Hey guys
I been on clonazepam for about 10 years now
Rather small dose (0.5mg a day)
I cut the pill into pieces but I got so used to taking it each day that just hours after skipping a dose I begin to feel it. It’s so damn hard
I stopped smoking 6 years ago. But to get off this thing completely, seems like a big mountain ahead for me
Have any of you guys completely come off a benzo? Any tips ?
Do it with help from your doctor(s).
I went through Ativan withdrawal some years ago. It was living hell. I tapered off it too quickly.
Definitely
He is the one telling me to get off that med.
But for now I’m titrating slowly slowly off Clozaril first
Oh I tried that years ago too
I thought I was gonna collapse…I had bad case of dizzy spells and other symptoms
I took the pill and I was all good again
I wish I never got on clonazepam or any benzo for that matter
I was on 3 mg of clonazepam and my dr took me off of it a few years ago. I had no problem doing this. She put me on gabapentin eventually afterwards instead. I still have anxiety but it isn’t as bad.
I had a gran mal stopping xanax for a day. It really scared me and I was only on 2-3 mgs a day.
Titrate off slowly and do it with a doctor supervising. I did it over many months and that seizure really made it an unnerving process.
I gradually got weened off benzos. I tried in the 90’s and was unsuccessful, I guess I needed it. Getting off took many years.
Gradual might take years, my spouse is in year 2 of going from 4mg clonozapam
He started with reducing a dose by
3.75 mg / day, 6 months
3.5 mg, 12 months
3.0 mg, 18 months
2.5 mg, 24 months
now a year later he is on 2mg a day taking.
I’m taking 4 mg Xanax everyday - almost 20 years. For me it helps me I don’t want to get off it.
Your doc will likely push for titration. Just go with whatever he tells you. If it gets unbearable and you are going to turn to smoking - I urge you to consider non-tobacco products instead of cigarettes and stuff.
I’m on clonazepam for bad anxiety/panic attacks
gabapentin seems to be for seizures? I know clonazepam is also used to help that too
I’ve never used Benzos but I know from other users that it’s quite habit forming. If I was addicted to Benzos I would replace them with some Seroquel as long as the Benzos with drawl lasted.
Seroquel helped me with withdrawal from some other antipsychotics that was very habit forming. Seroquel has not the same place for my treatment now were I’ve with drawn I am now finally on one 300 mgs qutiapine pill for sleep.
Interesting thx
Was looking for a "crutch " that can help get off the benzo
And YES…some people say it’s not an “addiction” but we get “dependant” on it
All I know is it’s hell getting off it
I just wish my psychiatrist 10 years ago explained this medication to me. Usually should be used short term for panic disorders
My opinion, never ever take benzodiazepines! I really wish I never got on it
I believe that the rule for addictive meds is that it takes 1 month per year that you have been taking it to get rid of the with drawl so it should take you around one year. I was on an addictive for 20 years and the with drawls lasted over 18 month. Go for an replacement meds as long as the withdrawal last or I think that you may not be able to with draw.
Here’s a post I made earlier :
I was on 0.5mg a day of clonazepam, and got horrible withdrawals. The way I eventually came if it was by slowly increasing the amount of days between taking it.
At the beginning I would take it every other day for 2 weeks, then every 3 days for two weeks, etc.
Doing it very slowly was the key.
Good luck coming off it.
Yes, I came off benzos not too long ago. It is a long, arduous journey. A plethora of events transpired in the course of time after stopping Klonopin completely that cannot be explained in writing. Really, weird and strange things happen coming off this medication.
3.5 years after stopping it, I still get withdrawal effects. This is because I had a good doctor who made a bad decision. We stopped Klonopin in about 1.5 months of tapering. However, this is ill-advised, the right way is to taper it over a period of 6 months to a year. There is a tapering schedule provided by the more informed doctors. Otherwise, you can get withdrawal effects, often time literally quite painful, for a period of upto 4 years after stopping it.
I got off by quartering my .5s and going down one quarter at a time. 3/4 then 1/2 then 1/4.
Taper
Swap your addiction and become a gym junkie
Anecdotally that what I see in people who are actually successful in coming off drugs.
Also swap to an ssri to control anexity
Thanks
I am also already on an SSRI
But I been really thinking of going back to the gym. Time to make it real
I was on 5 mg of Tranxene and tapered 1mg less each month. The pharmacist had to make a special preparation for it each month.
Now I’m completely off benzos.
Happy about that.