Clonazepam for Benzodiazepine Withdrawal User Reviews (Page 4)

• cha...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 26, 2015

"Was taking very small doses (0.1 mg) for 3 years - and one night after taking it on the previous night for sleep, I drank a few beers and had some type of dizzy spell - which resulted in becoming 'sensitized' to clonazepam. From that point on, I suffered side effects from either taking the drug or from trying to withdraw. I only gained relief after quitting clonazepam with the aid of substitute medications (olanzapine & fluoxetine (3-25 mg)."

• Nev...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 19, 2021

"I was prescribed 5 mg at bedtime for a year because of severe PTSD. At first, it helped with acute anxiety. Nobody explained or warned me of how this drug works, so I just blindly took it, thinking that such a small amount is harmless. Had I known better, I wouldn't have taken it every day. Six months in, I became agoraphobic and couldn't feel anything: happiness, love, excitement, etc. It made me tired, lose my hair, coated my tongue, caused pain, and the worst sense of impending doom and anxiety. This drug is so dangerous and downright evil. It's only meant for short-term use. I will NEVER touch the stuff again! If I could give it a zero, I would."

• Don...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 30, 2021

"My story is one of finding out how to taper clonazepam. I'm almost 55 now and feel like this drug is just really bad for me. I've been on it since 2009, so approximately 13 years, as well as on 2 other benzos and 75 mg Seroquel to sleep. My initial starting dose was 7.5 mg! I had no idea what kind of drug this was. Years later, I found out it's an anti-convulsant, and I was also taking 180 mg oxycodone a day for 8 years because of having muscle aches, which made it impossible to walk 400 meters. A quarter of a mile. In the last few years, I've had infarcts in the brainstem (pons, thalamus). In 9 months, I quit the oxycodone and considered myself clean. The clonazepam I tried taking 1 tablet of 0.5 g a month less. Now I only use 2 mg at night along with 5 mg nitrazepam and 100 mg oxazepam and the Seroquel. Now I visit a USA website and find out how dangerous it can be to rapidly quit the remaining amount of benzos I still take. But I feel sick all day, every day."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 11, 2021

"This medication is extremely dangerous, and they do not even tell you how severe the effects of these withdrawals truly are. I was on clonazepam for almost two years, and it’s been almost 2 weeks since I’ve last taken the medication, and this is the peak of the withdrawals. This medication is NOT intended for long-term use AT ALL. Make sure to always ask questions, too!!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 29, 2021

"I got initially prescribed 0.5 mg, which got bumped to 1 mg within a month. I’ve been on this horrible drug for almost 8 months now, and I’m withdrawing, which is terrible. This drug has ruined my life, my relationships, and overall my ability to function like a normal person. My previous psychiatrist (in between at the moment) forgot to fill my script, and I’ve been doing everything to try and get a hold of her because I am violently shaking, vomiting, sweating, can’t concentrate, there’s ringing in my ears, and I’m going through the nightmare of cold turkey. It’s only day 2. I wanted to taper, but now I don’t even have that option. I would go to the hospital, but I’m afraid of getting thrown into rehab when I’m currently in the middle of taking a bunch of exams. STAY AWAY FROM THIS DRUG AND EVERY BENZO. NO ONE SHOULD BE PRESCRIBED THIS STUFF."

• TG2...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• April 19, 2022

"I’ve been on 8 mgs of clonazepam for 30 years. I suffered a lot of trauma in my childhood and in my adulthood. I had severe social/agoraphobia. I’ve been on every antipsychotic antidepressant and was also on 600 mgs of pregabalin for 10 years for neuropathic pain and GAD. I am an addict, firstly alcohol, then heroin. I've done lots of detoxes cold turkey. I have tried 3 times to come off of the clonazepam, as I was told they’re what’s making me relapse. I came off of the pregabalin and did an opiate detox and a benzo detox one month ago. I am over the rest, but this clonazepam is the worst. I feel suicidal. I've been hallucinating and everything. There’s much more, but I can’t get it all on one page. Please, any help. The rehab sent me to the hospital, who said I have psychosis, but told me the rehab won’t take me back, so to get a train all the way back to my hometown with no meds, and I now have to re-register with my GP."

