Relief from Klonopin withdrawals; weaning from Klonopin?
Question posted by Ben1187 on 18 Sep 2014
Last updated on 20 December 2022 by Randomgirl888
I've been on klonopinfor the better part of a year, and the last week I've been forcibly taken off the medication as a result of not counting the meds and finishing them too soon (before they would let me get a refil). As a result I've been experiencing very strong withdrawals inluding night terrors, body tremors, panic attacks (very severe), insomnia, nausea, fear of going insane (severe), lack of ability to concentrate, and I think that's it...
My question is pretty simple, my mom is bringing my new prescription over this afternoon, however, I've come to a decision (as this has been a huge wake-up call for me), I want to quit Klonopin, however, I also don't want to have these horribly uncomfortable withdrawals.
I was wondering if anyone has any experience, or tips on how to manage and properly wean off of Klonopin (or other similar drugs).
How is everyone doing now ? I'm in your guys shoes years later. On 1mg a day and scared for the taper...
Votes: +1
4M
4mygrls
1 Feb 2020
I was on Klonopin 2mg at night for sleep and anxiety for a long time. I didn't really want to get off of it as it was working well on my anxiety but my insurance company was about to stop covering it. So it was time to go off it. I was very worried about going off of it because I have experienced withdrawals from it in the past. I tapered down slowly. It looks like I tapered kind of quickly though after reading some posts on it. Anyhow, I tapered down a quarter pill every week to 2 weeks. I started off at 2 weeks. To my surprise, I didn't experience any withdrawals. I was able to wean off it with no issues. My doctor was even surprised. I was scared to death that I was going to feel withdrawals from it like I have in the past but nothing happened. I don't know if it was because I was determined to get off of it or what but I did manage to get off it with no trouble.
Votes: +1
CR
crh2
6 Jan 2020
What is your prescribed dosage? I take .5mg to help with sleep, my dosage seems to be on the low side.
Votes: +1
JO
johnny578
3 April 2019
At one time, I was up to 5 mg/day of Klonopin (as prescribed by a doctor), but I have been tapering down and am now taking .125 mg in the a.m. and .125 mg at bedtime. I have had some withdrawal symptoms: muddle-headedness, morning anxiety, and bad tinnitus. At each stage of the taper, I stay on the dosage for 3-4 weeks. My plan is to go to .125 mg in the a.m. for 3-4 weeks, then go to nothing. Any suggestions on how to mitigate (or better, eliminate) the withdrawal symptoms? Anyone taken GABA supplement to help with this? Any other suggestions?
Votes: +0
DC
dc9
4 April 2019
I've been on GABA with klonopin lately, and am about ready to start weening back from 1.5mg/day. yesterday I survived fine on 1.25. And a few weeks ago my doctor did increase my GABA dosage by 300mg TOTAL per day. I take 400mg GABA three times daily for a total of 1200mg. I've weened off klonopin before in 2010 and it was completely on my own and very difficult. This time I told my doctor I don't care how long it takes, to minimize the withdrawal symptoms. Fish oil and omega 3 supplements also help antidepressant withdrawal for me, so they could be beneficial as well to benzo withdrawal.
The best advice I can give is slower the better, I know it's overwhelming sometimes "really wanting" off a drug, but with benzos the slowest taper possible will result in the fewest withdrawal symptoms
SW
sweetangelwings
24 Feb 2019
I've been on clonazepam/klonopin for over 18 years.. I'm weaning off now but I was only taking half a .5 mil. So my doctor gave me a schedule to follow and depending on how much you're talking will depend on the weaning schedule.. Good luck.. My symptom right now has been not sleeping well so of course my daytime I'm tired as can be but don't dare take a nap because I won't sleep at night .. Been weaning going on 3 weeks have 7 more to go..
Votes: +2
LV
Lvasko79
24 Feb 2019
I'm on week 3 of my taper I have went from 3mgs a day to 2.75mgs. I am noticing I'm not sleeping alot like i was. I am having issues with my blood pressure. I will probable stay at this does for 5 more weeks then drop to 2.5mgs. I will see what my doctor says in a few weeks.
MR
Mrfree
31 Jan 2019
I am currently weaning off. Using a gram scale and cutting down every month or two. Currently I am on a small dose. Some symptoms have improved while others, namely blood pressure, anxiety and insomnia, have gotten worse. Hoping everything goes well and I can be on these and keep moving forward with my life
Votes: +0
LV
Lvasko79
30 Jan 2019
I have a question. I am on 1mg klonopin 3x/day for 5 years. Have been on benzos for a total of 11 years. This is my schedule my doctor gave me today I asked if it was to fast and he said no. He also changed me from 40mg celexa to 20mg Lexapro said I won't have any withdrawals because they are sister drugs I hope he is right. Here is the taper he gave me. 2.5mg for 7 days, 2mg for 7 days, 1.5mg for 7 days then 1mg for 7 days. Is this to fast of a taper.
Votes: +0
DC
dc9
30 Jan 2019
In my nonmedical opinion, yes this is too fast. Especially for being on Benzos for 11 years. In 2010 I had a very hard time reducing from 1mg per day to 0... that weening took about 5 months after being on them for just 10 months.
