Withdrawal Side-effects From Klonopin

im getting off this medication right now. it feels horrible. the first thing i noticed was being unable to hear things, like if something was stuck in my ears. next was feeling dizzy, blurred vision. almost like i can not see everything is so blurry, it sucksss... i cant even watch tv cause its really bad. then my hands starting to sweat and go from hot to cold, i tought it was a circulatory problem! so i went to the ER but they did not find anything and sent me home. this is terror, i feel myself all the time like not me. its hard to explain, it feels like im expecting something all the time. plus the anxiety that i KNOW comes from withdrawing...sometimes i get brain zaps.. it feels like something is going thru my head for a second.  sometimes i had some really weird toughs... but the worst is that you feel depressed all the frikkin time. and mood swings and once i stopped it abruptly. it was a nightmare..

Hello my dear/fellow sufferers.  I just got off of Seroquel and Cymbalta a few months back.....two horrible meds with horrendous side effects.  Now I am working on getting the hell off of the klonopin I have been on for over 8 years. I had been taking a relatively low dose of .5mg for a long time until I got sick with Pericarditis....which almost killed me twice over the last half year. I am also weaning off the mother of all hell drugs- Prednisone (a very potent Steroid).  Titrating off of steroids is soooo tough on your body and mind.  It causes pain throughout your body and all the symptoms of a heart attack due to my Pericarditis.  Now all of a sudden from weaning off the Klonopin (I had gone up to 1mg up to 3 times a day)I think it may have got me in trouble...as my breathing has got almost where I have to force myself to breathe.  My back is like it feels ready to crack on me.  My chest is very tight and sore, and my stomach feels like there are swords sticking out of it.  The thing I can't relate to many people on here is if any of you are taking multiple drugs that may be causing some of the side effects....as I have to play detective to determine whether the titrating off of the Prednisone or Klonopin is giving me the scary symptoms.  I can handle immense pain....as I have been in pain ever since a surgery back in 2001, but when you start to feel the symptoms of a heart attack- that is where I draw the line as far as SCARY!!!!  I just took a 1mg tablet of Klonopin around 20 minutes ago and I feel much more calm....breathing is better.   I guess I just have to take a higher dose of it for a while until the Pericarditis/Prednisone withdrawals are gone, and then I can put more focus onto the Klonopin.  It just sucks when you are fighting multiple drugs and do not know which one may be the culprit!!!  For the people that ask will this ever go away???? Absolutely I believe it will!!!  I have gotten off two of the most difficult drugs as mentioned above, and everything is correctable.  I have read lots of sites, and what I heard was a good way to get off of Klonopin and minimize withdrawal side effects is to switch to Valium and take that while you are weaning off the Klonopin.  Valium is much less of a problem regarding addiction and potency, and I heard various posts recommending that method as a successful way to get the hell off of Klonopin for good!!!  I love you all my fellow sufferers....and I truly believe you all are very special people with a bad break.....but you will come out the other side and really begin to love life again.  Just be patient and look into the future envisioning health and happiness.

Sincerely,
Kenny

hello. im just curious. have anyone here experienced extreme anxiety? and also euphoria? like you are very happy for no reason.

its been about 3 weeks now since i been off this and the symptoms does not get better.. its crazy! will it take long time?

im really curious also.. i get mood swings, im really happy, then i feel so sad.

is this all the withdrawal? today also my head started to spin for no reason.

ive been on klonpin for a while now. dont like how they make me feel. also on citalopram. dont want to go anywhere afraid to leave house.

I've been on klonopin for about 2 1/2 yrs now, I don't mind them I actually need them in order to keep my brain from flipping out on people, that's b/c I fear the outside world and crowds make me very very anxious and I can't take it, So I was put on klonopin 1mg 3 times a day for the first year, then my grandfather passed away and my dr. bumped me up another 1/2mg 3 times a day, so now I'm up to 1 1/2mg 3 times a day, in total I get 135 pills a month plus a refill just in case. I have to say my doctor has never been weird about klonopins, and I've never had any WD symptoms when I run out if I do, sometimes I give them to people who are having a bad day but it never ruins my dose for the month....I'm wondering how long without them do you start feeling the symptoms? I never thought about stopping, never thought they effected me in a bad way if anything they've given me the ability to go out of my house and sleep great at night, I feel for everyone trying to get off them, good luck! Hope everyone makes it through the otherside. I've WD off other things and I totally understand some people's feelings on here, just never knew klonopins had that effect....I'm curious now as to whether or not I should stop, but then will it effect my ability to deal with the outside world??? P.S. I'm Bi-Polar with I.E.D. ( Intermintent Explosive Disorder ) so I wonder if it will hurt me more than it will do me any good???? thoughts?

