Am i tapering off klonopin too fast, what to expect

[vicious1974]

I've been on benzos on and off since April. (Got some prescribed from an ED hospitalization, but stopped taking them daily and only took as needed.) From April 25 to July 20th, I took 15mg of klonopin, usually no more than 1.5mg at a time. I was hospitalized for my unmanageable panic attacks and symptoms August 3rd, and I was taking temazepam 15mg daily for about 2 weeks leading up to that (because I had nothing else for panic symptoms.) August 3rd I was started on klonopin .5mg 3x per day. (I know it's not a huge dose but maybe me being small (130lb) makes a difference?) I had been taking it since then, I abused it 3 times, never taking more than 3.5mg in a day and generally I would skip as many pills as I could the day after the abuse so that it would "even out" and I wouldn't run out of pills.
I started tapering this Sunday (Aug 28th.) I'm taking 1.25mg per day for 7 days. I took 3.5mg on Friday and only .5 on Saturday though so I've been withdrawing since Saturday. My doc wanted me to start tapering on the 23rd .25mg less every 3 days but I was panicking just thinking about it so I held it off until she told me I could reduce by .25mg every 7 days.


I've been steadily taking benzos for about a month and a half, and I know I have an addictive personality and I abused them a few times. I've read everywhere to only reduce by 5-10% every 7 days. I'm reducing by 16% this week and the percentage reduction will be greater as the weeks go on... so does that mean my symptoms will be worse as weeks go on? should I be worried? I'm 18 yrs old as well, and I know being younger makes you much more prone to dependence... Right now I have a headache and have been having bouts of dissociative symptoms (pretty mild compared to before I got on the kpin.) I'm just afraid of having a seizure especially because I'm alone most of the day (temporarily living with my mom while my boyfriend is away, can't work or get a job because klonopin makes me drive like a maniac.) I've only had absence seizures before triggered by topamax (which was prescribed for my bulimia, and is ironically an anti-seizure drug...) The loss of awareness in those was really terrifying for me every time so I can't imagine what a real seizure feels like. I'm taking zoloft 100mg too, idk if that can make me more prone to seizures...


Has anyone tapered off klonopin like this, .25mg less per week and experienced horrible symptoms? I know it's a long half-life drug so I'm assuming these are the symptoms just kicking in... I hope tomorrow I don't feel worse, but I have another dose left tonight. A lot of my panic attacks were caused by health anxiety so should I ask my doc to taper me with the Ashton method you guys talk about? I know I'm probably being overcautious. I was so stupid with drugs in the past, so much seretonin syndrome and stupid overdoses, and these benzos have made me a scared little bitch.

 

[StarMedic552]

It's like alcohol withdrawals without the DTs. You were at a low enough dose that you probably won't seize. Headache is normal.

The dissociative episodes sound almost like a panic attack. I know myself I feel really funky when I get super stressed out. So think about it: if you're on clonazepam for anxiety, and you remove it, you're going to go back to your baseline anxiety level, but your mind's tolerance for anxiety goes bye-bye if you're on a drug for it (because you're using the drug to cope with anxiety, not that it's necessarily bad bc that's what it's indicated for, but it is what it is), so your normal anxiety level is less tolerable than it was before. So when you get to the extreme anxiety, your brain kinda "shuts down" as a defense mechanism, hence the dissociation. Not condemning, just attempting to explain.

I think you'll be okay, but if you're really concerned about tapering, you might talk to your doc about switching to diazepam to taper down. That's what they primarily use when they're detoxing someone from benzodiazepines and tapering them off. Doc may not go for it but there's a good chance he will. Best wishes

 

[keeping]

all depends on the speed of your taper and your own physiology.
expect anything from: insomnia, rebound anxiety, sweats (a lot of sweat), dizziness, mood swings, anhedonia, and possibly akathisia but i don't think you'll experience any seizures or fits as you are tapering, albeit a bit rapidly.

best thing you can do is eat healthily, try and get out the house as often as you can, do a bit of exercise and just try not to let it effect your day to day life too much. there will be good days and bad days, but it will be over sooner or later, never lose sight of that goal.
all the best ༼ ༎ຶ ෴ ༎ຶ༽