Klonopin withdrawal questions.

[AshlyJ330]

I started taking Klonopin a year ago through my primary care doctor, for the last 5-6 months I've been on 3mg a day. Last month, I tried coming off of them and just quit. Bad move, I was incredibly sick. I couldn't function- migraines, dizzy, light headed, nauseous, light sensitivity, foggy, insomnia, body aches, every time I tried to drive I couldn't concentrate. Panic, anxiety, crying. It was just all out awful. I lost over 5lbs in 7 day period from stomach issues and no appetite.

I didn't even realize what it was at first! Call me stupid or naive but I thought I was just sick. A friend pointed out to me, take your meds, you'll feel better. I did, and I did.

I went to my therapist (not the doc giving me the meds) and told her I had a problem. I no longer wanted to be on the benzo, I was definitely physically and mentally addicted (there were a couple times I would be 1-3 days short because I would take a few more than I should), and she had me call the prescribing doctor. I explained the situation, they set me up an appointment for the next day to start a taper.

After insulting me and calling me a drug addict outright, and insisting I go cold turkey despite my complaints of my withdrawal experience, she finally set up a taper. Before I get to that, she first insisted that I "didn't actually withdrawal" and "it's not that bad or that long," but when I complained of the taper, saying it was too rapid, she said "withdrawal would teach me a lesson." Okay? (Needless to say, new primary!) I also requested she contact my therapist with me there so she could explain and she refused (until 2 days later when she requested my records without permission).

First of all, she placed me on 25mg of Zoloft and 2mg of abilify, which my therapist agrees with. But my taper is this-

1mg for 2 days
.5mg for 3 days
.5mg every other day for 4 days
Then done.

I'm on the 2nd day of the .5mg for 3 days, and I can already vaguely feel it. .5 at night coming from 3mg a day...

I'm terrified of feeling the way I did before, especially since I'm starting a new job tomorrow! Is there anything, anything at all that can help me? Anything natural? I was taking NyQuil last time to help me sleep but that was also partly because I thought I was just normal sick...

Any and all suggestions will help.

 

[ovo1024]

Wow your doctor sounds like an asshole. You can't have your patient on 3mg a day for 6 months and then act like its no big deal and call you a drug addict. A rapid taper isn't the best idea either hopefully they can switch you to diazepam

 

[AshlyJ330]

Wow your doctor sounds like an asshole. You can't have your patient on 3mg a day for 6 months and then act like its no big deal and call you a drug addict. A rapid taper isn't the best idea either hopefully they can switch you to diazepam

She is an asshole, so that's why I'm dropping her. But she outright refused to do ANYTHING aside from that rapid taper, no switching, nothing. My therapist said if I could see a psychiatrist soon enough they could potentially do that, but if I don't, and I go long enough without any benzo, no doctor will want to put me back on any withdrawal or not.

I just don't know how to control the withdrawal or make it more bearable. Hopefully even this crappy taper will help some, but what I felt before was terrible!

 

[Raysu]

If I were you I'd get a copy of the record from the primary and if you don't get that psych appt stat then head straight to an urgent care with record, and bottle of meds, explain what happened and your symptoms. Benzo wd is nothing to snide at and its a disgrace when medical "professionals" simply aren't! My clonazepam taper was a month long and I was on 2mg/day. At the very least urgent care can give you supportive meds and maybe something like Valium as suggested above as its another long acting benzo. Good luck to you and keep us posted.

 

[T. Calderone]

I agree with above posts, this doctor should have put you on a slow taper. Many doctors have a God complex and what she did was shitty. I would try to get in to see a psych doctor, like Raysu recommended. If that's not possible an urgent care might be your next step because benzo withdrawals are no joke. I hope you can get some relief!

 

[theGirlWithBlueHair]

Wow your doctor sounds like an asshole. You can't have your patient on 3mg a day for 6 months and then act like its no big deal and call you a drug addict. A rapid taper isn't the best idea either hopefully they can switch you to diazepam

I've known a lot of doctors that see patients on ANY controlled substance - myself included - and act like that just because that person has been on it regularly (like any other med) that they are habituated to it or addicted to it.

