Bad withdrawal from klonopin

This is my second attempt at withdrawing from Klonopin. I was only on it for a week when I knew it was making me feel nauseous. The doctor didn't agree and said to keep taking. After two months I wanted off and insisted he help me. He suggested stopping the evening dose of .25 for a week and then stopping the morning dose of .25 the following week. Yes, I am on a low dose. Well, it was so bad that I ended up going on .5 in the evening just to try and feel somewhat normal. Now I am on a slower withdrawal, but its not helping either. I'm back down to .25 am and pm, but when I tried to stop my first .25 in the am yesterday I was so sick. Nauseous all day, anxiety level high, shaking. Its so scary. I took the usual .25 last night, was able to eat, but still felt anxious and strange. I woke up every hour with trembling all over and anxious thoughts. I'm beginning to think I'll never be able to get off this horrible med. My friend is a psychiatric nurse practioner and is helping me, since the doctor was no help at all, but I think I need to go even slower. She gets angry when I check the internet, because even she doesn't realize how addicting this drug can be. I want to feel normal again so badly and hope I can get through this.

So glad I read this I am having that same brain thing and I noticed it's when I move my head it feels like time freezes and a shock goes thru my brain it happens so quickly and is scary. I hoped it was withdrawal and not a brain tumor LOL but seriously it is hard to explain. I have been on 2 pills at night for 5 years and am barely down to 1 1/2 and it's been months of this withdrawal symptom so at this pace it will be a year or more before I wean off. I don't have an addictive personality, with fibromyalgia I have been on strong pain meds for months and can quit cold turkey. I read klonopin was hard to get off of and now I understand why. THANKS

I was put on Ativan after surgery. I weaned myself down to .5 mg a day, even though my psychiatrist and therapist wanted me taking MORE, not LESS drugs. They put me on Seroquel to help with sleep - WRONG! Seroquel does the same thing to you as all the other benzo's. It took me 6 weeks to wean off of that. I was put on Restoril 7.5 mg at night to sleep, not knowing it was going to do the SAME THING to my body, addiction-wise.

After 9 months of not sleeping ,not eating, shaking, tremors, twitches, etc on a DAILY basis, I finally found a neurologist who said I had to get off the drugs. Ativan goes in to your body fast and comes out fast, so basically, I was not giving my body what it wanted and was going through drug withdrawal on a daily basis for 9 months, without even knowing it!

He switched me to 2 mg of Klonopin which put me to sleep for 48 hours straight. What a relief that was! We are using the .25 and .125 mg disolvable tablets. I have been tapering for the past 14 weeks, and am down to .125mg in the morning and .125mg at bedtime.

Mornings are the worse - I wake up in a panic and usually shake, twitch, have diarrhea for about 2-3 hours. Then I have tremors for the rest of the day. BUT, this only lasts for the first few days after a drop in dosage. Then I usually stabilize enough so I can get through the rest of the week. No one can say that those hours of shaking don't take a toll on your body and mind.

I am very lucky in that I have a supportive husband who talks me through the rough times. I have been through all the symptoms - depression being the worst, I think. The shaking hurts the body for a while, but the depression hurts everything.

I also go to a hypnotherapist - this can be a big help if you stick with it and listen to tapes made of your sessions to practice self-relaxation. I have a chiropractor/kinesiologist who helps keep my body and emotions on an even keel, using accupuncture and homeopathic meds when necessary. I have a wonderful yoga instructor who guides me through restorative yoga (find a class or private instructor and do this - sometimes it was the only time I felt calm all week) and stretching because your muscles do take a beating during withdrawal.

Most important, find a neurologist who understands how hard it is to get off the drug and will help you through it - DON'T ADD MORE DRUGS INTO THE MIX DURING WITHDRAWAL! Don't change anything other than the drug you are trying to get off of. The trick is - go slowly and if you have to stay at a certain dose for an extra week or two to stabilize - do it. You can't go too slowly, but you can definitely go too quickly.

Good luck all. Just keep repeating to yourself while taking deep, slow breaths - I WILL get off the Klonopin and I WILL feel normal and healthy.

