Is There Life After Klonopin?

I was taken off of Klonopin 11 months ago while in a psych hsp. I was put on phenobarbitol to come off of it and I went through hell. I still go through problems. I have noticed that over the past month I have been noticing that I have days of feeling ok. I was told it could take 2 years to get this c**p out of my system. It stores in the fat tissue and takes its time to get out. I was on it for 27 years at 1 mg 3 times a day. I will never put a benzo in my mouth again.

Good to read u...i have taking K for about 2 yrs just for sleep...about 4 mgs a nite....never in the day as it made me just feel dull...no euphoria like u had...i dont if its a depressant but i do wake up OFTEN each night....take a half and crash again...i dont know if i could sleep w/o it now and i hear it takes mos of SLOW tedious weaning...so i may never stop...im 62...so......take care

I suffer from anxiety attacks and depression.  The only narcotic I am on now is Klonopin.  I have tried many others.  I am also on Vistaril to help me sleep and it is amazing how this non-narcotic works so well.  It has been a few years that I have been on Vistaril.  I highly recommend it as it has no addictive properties.  I know this is about Kpin but...  Right now I am prescribed .5mg twice a day kpin but to be very honest the Vistaril is working so well to help my anxiety as well.  And I will admit I like the high of narcotics but Vistaril has no high.  Even so I am not even taking the full dosage of Klonopin.  I take .5mg a day and have for almost a year.  I know I must be a rare case and I do fear that I could become addicted.  I am not brushing off you guys very helpful advise but I am still so scared of being without Kpin and then having a panic attack.  I have been in a short stay mental instituion twice in the last 6 years.   Vistaril has been a real life saver  it even helped me quit drinking but I have to credit the kpin for that as well but I still freak out if the kpin bottle starts to get low.  Not sure what I am asking here of if my experience will be helpful but I am just bearing my soul a little tonight.  Thanks for listening.

I am a 32 year old man. I was first perscribed clonazepam when I was 24 to help me deal with anxieties. I have been taking about 1mg a day for 8 years now. Somedays I take 2mg, somedays I don't take any. I don't take anything else. I don't like pills, I feel as though they're drowning our society. I noticed recently that when I don't take clonazepam I feel more. I laugh more. I'm stronger. I'm more fun, more active. I'm more alert, more alive. I'm more of everything.

Unfortunately there's more to it when trying to stop. It's almost impossible. I become restless. Less sleep. More anxiety, more ups and downs. I hurt more. The anxieties of life finally get to me and I take one. I can only make it through 3 or 4 days before I break.

I've lost my business, been unable to find/keep an alternative steady job, lost my friends and pushed my family away. I've lost my ambition, become lazy, careless, indifferent towards everything. I feel a though I've lost control of my life. I lost myself. I've lost everything. My wife is leaving me. Leaving me with nothing.

This is the darkest period of my life. While clozapam did help with anxiety, it made me a zombie, it stole my light, stole my life. This is when I decide to wean off this drug (it's impossible to stop cold turkey). I only take 3 or 4 per week as the time of this post. I will wean myself off. I will do this during the darkest most stressful time in my life. My Dr. tells me to keep taking it, he thinks I'm an anxious mess. He encouages me to take 2mgs a day, I don't listen. I try and only take only one at night (around 6-7) every 2 or 3 days. I hope to go to 2mgs a week, and then 1, eventually forgetting that I ever took it.

Considering the cirrcumstances of my life I will never forget what this drug did to me. What it does to so many people. This saddens me. Do Not take this drug unless it is absolutley necessary. Even then, be careful. It is like a sick trick, a twisted joke. It will take everything from you and is almost impossible to stop taking once you start. I heed heavy warning before getting involved with this drug.

I can not offer an alternative to deal with stress that many of you have not already heard. For me, I workout, stay busy. Everyone's different. Anyone can find away to deal with anxieties without having to surccumb to clonazepam. It will drown you. Again, I don't have all the answers in regards to anxieties/stress but there are answers/alternatives (not pills). Find them. Find yourself.

I will write back describing my life after I finally cleanse myself of this poison and take my life back.  It will be a better life, I know it, I can feel it.

Although it seems miles away, and as I write and I still take the drug, I know a better, happier, more sucsessful life lies ahead. A life absent of clonazepam. There will be stresses, it will be difficult. I'm scared. But I know what this drug is and what it can do. No thanks! Life was better without it. I want to get there again. I will. Whomever reads this I hope it helps. If it's not too late stay away from this drug.

