I went off Klonopin cold turkey two weeks ago (bad move I know)... I was taking .25 mg a night to sleep (as per docs script) for three weeks... It started to make me feel extremely anxious and drugged up after taking it for a while... I seem to have EVERY protracted withdrawal symptom known to man (odd thoughts, flu like symptoms, no energy, constant headaches, memory loss, confusion, severe anxiety, severe depression, depersonalization, aggressive thoughts (but NOT actions), etc. How long is this HELL going to take to emerge from? I fear that as per the Ashton Manual (read it too late) that I did IRREPARABLE damage to my psyche and brain due to going off the med C/T. Does ANYONE have ANY insight on this matter from PERSONAL experience... I'm well versed in medical statistics... but I'd like to know some actually case histories... Thank you all for listening to my jumbled ramble... GOD BLESS!
How long should C/T clonazepam (Klonopin) withdrawal take?
Question posted by SEZFIT on 10 June 2012
Last updated on 11 February 2024
The information on this page reflects personal experiences shared by our community members. It is not reviewed for medical accuracy and should not replace professional medical advice.
101 Answers Page 5
I know this is an old post but I thought I would throw my two cents in. I have been taking Klonopin 1.5 mg for 20 years and didn't realize that one of the side effects was basically lack of caring. Bluntly that is what I experienced with many aspects of my life. I just talked to my psychiatrist about it and she said they didn't know about this reaction 20 years ago.
I also found out it can take over two years to get off the medication. I recently cut back to 1/4 less a dose and I still had physical withdrawals . Not only that but I had severe anxiety and craziness like I have never had in my life. I say that because even though I weaned off it slowly I thought I was loosing my mind and memory. Non stop talking, non stopping questioning to my family, and every thing was a huge deal. I even had convinced myself I was getting Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
I am now going to get the drug compounded and decrease an eight of a dose once every two weeks. Never want to go through the hell I went through three weeks ago. Not trying to give anyone medical advice but if you can avoid this drug and take something else that would be a good thing
You are not going crazy, I have just discovered I am not alone. I tapered for 14 months, 1/4 tab at a time. I thought that would be considered slow and safe but like you I thought I was dying. I couldn't think straight to figure out what was wrong or what I needed to do to get better. Therefore, God is the only way I have made it this far. I haven't had any klonopin in 5 months and I am still having withdraw, not nearly as extreme but I can identify the symptoms and just remind myself it's getting better everyday, it won't always be this way. I have a lot of good days now, still confused from time to time and never know what any day will bring but I can't wait for it to be over. Hang in there, sending up a prayer.
Btw I was on 1mg klonopin for 12 yrs, 1 pill daily.
Do you mind me asking what your other symptoms are now that you have been off the drug. You mentioned confusion but what else? My new tapering regimen has me off Klonopin April 3rd 2016 so I am crossing my fingers because going through the crazes mania was the worst thing I have ever been through.Thanks for your help and take care.
Strange symptoms really... I have a lot of aches and pains, sweating still but not as bad, agitated, dizzy, I hate waking up feeling like I'm drugged, tired, weak.. Keep in mind these change everyday and I recently went two weeks feeling Great! I can tell I'm getting better it is just taking time. After dealing with the horror of symptoms for a year and a half this is a piece of cake. Since I realize now I tapered too quickly and I didn't let my symptoms subside before continuing to taper as I have read I should of done. I probably could have avoided suffering such symptoms if I had tapered slower. Do it slowly is all I can advise. I can feel the end of this coming and I know it will be awesome once I get there, perhaps better than I can imangine since I lost a part of me for so many years on this drug... Even though I have to be honest when I started it I truly did need it, I could not function and take care of my family. Just keep pushing, you got this! Blessings coming your way.