SMB

Wow, what a shock to find this thread. I was on Klonopin for nearly 10 years at appx .5mg to 1mg per day, as needed, which had been daily due to anxiety, OCD, and depression. I have a drug test at a place I applied in a few days and know that they will not hire me if I come back positive for benzodiazepines.... Sounds crazy but I'm sure of it. So I went "cold turkey" last Tue. Since then my wife has given birth to our second child and I was already unemployed for the past 1.5 mos. This is already one of the most stressful times of my life... and since 1-2 days after stopping the drug I'm coming unglued. Unbelievable agony. I told my wife that I think it's withdrawal- what else could it be? Then I did a search and looks like I'm right!

My symptoms- major anxiety, increased moodiness, shaking, muscle spasms, etc. Sounds familiar!

Best to all and- to be honest- I think Klonopin has been a life-saver for me. On the other hand, tapering off slowly was absolutely the way to go.

It's funny, I stopped taking my .25 in the am and .5 in the pm a few days ago just because I wanted to. Meanwhile, I get this damn tooth infection and need pain pills. To make a long story short, I thought the toothache kept me up for 3 nights straight, waking up every 45 minutes. But last night when I took my .5 at night for the first time in about 5-6 days, I slept just fine!!!! I'm glad I found this site. I had a funny suspiscion about the insomnia...

o.O well i was on fentanly patches for appox 1 year after a head on collision that broke both my femurs, knees and tib fibs, ankle and foot.. i went from 100mcg patch down to 25mcg. Well this past Sunday i went to the beach with the kids, and guess what i almost died..the patch secreated extra doses into me and i quit breathing the heat caused an overdose reaction .....well i decided the next day i wanted off the patch, so i called my doc and he prescribed me klonopin!!! i got home and read all kinds of stuff about it and i decided not to use it because i am scared it is just as bad as fentanly!!
the withdrawls from the fentayl hit me as soon as the 2 day patch wore off...omg!!! the worst withdrwals ever!! i am still tweeking, i slept for 2 days and was up all night for two nights wanting to punch walls or kick something from the achy legs and arms!!
i am also in ativan 1mg every 6 hours and the ativan didnt even touch the withdrawls..i wanted to swallow the whole bottle out of aggravation!!!!
and my fiance had to hide them at night.
now why would i go to klonopin so i can go thru that as well? i dont think the docs really know what the hell it is..im a single mom with 3 kids under the age of 11 and thank God for my fiance who had quit crystal meth cold turkey after about 4 years of use..he knew all about withdrawls and he kept telling me the next day is better than today and i will be ok and he played daddy while i slept two days away...
but at night when everyone was asleep i was wide awake wanting to kill my self or something...its horrifc..i paced the house and would go look at my kids sleep and shake my head and pace back and forth inside the house, outside the house i mean i was loosing it...today is day 5 since the patch fell off. i got out of bed today, i actually went out side...it was so surreal i have been in such a fog for the past year, i could actually see the trees..u know u see em all the time but ...but i saw them like "wow" a tree and dang i need to mow the yard lol
i could smell the air, its almost like waking up again and its freaky and scary, my anxiety is still high and i have the lovely pukes and poop's despite the fact i havent eaten in two days....please take the advise of my fiance every day is better than the one before and look at what the doc's try to give you to get you off one....it maybe a another problem later...im so greatful for my fiance he was the only one who held me as i shaked, cried and puked and told me i was still sexy...lol wow yeah right ..you can do it....

Sorry you are having a bad time with Klonopin withdrawal but its comforting to know I am not the only one. Been taking .5 to 1 mg for several years for anxiety and tapered off per Roche (manufacturer), they recommend a reduction of .125 mg every 3 days - I did that mg reduction but for 7 days each step of the way. It still was not easy, my withdrawal symptoms were horrific - I had hallucinations, visual and auditory, vertigo, spinning sensations in my head and body, spaced out feeling, insomnia, extreme nervousness, not comfortable in crowds, and chest pains. They have gotten to be less intense but its like I have these episodes every now and then, its only been a week since I took my last .125 mg. I suspect it is going to take a couple of months for all this stuff to go away (I hope it does cause' its not fun). I can't wait to feel normal again if I can remember what that is. As a final note, I am stuck between a rock and a hard place as the same symptoms were occuring while I was taking the stuff, I guess my body's rejecting it now. Maybe I can go on Ativan/Lorazepam for a while, the side effects are fewer and less severe so the PDR says. Any feedback would be appreciated - Thanks.