Since your bi polar and have IED you may need to stay on it for the remainder of your life, probably something to talk to your doctor about. Though I would highly recommend finding other therapies to replace the Klonopin. It will very difficult for you to completely stop taking Klonopin.

I have decided to wean myself off of Clonazepam and Pristiq. I decided to go natural way, with herbs and massages. I have been on the drugs for 6 years. I did pretty good weaning myself off of the Pristiq 50 mg. but the Clonazepam was another story. I was on .05 mg and taking just two at night so I could sleep. Never even knew how addicted my body became to them until I tried to go cold turkey. Don't EVER try to go cold turkey. I was a mess. I was crying all the time over everything, I got the shakes at night around the time I took them, uncontrollable shakes, I would lay in bed with my eyes wide awake, insomnia so bad, restless leg syndrome, back and neck muscle pain, mental fogginess, memory loss, I feel like I have lost what was real in my life. I was numb from both pills, not caring about anything, and pretty much sleeping my life away. I couldn't cry if I wanted too.  I decided to educate myself on this because I did not tell my Dr. I was weaning myself off of these meds. I started taking a half of the Cloazepam as to keep some in my system and I plan on doing that for the next week. Then I will break the half in half and do that for a week or so. I read that getting off this drug was worse than getting off of heroin or cocaine. I believe it! I feel like there is an evil spirit inside me that needs to come out. I have been praying for strength during this time because It tempts me so bad to just stay on them because it just doesn't seem worth it to me. I thre all of my Pristiq away and I only have about 2 weeks woth of Clonazepam left doing it the way I want too. I am hoping I don't have to get another script for it because I might be tempted to take the full amount. I keep telling myself I am doing the right thing going the herbal method and I AM taking the herbs while I am going off of this. I never realized how toxic I was. I would pour epson salts in the hottest bath water and the toxins just come out. I sweat, and sometimes during the day I sweat so bad I need to get another bath. I have been drinking distilled water with lemon, 8 glasses a day to cleanse all of this from my body. It is helping alot but I still am having problems weaning myself. I realized this is going to be a long process but I am determined I am going to do this. I don't think God wants me to be held hotage by a drug, I know he doesn't. I want to be all that I can be as a wife, a mom, and a grand-mother. I am 51 years old and also have the hot flashes going on too. It is coming at me from all sides. I have a very supportive husband also. I just wanted to share my story hoping it will just help someone out who is going through the same thing. I will NEVER get on these drugs again as long as their are herbs and natural ways to help without the dreadful side effects.

My story is back on page 3.  I just wanted to say it took me 6 months before feeling normal.

I went 10 months without a klonopin.  I always carried them with me (when traveling), but never took one.  Then I had a really bad night and I knew my bp was extremely high, so I decided to take one.  Helped tremendously.  Now with my extremely stressful job, I can feel the stress build up and I take one about once a week.  My Dr has agreed with it.  Now I've learned a 1/2 of one (.1) has the same effect.  Sometimes I forget and go a couple of weeks without one when I'm relaxed.  I took 3 weeks off work last summer and never even thought about taking one.  Life is much better now.  Yes, I need a different job....

Somebody asked above when the withdrawals start.  For me it on the 3rd day, but 6-10 were the worst. 

Question on withdrawal. I was at 2mg once a day taken at night (10 years). Dropped to 1.5mg with no problems, waited 2 weeks and dropped to 1mg. At 1mg i noticed withdrawal ex; headache, tingling in head and some restfulness but felt confident to keep dropping. Got busy with a lot of stuff (move, job etc.) so i stayed at the 1 mg for about 3 months. Dropped down to .5mg and the same withdrawal at the same intensity. Waited another 2 -3 weeks at went to .3mg (cutting a 1mg pill). same withdrawal effects as previous, not great but not horrible. After about 3 weeks at the .3mg the withdrawal intensified. Anxiety, dryness in body, skin irritation, nasal passage irritation, shakey and restlessness. Not having a great time with this and this is about a month after the reduction down to .3mg. I felt that i was being real inconsistent with trying to cut the pills and went up to .5mg. No improvement but on the positive i'm starting to deal with the symptoms easier.
I am confused if i should wait out this storm then taper again with a better system for dividing the amount (and go slower) or just keep muscling through this as its all gonna be hard at this point.
My gut says let it stabilize then taper but....
Also has anyone had experience with adding Valium to help the last steps down.
thank you all for posting your experiences!!!!

