mmussak
@mmussak
@mmussak
Posts: 22
Joined: Dec 19, 2018
Tapering off clonazepam (Klonopin, Rivotril)
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!!!
You really sound scared as I am also. I've been taking Klonopin for approximately 25 – 30 years and my doctor is finally taking me off of it – thank goodness! It may be a great drug for a short period of time but horrible to wean off of it. My doctor cut me back to 1.5mg three times a day to 2 times per day – so far, so good – but it's only been a few weeks. I'm moving to Colorado the end of this month so I'll need to find a new psych. so I don't know what road he/she will have me on. I"m 72 so anticipate having the same psychical and emotional problems that you have. I wish someone had told me sooner that long term use is really bad for you. It was great in the beginning but now it's just any addiction. Good luck to you in getting off of it and feeling human again.
REPLY 
@jakedduck1 @There was a Psychiatrist in Europe who was depressed and had a drinking problem so he started taking Klonopin, unfortunately when it came time to stop he took his own advice and stopped it in 10 days. Needless to say he suffered greatly. He learned something from the experience though. Now he is an advocate of the 5-10% taper.
Wishing all well,
Jake
what is the 5-10% taper?
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fluffykitty
@fluffykitty
@fluffykitty
Posts: 15
Joined: Mar 07, 2019
@johnhans I came off of clonozepam 1.5 mg a year ago. I did not have any problems, but I did take months to do it. I have a body that apparently does not digest medicine efficiently so the 1.5 was not at all much for me.
Hi @johnhans I noticed you mentioned that you did not have the problems of withdrawals from clonazapam as many others do. I was wondering how your last doses went and how much you cut at the end? I am close to getting off totally and am wondering what to expect with no clonazapam in my system. It has been almost 6 months since I started my taper of 1.5mg. I am happy with my taper so far. Thank you in advance.
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johnhans
@johnhans
@johnhans
Posts: 229
Joined: Oct 12, 2016
@fluffykitty Hi @johnhans I noticed you mentioned that you did not have the problems of withdrawals from clonazapam as many others do. I was wondering how your last doses went and how much you cut at the end? I am close to getting off totally and am wondering what to expect with no clonazapam in my system. It has been almost 6 months since I started my taper of 1.5mg. I am happy with my taper so far. Thank you in advance.
@fluffykitty I did not taper off real gradual. I just went from .5 to nothing and then did take one after several days, but that was it. My body does not seem to digest medicine as well as others so the 1.5 mg I took was not much for me. I believe that everyone is different in how they react to their meds so you may be different. I have entered my info to encourage others that it can be done if the doctor wants you to go off the clonozepam.
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bookysue
@bookysue
@bookysue
Posts: 109
Joined: Apr 05, 2019
@johnhans @fluffykitty I did not taper off real gradual. I just went from .5 to nothing and then did take one after several days, but that was it. My body does not seem to digest medicine as well as others so the 1.5 mg I took was not much for me. I believe that everyone is different in how they react to their meds so you may be different. I have entered my info to encourage others that it can be done if the doctor wants you to go off the clonozepam.
Please be careful- my mom was told by a dr who should have know better to completely stop taking meds( 2 were antidepressants, migraines,etc) and had convulsions/ broke her back
Do slow /tapering withdrawals- the docs know this.
@gettingbetter75 Before discovering the wonders of CBD, tapering from Benzos have been difficult, to say the least. I've experienced almost all of the classical symptoms with the brief exception of nausea. CBD has helped alleviate, irritability, headaches, muscle pain and stiffness let alone the anxiety for which I was taking clonazepam. I was taking 3mg – 4mg at my peak and I'm now down to 0.75mg. I've been taking these drugs since my early 20's and I'm now in my early 40's. For whatever reason, I simply came across some online resources which were spelling out the benefits of quitting these drugs, mostly feeling ALIVE again and not in a constant state of drowsiness and emotional blunting. You don't know how deeply these drugs affect you until you get off of them. I'm also aware that I still have a substantial journey ahead of me but this is an amazing beginning.