• Nin...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 23, 2022

"I took clonazepam for a year, and the dose was 0.25 once a day for anxiety and insomnia. I decided it was time to stop. I am probably at around week three, and I wasn't expecting severe withdrawal symptoms as I felt that my dosage was low. It has been a rough few days with insomnia, nausea, and some anxiety. I think doctors should probably look to alternative medicine, as most anxiety medications have side effects and are difficult to withdraw from, not to mention that they just aren't good for you long-term. The lure of the benzos is that relief is instant, with minimal side effects initially. Looking forward to feeling better, and have learned a very hard lesson. I am going to pursue natural methods to ease my anxiety and work on coping strategies instead of taking medications that just mask the problem."

• Jul...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• November 13, 2022

"I was prescribed Klonopin in 2015 for anxiety. I took it off and on until my mother passed in 2018. Since that time, I have been taking 0.05 mg nightly. Recently, my PCP increased my dose without consulting me, and then, two months later, just stopped them. This medication has been extremely helpful and probably has saved my life. My PCP gave no reason for their action, and I now am waiting to meet with a psychiatrist. I found my family doctor's behavior to be highly unethical and unprofessional. I had to beg for a taper to get me to my appointment with a real mental health professional. This is not the medication's fault, but the 'doctor' who felt the need to fix what wasn't broken. I highly recommend this medication. 0.05 mg nightly to allow my mind to rest has been a true gift."

• Ben...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 23, 2023

"I was prescribed clonazepam 2 mg per day 9 years ago and I have never taken more than that. In the summer of 2019, I had 5 weeks of severe insomnia while on this drug. My psychiatrist added sertraline to help with the anxiety. I began a very slow taper in November 2023. My plan is to reduce by 1/8 of a milligram every month. I am now taking one and three-quarters milligrams per day and have been doing okay. I realize that it can take up to 2 years to safely wean off a 2 mg per day prescription."

• Sim...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 7, 2022

"I was on this drug for 3 months, 1 mg. It was 0.5 mg in the morning and 0.5 mg at night. When I tried to taper off, I did it slowly and I somehow cut that 0.5 mg in the morning. But this happened next - I started feeling really bad withdrawal symptoms even while on 0.5 at night. So I stayed for a while like that, but the symptoms became more and more intense, so I put myself in the hospital to finish my journey. They took it away immediately, and 0.5 mg I kind of went cold turkey. Trust me. If not for other benzos that keep me as still as possible, I’m still going through some nightmares now… Even this 0.5 mg is a huge deal to withdraw. So: 1. Either you taper off slowly and this takes months. 2. Or you go to some detox or hospital, where they help you take it away. I guess both options work, but to sum up - this is a terrible benzo to wean off. I don't like my doctor, who put me on this stuff."

• Bad...
• September 18, 2021

"I started on Klonopin maybe 12 years ago. As needed. In December of 2020, I started taking it every day for about 6 weeks. 1 mg. I stopped taking it, and it was a nightmare. I ended up in an emergency room. Psych hospital. They gave me 11 Ativan to wean me off of it, and that was it. Cold turkey. I can't begin to describe the misery. High blood pressure. Tinnitus, heart racing. Really crazy. The only thing that got me through was CBD oil. Yes, CBD oil. I still suffer from the side effects of cold turkey and am actually thinking about going back on Klonopin. I'm 75 years old. I think, why not just regulate it and live the rest of my life happy? Doctors keep trying to put me on SSRIs, but there are too many side effects. Escitalopram. Anyone else try this stuff? Diarrhea, insomnia, I had none of those issues with Klonopin. I just feel so much better on Klonopin."

• Duc...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 4, 2021

"My doctor took me off 2 mg Xanax cold turkey after 25 years, and 5 months later I still feel horrible! Gained 35 lbs, up all night every night for 4 months, have 0 energy, can’t work, can’t hang out with my grandkids, can’t play golf, don’t trust myself to drive my car, knees hurt, back hurts, upset stomach. Last night started sweating, got ready to go for a walk today but had a dizzy spell, so basically I’m screwed. Have little hope of getting back to the condition I was in before my doctor decided to stop prescribing Xanax."