My Dr. is helping me through this dreadful Clonazepam ordeal. I have been tapering since October. I am now on a .25 mg. I have done ,25 for 4 weeks. Next I will start a .25 mg. every other night for 2 weeks, then every two nights and so on. He has me on a slow taper every 2 weeks. When you get down to the end you will be taking one every week, then one every other week. I know this sounds odd but it has to be a very SLOW taper. I realize thar some bodies absorb this drug differently, so it won't be the same for everyone. My best advice is to be patient. Taper slow, pray alot, and don't dwell on it. Also, don't get caught up in the horror stories. Every one is different, and was put on it for different reasons. I do know one thing is certain. Make sure you are taking the exact dosage required. Do not break the pills in half. Accurate dosing is required for tapering. They do make small doses in a chewable or liquid form. Hope this helps. I never want to look at another controlled substance again!

I hope you are still out there. My name is Jen and I was prescribed klonopin by my family doctor. I ending up getting hooked on it. I was hooked for a long time about 17 years. I tried to take myself off it and ended up in the er and subsequently a stint in a medical detox facility where they prescribed phenobarital and a bunch of other sh*t that didn't work. After they send me home from there and the entire time I was there I was experiencing every thing you are talking about the panic, the feeling of heart attack, the extreme anxiety. LET ME TELL YOU THAT YOU CANNOT DO THIS ALONE. YOU CANNOT DO THIS ALONE. It took me about three months to completely come off this drug. And I only did is through a substituion of valium. THAT IS THE ONLY WAY. please look up the ashton manual it tell you alot about how to get off of this drug. If you try to come off this by yourself you could die. I know because I almost did. DO NOT BE AFRAID ABOUT TELLing any loved ones you have tell them everything....make them look it up. Don't be embarassed like I was. It's not your fault. It's nothing to be ashamed of. The doctors and pharmaceuticals should be ashamed of themselves..... NOT YOU....tell everyong you know then look up the ashton manual and find a good doctor who can get you off thru a substituion through valium. Once you are off the klonopin the valium is a sinch to get off of. I got off the valium by mself. The klonopin..... no way

This Drug is hell to get off! Been on it for over 25 years and it worked for my anxiety and pannic attacks. But the last few years ive had a hard time with all of these side effects caused by cutting down on clonazepam. The worst is not being able to breath! Thanks to this site i now know whats causing it! I am going to see my doctor today to give him hell! I have every test possible done to figure out this breathing thing with no luck, but now it all makes sense. For those of you just starting this drug, get the hell off it asap! God Bless. Really! what the hell is wrong with these doctors? they should be forced to take this c**p in med school so they know what we are going through! sometimes i think the work for the drug companies. I will update you on my progress! and how i get off this junk!

 

Good Luck tapering! Take the taper very slow and you will be fine. I cut down every 2 weeks down to the lowest dose possible then I quit. I had a few rough nights but it was nothing like the withdrawl from not tapering. You are right, this drug needs to go. I will NEVER put another benzo in my moth again! I will be praying for you. Let me know how you are doing and hang in there. Be patient with yourself!

I have been taking 1mg of kpins twice a day for about ten years. I thought perhaps this drug wasn't working anymore so my doctor discontinued it and put me on xanax .5mg twice a day. Big mistake, the xanax did nothing for me and after a week I went back to my kpin dosage. Two months later the jackasses at my doctors office accused me of taking both drugs at the same time which the pharmacy told them that I wasn't but they cut my dosage to .5mg twice a day. The first couple of days went ok then I started having numbness and tingling in my face and I have not slept in two days. Is this a normal reaction?

I have been taking Ks for about a 1.5 yr. I started off on .25mg 2-3x daily. Recently (in the last month) I was taking 2mg up to 3x day for a total of 6mg. My dosage as been going up as I have become more and more tolerant (which is actually normal for me when comparing my history of prescription medication). My last visit was just a few days ago and I asked to possibly go to something else for my anxiety as I felt as though the klonopin (clonazapam) is just not cutting it anymore. I've tried many times in the last month to not take any at bedtime, however I won't sleep. I'll lie there for hours with my eyes closed and will be totally restless. It is, however, important to note, I've had trouble sleeping before taking this medication, but taking it at bedtime helps to slow down my mind enough to rest - just feel bad when I first get up for about 30mins or so.