It's quite a load of bullshit in my opinion. It must be their excuse to ditch the med, or either they are just assholes, as you stated ovo.

You can't do a rapid taper with benzodiazepines like you can with other GABAergic anticonvulsants, as they aren't as intensive. Benzos DIRECTLY MANIPULATE the GABA A receptor (the first and foremost MAJOR INHIBITORY receptor in the brain) and affect the chloride ion channel intensely; the other ones that don't do this, you can do a rapid taper with, relatively speaking, of course.


T. Calderone is right.

Everybody's homeostatic GABA levels and GABA A receptor densities are different. The time you were on the benzo could leave you with almost with no withdrawals or very severe ones.

This is a serious matter!

I second their suggestions. GABA A agonist withdrawals carry the possibility for psychosis, seizures and status epilipticus, and they can be fatal in overdose if you end up going into SE with no around...

You asked for recommendations... So...

Now this isn't natural, but there is a gabapentinoid (this is similar to the presciptions drugs Neurontin and Lyrica) online called phenibut, but I would use it short term and at doses 500-750mg tid for 4 weeks and then ween off to 250mg tid, and see where you are at with your benzo withdrawals. This drug is a derivative of GABA: it looks almost exactly the same, and has similar mechanisms to this natural neurotransmitter.

Phenibut is a GABA B agonist, alpha2delta calcium channel ligand (which modulates calcium channels and reduces excitatory neurotransmitters as norepinephrine and glutamate - these are the neurotransmitters causing you problems right now (along with acetylcholine), possible GABA A agonist in higher dosages (which I can vouch for) and it reduces activity of your endogenous amphetamine-like molecule called phenethylamine and enhances dopamine catalysis.

It doesn't cause a kindling effect like other GABA B agonists but rather has good anticonvulsant properties: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1527-3458.2001.tb00211.x/pdf

Just don't exceed the dose and be sure to slowly ween if you decide to try it.

The addition of diphenhydramine will reduce excessive cholinergic neurotransmission which causes an increases in sympathetic activity. This would include effects on your heart and things such as sweating and also central ones such as anxiety and whatnot. And if you're having itching, as can sometime happen - I've gotten it - it's from cholinergic and noradrenergic innervation.

The anticholinergic effects will eliminate that.

Now, these two meds are excellent for withdrawals, and depending on your severity, you can adjust your dose. But your taper is bullshit. You should withdraw at least for a month...

These aren't meant to be recommendations for emergency care. If your withdrawals are severe and you have myoclonus (ANY tremors, jerks), absence-like activity (where you find your self just randomly blanking out for periods of times), hallucinations, etc. Go get emergency care right away!

Diazepam and flurazepam would be good benzodiazepines to switch to taper to. I know somebody who had excellent success with flurazepam. Apparently - in their opinion of course, so this doesn't apply to everybody - flurazepam works better than diazepam.

 

[Mushwood]

What your doctor said to you was disgraceful...! Benzo WD can be very serious.

My doctor put me on a 50 week taper (I was on up to 8mg alprazolam plus up to 60mg diazepam (equivalent of 11mg Klonopin) for a number of years)

If I was you I'd find another doctor! ...the taper you've been given seems far too quick..

Also cutting out stimulants whilst you're withdrawing is a good idea.

Good luck

 

[AshlyJ330]

If I were you I'd get a copy of the record from the primary and if you don't get that psych appt stat then head straight to an urgent care with record, and bottle of meds, explain what happened and your symptoms. Benzo wd is nothing to snide at and its a disgrace when medical "professionals" simply aren't! My clonazepam taper was a month long and I was on 2mg/day. At the very least urgent care can give you supportive meds and maybe something like Valium as suggested above as its another long acting benzo. Good luck to you and keep us posted.

I did get a new primary care doctor as of today, but I'm still working on a psychiatrist. Two I'm waiting on call backs, one was booked out for more than a month, another didn't take out of county patients. Sigh.