The benzos are hard to get off of. I used a nutrient therapy protocol by Pain and Stress center. That will help your brain and spinal cord heal up. Personal experience was 1.5 years coming off 2 mg a day. They snapped it in a detox unit and gave me depakote to stop any seizures for 2 weeks. It all depends on your body's toxicity level when you try to get off them how long it's going to take. I took valium for a week in the hospital due to bad back pain. I've been 5 years .with bad detox symptoms from that. The protracted withdrawal symptoms never stopped after getting off the klonopin 22 years ago. These are not nice drugs. I don't recommend anyone go on them. There are other ways of dealing with what causes the symptoms. In my opinion, they should NEVER be given out to anyone. The suffering is beyond description for some people.
Wow! Sitting here feeling like I'm having a continuous panic attack and started to wonder if it was because I cut down on my klonopin... ive been taking it for 10 years, was on 8mg a day and about 3 years ago it was dropped to 5mg a day... have had to cancel the last 3 dr visits due to work conflicts and feel embarrassed now to call and ask for my prescription tobe refilled... but guess i need to call and get it filled and scedule an appt. I think the panic attacks and being scared of everything is worse than the klonopin... just dont know what to doanymore... all the horror stories about what its doing and then the ones about coming of it... right now i feel like i could take a handful, luckily i dont have it with me...
Anyone experience a weird itchy rash after taking Clonazepam for several years? ( 1mg dose per night).
I'm 63 and have been on Klonopin for somewhere around 25 years. Sometimes I have taken as much as 8 mg a day. Now I am prescribed 4 mg a day. Recently I have been aware that my anxiety has decreased or maybe even disappeared. I will add that Klonopin is one drug of 7 I am on. I have personally decreased the mg I take to 3. If I space it right it's no problem. Today though I developed a headache, nausea and stiffer muscles (I have Tardive Dyskinesia-yippee). I know these are symptoms of withdrawal. My shrink isn't worried about my taking Klonopin but I sure am. My shrink is retiring as soon as he can find a replacement. At that time I am going to see about getting off or at least decreasing everything I am on. Maybe going from 4mg to 3mg was too big a decrease. I am just tired of all the side effects of all the drugs I am on.
What other medicine are you on?
I am 62 and took clonazepam for 18 years for sleep, ending up at 3mg. I have been tapering slowly for 16 months and I am still not off. It has been quite horrible. I am decreasing at 5-10% of the previous dose every 10-14 days and this is the easiest method I have found. I bought a jeweler's scale from Amazon (Horizon PRO-20A Digital Jewelry Scale, 20g by 0.001g). I crush up 0.5mg tablets and weigh out what I need. You need to do a calculation in order to know how much to weigh out. This is because one tablet weighs more than 0.5mg because of added binders, fillers, etc.
I forgot to add that after weighing out the crushed powder, add it to a small amount of water, 1 or 2 tablespoons. It is not soluble in water, so just swirl the glass around to suspend the powder in the water and drink it right away. Works easily.
I am 23 and I have been on 1 mg of Klonopin for 4 years, and it has been absolute hell trying to get off this infernal medication. I have Anxiety, Insomnia, PTSD, and chronic body pain from hitting the ground going 50mph. The side effects have completely crippled my academic career, my personal life, family relations. I want off these God Forsaken things, and if need be take something else to help (suggestions are very much appreciated). I have been down to 1/2 a pill for about 3 weeks, but I want to make sure I'm doing the right thing before continuing. I will be discussing it with my physician as well, but any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I would like to tell anyone reading this or other posts that there IS an answer to get thru this HELL! I too was withdrawing from Klonopin but in the bigger picture I had been on flurazepam for 20 yrs -- so it was a really rough time. Between terrible dizziness, flu like symptoms and anxiety thru the roof and I mean thru the roof - I simply could not go on... I finally found a dr in a larger city that prescribed a combination of Neurontin and lyrica... and within hours I felt like a new person -- not benzos and yes I will need to be weaned off one of the two but I wanted to get this protocal out there... it worked for me when I was so very sick. Good luck to anyone reading this... if it is long term use or if you crossed over like I did from one benzo to the next... you are NOT alone... please seek out a dr that will consider something like what I am doing. Hang in there -- you can do it.
Were you on both flourazepam and Klonopin at the same time? The fact that you actively sought help is a tribute to your courage.
