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 6
In my experience .25 mg is simply a walk in the park, Really nothing to taper off to? How long have you been on it? Break the .25 mg. in half take it morning and night for three weeks then break the 12.5 mg in half and take it twice a daily for another two weeks. Then take 12.5 once a day for however long your body feels the need. You should be Clonazapam free within a month at 12.5 mg.a day. I conquered an 8 mg. daily diet for 14 years! It was not easy had to go through detox and therapy but even in large amounts this junk can be conquered. Try holistic methods for sleep. God bless you will come out on top!
Hi all
I was on klonopin for about 12 years for panic attacks and it worked great for them.I was on 2mg per day, no more, no less. Well I decided to rid them from me. It took about one month to taper down to zero, not bad I thought. Well about 5 days later, slam! with what I was told later that it was rebound.The next two months was Hell! Sweats, renewed panic attacks, sweating, just feeling horrible. Bad? Nope, worse than bad. The bottom line, Would I do it again? Never! So people, don't use yourself as a guinea pig. If you truly need them then take them and consultant a Dr which I did not. If I knew all of this, I would have taken them for the rest of my life.
Yes I did! Why? To see how I would be without them which is really a bad idea.I live in MA and will gladly help anyone anyway I can.
God Bless you all
I have been taking 0.5 milligram pill a day I have been cutting the pill in half taking half in the morning and the other half at night how should I taper of this pill ? I have tried to not take the half at night but if I don't take it I get all anxiety feeling in side of me so I take it. so what do I do can you help me ?
I completely agree with you I would rather be on the medication for the rest of my life then to live such a poor quality of life with panic and anxiety! I hate it and what it does to me if I don't have my medicine I am a complete wreck! but the problem is the doctors they prescribe you the medication and your on it for years like I have been actually 18 years and then they decide to take it away or give you a medication for depression such as Prozac celexa Etc.. which is not what I need nor does it help me so now I'm told to find another doctor and her reason is that the Board says she writes to any controlled substance so now I have to suffer? and then she says to me for someone with anxiety you sure do talk a lot! I guess she does not know what panic and anxiety are about when you don't have your medicine!
When did all the symptoms go away? I'd love to hear from a survivor. I've been totally off k for 2 months now after a 1 year taper. I took it for 3 years.
I have been on 2mg. Clonozapam for a number of years. I ate the withdrawal. They are severe, I'm not sure my Dr. Understands withdrawal on long term use, I'm scared of my symptoms. Its hard to function daily.
If you are considering tapering, I recommend a long taper. I was on 1-2 mg daily for almost a year then started a taper. I can honestly say, I had very few problems but I tapered for months. I reduced by half my daily dose and stayed at the new level for over a month. My final dose at .125 mg (cutting a .5 pill into quarters) lasted for about 6-8 weeks. When I stopped, I started taking two benadryl plus one melatonin at night. Even with the benadryl and melatonin I was not sleeping. I had a bad headache for two days (like day three and four). Other than that, it's been fine. I am now three weeks off and still taking benadryl and melatonin at night. I sleep pretty good and am going to reduce to one benaddryl and one melatonin. I feel great being off the Clonozapam and I feel proud of myself for sticking to it. Don't be afraid of tapering but don't be in a rush!
Thank you for the reassurance and advice. I'm going to try the Benadryl and melatonin.
Just take it slow! My doctor thought I should be able to stop at .25. Previously, I had a really bad night with major twitching, buzzing and vivid nightmares. The next day I noticed my pill sitting next to my bed. I had forgotten to take it. She said that was a good indication that I had to taper further. I think every body is different so you have to just listen to your body. Once you get to .125, stay there for a while. When you stop, give it a few days and if necessary take .125 every couple of days. You will eventually be able to stop. Don't give up! There was a recent study showing long term use of clonozapam (and other benzos) increases your chance of alzheimers. Keeping that in my mind was incentive enough to never go back. Good luck; it doesn't have to be terrible (in my experience).
Are you ok now? Do you have advice for the ones going through it now?
Yes, totally fine! My advice is to take it slow. See my above taper. It worked well for me to take 2 Benadryl and 1 melatonin after I totally stopped the Klonopin, tapering that down to one bedryl and 1 melatonin and eventually just melatonin. Sleep has always been a problem for me so that has nothing to do with the Klonopin for me right now. You can do it, just don't rush it. Took me months to get off but I'm fine. First thing I noticed is I cried at something and it felt good. Made me realize I had been numb for a while on Klonopin.