I was considering this option, but feared they'd think I was "doctor shopping" or that I would have another horrible experience where someone sits there shaming me and calling me a drug addict... But maybe I'll get lucky and they'll be professional! I see the new primary Monday, so she may be able to help in the meantime. I'll explain the full situation and have her get all records.

Thank you so much for your input!

 

[AshlyJ330]

I agree with above posts, this doctor should have put you on a slow taper. Many doctors have a God complex and what she did was shitty. I would try to get in to see a psych doctor, like Raysu recommended. If that's not possible an urgent care might be your next step because benzo withdrawals are no joke. I hope you can get some relief!

Thank you for your reply, I do believe she is one of "those" doctors thinking she is all powerful and can do whatever she wants and brushes off patients, this isn't the first issue I've had with her but the most serious and the final- I got a new primary, and currently working on a psych doctor!

 

[AshlyJ330]

I've known a lot of doctors that see patients on ANY controlled substance - myself included - and act like that just because that person has been on it regularly (like any other med) that they are habituated to it or addicted to it.

It's quite a load of bullshit in my opinion. It must be their excuse to ditch the med, or either they are just assholes, as you stated ovo.

You can't do a rapid taper with benzodiazepines like you can with other GABAergic anticonvulsants, as they aren't as intensive. Benzos DIRECTLY MANIPULATE the GABA A receptor (the first and foremost MAJOR INHIBITORY receptor in the brain) and affect the chloride ion channel intensely; the other ones that don't do this, you can do a rapid taper with, relatively speaking, of course.


T. Calderone is right.

Everybody's homeostatic GABA levels and GABA A receptor densities are different. The time you were on the benzo could leave you with almost with no withdrawals or very severe ones.

This is a serious matter!

I second their suggestions. GABA A agonist withdrawals carry the possibility for psychosis, seizures and status epilipticus, and they can be fatal in overdose if you end up going into SE with no around...

You asked for recommendations... So...

Now this isn't natural, but there is a gabapentinoid (this is similar to the presciptions drugs Neurontin and Lyrica) online called phenibut, but I would use it short term and at doses 500-750mg tid for 4 weeks and then ween off to 250mg tid, and see where you are at with your benzo withdrawals. This drug is a derivative of GABA: it looks almost exactly the same, and has similar mechanisms to this natural neurotransmitter.

Phenibut is a GABA B agonist, alpha2delta calcium channel ligand (which modulates calcium channels and reduces excitatory neurotransmitters as norepinephrine and glutamate - these are the neurotransmitters causing you problems right now (along with acetylcholine), possible GABA A agonist in higher dosages (which I can vouch for) and it reduces activity of your endogenous amphetamine-like molecule called phenethylamine and enhances dopamine catalysis.

It doesn't cause a kindling effect like other GABA B agonists but rather has good anticonvulsant properties: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1527-3458.2001.tb00211.x/pdf

Just don't exceed the dose and be sure to slowly ween if you decide to try it.

The addition of diphenhydramine will reduce excessive cholinergic neurotransmission which causes an increases in sympathetic activity. This would include effects on your heart and things such as sweating and also central ones such as anxiety and whatnot. And if you're having itching, as can sometime happen - I've gotten it - it's from cholinergic and noradrenergic innervation.

The anticholinergic effects will eliminate that.

Now, these two meds are excellent for withdrawals, and depending on your severity, you can adjust your dose. But your taper is bullshit. You should withdraw at least for a month...

These aren't meant to be recommendations for emergency care. If your withdrawals are severe and you have myoclonus (ANY tremors, jerks), absence-like activity (where you find your self just randomly blanking out for periods of times), hallucinations, etc. Go get emergency care right away!

Diazepam and flurazepam would be good benzodiazepines to switch to taper to. I know somebody who had excellent success with flurazepam. Apparently - in their opinion of course, so this doesn't apply to everybody - flurazepam works better than diazepam.