I have told my doc when it comes time to ween off the klonopin I'm on, I want to do it as slowly as possible. In your situation, I would want to reduce it from 3mg to 2.75mg/day for 3-4 weeks. After that, I'd then want to go to 2.5mg/day for another month and see how I'm doing at that rate.
That's just me though. You can try your doc's advice and if you suffer from too much withdrawal just ask for a slower and smoother weening process... smoother meaning reducing it by less.
LV
Lvasko79
30 Jan 2019
Thank you I will try it out starting Monday because I don't want to start having symptoms when my doctor office is closed and will definitely call him if anything happens. I read that .25mg every 2 weeks is better I just don't want to experience awful withdrawals.
BA
Baby-steps
24 Feb 2019
It has taken me almost 9 months to taper .375mg. Please go online and do some research on tapering. Look up the Ashton Manuel and look at the tapering schedules. Your dr has you tapering very fast. .5mg cuts every 7 days is .wreakless. Klonopin/Clonazepam is dangerous and has serious consequences if you taper too fast. You need to do some research and protect yourself. Get a second opinion, you have reason to be concerned with pace of this taper.
BA
Baby-steps
24 Feb 2019
It has taken me almost 9 months to taper .375mg. Please go online and do some research on tapering. Look up the Ashton Manuel and look at the tapering schedules. Your dr has you tapering very fast. .5mg cuts every 7 days is .wreakless. Klonopin/Clonazepam is dangerous and has serious consequences if you taper too fast. You need to do some research and protect yourself. Get a second opinion, you have reason to be concerned with pace of this taper.
BA
Baby-steps
24 Feb 2019
It has taken me almost 9 months to taper .375mg. Please go online and do some research on tapering. Look up the Ashton Manuel and look at the tapering schedules. Your dr has you tapering very fast. .5mg cuts every 7 days is .wreakless. Klonopin/Clonazepam is dangerous and has serious consequences if you taper too fast. You need to do some research and protect yourself. Get a second opinion, you have reason to be concerned with pace of this taper.
BA
Baby-steps
24 Feb 2019
It has taken me almost 9 months to taper .375mg. Please go online and do some research on tapering. Look up the Ashton Manuel and look at the tapering schedules. Your dr has you tapering very fast. .5mg cuts every 7 days is .wreakless. Klonopin/Clonazepam is dangerous and has serious consequences if you taper too fast. You need to do some research and protect yourself. Get a second opinion, you have reason to be concerned with pace of this taper.
BA
Baby-steps
24 Feb 2019
It has taken me almost 9 months to taper .375mg. Please go online and do some research on tapering. Look up the Ashton Manuel and look at the tapering schedules. Your dr has you tapering very fast. .5mg cuts every 7 days is .wreakless. Klonopin/Clonazepam is dangerous and has serious consequences if you taper too fast. You need to do some research and protect yourself. Get a second opinion, you have reason to be concerned with pace of this taper.
LV
Lvasko79
24 Feb 2019
I didn't go with that taper. I had the pharmacy even tell me it was to fast. I cut .25mg off of my bedtime dose. Going on 3 weeks now. Won't cut again for probably 5 more weeks.
Hi Ben, congratulations on your determination to get off of klonopin! That is a big positive step in the right direction! This is not an easy journey you are on, but you can get off of this drug with support and the will to succeed. I celebrated my one year off of klonopin on Nov. 9th. It was a milestone for me! I suffered like you did, but I survived. You will too. What is important is to acknowledge your suffering/withdrawal symptoms. They are horrendous, but they will one day go away. The key to success is a very slow taper. I had a jewelry scale and shaved crumbs off every 5-7 days. If my symptoms didn't stabilize or improve, I held the next taper for another 3-5 days. If there was something going on in my life, I held the next taper for 3 weeks to a month. No one ever complained of tapering too slow.
My taper began with 1.5 mgs of klonopin. I started by tapering 1/4 of a pill every week until I was down to 1/4 of a 0.5 mg pill, but was so incredibly sick, I went back up to 1 mg and held for a few weeks. When I restarted, I shaved crumbs off to the tune of 10% each week. I made slow and steady progress until I finally was totally off of the medication. My symptoms did lessen over time. You will have all of the symptoms you mentioned above, but they will lessen and many will go away. Some will return and then go away again. Take care
Votes: +3
DC
dc9
14 Nov 2018
Yep. I can’t stress enough to ween slower than you think!! It can be stressful when “you just want off a drug” but klonopin needs multiple months and possibly over a year of weening depending on how long you’ve been taking them and the MG amount
MR
Mrfree
28 Nov 2018
Can I message you to ask you about it
DC
dc9
28 Nov 2018
If you’re asking me, yes
MR
Mrfree
30 Nov 2018
Thank you! It says you have to add me as a friend first though
I was taking 2 mg. of Klonopin 3 X a day for about 3 years. It was really way too much, so I worked with my p-doc. We reduced my dosage by 1 mg. a week, starting with the mid-day dose, then the morning dose, then bedtime, then repeat. It took 42 days and if I had any problems the plan was to slow the pace of reduction to 1/2 mg. a day. It worked very well for me, but I know that we all react to meds a little bit differently. So, just work closely with your doc,
Votes: +0
GE
Germanized11
19 Oct 2018
According to what you've admitted to, you have not taken that med as prescribed. So if you get another refill, my advice is to have someone else provide you with the doses as required under the script guidelines, if possible. Obviously, you do need to be on it in order to taper off. It has been my experience that not everyone can taper to zero. I'm one of those people. There is a need for the medication, and if taken in minimal doses, it can be very effective in managing issues like anxiety. This idea, perpetuated that a benzodiazepam is inherently evil is not correct, and for some people, not realistic. The aim, IMO, is to find the minimal dose necessary for you to live a normal life. And if someone needs to be in control of the administration of that medicine, so be it. The alternative can lead to the issues you now face. Best wishes for finding the proper balance.