I just started the most recent taper (1mg to 0.75mg) 5 days ago and I'm feeling OK. I do have a bit of trouble sleeping, especially after waking in the middle of the night. I should also add that I quit sleeping aids at this time also (Unisom specifically, 5 days ago). Through help from this forum (thanks @annfsd), I've switched Unisom for melatonin. It knocks me out at night but as I mentioned, I'm working through falling back asleep after waking in the middle of the night. The fact that I've been able to maintain such a low dose of clonazepam (for me) along with complete elimination of Unisom is nothing short of remarkable for me and I'm quite proud of that. I've gone from 3mg to 1.5mg without CBD and it was extremely difficult with a very high level of irritability and insomnia. This most recent taper from 1.5mg to 0.75mg (in 0.25mg increments) was done with the help of CBD and there is a tangible difference.
CBD (tinctures/oil, caps and or dry flower (High CBD, negligible THC)) has helped tremendously to help deal Benzodiazepine withdrawal. If I'm having a particularly difficult day, I will use one of the above delivery methods depending on my environment. For example, if I'm at home, I will vape it as it's the quickest delivery method (seconds). If I'm traveling, I will use either the tincture or gelcap. I should also add that I live in Canada so I have access to regulated CBD flower, oils, and gel caps, although at a steep price. For those us actively trying to taper from these difficult drugs, I think we can all agree that it's difficult to put a price on alleviating withdrawal symptoms.
Hope this helps and please note this is my experience only.
Thank you for your post. I’m new here. I’m on .75mg of klonopin for 10 years and looking to start tapering after a month long of withdrawals from a bad batch from pharmacy. I was originally prescribed it for insomnia and am now seeing what a horrible drug it is. Would you mind telling me the dose of cbd you use and is it straight cbd? Does it help with insomnia? That’s my biggest fear of starting the tapering. I appreciate any help.
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Lisa Lucier, Connect Moderator
@lisalucier
@lisalucier
Posts: 3200
Joined: May 10, 2017
@amy10 Thank you for your post. I’m new here. I’m on .75mg of klonopin for 10 years and looking to start tapering after a month long of withdrawals from a bad batch from pharmacy. I was originally prescribed it for insomnia and am now seeing what a horrible drug it is. Would you mind telling me the dose of cbd you use and is it straight cbd? Does it help with insomnia? That’s my biggest fear of starting the tapering. I appreciate any help.
Hi, @amy10 – welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I'm sorry to hear you were having trouble from a bad batch of clonazepam (Klonopin). How were you able to figure out there was a problem with the medication? What kinds of symptoms were you experiencing?
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gettingbetter75
@gettingbetter75
@gettingbetter75
Posts: 36
Joined: Dec 20, 2018
CBD helped me immensely with withdrawal symptoms while tapering off Klonopin. It also helped with anxiety. I'm a medical patient in Canada so I have access to medical-grade CBD from the major LPs however, I will warn you, it's not cheap at $90 for 40ml but worth it to help temper those withdrawal symptoms. It helped a lot on this difficult journey to get completely off Clonazepam and I would recommend it. My journey started on Dec 18' and was finally off by father's day. And no, it was not planned that was just the way the taper timing eventually worked itself out with the taper schedule. I was taking 2.0mg every night for reference. Now I'm working through insomnia problems. Always something…
REPLY
trellg132
@trellg132
@trellg132
Posts: 264
Joined: Jul 16, 2019
@gettingbetter75 CBD helped me immensely with withdrawal symptoms while tapering off Klonopin. It also helped with anxiety. I'm a medical patient in Canada so I have access to medical-grade CBD from the major LPs however, I will warn you, it's not cheap at $90 for 40ml but worth it to help temper those withdrawal symptoms. It helped a lot on this difficult journey to get completely off Clonazepam and I would recommend it. My journey started on Dec 18' and was finally off by father's day. And no, it was not planned that was just the way the taper timing eventually worked itself out with the taper schedule. I was taking 2.0mg every night for reference. Now I'm working through insomnia problems. Always something…
I was thinking of looking into cbd
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Lisa Lucier, Connect Moderator
@lisalucier
@lisalucier
Posts: 3200
Joined: May 10, 2017
@gettingbetter75 CBD helped me immensely with withdrawal symptoms while tapering off Klonopin. It also helped with anxiety. I'm a medical patient in Canada so I have access to medical-grade CBD from the major LPs however, I will warn you, it's not cheap at $90 for 40ml but worth it to help temper those withdrawal symptoms. It helped a lot on this difficult journey to get completely off Clonazepam and I would recommend it. My journey started on Dec 18' and was finally off by father's day. And no, it was not planned that was just the way the taper timing eventually worked itself out with the taper schedule. I was taking 2.0mg every night for reference. Now I'm working through insomnia problems. Always something…
Hi, @gettingbetter75 – just wanted to suggest, given your mention of sleep problems, that you might look at this Connect discussion on insomnia https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/josephene-i-am-having-terrible-insomnia-as-well-nothing-seems-to-help
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@merpreb @elwooodsdad– Have you talked to your doctor about switching up medicines? Maybe adding another anti-depressant? I take both Zoloft and Welbutrin. Welbutrin took me from the edge to enjoying life, most of the time.
