Clonazepam and Withdrawal: What Users Say (Page 5)

• Pat...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• January 8, 2018

For Anxiety "I've been on either Klonopin or Xanax for around 20 years. When I try to stop them, it's terrifying. I've gone as long as 2 months without, and the withdrawal is even worse after 6 months than it is during the first 2 weeks. I can't take off work for a year to get off of these. I can't call off of work and say, 'Oh sorry, I'm hooked on my anxiety medication and I can't come in.' I got myself down to 0.5 twice a day, and that keeps my functioning. But I can't function without them. I don't know if my anxiety is really that bad or if it's the withdrawal. It's really messed up, and I have to chuckle when I see it says Klonopin is used for benzo withdrawal. That's like saying heroin is good for OxyContin withdrawal..."

• Ano...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 18, 2015

For Anxiety "Clonazepam works wonders for anxiety. However, it is extremely addictive. This medication is like booze in a pill, and once you get addicted, it's very difficult getting off it. There are terrible withdrawal symptoms from this drug. After using clonazepam for 4 years, I'm going through what's called 'tolerance withdrawal,' but of course, there is no medical term for it. Doctors will tell you that there is no such thing as 'tolerance withdrawal.' When tolerance develops, 'withdrawal' symptoms can appear even though the user continues to take the drug. Thus, the symptoms suffered by many long-term users are a mixture of adverse effects of the drugs and 'withdrawal' effects due to tolerance."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 27, 2016

For Anxiety "A nurse at a psychologist put me on this drug along with Prozac over 3 years ago. She told me it would be a band-aid until the Prozac started working. I went for a follow-up appointment a month later and she said since it's working she didn't want to change anything. Months went by I still felt great, no panic attacks, nothing. Started to gain weight and felt extremely sleepy during the day, so I wanted to start weaning off-spent 1 1/2 years trying to wean myself off only to start the withdrawal symptoms: electrical shocks, extreme night sweats, and nightmares. Finally, I weaned myself to .5 mg Klonopin and 10 mg of Prozac. Last Friday night (10 days ago today), I came home and flushed the pills. Going through hell now. Don't start, get help naturally!!!"

• Cod...
• March 20, 2017

For Insomnia "I tried 1 mg clonazepam. It did work for my insomnia, but I did look up the half-life of it, which is up to 30-40 hours. Plus the withdrawal from it, so I weaned myself off of it. Spoke to my doctor about what else is there, and I was prescribed 150 mg trazodone. It works great. If you look up the side effects, it will say definitely not to be used for a sleep aid. It is safe to use in smaller milligrams like I use: 150 mg."

• Iri...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 23, 2017

For Panic Disorder "This medicine saved my life. I lost all my family between 18-21 years old, other than one brother. I'm about to be 34, and needless to say, it has saved me from waking up daily, soaked in sweat, panicking, and depression. Those doctors that won't prescribe it and my opioids to me, and now I am going through cold turkey, right? They don't realize how bad this impacts a person's life. I'm probably gonna lose my job because of opioid withdrawal for two weeks. Ten years use of oxycodone prn 4 a day, ten mg from a drunk driver hitting me. I'm lucky to have my foot. Fifteen pieces of hardware later, I'm still here. Clonazepam and all drugs need to be legalized. These new laws the government makes up. 'We The People' are supposed to be in control, this has really mucked up my life and others' lives."

• Jos...
• January 4, 2018

For Chronic Myofascial Pain "Starts out great, but over time, this drug will turn on you. Requires more and more to reach the same effects. You will reach tolerance, and you either up dose or get off this poison. And getting off is very difficult, it takes a long time to taper with horrible side effects. No doctor warned me about this drug when it comes to long-term use. I was on it for 3 years and never abused it, just look up benzo withdrawal. This drug has ruined thousands of lives."

• Ves...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• June 22, 2016

Clonazepam for Seizure Prevention "This medicine made me confused, slur my words, exhausted. I was basically living in a fog for over five years. No amount of sleep helped, I needed to take a nap every day and would still be tired when I woke up. I had difficulty thinking, repeated sentences, had anxiety attacks. This medication is only supposed to be given for a maximum of 2 weeks. It's highly addictive, and the user develops a high tolerance. Long-term usage can result in brain damage, and benzos are the most overly prescribed drug in the world. Withdrawal was horrible, but worth it! I got my life back after getting off of it, and I don't have anxiety or seizures, changed my lifestyle, diet, and exercise."

• Spd...
• November 16, 2016

For Insomnia "I don't understand why there are so many high (8-10) ratings for this drug. After reading so many who experienced negative effects, yet they gave a high rating. My first night taking my 1 mg prescription, I woke up thirsty and spilled water all over myself. Not a big deal. A while later, I rolled out of bed onto a bedside table and bruised myself badly. I had never before fallen out of bed. After the first night, I slept well and continued using it with no noticeable side effects. After using up my 3 months prescription, I was told that I needed to go to my doctor's office for a paper prescription. I'm 68 years old, disabled, and live 16 miles from my doctor's office. I am now suffering with horrible withdrawal symptoms!"

