Bad withdrawal from klonopin

I was on klonopin for almost 3 years, from three tabs a day to half a tab at night, slowly winging myself. Each time I lowered the dosage I felt really bad for about three to six months. About four weeks ago I decided to make the jump and quit, and I never felt better (it was like, where did the last three years go) then eight days ago my world fell apart, my feet and legs hurt up to my knees, my hands hurt, you can see my neck throbbing, palms sweating tingling in head and vision problems. Pure misery.
Has anyone had these symptoms
I am in great physical shape, and last check up with full blood panels showed I was in perfect condition...cept perhaps mentally or we wouldn't be taking klonopin would we.
If you have never taken the drug dont start, if your on get help and get off the long term illness from taking this drug an last for years.

I am thinking of starting a class action lawsuit after reading hundreds of web - sites like this one if so I will post back in hope of some support, they should be paying for us to get the help we now need, I can barly function.

Hi. I have been on a low dose (1/2 a pill) intermittently for sleep for months. I've stopped taking it entirely and I'm having horrible muscle tension. My neck and back are incredibly painful. I'm also having painful muscle tension in my eyes - it's hard to explain but it causes terrible headaches. Has anyone experienced these symptoms? I'm not sure if they're due to the klonopin or not.

thanks.

I wonder what your symptoms were before starting the Klonapen? Your withdrawal symptoms are the reason I am thinking about starting the drug.

I found these posts while looking for something else. It reminded me of the battle I had trying to find a doctor who could actually help me get off of klonopin. I was prescribed klonopin for panic disorder (long story, but I later discovered it was a hormone inbalance.) After getting over the panic disorder, I discovered a multi-year problem with klonopin addiction. I finally found a doctor who explained to me that I would need to crush the smallest dose into powder and divide it into fourths, then eighths, and finally sixteenths to gradually dose off of the drug. It was a tedious process, but it worked great.

I have ran out of klonopin and have had symptoms such as difficulty breathing, shakiness(jitters), difficulty tasting.....I guess you need to wean off of it.

Hi, Jodie,
I was prescribed Klonopin for anxiety when I was 30. I am 50 now. I just kept taking it, lowering my dose after years from 1 -2mg per day to 1-1/2 and I just kept on that dose, missing a few days in between refills. I went off for about 8 months once but went back on thinking that my "anxiety" wasn't gone yet. I knew I could stop but that it would be uncomfortable. After reading these posts I realize that the withdrawal comes in waves and I just need to work through the recurrence of that anxiety feeling. It is now my 5th or 6th day without Klonopin, I feel horrible - my worst was yesterday - I almost went and picked up my rx, but things are getting better in waves. I am encouraged by this post and hope the best for all of you.
From,
Feeling better Mary

I have been on Klonopin for 2.5 years, taking one pill before bedtime of .5 mg. It seems for the 1st year or so, the drug worked like a champ...helping me sleep at night and greatly minimizing anxiety. I tried to get off the drug about 8 months ago cutting down to .25 mg per night and the anxiety and sleeplessness started back. So, I went back to the
.5 mg. In the past 2-3 months, I've been feeling sluggish, heavy-headed, depressed, lack of initiative, and not wanting to wake up in the mornings to face the day. Although my job is largely to blame (which caused me to get on this drug in the first place), I now realize Klonopin is zapping the life out of me. There is no question that I must begin withdrawal from this addicting medication. Reading the postings up to this point have been very helpful. I was encouraged by those who recommend a slow withdrawal as well as some common sense things like increasing exercise, improving diet, warm showers before bedtime, soothing music. I also need to find another line of work that will create less stress. Much prayer and support from family and friends will also be necessary.

The question I have is...do I need to consider some kind of in patient drug rehabilitation program as it sounds like this drug is extremely hard to beat? I'm determined to beat this thing, but want to take the best course of action.

JP

I have been on Klonopin since November 07 due to having trouble sleeping. I was taking .5 mg to 1 mg in the evenings. I decided this summer to go off it. I don't feel it was helping as much as I think it should have, although I am a light sleeper.
I spoke with my psych about it. She advised me to reduce my dose by 1/2 a week at a time. I went from 1 mg to .5 + 1/2 of .5 at night for over a week, then .125 (1/2 of .5) for approx 5 days. I have been off it for only 2 nights. I am feeling weirder today then yesterday. Last night I slept in 45 minute spurts. I took a Xanax this morning hoping to calm my jitters and the weird feeling. After 1 hour I am feeling slightly better. I take 400 mg of Lamictal (increased last Dec) and 10 mg of Lexapro for BiPolar Disorder since 2003.
I am hoping that I won't have the horrible experiences that all of you have for the amount time all of you are saying. I am happy to know that I am not alone in this battle. I didn't realize how difficult it would be.
When I see the psych in Sept, I plan to share this trouble with her and hope that I still won't have these feelings. Good Luck to everyone and I hope all of you will feel better soon.