My PCM forced me to go down on the Clonazepam. I was taking 1mg pm for insomnia. He made me go down to .50 mg pm, then .25 mg pm and NOW I am the one that wants to get off, forever. I started last night with .125 mg and already I fell nauseated and buzzing in my ears. You might read this and say "O please ... it's only .125 mg and it's less than 24 hrs" ... well my friends, I am a small adult who weighs 95 lbs and I am very sensitive to changes in my body, and yes the withdrawal symptoms are for REAL. Has anyone been in my same situation?
PS I also take Mirtazapine 45 mg for insomnia at bedtime.
Forgot to write that I have been on Clonazepam for 5 yrs and Mirtazapine for 14 yrs.
I am in a similar situation. Started on Clonazepam 13 months ago at 1 mg at night. Dr increased to 1 mg at night and 1 mg in morning. I didn't like that so went back to just 1 mg at night. A few months ago I abruptly stopped and had terrible withdrawal symptoms after two days. Went back to 1 mg and then started a taper. 1 mg down to 5 mg down to .25 mg and now at .125 mg. I stayed at each level for at least a month. Only noticeable symptom was insomnia which was helped with benedryl. At .125 I have had terrible insomnia for the past two weeks with no relief from benedryl. I was at .125 for more than a month and stopped totally last night. I am expecting the insomnia to continue and probably get worse. I hope to not have the other terrible withdrawal symptoms I had such as severe night time jerks/twitches, tremors, shakes, heart rate accelerated. I am 110 lbs so understand your concern.
The symptoms are for real and I wonder if the onset is quicker when you have tapered down to a lower dose. Basically, less stockpiled since it has such a long half life. Just a thought. When I stopped 1 mg, it took a few days to have symptoms. When I missed a .25 dose, I had symptoms that night... for real! Good luck. I'll need it too.
I was taking 1.5 to 2 mg a day for anxiety and insomnia, and am currently down to .75 mg a day. I'm withdrawing .25 mg a week, so this was supposed be a 12 week plan. I had mild depression for a couple weeks (for good reasons) so stayed at my level until I felt better and side effects subsided. My head is buzzing, especially noticeable at night. I also get "hot flash" type sweating and difficulty sleeping. Taking 1 or 2 Benadryl tablets helps me sleep. I can't wait to be off it! Good luck!
Thanks for the support, it really has helped me, to know that I am not alone with w/d symptoms. Today I went to my Yoga practice and I noticed that I did good in balancing poses regardless of what's happening to me (nauseated and buzzing in my head), so I can see the light at the end of the tunnel; and very soon this will all be in the past. One thing I need to add, the sleeping is not good, still having Insomnia problems, but there is no going back, specially now that I have come so far. Good Luck to anyone in this same situation and hang in there, it does get better.
I've always had tinnitus. Since a small child damaged from no ear protection while my grandfather taught me how to handle a rifle. But coming off Clonazepam, day 3 and I literally can't hear myself think! This ringing in my ears is incredibly loud!!
I know this is an old post. I have been taking Klonopin for over 3 years close to 4 years 1 mg at night to help me sleep. I have been weaning myself off from a full 1 mg for 2 weeks to one half a milligram for two weeks I am now currently 1/4 of the pill and I'm on my end of my first week, another week to go. I am feeling most of the side effects horrible buzzing in my ears anxiety nausea, diarrhea, dizziness, head fog, exhaustion plus my sleeping pattern is way off I do not have a good night sleep at all. I thought I was doing it right by weaning myself off slowly and I do have support for my husband but any help would be great from anyone on this site. thank you
i'm asking myself the same question. i took .25 mg of klonopin nightly for a year, quit for a month, then got convinced by my doctor to go back on. i was back on for four months and have again stopped. my withdrawal symptoms, which are really uncomfortable were exactly the same both times: i was fine for a couple of days after stopping. then i had weird brain burps, sort of like the feeling of falling but just in my head. getting out of bed was extremely difficult; it took hours to get my day started and i had little motivation to do anything. but by far, the worst symptoms were my lungs. they felt full and congested but with no coughing or phlegm. i wheezed constantly and felt out of breath from the slightest exertion. strangely, i was able to ride my bike without having breathing problems, but normal daily activities really knocked me down.
the first time i stopped was at christmas, so i chalked the breathing problems up to flu season, but this time it is july and it is exactly the same. though i have no proof any of this will ever stop, it is comforting to know the symptoms are the exact same as last time and are coming in the exact same time frame so at least i'm not losing my mind. however, i'm now three weeks past stopping and still feel like crap nearly all the time.