I am finally doing a Klonopin W/D the right way—I am seeing a psychiatrist who understands how awful a benzo withdrawal can be. In fact, it is life-threatening in many cases and I can only say that anyone who is doing this—do it under medical supervision...
I feel like I'm in hell right now! I was on klonopin for 20 years and Xanax for six of those years. Was taking 3mg of klonopin and June 4 2015 I started decreasing with doctor orders. My husband and I decided to have a kid and klonopin is a class D drug so there is a risk for cleft pallate during the first trimester. I thought we had a good plan for tapering it and I went down slowly and as of about 2 weeks ago I have not been on it. During my tapering I had withdrawal symptoms that would come and go. Wasn't everyday and I thought I was getting better but about the time I completely stopped the symptoms got worse and are everyday. There may be a few hours where I feel okay. I don't work and go to school full time online so I'm fortunate because I can barely function. Symptoms are bad night sweats, trembling, twitching esp.
at night, shaking so bad I drop things, nausea, body aches, feel out of my body, depersonalization, feel like my brain is being fried and my face and jaw will go numb and I feel like my brain is going to explode. Sounds crazy but I feel crazy. Worse than ever. I'm unsteady, feel like I'm crawling out of my skin, pain or pressure in my eyes, tunnel like vision, blinking a lot when eyes hurt, heart palpitations, confusion, memory loss and I just feel stupid. Sometimes I feel like I can't form a sentence or get it out right. Buzzing in ears, my jaw is always tense and I'm grinding my teeth more, chest pain, shortness of breath, poor motivation and bad racing thoughts.
I was put on a couple milligrams of Xanax daily when I was 16. I have severe anxiety and even worse panic disorder. At 21 I was switched to klonopin, 3 mg a day. So I've been on benzoes for a long time and I'm 37. I know my anxiety has gotten worse and I'm having panic attacks on an almost daily basis and I know some of my symptoms are anxiety related but I've never felt this bad before! I see my psych in 2 weeks but don't think I can wait any longer. I see my medical doctor in about 2 weeks as well but I'm ready to go to him tomorrow!
I'm frustrated, scared and sick of this. Felt alone but gained comfort from this forum. Any help or advice?
Thanks
I too have been on this medication for about 7 years and have ran out a few times before I could see my doctor. I had horrible side effects: panic attacks that lasted for long periods of time, hands and feet tingling, feeling like I wanted to crawl out of my skin, headaches, not sleeping or eating much and as soon as I got my prescription filled ( 1 MG ) my symptoms also went away.
At present I ran out again and my doctor knows I am out but has not returned my 2 phone calls and it's been almost 2 weeks. Maybe I'm lucky but I started tapering myself off of this medicine over a few months and got to the point I would only take them when I needed it and not everyday. Now my withdrawals are still not pleasant but not as bad as it was a few years ago. Symptoms: feeling hot, sweating on and off, jittery at times, waking up at night and have trouble going back to bed, feeling foggy headed or hard to concentrate and periods of fatigue.
I'm scared too as I want to get off of Clonazepam. I had know idea about this drug until my first withdrawel symptoms years ago when I ran out.
Worried my doctor won't call me back and refill my perscription but I want to get off of them too. The drug has caused me to gain weight and not fit into my clothes and I don't want to be dependent on it anymore .
Guess I will have to find another doctor and taper off like the above responses because I'm afraid of long term withdrawel symptoms that was mentioned.
So glad I found content about Clonazepam and withdraw symptoms as I was starting to feel like I was the only person Experincing this.
I thought I would never get there but now it seems as if I´m going to make it. Cut K by 20% each month and now I´m cutting 0,5 mgr pills into eight parts and feeling better every day and rather happy with myself. BUT at some stages I was afraid I would never recover. Taper SLOWLY. Best of luck all of you.
