| Author |
 Topic  |
| Information in this forum is not monitored or provided by a medical professional. The information reflects member opinions only. Do not act on advice from these forums without first consulting a qualified medical professional. All content is copyrighted and protected by Aelius Group. |
|
shawn
Moderator
91 Posts |
 Posted - 07/07/2010 : 7:51:55 PM
|
Hi everyone. I have been on klonopin for about 2 and a half years. I began at 1.5mg's . I then quickly came down to 1mg. I stayed at 1mg for the last year with no problems at all.
I decided I was done with the klonopin as I was feeling my life was getting in order, so I did some research and tried to taper down by making reductions of 0.125mg every 2 weeks. All went really good until I got to 0.5mg. Once I hit 0.5 all hell broke lose!!
on the 5th day at this dose, I began what I would call a CONSTANT panic attack, that went on for a couple of weeks. Not just regular anxiety but the feeling you get in your gut when something is very wrong, and it would radiate throughout my body from there, my mind was racing..This was very very very debilitating!! I also began experiencing derealization, to where things just looked weird, familiar places seemed like I had never been there...colors where really bright...It almost felt like comming off a bad bad bad acid trip..I tried to wait it out, for almost 3 weeks..I had to leave my job because I could not concentrate (took medical leave).
So I got scared and I reienstated back to 0.75mg. now I am on the 3rd day of 0.75mg and feel a LITTLE better...things still look kind of off, and anxiety feels like it is easing up, at least it is not constant.
My question is, can anyone relate to me? I feel so alone right now. I dont know where to turn. My doctors tell me it's just my anxiety returning and to go up to 1.5mg's. I WILL NOT do that.
I feel like I will never get off this!! Please help me..
So here are my questions.
1.Has this ever happened to anyone here?
2.Should I stay at 0.75mg's and TRY to stabilize a little and then try it again?
3.would titration make it smoother for me?
I am sooooooo scared right now, and feel stuck.
thank you for all your help.
-Shawn
|
|
|
report to moderator
|
|
|
shawn
Moderator
91 Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2010 : 7:59:18 PM
|
Im sorry,
I forgot to add, the first part of my taper was relatively smooth..from 1mg..each cut brought on a little anxiety, but nothing like the hell I felt trapped in when I got to 0.5mg with the CONSTANT UNRELENTING anxiety, and derealization. It just would not stop.
Sorry If I am repeating myself, I am just very scared and confused.
just incase this matters, I have 0.5mg pills.. since my doc knows im tapering..at my last appt..she took the amount down to 45 pills per month. with is perfect for 0.75mg a day (where I am now, after going back up) She will let me taper at my own pace. |
|
Edited by - shawn on 07/07/2010 8:00:20 PM |
Report to Moderator  |
|
|
kattklaws
Administrator
372 Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2010 : 8:59:38 PM
|
Shawn,
First and foremost know this has happened to almost all of us here, and that is why we are here.
Secondly....you might have to increase a bit more if you don't stabilize on the .75mgs.
Klonopin is a VERY potent drug, I cannot express that enough. 1mg of Klonopin is equal to 20mgs of Valium to give you an idea of how strong it is.
If you have to go back up to 1 mg to stabilize don't beat yourself up about it. Dry cutting Klonopin is almost impossible and everyone hits the wall when you get down to around .5mgs.
Really, the only way to get off Klonopin is taper off of it. Here, we do small, daily reductions.
I have been coming off Klonopin for the last 16 months. I had a horrible experience where a dr put me on 8mgs not knowing what Klonopin was and left me to struggle in finding a way off of it. I am down to right at 5, but the small,daily amounts I reduce by have made it perfectly doable.
Try and get stable first before you worry about getting off of it......give it at least 2 weeks and if you still have problems than reinstate to your 1mg and then we'll get you off from there.
It is best always to start coming off a benzo when you are stable instead of already experiencing withdrawal symptoms.
Don't worry.........it;ll be ok
Love, Karen |
| Report to Moderator |
|
|
shawn
Moderator
91 Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2010 : 9:07:50 PM
|
Thank you sooo much Karen!!
Just knowing other people have felt like this is very comforting! I think I am feeling a little better at 0.75..Im going to give it a full 2 weeks and see how I feel as you suggest.
I am familiar with milk titration, Ive read about on on various sites..is that how you guys do it here? If so, thats gonna be perfect because thats the way I wanted to go.