Thank you so much for the reply and all of the info you provided! I was not fully aware of all of this when I started on the medication, I know it's a patients job to also look into what they're taking but my doctor never took the time to inform me. I truly didn't even realize I was in withdrawal before!

I've done much more research since then, and I'll certainly watch for any of those signs. I did experience them last time, just the feeling absent, almost blacked out, and the "jerking" feeling, and I had all the awful ones I mentioned in my original post, but I didn't realize just how serious they could be.

I'll also be looking into your suggestions as well, they may be my only options if the new primary doctor can't or refuses to help or I can't get a psychiatrist ASAP!

 

[AshlyJ330]

What your doctor said to you was disgraceful...! Benzo WD can be very serious.

My doctor put me on a 50 week taper (I was on up to 8mg alprazolam plus up to 60mg diazepam (equivalent of 11mg Klonopin) for a number of years)

If I was you I'd find another doctor! ...the taper you've been given seems far too quick..

Also cutting out stimulants whilst you're withdrawing is a good idea.

Good luck

I did find a new primary, so hopefully she can help when I see her Monday. I'm working on a psychiatrist but even with my therapists help they can be hard to get in with, especially quickly.

Thank you for your rely, the stimulant tip (I didn't know that!) and the luck

 

[AshlyJ330]

Today is about the same as yesterday/last night. Only slightly worse, a bit more out of it but certainly not totally or "absent" feeling. Just all around blah. I'll be on the look out for the things you guys advised me on, and will head to the ER or urgent care immediately if I experience any of them.

I got a new primary I see Monday, tonight is my last night of the .5 for 3 nights before I start the .5 every other night thing. Still working on a psych doctor!

 

[Malvadostorm]

Wow. This is CRAZY!! Your doctor has no business prescribing klonopin at all of she is going to do this to patients. Klonopin cold turkey w/d can cause seizures, heart attacks, it's not a game by any means. And I know the feeling of being treated as an addict!!
Thankfully I no longer deal with this due to my current medical status, however all of this aside this taper is way too fast and very unhealthy.
Once you are under psychiatric care you will not be treated this way.
Also many people, myself included, sometimes decide they no longer want to be on meds and can do without them and simply stop taking them. I have personally had to come to grips with the fact there are certain meds I can survive without, and some I simply must be on forever. Although my forever isn't much longer.
So decide why you started taking them, do you really need them or can you go ahead and taper and put them behind you.
If you don't really need them, then please consider tapering and be done because they are very dangerous.
However, if your mental health requires you to be on them for the safety of yourself and those around you, as in, if you are not on them is life cool (pretending withdraws are behind you and not the basis for whether or not to take them), or if you are not taking them are you going to freak out and live in constant anxiety or in my case my family will tie me down and shove them down down my throat because apparantly I am quite impossible to be around when not medicated, then screw the stigma related to being on psychiatric medication, continue taking them and don't ever put yourself in the situation of missing therapy or doc and running yourself out aside from the occasional month where you will be a day or so short due to overtaking on a particular day or more, always keep those appointments and keep those scripts full.
Never quit a phyc med cold turkey!!
So all this blabering I'm aware is not helping your current withdraw status, I don't know how to withdraw from klonopin.
Whenever I have I have ended up in er and they always shoot me up and give me a months worth in a script and make me promise to get back to the doc.
Where are you? Around here besides regular er we have the psychiatric intervention center that will keep you in meds depending on your diagnosis and why you are talking them.

 

[trolling123]

Trust me you're not alone. My doctor recently stopped prescribing my 2MG klonopin a day without even tampering me down AT ALL and refused too do so. Luckily i've already was doing that the past year and was only on a .5MG at night (so i had enough to tamper myself down regardless if he stopped my script). He basically told me that since i also was taking a schedule 2 narcotic that i had to choose between stopping around 30-45MG of oxycodone a day or the 2MG klonopin. I am thankful i already was tampering down on my benzo because giving an ultimatum of choosing one or the other WITHOUT being able to tamper down is insane. PS: I was on the klonopin for 4 years...