Did your breathing issues stop? I took Klonopin for about 9 months before I got pregnant then had to stop. I had major withdrawal symptoms. I got back on Klonopin about 3 months after I had my baby and ever since around that time I started feeling really short of breath and feel like I need to take deep breaths all of the time. I just got my tonsils removed because my doctor thought it was causing some of my breathing problems but I had them removed almost a month ago and it feels as if my breathing has gotten much worse. Please tell me that this will stop soon!
Thank you so much for your input. I have been on clonazepam since I was 38 I am now 70. I went off the drug several months ago. I so glad that I read this. I have been having breathing problems myself and I have almost exactly the same thing as you explained above. Now you might think it's just because of my age but I'd like you have been very Physically Active my entire life I live on a ranch and deal with horses everyday no problem. But when it comes on certain days I can hardly do anything I'm so tired. It's very easy for psychiatrist to Simply say it's time to get off of something but they certainly don't explain all the withdrawal issues. Thank you so much again for your information .
Stress started piling up back in Dec 2013, Mom went into a nursing home, i lost my job, was not sleeping well so doc but me on .25mg which I took daily for six months before bed which helped greatly but i just wanted to get off this poison, for the first 5 days no problem with W/D little anxious that was all, by the 10th day i started getting tremors like muscle jerks only when sleeping and its like this every night waking up 5am and they interrupt my sleep, still getting about 4 hours sleep a night but need 7. Its been 15 days without drug but these sleep time tremors keep disrupting my sleep but staying strong and will not reach for the pill bottle anymore hopefully tremors will subside soon, keeping strong!
I also was on Klonopin, .5 mg. The doc took me down to .5 mg/day. From there I weaned myself off them with no side effects. It seemed like the ,5 was doing me absolutely no good. Caused hair loss and memory problems too so I went off them and my memory is getting better and better. Still waiting for my hair to thicken up though. Good luck.
I changed from 1mg at bedtime "amount taken for 6 years" to .5mg at bedtime starting March 1st. I did go through some withdrawal issues such a mild feeling on depression and a few others. I since changed to .25mg over a week prior and started taking Valerin Root and Melatonin at night and that has helped. I plan on starting with the .25mg for a full month then change to every three nights, then maybe step off from there. My doctor thought I should have been able to step off from 1mg per night "I think I know more about this drug than him".
I took Klonopin for years. I weaned myself off it. I was only taking .5 mg. once a day. My doctor used to say, "these are not your friend". I then just took as necessary. Then I completely stopped them. My memory improved big time. I had some hair loss from them also. Hoping hair will come back. I don't even miss them. Get off them and you will feel better. Talk to your doctor and he will help you get off them.
Terri
Agree! Amazing when our doctors make these " obscure comments" that they don't just tell us plain ol facts! Something usable. Same comments from 3 of my docs ( complex physical injury necessitates specialists but they all work together. No double dipping here). Couldn't understand what they meant until it finally dawned on me something was not working well in my regimen anymore. And the problems were a " slow creep". Now after researching this drug , I wished I had known in the beginning what I know now. Will be exiting use of this drug on my own. Trying to handle it in a smart way. This drug is potent , has a long long half life and can be stored in your fatty tissues. If you need this drug , know your facts. Then use it sparingly and wisely.
I was taking 0.5 as well for like 3 or 4 years. I broke it in half yesterday to start weaning off. How did you wean off?
Omg. I started this pill about 2 months ago. Ever since I have had trouble finding words. I got a sunburn yesterday on my feet. The first thing I said was oh my god I didn't put enough lettuce on my ankles. i have also lost my balance and fell about 12 times already.my husband is pissed off . He is ready to call my doctor personally. He was with me at the Outback Steakhouse yesterday and if there was not a pole thernand what has had embedded gravel in my face.
Get off it ASAP!!! I cannot stress enough how bad this drug is! Get to a Psych and wean off immediately. You will feel so much better. You will get progressively more sick the longer you stay on it!
I agree! I realized I was the same way after taking this awful drug for almost 2 years! At first I thought this drug was great then my life started taking a turn for the worst. I am unsocial, have worse anxiety, you name it. I want this drug out of my system and am having a really hard time in doing so. I wished I had never started taking it. It's been a nightmare getting off of this drug but I am not going back to it.
