My psychiatrist wants to switch me from Ativan 1 mg to clonazepam .5 .

Hi, I understand that your doctor wants to take you off Ativan 1 mg. and switch you to Clonazepam 0.5 mg., I’m not very successful with this option because I know that Clonazepam stays in your system longer than Ativan but you are reducing the dose by half and that’s the reason I didn’t succeed with this option. I also think that there’s a risk of experiencing withdrawal symptoms even though they are both benzodiazepines because they work differently. If you want to get off this medication, there are many options available, i.e., a book called The Ashton Manuals which is available online and YouTube is also amazing with many helpful resources. I noticed that you have only been using the medication since February, this is very helpful for your success because there is a big difference with long term usage. Always remember to go very slowly when reducing and if your doctor has experience with this it would be beneficial to listen and see what they suggest, good luck.

I would have liked to be tapered with more support than I had. I was on lorazepam (Ativan) for over 10 years. It was hard. I think I would have liked anything to make it better.

how did you do it? what dosage were you on and for how long? I have been on 1 mg for about 3 years now and would love to get off and get my life back on track but I don't know if that is possible without enduring the terrible side effects. I have tried to cut back and it is always unsuccessful. 🙁

A few years ago, I became too reliant on Xanax. To stop it, I had my psychiatrist switch me over to Valium and then I slowly reduced that to nothing. Xanax is quicker-acting but shorter term than Valium. From my experience I think your psychiatrist is wise. Good luck!

Hi David,

What dose of valium were you taking when you started the taper, what did your taper dosage/timeline look like, and how did it feel?

I have been taking 1mg of clonazepam, twice daily, for a long time. I'd like to get off of it, but the withdrawal scares me.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can provide.

Joe

I was on 2 mg 2x a day for 10 years. I was able to taper somewhat easily to 3 mg per day. I was also on 30 mg temazepam at night. What helped the process is the doctor had tapered me off the venlafaxine first. It was making me so anxious. It was super hard after that the doctor did major decreases. My doctor had left and this other doctor inherited me and he was angry I was even on it. The good news is I have now been off 5 years. They gave me some injection in the ER when I had stroke symptoms and they wanted to do an MRI. Unfortunately they couldn’t wake me up for hours. My body is non longer used to it. I am an anxious person and I now take trazodone 3 times per day. I wish I had a doctor that would have gone slower with me and adjusted and waited bit by bit. I am in counseling and I feel that helps, I did take diphenhydramine for anxiety and I do drink a great deal of camomile. I am not glad to be off of it.
I wish you all the very best. It is so nice not to need it. I did all this during the beginning of the pandemic. I think it was important for me to find a way to let off stress. Exercise or Art help me. So important to have a doc who we can tell our goals and they can help us achieve them with regard to this. Please feel free to ask more. It was super hard and I used to just scream every night for a while before bed. I find grounding exercises helpful.

i was on low dose .125 of klonapin, once a day. i was getting off and my hearing started to diminish. there are articles that said hearing can get worse after tapering from klonapin.

I have been on Klonopin/Clonazepam for over thirty years and because of all the horrific stories on this site I asked her about tapering off it.
I don’t drink or smoke and exercise vigorously for 2-3 hours six out of seven days a week.
She told me to stop looking at the site. I am 74 and in good shape.
I know I am going to get angry comments but along with the medication I take for my depression this works for me.
Good luck to everyone. We are all different and handle drugs differently.
I say if it is not broke why fix it and my PCP agrees with me.

Thanks for your “helpful” and like comments on my most recent post.
Good luck to you.

It was so long ago I don't recall, but I wasn't taking the Xanax daily, but too often as I knew I may not get a refill and I wasn't taking a high dose, like some I see hear. So I can't answer you correctly, but knowing myself, I went very slowly. With you I would take 1/2 the second dose and see if you can handle it....like can I just go for a walk to soothe uncomfortable feelings. I would do this for a week, maybe two, then I would skip the whole 2 pill and start on a minimum amt of Valium....and do this for maybe a month....and so on. I would definitely be joining an exercise class or do yoga at home, etc. Does require discipline, but if you feel too uneasy, you will do it. I would also continue daily positive self-talk using Youtube as there are hundreds of excellent guides. Hopefully there are others on here who may have a more similar experience. You will find a way.