V

First off, I commend you for writing this and describing all that you're going through. Seeing that you wrote this post a month ago, I truly hope you're continuing down the path of recovery. My story is similar in many regards. I started benzos when I was 19. I was prescribed them for GAD - Generalized Anxiety Disorder. To this day, I'm not sure if I believe that this is a true medical condition or just bad anxiety. I started on ativan/xanax and moved to klonopin about 3 years later.

I completely numbed myself. Didn't care what I mixed it with. I don't believe I was suicidal - I just don't think I cared. I distanced myself from my parents and eventually from my wife and kids. After Klonopin proved to not be enough, I moved to opiates. I hit a breaking point and got on Suboxone to stay off of the opiates. I thought that the opiates/subs were the problem and that I would deal with the benzos at a different point in my life. Wrong.

I entered rehab and was forced to get off of both. That was the best decision I've made in 15 years. I'm 5 months clean and post-acute/protracted withdrawal persists. I'm on Clonidine/Vistaril/Buspar for anxiety and high blood pressure. Things were getting better every month until recently when I started to feel as though I'd hit a plateau.

For those that have mentioned the cold turkey route - I encourage you to either VERY gradually ween or enter detox. Cold turkey isn't necessarily stupid - it's just plain dangerous. There are better options. As I'm sure this forum knows, both suboxone and benzos take an excruciatingly long time to get out of your system and cause a lot of prolonged withdrawal.

I'm 5 months clean and trying to salvage any semblance of trust that remains in my marriage. It's bleak and I'm trying to be optimistic as I muddle through my work day counting the seconds tick by. At no point during my recovery have I ever wished to be back on anything. Despite all the withdrawal symptoms, I know this is a better place.

Thanks for listening. Good luck to you all. Let's hope 2013 is a better year.

Related to the above poster on well-publicized Tapering off Benzo's (which I just found, so signed in to share):

http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/bzcha02.htm

 

Very detailed, as I've become concerned wtih my own Klonopin use (1-2mg for...4-8 years or so, sometimes abusing in the past taking 6-10mg with alcohol, which resulted in self-harm), recently had a few small seizure like symptoms, and massive, "planned" suicidal thoughts the last several years.

 

Going to approach my Dr. about tapering, plus, its like a hangover every day after (as if I drank a six pack, since it accentuates the feeling of such things, as Benzo's do).

 

Though, I have bad insomnia/parasomnia (I wake 3-5 times a night), so Klonopin HAS been a life saver when I go 4 days with very poor sleep and am not functional for work.

 

Very weird twin-edged sworld. 

Hi.
I just read your story, posted a year ago, and I hope you are doing much better by now !!!
If not, here is my advice. google klonopin withdrawal and you will find "the road back". they are a non-profit and help people to get off drugs like Klonopin. for good. It has to be done safely and gradually !!!!!!! they recommend a 5% reduction every 2 weeks. that takes about 9 months- but you will get OFF ! They also sell supplements to help with various drugs and symptoms. and - they are available free for phone support and questions.
good luck. I hope this helps you or some one else. sandra

Hi everyone I'm so P.O that my former Dr. told me this was a key to a better life. That was total B.S. I was on this for 7 mtsh .5 mgs or less(depning on my need). It totaly f**k me up and my system. I have been off now cold turkey for three weeks and some days are better than others. The first week in partiucal day four to seven was very hard, but i'm doing beter now. Couple of things that have helped me are vitamin C, Omega 3 and three glasses of red wine a night. Kock on wood it contiues. Reading this threasd has given me aniexty. Hope eveyone gets beter soon.