I am a 24 year old male and have been taking 1 MG klonopin off and on for about three years. Some weeks I'll take 7, some weeks I'll take 2. Now, I don't really show any side effects, but the one big one I notice is my vision. Does anybody else experience this? The only way I can describe it is that it's this unfocused, tunnel-esk, fog, with some pressure behind the eyes. I'm sure it directly corresponds with the drug but wanted to know if anybody had advice about it! Thanks!
I´m 62 years old and I have been reading all the comments on Klonopin and they really help. I was on K for 4-5 years (never more than 1,5 pr. day) and I´ve been cutting down since last September. Now I´m on 0,125 and it has NOT been easy! I tapered too fast but I´m going to tough it out. The hissing in my head is CONSTANT and my vision is a bit blurred and I sometimes think that there is something really wrong with me and that I´m seriously ill and it scares me a lot. Does anyone get that feeling as well? To be sure that it is just a part of the K. withdrawal package makes me feel better.
I had been taking Klonopin for over six years due to lesions on the brain due to the after effects of Chronic Lyme disease. I decided that it was time to stop. So I tapered off slowly. Shakes, tremors, seizure like activity began to set in. It was hellish. My wife called me aside one night we need to talk she said. Her question: Are these not the same symptoms that Klonopin was prescribed to start with?? Thinking back I said well yes. So I went back on the Klonopin and have been a happy camper every since. So if I have to take it the rest of my life so be it. After 10 years of battling this horrible disease I plan to be happy no matter what it takes!!
I had been taking Klonopin for over six years due to lesions on the brain due to the after effects of Chronic Lyme disease. I decided that it was time to stop. So I tapered off slowly. Shakes, tremors, seizure like activity began to set in. It was hellish. My wife called me aside one night we need to talk she said. Her question: Are these not the same symptoms that Klonopin was prescribed to start with?? Thinking back I said well yes. So I went back on the Klonopin and have been a happy camper every since. So if I have to take it the rest of my life so be it. After 10 years of battling this horrible disease I plan to be happy no matter what it takes!!
Im tapering from 4mg fit sleep to 3mgs. I get your eye thing. My eyes also really hurt. Good luck!
Sounds to me like that's the Parkinson's it's the same symptoms I have without clonazepam the fogginess is the worst part about the whole thing
Yes!!! Yes!!! I have been going crazy with this thing i have going on in my vision and it occurred to me it could be klonopin withdrawal.
I took it for the last two weeks (one a day), to be able to go to sleep. I was going through a major stress episode in my personal life and this was prescribed to me by my PCP to take "as needed" to help me unwind and fall asleep. I have tremors in my vision, lots of trouble focusing, even get dizzy from trying so hard. I'm so relieved I found this answer, my medication was also 1MG and it is the 'disintegrating' version.
I have been off my klonopin fr about a month and a half. my mind is fuzz, unfocused, lighthead, fog an the mind. also have the pressure around the eye's. I can't sleep my body is ready to shut down be my mind is sayin let's go. Thank u!!!
Hello! I feel the same. Have been taking it for 20 years & am 66. I've had such ghastly withdrawal even when tapering but my G.P. insists I come off them. Finding a new one with a different mindset is very difficult in 2016. You were lucky with your G.P. I have an anxiety disorder & also have chronic pain. Sorry about all the moaning! I'd like to have something positive to say but my G.P. will start tapering in 2 weeks time and I am TERRIFIED, having experienced withdrawal before.
I had the same thing going through xanax wd. I forget at what point it went away, but it did just disappear.
Looking for JOHNLEEMC who responded here. My husband, daughter and I all have chronic Lyme disease and it sounds by your answer you have kicked it? If so please share how you did this or any info you may have for decreasing the horrible symptoms.
Signed, hopeful
God bless your wife. None of us live forever . ..and who would want to have to if in misery that is easily solved ? Very wise and loving wife sounds like. (I was Rxd daily 3 MG clonazepam and 1800 MG gabapentin for cervical dystonia 20 yrs ago. My 'loving' husband beat me up to agree to divorce with no medical insurance soon as I was diagnosed. A 'man' twice my weight and 9 inches taller . THAT is the other extreme in life.)