5 years later... where is everyone? There should be mandatory follow ups for OP. So, my situation is this; I had been taking Klonopin 3mg daily for 12 years until my nurse practitioner had a stroke over this past Summer. I procrastinated until I had one refill left to look for a new practionioner, even when I found one he wouldn't write the rx. My doctor won't either, and they both say I'll be fine. It's been 36 days now and seems like WDs peaked at about day 25 and had been getting a bit better until now. I'm very jumpy and feeling electric shock sensation all over. As much as I regret taking Klonopin in the first place, this doesn't seem right. But how can I argue with the one with the rx pad? What say you?
I have been taking klonopin for about 2 years. 2 Mg pills 2-4 times a day. I am getting off them but wondering if I should seek medical attention. I'm afraid of the withdrawal. I was also on Lorazapham and just spent the last 4 days in hell getting off them. I was on Lorazapham for 2 years as well.
Get your doctor to give you a script of klonopin in a lower dose than what you're on so you can taper down slowly. If you go too fast or you make to big of a cut you will experience withdrawal.
I have been taking Klonopin brand for 23 years for seizures.When I take generic I get sick. I was taking 0.5mg am and 1mg at night before I began to wean off. I cut back by 0.25mg for my evening dose about 10 days ago. I cut back again tonight by 0.50 so far withdrawal hasn't been too horrible. Unfortunately with my good luck Klonopin brand is unavailable now that I am weaning so I am going to have to do it faster than planned. I am being told the manufacturer stopped making it. I believe this to be BS or at least the company wants to create a reason to raise the price of the drug. Whatever the reason, I find myself in a bad place. I am attempting to make an appointment with a psych tomorrow and stressing that I need to be seen immediately! I have been reading horror story after horror story about this drug from hell!
This is to Deetoxing. My mom has been on the stuff for over 20 + years as well and she can only take Brand name and has the same issue- she is not able to find it!!! I just wanted to know what your doctor said to you? She is having a really hard time with this as we only has a few left.. Thank you!
The "branding pharmaceutical" company (the original developer) found that it didn't make any profit after it went off-patent, as then, every other generic mfgr started making it, and profits plummet, so they stop. Please, let me assure you, ALL GENERICS are made of exactly the same ingredients and medications, whether main or inert, as the Brand Name med is/was. Please, please believe me (unless you "think" you're ordering real meds online, then I withdraw all statements, and "Brand You" an idiot). ~Signed, PharmD.
Do NOT allow a pharmacist to convince you Generics are the same as Brand Name! Remember , they have a Financial Interest at stake ! You, however, have you health and well being at stake. Do your research! All Generics of a Brand Name are NOT the same: just check each one's ingredients. Binders and Fillers can cause sensitivities. Each generic of a drug will have a slightly different formulation. For those of us with body systems on " High Alert", these supposedly inert ingredients still have to pass through our digestive tracts. Trying is disseminate what we digest, and what is not digestible, can stress an already stressed out body systemically. I'm into year 11 of a life altering spinal injury created when the scalpel slipped during surgery and cut into my spinal cord. ( No. I Did Not Sue. )
Even as you age, the same drug can start to act differently: some become too strong. Others may loose their effectiveness for your condition. I took my pharmacist " downtown and back" for substituting brands on me. Horrible Side Effects!!! I got the same old spiel:
They are all the same. I then gave him the list of ingredients between the two
( old one that worked fine as well as his new , cheaper generic ). My body could certainly tell the difference! Plus, tell me why there is ONE GOOD REASON any of us should be forced to ingest drugs which contain chemicals used in the manufacture of tires! PLEAZE!! Do your Research. Listen to your body. It's NOT ALL IN YOUR HEAD.
I was put on clonzepam .5 mg twice a day in February for myoclonic jerking/migraines. The medicine did not stop the jerking so the dr increased night dose to 2 pills. It has been a nightmare. I took 1 pill in am & 2 pills in pm for 2 weeks. All I did was cry, I was severely depressed which I never was before. I felt like my whole life was crumbling down. I never could get my dr to answer phone so I made decision to stop the 2 pills at night. I went back to 1 pill twice a day. I've still experienced horrible side effects. It's changed my whole personality. I am now in process of trying to ween myself off. I stopped morning dose on Saturday & replaced with topamax & I'm still taking evening dose of clonzepam. Will reduce night dose in half within the next few weeks. The effects have not been fun. I've experienced nausea, cramping, I just feel bad all over. I know that I have to get this poison out of my body.
Its reassuring reading these blogs & makes me realize I'm not alone & there are actually others out here that are experiencing the same thing. It has been a daily struggle to maintain a normal life & hold down my full time job plus my normal responsibilities since February.
Hello Kimberlyann,
Even though this is an outdated question I seen your post and wanted to let you know that you may still experience withdrawals if you don't do a slow taper. It sounds like you're making too big of a cut. However, it may work for you as we are all different.
