Klonopin taper - any suggestions?

Hi @stanof53, yes these groups are monitored by members and moderators, who are fellow patients and caregivers - not medical professionals. In case of medical emergencies, please seek medical professional advice. Please read the Disclaimer https://connect.mayoclinic.org/page/about-connect/tab/disclaimer/

I'm sure this was rattling to suddenly have no feeling in your hands. Perhaps @jimhd @thankful @lizaa @parus @scruffy1 and others will share if they've experienced numbness in their hands when tapering off Klonopin (clonozepam).

Stan, did you report this side effect to your prescribing doctor?

@stanof53
Contrary to what you seem to believe withdrawal symptoms don’t always have to be a part of getting off Klonopin. I tapered off it very slowly and had NO withdrawl symptoms except some very mild ones at the very end. I added small chips to the amount and had an uneventful taper.
Jake

I am out of country and using the public health system so I don't have a regular GP. I have not had good experience with the public system being adequate to handle issues I've had in the past and seemingly not knowing how to deal with issues like bridging my Warfarin with Heparin before surgery, so I have zero faith in the system and i cannot afford to use the private system. I am returning to the States in May and that's why the need to get off the Klonopin as my experience with medicaid that abruptly did not allow me to continue Klonopin forced me to quit cold turkey (a previous post gives a more descriptive detail of that encounter). Until I return to the States, I really have no trusted source and basically doing the research and going on the understanding of that information. I guess I'm seeking advice or suggestion in regard to whether I should slow my progress down or is it the general consensus that if I stay on the current taper of 1/8 gram per month (currently at 1/4 Gram dosage) and be off the drug by time I return to keep my out of pocket cost for healthcare to a minimum In order to be able to return to my homeland. Quitting cold turkey was certainly harder and I never recovered from insomnia issues until I saw a doctor that agreed to resume my Clonozepam. Muscle craps were a regular episode throughout that year but I did manage to survive (that was 8 years ago).

That's encouraging to hear Jake. Hopefully I will have the same results. From what I understand in my research is tapering at a rate of 1/8 gram a month should be sufficient, and being that I have actually tapered from 1.5 grams to 1/4 gram for the past couple of months (starting with a 1/2 gram taper the first round) perhaps I'm still ahead of the recommended taper but I've only suffered 1 severe and shortlived muscle cramp and now the event with my hands. Maybe I should slow it down some and take longer to get off the drug since I do have a back stock that will easily get me through. I do intend to use it occasionally on those nights I know I have to get my sleep and especially while flying to ease the restless leg syndrome that the drug was originally prescribed for. Just don't want to get back into that daily regimen and get addicted again.

Thanks for you response. yes, I've learn to trust no one and that applies to the credibility of medical websites. Even before I left the states and had health issues I often relied on WebMD and the Mayo Clinic for edification. My GP at that time was prescription happy and I often rejected prescriptions over finding other natural remedies. I really need to use the clonazepam to get relief from RLS and it was a better alternative to Leva/Carbidopa which I firmly believe led to my mothers dementia while treating a tremor in her hand. Just like anything, all things in moderation and if you don't depend on it as a nightly regimen you should be able to keep from being addicted. As it now with the health services available to me, I pretty much depend solely on my internet research, just stay away from sites that are not certifiable or credible.

Please please do your research if a doctor ever tells you to take Seroquel. Very dangerous drug.

How do you feel about returning to this drug again?

I will never ever ever do it again.

There was always some part of my body not working well. Stevie Nicks has described Klonopin as a “horrible, dangerous drug,” and said that her eventual 45-day hospital detox and rehab from the drug felt like “somebody opened up a door and pushed me into hell.”

Clonazepam is a drug which evidently affects people differently. I have been prescribed it by four physicians over the years and have no issues. I have neither interest nor intent to taper off or quit.