I started tapering off clonazepam a fe motnhs ago after 4 years on it. I went for my eyes tested (double vision, twitching eye, felt sore to touch eyes) in February (about 6 weeks after tapering down started) and they found my optic nerve was swollen. I was referered to the eye clinic at the hospital. After many tests, eye prodding and a CT scan they cannot determine what is causing the swelling and all my vision and visual field comes back perfect (with my glasses, prescription not changed). Needless to say I am freaking out, my eyes!! Yet another thing I can blame Clonazepam for?!
I am also trying to withdraw from Klonopin and had not had one in 2 weeks (C/T basically) and started working out again back in December and was feeling great up until a little over a week ago and experienced heart palpitations. Is this common in many of your experiences? Thank you for your time.
My Dr. told me she wasn't going to write me for anymore Klonopin & I'd have to see a psychiatrist. I took 1mg for 3 1/2 years after anxiety after having a pain pump w. med that caused me to feel claustrophobic. I weaned too quick (in a weeks time) My legs felt very stiff (like I couldn't bend them)& i had difficulty walking. Then I started having severe muscle spasms that made my legs seize up & I'd drop to the ground like I was shot. I fell multiple times. Once I fell & hit my back (which I already had an injury from & a Spinal cord stim that I had removed) on the corner of a wall. Had to go to the ER & Dr. said pain mgmt Dr. weaned me too fast. I haven't heard anyone else complain of these symptoms? Anyone felt muscle spasms?
Yes heart palpitations hit as I was reducing the klonopin and worsened once I went off - the Psychiatrist I saw for benzo dependence prescribed Metoprolol for this issue in addition to other medications such as Lyrica/Nuerontin. Perhaps by now your heart pounding has gone away but it case it hasn't I would look into this medication. Stay strong - you will get to the other side so to speak.
I am tapering off of it pretty quickly. I went from 4 per day to 1 per day. I have been on 1 per day for 2 weeks and it's not easy. I cannot stop having cold sweets and hot flashes all day and even when I'm sleeping. Is there any way to ease this side effect?
Hi Sezfit, The Ashton Manual is a great inspiration. I myself am dosing off Clonazepam and its Hell for sure. Your post is old but I felt I needed to share my experience. This is my third attempt to taper off..the first time I also went CT and ended up at the ER..feeling like I was having a heart attack and couldn't breath. It actually hurt to even think or listen to music which I love. You have to taper very slow I found out the hard way also. One important fact is you have to taper when you feel comfortable with your current dose and that can take a couple months and during that time remember your doing the best you can and you can't rush it. Just know your on the right path. I myself just found the Ashton Manual two weeks ago. It was very scary to read how this med affects your body and caused my anxiety to soar but I'm glad I found it..it gave me hope. I'm having difficulty myself but excited and hopeful and looking forward to my new life ahead med free.
You have to try to remain hopeful, positive and know you'll get there. I hope you are there..your post is old. Please feel free to share if you'd like to let me know how you are..thanks..God Bless you also.
it all depends on the person. as for me . i have been off for 3yrs and it was not easy. i was on the drug Klonopin for 19 yrs and i was given a 60 day schedule and had every w/d in the book. could not eat .so i lost 20lbs. i did not need to lose . but was afraid to go to another dr. my psychiatrist only told me to be calm while getting off. he never has seen me again. aches in shoulders and back. aches in legs which got me up at night. agoraphobia. still nervous. and still today .. getting lots of palpitations. insomnia. can now sleep good. need some one to take walks with. there are more but the most i can think of now. i was on 0.5mg 2xa day. along with liquid prozac. but got off that with no problems.
Been on low dose for 20 years. Have had headaches and muscle jerking when trying to go to sleep. Went from 1.0 to 0.5. Headaches for 3 weeks straight. Muscle jerking at sleep time. Should these side effects be expected when tapering off after 20 years. Many thanks
I took clonazepam for two months, and then stopped abrubtly after the DR. literally cut me off. They stated I did not need it anymore, because I was taking Lexapro as well. This was 6 months ago. I have dizziness/vertigo every single day. This started a week after stopping clonazepam. I am now on clonazepam again, dizziness has subsided a bit, but actually came back last night, out of nowhere. I don't think there is a definitive answer for withdrawal symptoms, I think everyone is different.