• Mac...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 1, 2021

"I took clonazepam 2 months, 2mg a day. I didn’t know that I would have a withdrawal, wasn’t educated on the drug. It was the most awful thing that has ever happened to me. I felt like I was going to die. I wouldn’t wish this nightmare on the worst scumbag on earth. I was scared to death of having a seizure, my heart was beating harder than on amphetamines. I had some weird and awful neurological symptoms that persisted for months. Even now, when I drink a couple of beers, the symptoms come back (vertigo, feeling like the floors are too high, weird tremor). I’m free for almost 1 year now. I will never ever touch a benzo of any kind. You would have to hold me at gunpoint to have me contemplate touching that awful drug. And even then, I’d probably say: Bullet, please. If you read this, please do not take this awful thing. I promise you that there is nothing good in it for you. There are better ways."

• car...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 16, 2023

"I have been using clonazepam for many years periodically to help my restless legs syndrome that I have been suffering from for decades. I do not take this medication regularly; only after restless symptoms arise which is generally at bedtime. So, if the symptoms do arise when I am trying to sleep, I simply take one tablet and within 30 minutes the RLS is gone, only problem is that it takes a while for the drowsiness to go away when I awaken. But the relief is well worth it. Sometimes I have gone weeks without using it and other times I have had to use it nightly for a week. Never know when it will occur."

• San...
• January 31, 2016

"I have been prescribed a multitude of medications in the last year and a half or so. As it turns out, I have been very sensitive to the first two types of antidepressants. Cipralex was the first, then Zoloft. I have been diagnosed with what the doctor said is a 'high anxiety mood disorder.' It seems that life as I once knew it has melted away, and I feel so ashamed and empty. The Zoloft was such a horrible experience for me. I also was prescribed clonazepam 0.5 mg = 3."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• November 3, 2023

"Last year I got the flu shot, and I got the flu regardless. I was taking Nyquil, Sudafed, and ibuprofen. I had a diabetic check-up. Plus, I needed refills on my clonazepam. So they did a UA at this clinic. The CPN came right back saying I had a micro trace of meth in my system. My diabetic check-up was totally forgotten, and her demeanor towards me changed immediately. I told her I had more sense than that. But she was adamant. So my labs got sent to another lab for confirmation. So for 3 months, I went in monthly like they asked me to. Now my regular PCP was a new doctor to the clinic. And each time they were supposed to be checking my urine for my clonazepam, which I had in my system. Instead, my labs were sent elsewhere because the doctor was drug testing me for methamphetamine, not my clonazepam. On my diabetes check-up 3 months from my last, my real PCP walked in and flat out told me the doctor was cutting me off my clonazepam. Now I'm sick and have anxiety."

• Jer...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 12, 2021

"My experience with Xanax has been devastating. I am, well was, 280 lbs, and I was taking way too much a day for years and years. My tolerance is so high to the point where I couldn't just stop or I would have died. I went to rehab to taper, but they wouldn't let me when I got there. Some of these rehabs will tell you anything over the phone to get you there, and when I asked them about it, they told me they do that to save lives... smh. Most will tell you what you want to hear just to get you in the door for your insurance money, this has happened to me twice. But long story short, I went there 3 different times to states away from where I live in NY. So it's not like I could leave or whatever, so I just stayed, and I've been clean from heroin for over 8 years and just got mixed up in a unit that deals with opiates, not benzos. So I was the only one in my unit that was there for benzos, everyone else was alcohol, opiates, and crack cocaine. So I'm now struggling with the withdrawal, I can't just cold quit."

• Red...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 8, 2022

"I was prescribed 4 mg of Klonopin a day for panic attacks and anxiety. I took 1 to 4 (1 mg) Klonopin a day for over 4 years. I quit cold turkey after 4 years, and I had no side effects that I noticed. It is concerning when it seems that everyone is having devastating side effects coming off Klonopin...and some with very small doses. I rate Klonopin a 10, and I think it was incredibly helpful for me. I now take it when I have major anxiety. I'll take it for a year straight and sometimes for just 1 or 2 days. I usually stop taking it when I feel I don't need it, and I've never tapered off it. I will take ¼ gram to ½ gram. Then I just stop after I feel okay. The time between taking Klonopin regularly is usually 6 months to several years. Klonopin has been a major help for me. I would highly recommend the drug for anxiety and panic attacks if I hadn't read these posts. I read that Klonopin is taken for intoxication as well. I get no 'buzz.' If I take >1 mg, I get tired though."

