When Sub Treatment Ends What Do I Do About Klonopin?

[allecw]

I have been going to a sub doc for about 8 months now. I just can't afford the monthly visits and paying for the subs anymore.

I am really ready to get off subs anyways but he has also been prescribing me Klonopin 1mg 2 times a day for a while now.

Once I stop seeing him what do I do about the Klonopin? I want to eventually get off the Klonopin also but i want to get off the Subs much sooner. I don't even know if I can afford to see my sub doc next month. I would prefer to just wean myself off the subs and then spend any money I have on a new primary care doc.

I can't just go to any doc and show him I was getting klonopin and get it right? It is a scheduled drug. I don't think I could get a reference from the sub doc because to him I am just another patient who disappeared. For all he knows I am using opiates again.

I am not asking how to trick a doctor into giving me Klonopin I am just wondering what I am supposed to do in this situation?

Should I tell the new doc I was getting the Klonopin from a substance abuse doc? I feel like most doctors wouldn't prescribe me anything if they think I could be an addict. In reality I have never abused the Klonopin and do not wish to. I actually want to be off them one day. Nows just a bad time in my life.

I just don't know what to do. I can no longer afford a sub doc but have to continue to take Klonopin. Also hopefully a regular doc would give me refills and I wouldn't have to see him monthly.

Money is just a HUGE issue for me right now. I can't believe I even came up with the money to see him this month.

Any suggestions?

 

[NeighborhoodThreat]

I would recommend speaking to him next time you see him and letting him know that you're worried about getting off the clonazepam at the same time as the subs (this is a legit concern!).

If he doesn't recommend it himself, I would discuss a tapering plan with him, either by staying with clonazepam and tapering down with that or switching to Valium (diazepam) and using that for tapering off the clonazepam. Valium is better because it has a long half life and long acting active metabolites.

You can always speak to a psychiatrist (a different one) about getting off benzos with a Valium taper. Any good psychiatrist or addiction doctor understands how benzo addiction works and that you can't quit them cold turkey. There are options for you. If your sub doctor doesn't want to help you with a taper, I would speak to another doctor. Many people do this and taper off their illegal benzo habits with a legal Valium script, you should be able to do it since you've had got a legal benzo script to begin with.

 

[allecw]

I really don't even think I can afford to see my sub doc one more time. My money situation is not very good at all and it is very expensive to see him.

I was thinking of taking the subs I have now and weaning myself off.

I was actually taking Klonopin legally before I ever even saw my Sub doc. Just at a slightly lower dose. I never told my Sub doc but it was prescribed to me before. Just never two scripts at the same time. It has helped a lot with my anxiety. I was also on Citalopram at once also.

My goal would be to taper off the subs myself and then get another doc to put me on Klonopin and Citalopram. Eventually i would like to come off the Klonopin but not now. Coming odd the subs would be enough for the time being.

I just don't know how to go about doing this. If you show a doc you were on a benzo do they have to prescribe it to you? It is dangerous to just stop. Yet if he calls my sub doc to verify i am no longer getting klonopin from him it could be trouble because all my sub doc will know is I disappeared. I can't afford to go back to my Sub doc again.

 

[NeighborhoodThreat]

I don't know if they have to prescribe it to you, but if it means you would go into withdrawal if you didn't have your benzo, you could always go to the Emergency Room (worst case).

If you've been taking 2mg clonazepam a day, you would most likely experience withdrawal. As long as you're not getting two prescriptions of the same/similar drugs from two different doctors, you should be okay. I don't think stopping cold turkey is a good idea when it comes to benzos, clonazepam included.

 

[purple_cloud]

I'm sort of facing a similar situation, but just in terms of moving locations so no longer going to the psych that is prescribing me ativan, but hopefully to an outpatient mental health clinic because of finances. Today I asked my counselor what to do about the prescriptions, and she told me to bring the most recent leaflet thing from the pharmacy, since it has all the info on there (name of prescribing dr, dosage, quantity, date, etc) and that that would be better than just bringing a bottle. Of course having records transferred is best, but that can take a little bit so the leaflet info just gets to them quicker this way.

Not sure if this even works, it just happened to come up earlier today so I figured I'd throw it out there.

 

[brighton]

i find you can never predict what a doctor is going to to do. they are very strange people!
one week recently my doctor suddenly decided to stop giving me my clonazepam as she said it wasnt helping (it was def. helping)