I was on clonazepam about 10 years and my withdrawal was too quick. I had buzzing in my head, sweating, and worsening insomnia, even taking benadryl. I keep a diary of my withdrawal dates, doses and side effects, so knew where I was when it became a problem. I went back to half of what I'd been taking (1.5-2 mg a day originally), and have been reducing 1/4 pill every other day each week, and it's been bearable. The buzzing is still there, but much lessened. I'm sleeping better and rarely get the sweats. I've read that the last dose reduction should be maintained for about a month, which I intend to do. Good luck - withdraw slowly, but keep at it! I've added time-released melatonin for insomnia, and believe that has helped if sleep is a problem for you.
Insomnia has not been an issue. (Besides the newborn baby, keeping me up at night) I take .5 mg twice/day. The real issue for me is that I started taking this medication in April of 2014, and stopped in July of 2014 very abrubtly. Basically, the day the baby was born I took three pills, those were the last of the medication I took up until January 2015. From that day, until today (6 months), I have had uncontrollable dizziness and vertigo. It really varies, some days are terrible, and other days I do not notice it at all, and everything else in between. I have had blood work, chest x-rays, cardiology exams, everything is fine, and I continue to excercie and play hockey each week. It has been difficult to pin down what is causing the dizziness, but it is starting to run my life.
I have tinnitus and hyperacusis and I have tried every benzo and every depressive/anxiety pill available.My problem is the noise that is created in my head.I get depressive or anxious I get noise that won't stop.The only way it will quite down is with a sleeping pill [sometimes). I've been to Audiologists,MDs,ENTs and Neurologists,and tried 4 hearing aids to no avail, still noise. Looking for HELP!
If you haven't tried seeing a functional medicine doctor could be related to a number of things not tested by traditional doctors... a virus..micronutrient deficiency ... food allergy... thyroid/hormone imbalnces (even if falling within normal range on lab work) ... any and all of these things could be affecting your sleep and of course your mood.
They usually don't take insurance because they spend 1.5 to 2 hours per appt. This approach saved my husband's life when a slew of traditional docs had nothing else to offer. We are in nj and went to a practice called holtorf medical group in King if Prussia, pa. Check out the website to get an idea of the variety of docs and diagnoses. What part of the country do you live. Perhaps I can help you locate a practice via Internet search.
I know this is old and you say you've been to a neuro, but you also say you were on benzos and anxiety pills. Have you ever been tested for epilepsy? Depression, anxiety, and ringing in your ears are all symptoms of epilepsy, and you can have epilepsy without ever having had a seizure. I didn't know I had it until I was 32. ALL of the neurological symptoms (depression, anxiety, tinnitus) are going to be worse and hardly treatable in someone with epilepsy. If you had an eeg with those meds it would not have shown.
Hopefully you got help, since noise in head no drugs will cure by it own..
Laurieshay could you please send me a private message please? It won't allow me to do so!
I'd recommend anyone on Clonazepam for insomnia, migraine, unexplained tinnitus or anxiety in general look into Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome. Anything with Shoemaker, he is the guy who discovered it. Basically I had a lot of these symptoms that I'm reading from people as the reason they first started taking Clon, and I was taking 1 mg / day at one point myself.
The therapies for CIRS have helped me considerably, and I'd recommend trying to get some of the blood tests that can definitively diagnose it. It's a lot better than wandering from therapy to therapy awash in vague "wastebucket" diagnoses, when you can know for sure what you have and treat it.
Not sure about seizures having any connection to CIRS but you never know, you can at least get the blood tests. Some ppl think that Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and even MS could be simply from CIRS.
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klonopin, anxiety, benzodiazepine withdrawal, insomnia, panic disorder, restless legs syndrome, sleep disorders, clonazepam, withdrawal, sleep
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