Klonopin taper - any suggestions?

No, never received a diagnosis or the cause. Still have it. My Primary care Dr told me to see a Dentist, he'll look at me like I'm crazy if I tell him it started after stopping Clonazepam, he probably knows nothing about Benzodiazepines and withdrawal and tapering off this DRUG. MY RLS CAME BACK AFTE GETTING OFF THE LORAZEPAM AND CLONAZEPAM, which is why I was taking it. I have had it for 40 or more years. The worst part of RLS for me is when you are not sleeping, your body is not healing. I am enclosing the Restless Leg Syndrome Foundation, you should join, its only $35 and they are incredible. They cannot prescribe anything but they can educate you. info@rls.org. 1-512-366-9109. Im truly sorry you are going through a miserable time and I wish for you a solution. Laurine

Thank you, Laurie. I am sorry that you have suffered from RLS for over 30 years. It is an awful and painful disease. I want to join that group. I wish there was a cure for this disease. The dopamine agonist medications that I've read about can stop working in some people and make the RLS worse. I went back to the Lyrica. It helps about 40 %. If I walk and pace most of the day then I can sleep at night. I am so proud of you getting an of the Benzos. Wow! That is a huge accomplishment. I wish I was off. I want this Clonazepam out of my body. I was hit hard with this neuropathy in my hands and feet in January and that's when the RLS came back. I had it off and on five years ago while in peri- menopause and I would sometimes get it always during the day and usually when I had pms. It would come and I'd be writhing in pain and my legs wouldn't stop moving, then I'd take a pain pill and it would go away. I had told my pain Doctor and he gave me Gabapentin and I took it for two days but I exercized my legs and the RLS went away. I have been on pain management pain medication for many years for my neck and lower back and the medication doesn't work so well so I usually get cortisone injections. I was planning on getting surgery and then the Neuropathy and RLS hit me real bad. I was also planning a Klonopin taper. I went down from 2ngs to 1ng and I cut my pills in quarters and recently went down 25% but my muscles got really tight and I could feel the anxiety and with all the pain I'm going through now my caretaker/ best friend said I should get this RLS and my heart problem under control first. Did you have anxiety when you were tapering your dose?

You do know RLS is said to be a form of PARKINSON'S? I am 100% in agreement with this as while tapering off Lorazepam 6mg, with Clonazepam .5mg caused mouth and hand tremors. A big mistake my Dr and Psychiatrist made tapering me with .5mg Clonazepam when should have been 3mg. I am going thru untold problems. Wish I could start that taper over and do it correctly.

Bravo for Georgia, wish they would do the same in California. Klonopin is for SHORT TERM ONLY, as far as I know, all Benzodiazepines are for short term use. Those of us who was prescribed a Benzodiazepine for many years are suffering greatly to taper off. Thank your lucky starts. Laurine

@dawgbone
@laurine7
“a bill in georgia has been passed that will not allow my doc to prescribe it for long term use after the end of this yr.”
Many patients who taper to quickly will likely be pleased to hear of this bill which is unfortunate since long term use of this drug is essential for some people.
Some seizure patients are not responsive to typical anticonvulsant therapy. I was curious if any consideration in the Georgia law was given to patients who have Epilepsy or other types of seizure disorders?
Some of these patients take one of several long term Benzodiazepine Anticonvulsants to prevent seizures.
Since Epilepsy is a long term condition in this situation the benefits far outweigh any risks by controlling seizures.
I took 18 mg of Klonopin and had no problems tapering.
Jake

This has been going on 5 years?

Sorry. Thought this was a new comment.

“This has been going on 5 years?”

And people still don't understand.
Just because someone has a difficult taper (usually their own fault) doesn't mean it's not beneficial or even life-saving to someone else.
Jake

I've been thinking about that a lot and it makes me so angry that they did that to you. 6mg of Lorazepam down to .5mg of Clonazepam is a huge drop. I don't know how they couldn't see that. I know Clonazepam has a longer half life but I had thought they all were the same dose. If you had been put on 3mg of Clonazepam instead you definitely wouldn't have had to suffer so much. It must have been horrible when they switched you down to the .5mg. If your Doctor had put you on 3mg of Clonazepam and then tapered you down would you not have these symptoms? I'm so sorry that you have to be dealing with this. Did you develop restless legs in your late 30's?

I feel your pain, I’m 72! I had a very big life chsnge last October, my partner of 6 yrs died of Covid this year! Let me go back to beginning, back in 2018 my partner was diagnosed with Dementia, it was a slight case, so I could continue with my job, which was very well paying with great benefits, & I loved it, when he started getting to the point where he could not be left alone I called his only child, his Son! I told him the whole issue, he came down and said QUOTE” I HOPE WE ARE ON THE SAME PAGE! “UNQUOTE” I looked at him and said. WHAT PAGE WILL THAT BE, he looked at me like I had 3 heads! Long story short I ended up quitting my job to take care of him, leaving me just having my SS ! I took care of him 24/7 I had Breast Cancer in 2018 had to have a Bilateral Mastectomy! I was blessed , nothing in Lymph Nodes & nothing went outside the margins! But his son & brother left me holding the bag, I was 69 then! I took care of Hime for 2.5 yrs straight! I asked nithing if this man! I have been in depression for years but got ahold on it with lots of counseling, and meds and one of those meds was Clonzapam! My Dr started me out with 1mg, dosage of 1/2 in a m 1/2 in afternoon & 1 1/2 at night! All was great, the torture started coming on when his son THOUGHT I was STEALING FROM HIS FATHER! I WAS NOT! It was him & his Uncle! I guess they thought I should be paying rent and part of bills while living there my question is: HOW IN THE HELL (pardon word) was I to do that on my SS. The house note was over $2,000! After giving up 2 yrs of my life, his brother came in pushed me out , then he & his son put my partner in a Nursing Home, he died 2 months later from Covid. We was not ready to go to Nursing Home!!! All they wanted was his money and ranch! Ok now you can see why I was on Clonzapam 1 mg and you saw the dosage my Dr had me on, it added uti be 2mg for a day. I was doing excellent! I had to move back home in Indiana! I HATE IT HERE. I was in Dallas fir 14 yrs! But my daughter needed a babysitter for 3 days a week, so since I was being put of my home