Good luck,
pamee
That's what I am afraid of. I have been very sick all weekend & today as well. I wonder how long will this last? I hate to start taking a morning dose again with being 3 days into it. I've got to get this poison out of my body. It has been nothing but bad for me.
Kimberly,
How are you feeling now?
Hi KimberlyAnn... I went through the migraine diagnosis, and the clonazepam therapy made me very depressed too (1 mg / day). Topamax also gave me problems, I forget which exactly. Anyway I found out later that my symptoms were not just migraine, but part of a larger chronic infllammatory syndrome that I had had pretty much my entire life due to repeated mold exposures (although it can be other compounds for other ppl). Look up Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, anything with Shoemaker associated with it. My migraine symptoms are infrequent now, so maybe it can help you.
I recently came off of .5mg of Klonopin, which I was on for about 2 months. I did it by going down by .125mg per week (1/4 of a pill). Going off .25 is probably not that bad in terms of withdrawal though, so you may be experiencing an actual relapse in anxiety/depression. Anyway, for the withdrawal, I would recommend kava tea, melatonin, benadryl (for sleep), and especially lots of exercise. Exercise and yoga have made a huge difference for me; the withdrawal that I was so worried about was not so bad. I missed a few nights of sleep, but that was about all. Good luck!!
I was on 1/4 .05 mg pill for two weeks and then 1/2 pill the 2nd week and then just stopped it and a week later had 4 sleepless nights in a row and slept one and now wide awake tonite too. How long does this last? I'm very sensitive to meds of any kind and should never have taken this. It helped for the 2 weeks with insomnia and then it quit so I stopped it and now worse insomnia.
How many nights of sleep did you miss? I must be super sensitive because had 4 straight nights of no sleep after being on it for only 2 weeks,! I took a 1/4 of .05 mg for 1 week and 1/2 the 2nd week and then it stopped working for sleep so I just stopped it. How long will this insomnia last?
U said u was prescribed .25mg which is a very small dose. And u was only prescribed it for 3 weeks? Doctors don't like prescribing benzos at all and when they do it is usually for no more than 4 weeks because that is when dependencey can occur. U shouldn't have any withdrawrals after 3 weeks at such a low dose. Its probably your anxiety making u think you are going through them. Anxiety can do strange things to your mind
Thk you., it seems all im hearing is horror stories about this drug. .i was perscribed clonazepam at a very low dose of. 5mg only to be taken twice a day as needed.should i be afraid to start taking this med at all?
If you have to ask you probably don't need it, if you are truly anxiety riddled then you do
.25 mgs of klonopin = 5 mgs of V. This is not an extremely large amount but these drugs are incredibly powerful and can have a profound impact on the brain when taken long-term, esp. for overly sensitive individuals.
I would agree with this. In the past doctors would prescribe .25mg Klonopin for 3 weeks to reset the sleep / wake cycle. I did this a couple times and stopped without any problems (except for continued insomnia). Now I have been on .5mg daily for 6 years and tapering by 1/4 pill and having withdrawals. Well just be happy you stopped when you did, and see if you can find something safer to take for your anxiety.
U are correct , I've gone from 2 mils three times a day , too 1 mil twice a day going on 2 weeks , it's hard but mind over matter , the battle is hard , but one by one , u will win the war ,,
I have been going through this crap for 7 weeks. I rushed to the dr after feeling like i was on a complete acid trip... my brain felt like it was being fried i have never been through anything like this in my life. I was on 3 .5 mg of klonopin a day for about 4 yrs. Everytime i think im getting better here comes the severe anxiety again. I have got it down to 1/4 of these things a day! I feel half retarded everything scares me to death. But i have gotten little better i think this is going to be a slow process.
Anxiety disorder is as scary to me as trying to get off the klonopin thats my issue how do I know what is what. Waking up at 4 am with heart beating out of my chest my blood pressure rises. I can't do regular antidepressants my body is so sensitive it makes my heart rate go to 160 plus... I am so confused I'm ready to stop klonopin but not to the cost of my panic disorder taking over my life again. I've been on this med since 1989... now here I am 2017... so scary.
you will do it. I did it like you said. I broke my tablets in 1/4. it was hard because I was on .5 twice a day for 25 years. hang in there and keep yourself busy.
Related topics
klonopin, anxiety, benzodiazepine withdrawal, insomnia, panic disorder, restless legs syndrome, sleep disorders, clonazepam, withdrawal, sleep
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