Votes: +0
KA
kathyjlng
19 Oct 2018
I was on klonopin for twenty two years. The last few years a dose of six milligrams a day. I slowly reduced the dose over a period of a year and then took my last pill July 17, 2017. You are really supposed to taper down in a month or two but that landed me in the ER thinking I was having a stroke. Not taken a klonopin in over a year and still have really bad headaches, muscle tremors, insomnia, sore mouth and tongue, ringing in ears. I just started taking GABA to repair my neurotransmitter receptors that klonopin destroys, and an Adrenal health supplement to help my over active adrenal glands that are releasing way too much cortisol (slimy mouth, runny nose, runny eyes and drooling in my sleep). I finally think I am on the right track and I also think someone needs to do a class action lawsuit against the companies that make benzos. The doctors should not be allowed to prescribe them. Oh. And GABA is used for benzo withdrawals BUT the doctors won't tell you that. Do some research.
Votes: +2
DR
DreamingRachel
10 Dec 2018
Hello, I've on on Klonopin for 13 years. I recently ran out because I overtook my prescription by one pill a day. My psych doctor refused to give me enough just to get to my next refill, so I ran into some real withdrawal symptoms. My daughter had a miscarriage of my first grandchild, and being strong for her took a huge toll on me. I am currently at day eight of being out, with 3 days before I can refill again. Could Gabapentin be why I havent ended up in the ER?
RA
Randomgirl888
21 Dec 2022
How are you now???
MR
Mrfree
19 Oct 2018
I have been on for a year now. Weaning off right now started at .5mg every day and now I'm down to taking .10 grams of a 1mg pill. Symptoms are mostly just anxiety slight derealization when I get bp attacks. Once I'm on .6 I'll switch to .25mg pills and work down from there. Hoping derealization goes away once I'm done as it's very unnerving and anxiety inducing
Votes: +0
GE
Germanized11
25 Sep 2018
I have been on klonopin the better part of 15 years and now coming off. I don't know your current dosage but to prevent withdrawal you must decrease dosage by .25mg for however long it takes your body to adjust. Decreasing dosages by .50mg or 1mg suddenly will incur consequences. You will know as you decrease your dosage as to how long you will need to stay at that dosage before taking another .25mg off. Obviously it is a protracted plan and in most cases will still result in some feelings of withdrawal. The best solution for those times is exercise. Exercise creates endorphins that your brain can utilize to ward off the withdrawal anxiety and feelings of panic. Go slow. It's the only real plan. Get counseling if necessary also. Best wishes. I'm down to 2mg from 6mg. It's taken about a year. My side effects have been minimal.
Votes: +1
RA
Randomgirl888
21 Dec 2022
How are you now???
TD
Tdurso3
25 Sep 2018
Thank you everyone for checking in on me! I’ve been free from Klonopin for almost 2 months and my titration schedule worked out perfectly! I did have some cranky and irritable moments but all else aside, I’m free and never looking back! I hope and wish for all of you that are trying to come off please do it properly and ween!! Best wishes and best of luck all!!
Votes: +0
TD
Tdurso3
21 June 2018
I know this is a rather old post however... I was on 3.5-4mg klonopin daily for 13 years... a year ago I decided I want off and moved to CA from the east coast. My new dr was super astounded he had a patient begging to get off the benzos. We’ve been doing a slow taper for a year (it’ll be a full year in August) and I will be officially off. I’m down to .5mg a day for 2 weeks then I’ll go to .25mg for 2 weeks and if I have anything left I’ll crumble and put into my am OJ until I’m completely out... it’s been a process however we’ve taken it slow and I’m looking forward to a future without klonopin in my life!! Best of luck to everyone!! I know I’m hoping for a smooth transition off being it went so well for the first 10.5 months...
Votes: +2
DC
dc9
21 June 2018
Wow good luck. Keep us updated!
19
1986justine
24 Sep 2018
Tdurso3 Thank you for posting info on your withdrawal from clonazepam. I have been on 4 mg at bedtime for 30 years. I am finally starting the withdrawal process and hope that my Dr. will be as sensible as yours. Your post was inspiring. Most people attempting withdrawal are on a relatively much lower dose. I've been taking clonazepam for twice as long as you. But 13 years is also a significant length of time. Very best wishes to you!