Oh boy, I'm new to website also.Here's my story:Have had OCD and anxiety since 4 yrs old, mom was a bipolar/schizophrenic, dad an OCD workaholic -only child in a hellishcircus of "family".Started panic attacks in college, was put on Buspar, then Klonopin in 1988 - I used it very sparingly. Used to give me wonderfulfeelings of safety and well-being, plus it helped with appetite and my horrible fears with OCD. In 1992-93 I had more physicalcomplications from stress and ocd so I was put on Prozac with the Klonopin - .5 mg.Prozac made me hyper although happy for awhile but I had more panic attacks and so I quit Prozac.1995 - by then I had TMJ, stomach upset and fear of everything!!!Was put on Paxil then and Klonopin became my "glass of wine" before eating - I had TMJ so bad - no one to talk to but fear wasmy constant companion.Off and on thru the 1990s and 2000s Klonopin became my security blanket, I never did more than 1 mg per day most of the time.I became like "Klonopingirlnolonger" in that I was able to drink caffeine and energy shots to stave off hangover.Thru the years I worked for my dad while my mother battled cancer, shingles, seizures, stroke, then inoperable esophageal cancerin 2003.  My mother has been dead for 10 years.Grief and depression and dependency on my aging father are my constant companions - I've barely hung onto my job - nowI'm 46 and nothing on this earth will give me a feeling of security - I am fighting tears as I type this.Im petrified of my dad dying cuz I don't know HOW I will be able to get thru life - I have very low low self-worth and need all the help and resources I can get.

Hi, You said you now taking .5mg for about 3 weeks - do you plan to decrease this doseage if not how long do you plan on taking .5 mg before you completely stop. I am been taking Kolonpin for ten years and three years ago, I started tampering on my own - I am now taking .25 mg at night - still going thru very difficult withdrawal - plan to decrease this doseage in about a week - enjoyed reading your message - let me know how you are going. Thanks

One thing I see constantly on forums are posts such as this. Not that it is bad but more neutral. All of the benzo's, clonazepam included, carry enormous risk of dependence. But they are just like numerous other drugs that effect the brain. Weight loss drugs come to mind. Huge abuse potential and very difficult to stop once one has taken them for a long period. So what does this mean? Some people are so crippled by severe anxiety, me included, that they really don't have many options. I told my doc I wanted to go off Klonopin. I only take 1mg a day sometimes 1.5mg. She asked me why? She sees no reason at all for me to ever stop unless I begin escalating the dose and abusing it. Her reason? Because it works for me when SO many other things have failed. I've been on every anti-depressant at some point in time (all with terrible side effects) and had years of therapy but the anxiety still controls the majority of my life. Without the Klonopin I'd be much much worse than I am with it. I know that much. It isn't the evil drug many make it out to be. When you need a pharmaceutical therapy then you need a pharmaceutical therapy. In low doses Klonopin has not been shown to cause the cognitive decline described by so many. In high doses, over long periods and particularly when mixed with alcohol, is when these effects begin to become apparent. To coin and old phrase, "it ain't your daddy's shotgun!", so for those who need it they need to take it EXACTLY as prescribed (especially no more than the prescribed dose) and any side effects will diminish over time and you might just feel "normal", especially true when taken for anxiety and panic attacks. Any drug and this goes for ANY drug should only be used at the very lowest dose that it becomes therapeutic. This minimizes and in most cases eradicates any side effects.

I may be out of line here but what might be a demon for some can be and often is an angel to others. 

I am coming up on 90 days off klonipin. I took it for over 14 years. I went to a rehab that took me off cold turkey along with ambien. I have some days if clarity and on the days when the withdrawls hit I try and remember the days if clarity. I was told that my nervous system had gone through a shock going off the way I did. when I say withdrawls I still have twitching, bouts of rapid heart rate, irritability, paranoia, loud noises and bright lights bother me at times, things that use to bother me like talking in front of people really bother me at times. I started attending meetings when I first left rehab and this has helped me tremendously. I keep telling myself that there is life after klonipin. I would appreciate any input......wish all of you the best.

Everything that you are feeling is what all of us feels, I have been on klonopin for about 12 years and came off cold turkey 2 times without knowing what was happening to me. I remember having so many physical and emotional problems that I thought there was something seriously wrong with me, every imaginable thing was happening. I went to the Dr. and they did many test but couldn't even tell me that it was the withdrawal from the long term use of klonopin... It really is a total nightmare.
Now I'm trying real slow to come off but it still is so terrible... I wish everyone the best with this seemingly hopeless feeling.

Coming off of Klonopin seems difficult. I am in the process. I put my dose in a measurement of whole milk (only whole milk will work) then I take out a tiny bit. Then I divide that jar into 4 little baby food jars. I drink the k-mil every 6 hours.

I use the 1mil oral syringe and the 10 mil oral syringe.

I tried the regular way and it failed, I am too sensitive. But with this way. I can take a little bit out everyday.

 ***this post is edited by moderator *** *** web addresses not allowed*** Please read our Terms of Use

Been working over 5 months and still to get off. It will be worth it in the end.