I have been prescribed to klonopin for about 3 months now. I'm supposed to take 1mg twice a day but i seem to take it 3 times a day more often. I work doubles a lot and even though i probably don't need to take it end up taking the third one. This then leaves me short at the end of the month. So today i am out and i can't get my refill for another 9-10 days. Any suggestions? I have gone threw xanax withdrawal, but i used to abuse them heavily. I used to take 10-15mg at a time of xanax and coming off of that benzo was the most excruciating experience of my life. Am i going to get that same type of withdrawal over the next 9 days from these klonopins? How long until i will start to feel symptoms? I haven't taken any today and only took one yesterday and i really don't feel anything yet. Should i expect to be shaking and having severe anxiety tomorrow? Ugh i hate benzos. I just feel like i can't live without them sometimes. Whenever i start taking them it just makes my anxiety worse in the long run though. It's such a vicious cycle.

thank you for posting this note... and for the link to dr. ashton. i had been taking 2mg of klonopin for 6 years and the past year it's been 1mg. when i went off recently the effects were HUGE. many good psychological effects, but the physical withdrawal is horrendous. in desperation i found this post and dr. ashton's manual which makes me happy i know what it is. much less scared.

hi all, i took .03 mg daily of klonopin for ten years 1997-2008 i detoxed in a hospital for two weeks then went home to discover i could not sleep, concentrate, it feels like my brain falls asleep at times its hard to verbalize all the symptoms that Im having , yes the anxiety is bad, there is dizziness, there are stages of withdrawal, they seem to come in waves, i have been off klonopin a total of four months now . guys hang in there don't go back on this stuff if possible, if your chest is tight, it wont last forever, do some breathing techniques deep breath in you nose exhale from your mouth, try a few of these it should help, benzo's are in deed hard to get off of, i read a interesting protocol on xanax... if you google in (xanax busters ) there is some info on that drug for the person who asked about xanax..withdrawal vs klonopin withdrawal

3rd day without klonopin, and I was doing fine at .25mg a day, now I am freaked out, but I think I can make it.

This stuff is bad!!!

Thanks for the tips everyone. I've been taking about .5-.75 mg split up into about 2-3 times a day but also drinking alcohol which is not good. I just tried to stop cold turkey and made it about 2.5 days. The overall anxiety, headaches and tension in the body are unbearable. I also take lexapro and Remeron SSRI's. This is all for depression and anxiety. Anyone found a better system?

Hi folks!
I have found this forum to be most helpful. THANK YOU to all who have posted their withdrawal symptoms and suggestions.
A little background before asking your input.

My daughter (35yo) had her cancerous thyroid removed 2 years ago. Ever since then, that very month and before starting on any thyroid replacement meds, she started having some "brain episodes". Don't know what else to call them as they have yet to be diagnosed. Anyway, she tracked them and they seemed to be about 10 days before her off week of her birth control pills (which she's been on for years.) Sooooooooo, she decided to "experiment" with her BC pills and take them non-stop for 2 months to see if it made any impact on her brain episodes. It did not. Soooooooo, she decided on her own, to quit taking her BC pills all together!!! (Yes, hind sight is 20/20 vision!)

Anyway, she had a "meltdown" at work one day and had to go home. Then she got her period the next week and felt like a million bucks...that lasted 4 days and then for the first time in her life she had a Grand Mal Seizure at work and was rushed to the hospital. That was June 20th. That has been the start of her downward spiral.
She has not been allowed to drive since then, or work.
That started the battery of tests to determine the cause of the seizure. Two weeks after her seizure, my husband (her father) had a very serious stroke, which added to her stress.

Anyway, she passed her EEG, 48hr EEG, MRI, MRA, EKG and whatever else they put her through to clear her of any electrical brain issues. We kept telling them it was caused hormonally.
When this first happened to her, her then doctor had given her a script for Ativan to be taken "as needed". When Misty's anxiety increased, the doc recommended Klonopin (1mg) INTEAD of Ativan...to be taken "as needed".
It became necessary for her to find another doctor (due to insurance issues). At some point she was told to take the Klonopin 1tablet daily...then it was increased to 2tablets daily instead of just "as needed".

When she started having more severe issues with her emotions, we just naturally assumed it was due to not getting her thyroid meds regulated properly, which is what we've been trying to get regulated for quite some time now. And since she was getting worse, she took an Ativan in between the doses of Klonopin. This was 2-3 weeks ago.
She has gotten sooooooo bad she cries all the time, shakes horribly and is having horrible stomach issues to name the more severe side effects. Still we thought it was all thyroid issues.....that was until I decided to look up the side effects of Klonopin and found this forum. At that time I thought she was only on the Klonopin for 2 weeks and told her we were stopping it totally. So she went a full day without any...and OMG! She thinks she is going to die.
It was then I found out after asking more questions, that she's been on it for something like 2 months or more. So immediately had her take 1/2 tablet. We are going to wean her off now. She took 1/2 tablet 3 times yesterday and that is our plan for today too. Although when her "waves" of severe shakes and crying comes on, she doesn't think she will be able to survive this.

I am soooo thankful for everyone's posts here, describing your symptoms. She is having so many of the same. Her worst is the crying/shaking and stomach....and being so afraid...and afraid to be alone.
She is staying with us while she goes through this as her husband is a truck driver and not home much during the week. And when he is home, he just can't deal with it. And they live an hour away from us, and now with my husband home from the hospital and not allowed to drive and needing therapy, I can't be running up to her house and staying with her.

My question is, she seems to have these really bad "waves" of the symptoms come on when she gets out of bed and walks around. Yet she doesn't want to be in bed 24/7 either.
Did this seem to be the case for anyone here?

And when she has one of these horrible "waves" of symptoms, should she maybe take a 1/2 Valium (5mg tablet) to help calm her down? She is so afraid to introduce yet another addictive med....yet at the same time, these symptoms are torture. Does the Valium really help?

(sorry for the long post)

wow... i thought i was going crazy. i was on the pill for about a month... i know(not that bad) but i was having severe panic attacks.. and they were the only thing that helped. i was taking a half three times a day.. when i dont take the pill im irritable, shakey, my chest feels weird... i just dont feel "normal" so to speak, or the feeling that i felt was normal. my doctor suggested that the symptoms im feeling are a withdrawl. so.... i dont know. im not really sure how to cope. i got so comfortable with the pill...it made me feel "normal" and not anxious. it was great. im gradually going to start weening myself off of it... i know its going to be hard. its nice to come on here and see other people going through the same thing. not that its a good thing to be experiencing all of this.. but its scary when you feel alone.