Help Getting Off of Klonopin

Posted by mcoleman1971 @mcoleman1971, Aug 20, 2025

I have been on Klonopin for 25 years at 2mg per day and want to get off of this horrible medication. My GP here doesn't know how to help me and since I live in a small town we don't have any therapists that would be able to help me as well. I do not wish to go to a rehab center and need support through what I am going to be going through over the next year.

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Profile picture for frouke @frouke

@william81, I think you will find it quite easy to get from 3 mg. to 1.5 mg., it can sometimes get a bit rough when you’re trying to give them up,Kolonpin lasts longer than Ativan so you feel more uncomfortable soon, I read that some doctors switch to Valium when tapering because the effects also last longer. When I look into tapering Ativan I think that the effects from withdrawal get stronger when you are really close to stopping, some of it is psychological and some are physical.

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@frouke Yes, the Ashton Manual recommends adding a low dose of Valium while tapering off Klonapin, then once off the Klonapin, tapering off the valium. There is a chart in the Manual outlining the tapering schedule for each benzo. The Manual also goes into the half-life of each.

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Profile picture for william81 @william81

Over the years the doctor put me up to 3mgs a day.
I would like to get down to 1.5 simple as that.
But from what I'm reading online it may not be so simple,probably looking at 5% dosage reductions every 4-6 weeks to stave off withdrawal symptoms.

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@william81 Yes, you can taper down but it needs to be very slow. Usually it is exactly as you say, maybe even longer than 4-6 weeks, but if you are not getting off Ativan completely, I believe you will have an easier time. Be sure and do it slow and take it one day at a time. If you have been on it for anxiety, try and find another way to reduce that anxiety...mindfulness, exercise, breathing exercises. Good luck and keep us posted.

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