Im about to turn 21 and have been taking klonopin for about 4 years, 0.5 to 1 mg a day. I've been gradually lowering my dosage for the last 6 months and now am only taking it once to twice a week. Finding this website has been extremely helpfull, since I can't really explain to anyone else what I'm going through. Being able to relate my symptoms to everyone else's helps tremendously.

The past 2 weeks have been the hardest, with shortness of breath, anger, irritability, and other anxiety-related emotions becoming more intense. However, I have been constantly meditating to help ease my stress, and its been a lifesaver. Being able to naturally calm myself down for once is unbelievable. I've never felt so in control of my emotions before, and it makes going through this withdrawal a 100 times easier. I suggest to start out watching or listening to a guided meditation (easy as going to youtube and typing in "guided meditation"). You will instantly feel calmer and more relaxed.

Finding out that YOU have the power to control your own emotions has been the greatest step to recovery for me.

I took Klonopin for 7 months, a 1mg tab a day. Whenever I would miss a dose, I would have severe diarrhea and become gaunt. I didn't realize that it was a symptom of missing the Klonopin. My doctors denied that it was the Klonopin and tried to put me on anti-depressants that constipate you. Finally, I did my research and discovered that my symptoms were related to Klonopin withdrawal. I began splitting the tablets and then 1/4 size and then every other day until after two months, I was off of them altogether! Believe in yourself--you really do know your body better than most doctors--after all you are the one living inside of it!

Does anyone know if you can go through a detox program to get off of this mediciation? I am having a terrible time with withdrawals. Is there more that we can do to get off it without going through hell to do it?

i have been in terrible withdrawal for a few days now. i am looking into ignatia (homeopathy) tomorrow and so far: drinking loads of green tea, taking baths and tapering off is best: i went from 4mg to 1 mg in 3 days(hellish) .... then i stopped and i am still in hell but it's getting better... just try to taper off to the tiniest dose you can handle i didn't take it for 3-4 days then took a .5 mg tab. so maybe it's best to slowly get rid of it from your body while trying some natural remedies.
yeah ... the muscle cramps, the temperature changes, the shakes, the nausea, insomnia, paranoia and blurry vision.. it's terrible.
i cannot believe a doctor would prescribe this sh*t to a human being.

I'm starting to go throug this hell for the second time in my life. It is an horriffic journey of anxiety, pain, depression, weird symptoms, and depersonalization, feelilng out of contact with the rest of the world. This time around I've been averaging approximately three 2mg pills a day. I've been experimenting with lower doses here and there, but end up in a particularily anxious situation and ruin any progress that I may have made by popping an unscheduled pill. The problem is that I'm down to about 30 2mg pills and will not be able to get more. These were given to me by a neighbor who didn't want them (now I know why) when I had been going through a period where I was only getting about 5 hours sleep a night. I now realize that I wasn't sleeping because I was still suffering symptoms from the first 90 that I took in a 6 week period, barely tapering at all and going at least 2 days where I thought I was going to have a seizure at any moment. Went to the emergency room where they monitored me for a few hours and told me I wasn't going to die, that it just felt that way and I would have to tough it out. I didn't die, but how a reasonably intelligent person can take something like klonopin a second time after going through what I did the first is beyond me. Anyway, this is my first post and I'm sorry if I'm rambling a bit. Going from 4mg to 1mg in 3 days as the previous poster did is a hell I can identify with.

I started today to drop the dose to 1mg three times a day for 5 days or so and then cut down as slowly as I can given that I only have the 30 pills. If anyone has a suggestion about how I may be able to best utilize what I have, I'd sure appreciate their opinions. I knew better. I have a degree in psychology and know that this stuff stops working and you get habituated and there is no way out unless you have a compassionate physician who will prescribe a tapering plan and write the prescriptions needed to follow it. I'm on disability, not for anything a klonopin would help, and have few options within the system. I'm going to try and get this done permanently this time. I now know that symptoms can last for months and as long as 2 years for those taking large dosages and stopping abruptly. I won't expect to be without symptoms a month after my last pill this time around, but I'm going to pull out all the stops in order to quit this horrible stuff once and for all. Wish me luck as I wish all of you the same. I guess we all need to find healthier ways of dealing with stress and anxiety or at the very least, something other than a benzodiazepine and something used for a very short time, or very occasionally.

