Withdrawal from klonopin

[Anonymous]

Hi, I've been on anywhere from 0.5mg-2mg of klonopin per day for about 2 years for anxiety. I'm trying to get off it and tapered pretty well, but it's been about a week without any and it's awful. Muscle shakiness, trembling, anxiety like there's no tomorrow, jelly-like arms/legs, and the list goes on.

I'm willing to stick it out bc I want to be off it but its awful and I would just like to know if anyone has gone through this and can offer words if support/encouragement and/or can tell me how long this might last. Thanks in advance.

[Anonymous]

I went off Klonopin, but I didn't have any side effects. i just gradually tapered off, and all was well. It sounds like you are coming off of it too fast. I would talk to the doctor, and if s/he approves, maybe do a maintenace dose of .5 mg and then slowly come off of that.

[Anonymous]

Oh I went though hell for a few MONTHS before i was fine again. I felt like a druggie.. I thought I was having a serious health issue. That said I stupidly went off cold turkey. You will probably have withdrawals for a few weeks and will be fine. I now tell people all them time that clonopin is not worth the trouble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh I went though hell for a few MONTHS before i was fine again. I felt like a druggie.. I thought I was having a serious health issue. That said I stupidly went off cold turkey. You will probably have withdrawals for a few weeks and will be fine. I now tell people all them time that clonopin is not worth the trouble.

Yes I feel like some addict (this is OP). Can you tell me what were your symptoms?

[Anonymous]

be careful. It took 6 months to come off that dose. Do it under a Dr's guidance. You can take valium to help the physical withdrawl.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:be careful. It took 6 months to come off that dose. Do it under a Dr's guidance. You can take valium to help the physical withdrawl.

Hi, this is OP. I don't want to replace it with another tranquilizer... Can you tell me more about your physical withdrawal? What symptoms did you have? I guess I'm curious to see what other people experienced.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:be careful. It took 6 months to come off that dose. Do it under a Dr's guidance. You can take valium to help the physical withdrawl.

Wow. No. Klonopin is the withdrawal drug. It has an incredibly long half life and the psychological withdrawal is months. You should go down by .25 grams per TWO WEEKS. Over a period of 2-3 months because of the long half life. That will make it relatively painless--but you must.not.regress and go back up in dosage. Or you will be back to square one. And you really should stop. Long term use exacerbates depression, causes weight gain, disinhibition, disorganized thinking, etc. Don't use one benzo that is faster acting (Valium) to get off of another benzo that is incredibly slow acting (klonopin).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:be careful. It took 6 months to come off that dose. Do it under a Dr's guidance. You can take valium to help the physical withdrawl.

Wow. No. Klonopin is the withdrawal drug. It has an incredibly long half life and the psychological withdrawal is months. You should go down by .25 grams per TWO WEEKS. Over a period of 2-3 months because of the long half life. That will make it relatively painless--but you must.not.regress and go back up in dosage. Or you will be back to square one. And you really should stop. Long term use exacerbates depression, causes weight gain, disinhibition, disorganized thinking, etc. Don't use one benzo that is faster acting (Valium) to get off of another benzo that is incredibly slow acting (klonopin).

Why would a benzo cause weight gain?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh I went though hell for a few MONTHS before i was fine again. I felt like a druggie.. I thought I was having a serious health issue. That said I stupidly went off cold turkey. You will probably have withdrawals for a few weeks and will be fine. I now tell people all them time that clonopin is not worth the trouble.

Yes I feel like some addict (this is OP). Can you tell me what were your symptoms?

I'm the pp above. I had sweats, hand trimmers, felt like fainting and short of breath. I even went to the doctor thinking I was having a stroke or a heart attack or both. It was awful! I'm never taking it again. Hang in there, it will get better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh I went though hell for a few MONTHS before i was fine again. I felt like a druggie.. I thought I was having a serious health issue. That said I stupidly went off cold turkey. You will probably have withdrawals for a few weeks and will be fine. I now tell people all them time that clonopin is not worth the trouble.

Yes I feel like some addict (this is OP). Can you tell me what were your symptoms?

I'm the pp above. I had sweats, hand trimmers, felt like fainting and short of breath. I even went to the doctor thinking I was having a stroke or a heart attack or both. It was awful! I'm never taking it again. Hang in there, it will get better.

Thank you. OP here. HOw long did it last?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh I went though hell for a few MONTHS before i was fine again. I felt like a druggie.. I thought I was having a serious health issue. That said I stupidly went off cold turkey. You will probably have withdrawals for a few weeks and will be fine. I now tell people all them time that clonopin is not worth the trouble.

Yes I feel like some addict (this is OP). Can you tell me what were your symptoms?

I'm the pp above. I had sweats, hand trimmers, felt like fainting and short of breath. I even went to the doctor thinking I was having a stroke or a heart attack or both. It was awful! I'm never taking it again. Hang in there, it will get better.

Thank you. OP here. HOw long did it last?

At least 3 months. I hope it doesn't last that long for you

[Anonymous]

I posted earlier about the valium. I switched form klon to valium and weaned off of valium with my Dr's advice. This helped me. I had a v hard withdrawal. I cried almost everyday, could not sleep, depression, panic attacks, etc. I went from xanax to klonapin to valium. It is about 10mlgs of valium to 1 mlg of xanax so I was able to wean off valium easier by cutting the dose. It took 6 months, but, I eventually got my life back. I had no idea what it meant to be addicted to benzos. I have been off them for a little over a year.

[Anonymous]

I posted earlier about the valium. I switched form klon to valium and weaned off of valium with my Dr's advice. This helped me. I had a v hard withdrawal. I cried almost everyday, could not sleep, depression, panic attacks, etc. I went from xanax to klonapin to valium. It is about 10mlgs of valium to 1 mlg of xanax so I was able to wean off valium easier by cutting the dose. It took 6 months, but, I eventually got my life back. I had no idea what it meant to be addicted to benzos. I have been off them for a little over a year.

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone. This is OP. what I think is the worst is as I start to fall asleep, a random thing will jerk, a finger, arm, leg. And it awakens me. Started like a week ago, been off klonopin for 2 weeks. Anyone else experience this?

[Anonymous]

Op, I mean this nicely but have you contacted your doctor about your symptoms? I get a little nervous when I see someone asking what other peoples' experiences were. Every body reacts differently in withdrawal and you should consult your doctor rather than relying on people to confirm what you're experiencing is normal.