What makes any of you think the SSRI Medications are safer than benzodiazepines? This has been a false impression created by drug companies an perpetrated by physicians who believe frug companies. Pick your poison. Many take Benzos for years with no problem. Just try coming off an SSRI after years of use. And two together??? Just asking for serotonin syndrome
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@annfsd Hello,
I use the elixinol brand, 3600 bottle in tincture. That is a 120ml (4oz) bottle, that I order directly from the company. I use about 1.5 bottles per month. I pay 224.00 per bottle including a10% discount for being a repeat customer. Free shipping in the US, not sure about Canada tho. I know they do ship to Canada tho.
Here is the dosage I take:
10am- 30 mg CBD
2pm- 30mg CBD
8pm- 60 mg CBD
10pm- 60 mg CBD
10pm – 10mg Naturol extended release melatonin.
If I wake up during the night, I take 15-30mg CBD and drop back into sleep.
I have found that sticking to a consistent dosing schedule works best for me and if I’m having an anxiety issue I dose a .5ml extra at that time, that generally doesn’t happen as I avoid any stress I can. Btw the melatonin helps greatly at night and I use a melatonin tincture 3mg at bedtime as well. So a total of 13mg melatonin at bedtime. I am not using any other meds for sleep and refuse to take any other psychotropic meds other than the Klonopin & CBD.
I would be very careful with valerian root, Passion flower, etc. They act the same as benzodiazepines so yes you will sleep but those supplements will not help you upregulate your GABA receptors. Do some deep research on any supplement you take. I have gotten myself into real trouble with them…
Best,
Ann
WOW! THATS A LOT OF CBD!!
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@jimlindac Hi, Jim is right. Living your best life is the goal of any treatment. If you read the studies done on benzos and dementia you will find that at this time, they don't have any concrete evidence that they cause dementia. There is no direct link because there is a missing piece about the question of whether people started on the benzos later in life because they were already in the beginning stages of dementia. For example, ten years ago my mom started having anxiety issues at age 73. Her doctor put her on xanax .25 3 times a day. This is a very low dose and she usually only took it twice a day. In hindsight, the anxiety was being caused by the onset of dementia/alzheimers and the xanax was added to combat those symptoms. At age 73, the xanax did not cause the dementia. The studies they are currently referring too are having the same difficulty…what came first the chicken or the egg? In the future, they may prove that there is a connection to some of these medications ie: benzos, statins, beta blockers, but for now there is a lot of speculation. I hope you ultimately live your best life in this moment. I have been taking Klonopin for about 15 years 1 mg at bedtime. It has really helped and I too have occasionally tried a slow wean thinking that being off of them is better for me. I always end up back on my 1 mg and am comfortable there, no side effect and no panic attacks at night.
Amen! No conclusive evidence at all. Just a drug company ploy
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meka
@meka
@meka
Posts: 36
Joined: Dec 12, 2018
@rosebookay What makes any of you think the SSRI Medications are safer than benzodiazepines? This has been a false impression created by drug companies an perpetrated by physicians who believe frug companies. Pick your poison. Many take Benzos for years with no problem. Just try coming off an SSRI after years of use. And two together??? Just asking for serotonin syndrome
New to this group, and hope it is at least supportive. I am back at Mayo this week for lung cancer follow up, CT on Tuesday. Unfortunately, the hell of withdrawal from Clonazepam, (started August 2016) and then my psychiatrist totally dropping my sertaline this summer is wreaking havoc on my body, emotional state and my brain. I so need another human being to connect with as it seems VA and other providers just don't want to admit that it can cause so many problems. Knowing how much stress affects everything I am seriously worried about my cancer. Will someone at Mayo at least consult on this issue???
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@jakedduck1
@There was a Psychiatrist in Europe who was depressed and had a drinking problem so he started taking Klonopin, unfortunately when it came time to stop he took his own advice and stopped it in 10 days. Needless to say he suffered greatly. He learned something from the experience though. Now he is an advocate of the 5-10% taper.
Wishing all well,
Jake
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