• PTS...
• October 18, 2021

"I have used clonazepam on and off for the last 4 years, each time not using it for any longer than two and a half months and tapering at the end of each session, approximately two or three times a year. It addresses my anxiety and anger issues, however, after 2 months or so, I feel emotionally numb, which isn't healthy. I finally sought out a psychiatrist and, after lengthy discussions, had a diagnosis of PTSD, OCD, anxiety, and insomnia. I explained how I had been treating myself, and he advised Remeron/Mirtazapine. This kicked in after two weeks, and my PTSD episodes and OCD were controlled and remain controlled. For the anxiety, they do work quite well, however, I have had to resort to Klonopin when I have had 'breakthrough anxiety attacks.' I am now facing tapering the Klonopin, I am not apprehensive, especially as the Remeron will assist during the reduction process. I have had 15 mg a day, so the process (for me) is 7.5 for 4 days and 3.25 for 4 days. After which I will be good."

• Ski...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 2, 2021

"I have been on clonazepam (started at 1 mg and went up to 1.5 mg) and started in November of 2019 after the passing of my grandmother, and things just got hectic. I had already been clean from opiates for 3 years, and dabbled in benzos when I used heroin. I started having panic attacks and eventually went to the E.R. because of them, and that's where it started. The Klonopin worked, I no longer have panic attacks, but I also don't feel 100% myself, and I still do sometimes abuse my medication - but I still try to take it the right way. Maybe I am torturing myself, but I don't know, I don't really see myself coming off them, and I wouldn't shame anyone for not. Just like I don't shame anyone for drug use. I abused my meds this month, only .125 till refill day. Feeling tired, anxious, numb on skin, and not sleeping well, cold sweats, that's 3-4 mg for 2 weeks to .125 for a week. 2 more to go till refill. Don't be dumb like me."

• Dee...
• July 15, 2021

"I’ve been on this tablet for two years. I’ve tried to quit taking it, but the withdrawal symptoms are overwhelming. I have not slept in over four days. I have terrible headaches, mood swings, the worst anxiety, blurry vision, poor concentration, and no appetite, to name a few. I started off with Rivotril after having anxiety prior to a surgery I’ve had. The anxiety was terrible, and I had to sleep. My doc prescribed this drug to me. Had I known it was a benzo, I would never have taken it. Now I’m falling apart, and my doc said I can do more damage than good, so I need to restart. I just suffered myself for 8 days of not taking it."

• Sep...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 30, 2021

"Story time: I’m 25 now, tempering off self-medicated meds. When I was 21, I started to do meth like a total idiot and realized I was gonna ruin my life and quickly stopped to deal with the withdrawal of that disgusting drug. I started to take Xanax. But I quickly noticed that yes, it helped with the withdrawal and my body felt great, but 2 mg of Xanax every day started to change how I was as a person. I went to get help from a psychiatrist, and they gave me over-the-counter medication that causes heart problems with long-term use (did some research). While doing research, I came upon clonazepam. I started off by taking 0.5 mg in the morning and 0.5 mg at night, it worked magic. But sometimes I will still have the strongest panic attacks you could ever imagine. We are talking about full-blown, you think you're having a heart attack. It feels like a heart attack, not fun. Time to stop, I say, going from 1 mg to 0.5 mg, not recommended. So what I did was 0.25 in the morning, 0.5 in the afternoon, slowly stop 0.25 in a month's time and then 0.5."

• Pik...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• August 18, 2021

"Was on 6 mg a day for 15 years, and I switched to bromazepam. Doctor said I should be fine. Well, it's been 6 months, and I am far from fine. I want to find a different benzo. I will not go back on clonazepam ever, ever again, but there must be another one. Bromazepam is no good at all. I figured they would work. I think they are the strongest benzo going - I mean, I am not a doctor, lol, so yeah, what should I do? What is the best benzo or strongest out there? Leave me your opinion. Thanks."

• Pri...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• November 30, 2020

"I've finally come off clonazepam after taking it for 10 years. I started on CBD oil. I weaned off slowly and am sleeping like a baby. Good luck all."

• Eri...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 16, 2019

"No, just no. Never take this. This should be illegal. I am stuck on 0.5 mg, wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Memory loss, anxiety, paranoia, palps, full intense body pain, losing your mind, run away."