• yea...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• January 7, 2018

For Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "Drug works well for OCD and other anxiety problems. In fact, it's the only pharma drug that helped me for OCD and anxiety (sometimes). Common problems for people include: a) needing to increase the dosage (after a while, the low dosage may stop working). b) Withdrawal may cause problems for some. c) Cognitive impairment long-term usage. I take it only several times a week (not daily)."

• Wor...
• December 9, 2011

Clonazepam for Anxiety "My mom was put on 0.25 mg nightly Klonopin after having likely withdrawal and memory issues from Ambien. She experienced anxiety, panic attacks, and random episodes of fright/panic and memory loss. The doctors, of course, raised the dose to 0.5 mg given the anxiety, and the symptoms got worse - more anxiety, random attacks, and withdrawal symptoms in the morning. So they raised it to 0.75 mg, and she got even worse. I had to take control of the situation and spread the medicine out to 3x 0.25. This helped significantly, but nervousness continued. The doctor, not understanding her sensitivity, decided to reduce the frequency, not the dose, and this resulted in terrible withdrawal symptoms. Now using dissolved 0.125 mg rapid dissolve tablets to titrate off."

• Pat...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 4, 2021

For Anxiety "I was prescribed 1 mg clonazepam for one year. I took it occasionally, in order to stray from addiction. Although it did relieve some anxiety, I still found myself constantly worrying. It was helpful in highly stressful situations and created a calming effect that lasted well over a day. However, it did not tackle my anxiety entirely. Also, after a single dose, a week later, I would experience horrible rebound effects such as rapid heartbeat, a racing mind, and amplified anxiety. I took this medication once or twice every other week and sometimes, once or twice a month. I found this medication wasn’t for me. I did not enjoy feeling like I was withdrawing after a single dosage. I had a similar experience with Ativan, but the onset of rebound anxiety after a single dosage with that happened a day or two later. I asked my doctor to switch me back to alprazolam XR, which works fairly similar to clonazepam without the rebound effects. I also feel it tackles my anxiety completely and subtly."

• Tom...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 22, 2021

For Temporomandibular Joint Disorder "This medication was prescribed by my TMJ doctor. I took it for a year, and it went fairly well, but after looking at all the long-term side effects of taking this drug, I decided to stop. I had significant withdrawal symptoms even though I tapered off slowly. I’ve been completely off of it for two years. I have found that amitriptyline at 10 mg taken at night works best when needed. At least it does for me. Plus, it has much less possible side effects."

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

For Periodic Limb Movement Disorder "I have severe PLMD. Clonazepam has been the most effective medication for it. Initially took 0.5 mg 2x/day, then moved all (1 mg) to bedtime. It was initially very effective in reducing symptoms (for 6-12 months). Finally felt rested during the day. But since, I have had to add other agents/medications which had a similar effect - initially very effective, but after a few months back to baseline sleep disturbance and daytime lethargy. When we've tried to reduce the Clonazepam dose, severe symptoms return immediately + withdrawal symptoms. It will make you groggy during the day initially, but it gets better. There is an increased risk of cognitive decline after years of use. So, it is a pretty effective medication but will build tolerance, become less effective, is really hard to decrease, and has significant risks for decline in mental functioning. My advice is to not start Clonazepam or increase the dosage unless absolutely necessary and take the risks very seriously."

• Nat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 8, 2021

For Anxiety "Taking Rivotril 0.5 mg daily for the past 1.5 months for insomnia, and I suddenly decided to stop cold turkey. I don't have any withdrawal symptoms, sometimes sleeping problems. Not sleeping for a few days does harm you, and the body will get used to it and go back to a normal routine. The main subject is you must not be afraid of the medicine, and you should control the medicine rather than the medicine controls you. Have a well-balanced diet, a lot of exercise, vitamins and supplements, meet people, move around, remove negative thoughts, you may safely come out from clonazepam withdrawal and lead a normal life. Put faith in your body as the body was created by God to protect and not to destroy you. Good luck."

• Dch...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• July 30, 2017

For Anxiety "It was a good drug short-term on 3 mg 3 times per day for 8 months, but then after stopping was put on Xanax 2 mg 3 times a day, extreme withdrawal. I still can't recover, my doctor got in trouble, so I get .25 Xanax 3 times a day, and I use street for the rest. These drugs can be hell. I wish I had a doctor to help just to taper, but no, Benzos are killers."