Again thank you..if it is ok, I will post on my thread during these two weeks with how Im feeling..and hopefuly stabilize. Then hopefuly we can go from there.
The part that scared me was the bad acid trip type of feeling. Ive not read about that anywhere and it scared the H*** out of me!
Thank you again |
|
| Report to Moderator |
|
|
kattklaws
Administrator
372 Posts |
Posted - 07/08/2010 : 12:15:07 AM
|
Shawn,
Oh, I have had that horrific bad acid trip more than once..........during severe tolerance withdrawal and after being cold turkeyed off of Xanax. It is awful and you just imagine living the rest of your life like that.
You say you are familiar with the milk method. Let me just clarify for you, we do NOT endorse any milk titration information you see posted on other sites. They have just taken parts of Jana's method and then added their own, sometimes dangerous information to it and it is not at all what we really do here.
But for now, just concentrate on getting stable and then we will worry about you getting off this poison.
Hang in there, you WILL get off this stuff.........
blessings to you,
Karen |
| Report to Moderator |
|
|
shawn
Moderator
91 Posts |
Posted - 07/08/2010 : 06:52:53 AM
|
Thank you again Karen. This is the 4th day back at 0.75mg and the first day in almost a month that I woke up WITHOUT that gut wrenching anxiety as soon as I awoke. Still a bit a derealization going on. But I'm actually feeling a little optimistic this morning. I am hungry actually, which I have not been in the last month..I went for my morning run which I haven't been able to do. so fingers crossed that I will continue to stabilize at this dose.
I came off of opiates a while ago, and wow this makes opiate detox look like a walk in the park!
Karen, you are an angel..thank you!
I'm really glad I was told about this site. |
|
Edited by - shawn on 07/08/2010 06:56:49 AM |
| Report to Moderator |
|
| Information in this forum is not monitored or provided by a medical professional. The information reflects member opinions only. Do not act on advice from these forums without first consulting a qualified medical professional. All content is copyrighted and protected by Aelius Group. |
|
shawn
Moderator
91 Posts |
Posted - 07/08/2010 : 07:28:25 AM
|
Sorry for all the questions. I am just curious are Vitamins are ok to take during this process. I know some B vits can rev up anxiety in some people. I am asking because of all the stress my body has gone through lately, I'm sure it's run down and maybe some vitamins will help?
I just don't want to take anything that will complicate things.
Thanks
-Shawn |
|
Edited by - shawn on 07/08/2010 07:29:03 AM |
| Report to Moderator |
|
|
kattklaws
Administrator
372 Posts |
Posted - 07/08/2010 : 4:23:14 PM
|
Shawn,
I too came off opiates, 17 months ago. I was in pain management for over 5 years and I ct off of the opiates and the powerful muscle relaxer, Soma. Yes, opiate detox is a cake walk, right?
Most people, including myself cannot tolerate vitamins or supplement during wd, but I always suggest trying them, if you feel anything bad then you know you cannot take it. Try one at a time so you know which one is making you ill.
I do take Biotin for my hair, because between benzo wd and having to be on thyroid meds, my hair breaks off, I am able to tolerate that.
I also take acidopholous for a healthy digestive tract and a large amount of magnesium for muscle tension and it also aids in sleep.
So, give anything you want a try as far as supplements or vitamins because everyone is different in what they can tolerate,
I am SO glad you didn't have that gut wrenching anxiety this morning. I had that for months and when it finally left I was SO relieved.
God bless you,
Karen |
Edited by - kattklaws on 07/08/2010 4:24:28 PM |
| Report to Moderator |
|
|
shawn
Moderator
91 Posts |
Posted - 07/08/2010 : 8:15:08 PM
|
Karen,
thank you for the info. The vitamins are a no go for me. At least for right now. I was feeling good today, and then took one with my lunch, and feel naushus and very shaky... I figured I would have that reaction as I did before when I tried them while tapering. But dummy me had to try it again...arrrgh. I'm feeling a bit better now though.
Im just going to stick to my chamomile tea from now on I think :)
Besides that incident today. It has been a rather good day. Anxiety is back down to almost normal levels. The DR feels to be lifting. So I am cautiously optimistic that I am getting stable. Still going to hold another 9 or 10 days to make a full 2 weeks before I begin to plan my taper with you guys.
