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How to taper off clonazepam?.
Hi my name is Mary and I am a first time user of ever using a discussion blog online but have felt in my heart I need some advice and help with an issue I am having. My dr I have seen for many years moved out of state and referred me to another phychiatrist within his office. At the time of his moving away he had me weaning off clorazapam slowly and doing it as slow to not make it not so difficult as you all know , and I was doing well at it until I was having extreme chest pain and they put me in the hospital for 2 days to check to make sure it wasn't my heart, with all this happening I knew it was the weaning off the meds that was causing it so i went back up in dosage and it all went away again, and I was almost off it...My old dr started me on this med 27 years ago and I had no idea what it was but my body anxiety was shutting down my body and it helped it all go away so i didnt question it, well not until I went to school for nursing did I find out what it was all about. He put me on .5 mg three times a day and that stayed that way for 27 years not knowing what It does later in years, so I asked my dr to help me with the weaning off it, so our weaning process was as follows: Take .5 in a.m. ,25 afternoon and ,5 evening dose for 2 weeks then cut morning dose to .25 afternoon to .25 and evening .5 for 2 weeks then finally .25 three times a day for 6 weeks and then starting the last of the wean at this point the same as we did the first .25 till i was off. My new dr went from .50 3 times daily to .25 two times a day starting right away to get off it, that is over 1.0 mg a day off it all in one day and forward , I am already sad and crying because I dont know what to do, I have been there and I know how hard it was just to get off the way my old dr did slowly.....anyone out there that can help me with what to do I am so scared and I don't think she knows how extremely hard it is to get off this stupid stuff or that I really do want to do it, but please make it as painless as possible if there is such a thing with these meds. At 56 I didnt think I would have to go through menapause and this hell(sorry about the word but so true) all at once...at times I think it would be easier to just get cancer or something and die. Sorry but its true if you have been there you will understand. PLease help me!!!
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Thanks for your input! Hope you at ok :). I am on 0.5 three times a day, for 4 months. Taking is slow.
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1 ReactionI am so sorry for your experience with rapid taper. I have been on 0.5 three times a day for 4 months. I want to discontinue clonazepam. I do not want to be on an addictive medicine and I do worry about long term effects. I am nervous about the taper but feel that I can do it. And I agree, slowly, even if it takes a year. Best to you!
Well been over a week. i have been taking .25 mg clonapin morning and night. So I cut my dose in half.
starting to feel the withdrawal from dropping from .5 mg morning and night. Don't know what is going to happen if I go to my Dr. and he doesn't refill my script. The Dr's he wants me to see are and 1 1/2 hours away. None are on my plan. Thanks for your help. The worst is yet to come. Been through it before when I was younger. Big Tom 72.
I tapered from .5 mg lorazepam and did it very slowly. Example: first two to three weeks I did .5, .5, .25, .5, .5, .25 etc. Then .5, .25, .25, .5, .25, .25 etc. Then put .25 every day. Then cut in quarters and did similar till I was finally off
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2 Reactions@kawanhee
Did you ever have any withdrawal symptoms?
Jake
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1 ReactionI didn’t really. Maybe fatigue. I was actually relying on it for sleep and it wasn’t working anymore. I transitioned to mirtazapine which is not a benzodiazepine which is working well for me now.
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2 Reactions@kawanhee
I tapered off 18 mg over 2+ years. No withdrawals except very minor at the end but small chips stopped those. I took it for seizures but it didn't work.
Thank you for your reply.
Jake
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2 Reactionshttps://www.benzoinfo.com/
There are some great resources on the Benzo Information Coalition website. If you dig in, you will be surprised at how in depth it is.
Also, depending on where you live, there is a list of benzo informed doctors you can try to call.
Best wishes to you and may you have a peaceful separation from the medication.
Thank you!
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1 Reaction@crbarefoot @jakedduck1
@kawanhee
I’ve been left cold turkey too many times. So afraid it will happen I panic every month.
No way to live. Been on it for 40 years, different Dr.’s different doses. I’m 65 now and I think it’s inhumane to make someone at my age get off. Whatever brain damage it may have caused is already done. I can’t go back. I voluntarily reduced my dose weaning REALLY slowly out of fear of being without.
I suggest you go as slow as as possible. For example a dose of 2-3 mg a day I would do it over a 2 year period at the very least. Seriously! It is more dangerous than getting off Heroin. Dr.’s would prefer treating a Herion addiction rather than a benzodiazepine one.
Pharma, Dr.’s, FDA, DEA really should take responsibility and if they must, be humane about the detox. crbarefoot I’ve been left cold turkey too many times. So afraid it will happen I panic every month.
No way to live. Been on it for 40 years, different Dr.’s different doses. I’m 65 now and I think it’s inhumane to make someone at my age get off. Whatever brain damage it may have caused is already done. I can’t go back. I voluntarily reduced my dose weaning REALLY slowly out of fear of being without.
I suggest you go as slow as as possible. For example a dose of 2-3 mg a day I would do it over a 2 year period at the very least. Seriously! It is more dangerous than getting off Heroin. Dr.’s would prefer treating a Herion addiction rather than a benzodiazepine one.
Pharma, Dr.’s, FDA, DEA really should take responsibility and if they must, be humane about the detox.
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3 Reactions