. But generally patients with seizure disorders take higher doses of Klonopin/Clonazepam.
It’s sad that some doctors seem to believe that all patients will receive the same benefit with the same dose of medication. Did you udon better on 6 mgs?
Jake

REPLY
1 reply
yvonne55 | @yvonne55 | May 24, 2023
In reply to @jakedduck1 "@yvonne55 Hi, You mentioned you had a seizure, was that from a fast taper or do..." + (show)
@jakedduck1

@yvonne55
Hi,
You mentioned you had a seizure, was that from a fast taper or do you have a seizure disorder?Clonazepam is the generic and Klonopin the brand-name. Higher doses are generally used in seizure patients.
Some doctors think up to 4 mg is all that’s needed for Anxiety, others depending on the doctor and patients condition use up to 12 mg that I have heard of. But generally patients with seizure disorders take higher doses of Klonopin/Clonazepam.
It’s sad that some doctors seem to believe that all patients will receive the same benefit with the same dose of medication. Did you udon better on 6 mgs?
Jake

Jump to this post

Hi Jake...I was originally put on lorazepam for severe anxiety which led to agoraphobia for 5 years. The doctor never took me off it, just added an anti depressant that didnt work. By now I've tried them all. We had a wicked snow storm one winter and the town basically froze. I was without my lorazepam for 3 or 4 days. I had a seizure. After that my doctors replacement switched me over to clonazepam saying weaning off it was easier. When my doctor returned from his holidays and saw the other doctor switched me to clonazepam, he switched me back.

REPLY
2 replies
andytheman | @andytheman | May 25, 2023
In reply to @yvonne55 "Hi Jake...I was originally put on lorazepam for severe anxiety which led to agoraphobia for 5..." + (show)
@yvonne55

Hi Jake...I was originally put on lorazepam for severe anxiety which led to agoraphobia for 5 years. The doctor never took me off it, just added an anti depressant that didnt work. By now I've tried them all. We had a wicked snow storm one winter and the town basically froze. I was without my lorazepam for 3 or 4 days. I had a seizure. After that my doctors replacement switched me over to clonazepam saying weaning off it was easier. When my doctor returned from his holidays and saw the other doctor switched me to clonazepam, he switched me back.

Jump to this post

In my case I’m on 1 mg of Clonazapan and it is nearly impossible to get off of.
I’ve also been on lorazepam and I was able to just quit abruptly.

REPLY
2 replies
lindasmith1222 | @lindasmith1222 | May 25, 2023
In reply to @andytheman "In my case I’m on 1 mg of Clonazapan and it is nearly impossible to get..." + (show)
@andytheman

In my case I’m on 1 mg of Clonazapan and it is nearly impossible to get off of.
I’ve also been on lorazepam and I was able to just quit abruptly.

Jump to this post

I have been off of benzos for 3 months now after decades of use. The last 1mg was the hardest for me to taper and then finally quit. Everybody's metabolism is different, but after a long time on just 1/2mg at night (I thought it was helping me to sleep), it had stopped working probably months before and then I quit. No withdrawal. Best wishes.

REPLY
1 reply
yvonne55 | @yvonne55 | May 25, 2023
In reply to @andytheman "In my case I’m on 1 mg of Clonazapan and it is nearly impossible to get..." + (show)
@andytheman

In my case I’m on 1 mg of Clonazapan and it is nearly impossible to get off of.
I’ve also been on lorazepam and I was able to just quit abruptly.

Jump to this post

Thank you for your insight Andy. My son was also put on clonazepam (hes 37) and cant get off that last 3/4 of a mg. Yet I was reading back 3 years ago in my journal where I was so busy with work and life, I'd neglected to take my lorazepam for a week and didnt notice! (As in no physical symptoms) ! And my dosage was the same. So strange! How long were you on lorazepam before you were able to abruptly quit?

REPLY
andytheman | @andytheman | May 25, 2023
In reply to @lindasmith1222 "I have been off of benzos for 3 months now after decades of use. The last..." + (show)
@lindasmith1222

I have been off of benzos for 3 months now after decades of use. The last 1mg was the hardest for me to taper and then finally quit. Everybody's metabolism is different, but after a long time on just 1/2mg at night (I thought it was helping me to sleep), it had stopped working probably months before and then I quit. No withdrawal. Best wishes.

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Great! Positive feedback! Thanks! I’m going to try again to wean off Clonazapan. (Klonopin). Lorazepam (adavan) was easy because I went from one benzodiazepine to another and I was only on it for 2 months.

REPLY
jcase | @jcase | May 25, 2023
In reply to @yvonne55 "Hi Jake...I was originally put on lorazepam for severe anxiety which led to agoraphobia for 5..." + (show)
@yvonne55

Hi Jake...I was originally put on lorazepam for severe anxiety which led to agoraphobia for 5 years. The doctor never took me off it, just added an anti depressant that didnt work. By now I've tried them all. We had a wicked snow storm one winter and the town basically froze. I was without my lorazepam for 3 or 4 days. I had a seizure. After that my doctors replacement switched me over to clonazepam saying weaning off it was easier. When my doctor returned from his holidays and saw the other doctor switched me to clonazepam, he switched me back.

Jump to this post

Clonazepam is just the generic form of Klonopin. I don't understand why the Dr would've switched you to the same thing. I've been taking Xanax unprescribed for about 10 years and I only take about 3 mgs at a time and still have withdrawal when I try to taper myself off. These Drs are over prescribing benzos. But I can't get a Rx for my anxiety and panic attacks because I had an addiction to pain meds over 20 years ago. Very sad for people that need benzos and can't get them

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