I am soo glad I found you guys. Liny from ODR says hello by the way :) |
|
| Report to Moderator |
|
|
shawn
Moderator
91 Posts |
Posted - 07/09/2010 : 06:19:15 AM
|
day 5 back @ 0.75mg of klono. this morning is ok so far. Woke up with some adrenaline rushes. Find myself forgetting words in mid sentence when speaking to people..Didn't sleep well last night. Overall Still feeling A LOT better than I was at 0.5mg Fingers still crossed about stablizing at this dose. going for my morning run, hoping to feel as good as I did yesterday.
On the subject of vitamins and supplements, I have horrible RLS..I always have. During my opiate detox I bought some potassium supplements, and ate a lot of bannana's, which seemed to help a little when the opiate detox took the RLS up a few notches. Has the potassium supplements helped anyone else with this? or made them feel ill during benzo recovery? I just don't want to put anything else in my body right now if it will not help or make me feel worse. So, just curious if others have had success with it. The vitamin I took yesterday was a multi. I am very sorry for soo many questions.
EDIT: why does it say "1 post" under my name still? I think I've posted 6 or 7 times now. Is it because they are all in one thread? |
|
Edited by - shawn on 07/10/2010 6:05:40 PM |
| Report to Moderator |
|
|
John
Moderator
850 Posts |
Posted - 07/09/2010 : 1:05:22 PM
|
Hi Shawn
Yes it is because your posts are all in the original thread you started. Post only add up when you post a new topic. |
| Report to Moderator |
|
|
shawn
Moderator
91 Posts |
Posted - 07/09/2010 : 5:49:28 PM
|
Ok thank you John :)
Overall today was a good day. I did have a panic attack earlier. But that is not unusual for me. My tinnitus has gone back down to a steady hiss now. I do believe I am stablizing well :)
I hope everyone is doing ok today.
EDIT: Karen, or anyone else that can tell me. What supplies am I going to need when I begin my taper or titration. I do have a 100ml cylinder and some syringes. I bought those about 6 months ago when I was going to do a titration but never did. If someone can PM me and let me know if I need to buy anything, please do so I can have it ready, for when the time comes..thank you
-Shawn |
|
Edited by - shawn on 07/09/2010 5:51:48 PM |
| Report to Moderator |
|
| Information in this forum is not monitored or provided by a medical professional. The information reflects member opinions only. Do not act on advice from these forums without first consulting a qualified medical professional. All content is copyrighted and protected by Aelius Group. |
|
kattklaws
Administrator
372 Posts |
|
|
shawn
Moderator
91 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2010 : 4:40:24 PM
|
| anxiety is pretty bad today. Spent a good bit just crying (not sure why?) which Ive been trying to hide from everyone. I hate people seeing me like this. It feels like depression mixed in with anxiety. This really blows me away considering the last few days were pretty good. Today just sucks!! |
|
Edited by - shawn on 07/10/2010 5:52:34 PM |
| Report to Moderator |
|
|
kattklaws
Administrator
372 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2010 : 6:48:53 PM
|
((((((((((Shawn))))))))
Crying is a wd symptom quite a few get. I had it so, so bad. I cried and cried and cried and then my husband would fuss at me for crying which would just make me cry harder and deeper, geesh it is a disaster, huh? But, I do know this, there is NO stopping that withdrawal crying. It comes on and you cannot just stop it, it is not like normal crying. Others just don't understand, it is a real, uncontrollable symptom and they just don't get it.
I think the little peak of well you felt for a day or two was just because of the increase, why don't you reinstate to your full 1mg and start over.....
It is hard to recover to normal just by reinstating when you have been through that awful method of cut and suffer like you went through......
You will get back on track, this method always turns one around.
Blessings,
Karen |
| Report to Moderator |
|
|
shawn
Moderator
91 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2010 : 7:05:26 PM
|
Karen, I dont know if my dr. will let me go back up to 1mg since I refused do the 1.5mg that she told me to go to and i told her I was tapering..she will let me go at my own pace, but I think Im stuck at the .75..she is weird like that and I don;t want to push things with her and lose her as my dr.
Overall I am feeling better, as a whole, it's just some bad spots here and there...I hope no one here gives up on me for this..
As of now I only get 45 pills a month which is just enough for the 1 and a half pills. |
|
| Report to Moderator |
|
|
Topic |
|
All Forums
klonopin taper HELP Please!
New Topic
Printer Friendly