I thought I was going through the worst panic attack of my life. I am taking 3 mg a day spread out. The last few months I have been very anxious and I took extra at times. I ran out last Tuesday almost a week ago. I called my doctor and told him I lost my medication. I love my Dr. and I never wanted to deceive him. I just want the panic attacks to go away. I want my life back. Well when I called him he said to take benadryl. I thought that if I was going through withdrawels I would have had them within the first few days. After reading this I know its withdrawel. I am on my third night of not sleeping. I am constantly nauseated, with dry heaves. My arms and legs feel like rubber. I have called numerous places and I have hung up on most of them, I feel like I want to kill someone. (I would never do it) I now at the point that I am begging god to deliver me from this hell. I'm having trouble swallowing, I having trouble breathing. I am trembling. I have dentist appointments today and tomorrow. I need to go bad, I don't know if I can make it. I feel like I have been treated like a drug seeker. When I hurt my back they treated me the same way. Before my surgery I had to go into the ER numerous times for pain relief, after I gave a urine sample. Guess what I'm not a drug seeker. In fact I am severely allergic to demerol,
morphine, fentanyl, codeine, vicodin, and cipro. Whenever I now go to the ER, if I have pain the doctors ask me what can you take. You know the sad part of this is, I should have known all this. I am an RN and I worked in the psych field, until I started having panice attacks and couldn't do my job. I loved my job. I took 6mos of ST disability and tried
to return to work 3 times. I am having agoraphobia. My new as****e pyschiatrist would not sign a new ST disability form. He said agoraphobia was not a disability. Well panic attacks are, and agoraphobia is a panic
situation. Everybody asks me what triggers my anxiety. It just comes on for no reason at all most of the time. I want to die. I didnt feel that way until this morning. I am NOT suicidal. I just want relief.

I have been taking Klonopin for 2 1/2 years now. I take 1.5 mg's every day. My body developed a reaction recently. I went to several doctors because I thought that I was just sick with something such as cancer .All of my tests came back negative. The doctors said that my body has had enough of Klonopin and that side effects can take years to come. My side effects include EXTREME nausea, joint pain, muscle pain, migraine, heart palpitations, extreme fatigue, depression, dizziness, unable to concentrate, crying spells, trembling, acid reflux, panic attack... Now I am trying to go off of klonopin. Withdrawl from Klonopin can best be descibed in one word, "HELL." I had to quit both of my jobs and take a medical leave from school, I am a junior in college. Withdrawl for me makes me feel handicap. I am nausous 24/7, migraine, internal trembling, depression, insomnia, joint pain, muscle aches, unable to concentrate, have a choking feeling like I am being strangled, jaw stiffness, nervous feeling all over my body, gagging while trying to swallow, difficulty swallowing, and the list goes on. The withdrawl has caused problems in my relationship because it is hard for someone else to underdstand what I am feeling. I am depressed from the withdrawl, it has changed who I am as a person because I am so sick. I hope I get past it. TO ANYONE WHO IS THINKING ABOUT GETTING ON KLONOPIN...DO NOT DO IT!!!!! IT WILL BE ONE OF THE WORSE DECISIONS OF YOUR LIFE. IF I CAN STOP EVEN ONE PRSON FROM GOING ON IT I WOULD BE HAPPY. NO ONE DESERVES TO GO THROUGH WHAT I AM GOING THROUGH. KLONOPIN WITHDRAWL= H.E.L.L. :-S

I took Klonopin for 3 years, 1mg a day for anxiety. I decided to come off the drug just recently. I'm almost a month removed from my last pill. I was doing great until earlier this week. Now my chest is tight, the back of my neck is tight, my equilibrium is off and I just feel horrible. I slowly tapered but maybe not enough. This medicine is horrible. I'm not going back to the meds so I'm hoping these symptoms will clear up, this is hell!