• URw...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• July 13, 2012

For Anxiety "My doctor does not like this medicine, although she had no problem until she had a patient with a bad experience, etc. I know that Klonopin has done many things for me, including helping the anxiety and panic attacks. It also soothes a lot of the side effects of my other seizure and neuropathy medications, while it does not mask the effects totally. This is good because you always want to be aware of side effects other medications have on you. I had the perfect balance of medications and was doing very well. I have read some of the ratings, and I agree. It helped when nothing else could. The withdrawal symptoms are not good, but they go away. The problem is that all the bad things about my disease are coming back since I stopped this."

• Mar...
• May 28, 2017

For Restless Legs Syndrome "I thank God for the doctor who was willing to give me 0.5 mg of Klonopin for the restless leg syndrome I was having from the horrible dopamine reuptake inhibitors that other doctors were giving me. This drug was like a warm blanket in the cold for me, stopping my twisting and turning within 20 minutes. However, I give it 7 stars because it is not useful for long-term treatment, as the withdrawal symptoms can be much worse than restless leg syndrome. Also, one must NEVER drink alcohol with this drug, which is a bummer if you want a glass of red wine."

• Ony...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 13, 2022

For Insomnia "Was on Rivotril (so far as I can tell clonazepam) 2 mg daily for 3 years. At first, it was a godsend. I slept wonderfully every night. That is until the end of last year (2021). At about this time, my family and I started to notice I was struggling to recall words and form logical connections. I looked up the side effects, and mental lethargy was there. After my doctor told me to continue the drug, regardless of the side effect, I stopped taking it cold turkey (I wasn't warned. DO NOT DO THIS). After getting through the withdrawal, I had my brain back but also my insomnia. The worst is after all that I'm back on 1 mg daily (for a month) of the stuff for insomnia as my doctor won't prescribe me anything else, and I write this at 1 in the morning, unable to sleep and found this website. Honestly, the side effects of this drug are nightmare fuel aplenty, and while I wish none of them on anyone else, I'm done with it."

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

For Benzodiazepine Withdrawal "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."

• kay...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 4, 2015

For Anxiety "Was on this for 6 years. Helped a lot with anxiety but made me a drugged-out zombie who seemed drunk all the time. Warning: it will impair your judgment. I think it takes an hour to work, so the panic attack I was trying to stop is usually over by then. But it helps with the next one. I was on .25, then went up to 1 mg 3x a day. Dependence and tolerance happened. It helped, but I want to be me. If you aren't going to drive or have to make any important life choices, do not take this 24 hours before. The half-life is 72 hours. Hard to withdraw from. Withdrawal can have effects for months to years. Be aware of that. Dangerous drug. It and Xanax should be a last resort. Last. Resort. Panic attacks usually only last a minute, this takes longer to recover from."

• DC8...
• May 25, 2021

For Panic Disorder "Was on a small dose to start, eventually, over the years, it kept getting increased all the way up to 24 mg a day. I'd highly recommend, if you're going to take this medication, to be aware not to go higher than 1 mg. I'm still on 2 mg a day and hopefully will be off entirely by year's end, but that was through a very, very painful withdrawal process through tapering over a year. Yes, a year straight of withdrawal... and I found it worse than opioid withdrawal."

• Dee...
• July 15, 2021

For Benzodiazepine Withdrawal "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."

• Gho...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 11, 2022

Clonazepam for Seizure Prevention "This medicine is for short-term use, not long-term. Around 2016, a black box label was placed on this medication. In the past, I went through withdrawals because I did not have the proper doctor. I live with protracted withdrawals, a.k.a. PAWS. I went through depersonalization. It was and still is a living nightmare. Want the truth about Klonopin? I would suggest that before anyone starts taking this medication, read the Ashton Manual. You can find it online and can read all about how this medication has negative side effects. I wish I would have known what I know now years ago. People don't have any idea what this medication can do. I had a seizure and came close to death. Having a doctor is very important, one that will work with you. Let me make this clear: all of my medicine was written by a professional doctor. PAWS effects can last forever, depending on how long you have been on this medication. Research is the key word."

• Mia...
• August 25, 2015

For Anxiety "I've been on Klonopin for over a decade. It helped with the anxiety for a really short time, but I still had to self-manage, which is why I rate it 1 star. The only reason I was on it for so long was that the doctor told me I would be a lifer on it. I'm finally off of this medication, and I am suffering severe withdrawal. I have had insomnia for 8 months off of it. I think it's best to manage sleep or anxiety issues on your own because being on this stuff is not worth it. Klonopin made it difficult to get up in the mornings. I felt irritable and groggy for years. My anxiety on it would skyrocket. I also had a difficult time remembering things, studying, and learning new information. I don't recommend this drug at all."

• Ken...
• October 23, 2010

For Anxiety "Although it does work very well, after extreme anxiety I feel normal and able to function well and think calmly. However, just wanted to caution people that long-term use can result in dreadful withdrawal."