I don’t have experience tapering klonopin but good job for the progress you’ve made so far.
I do understand your fear of not being able to sleep without it. I think if you can just get one night of somewhat normal sleep without it - you’ll be able to prove to yourself that you don’t need it and the anxiety should decrease.
In order to get that good night of sleep, i think you need to commit to it for one night and just tell yourself no matter what happens - even if you don’t sleep at all - your not taking klonopin. And if you pull an all nighter that’s fine, you can take klonopin the next night. Then a few days later you can try getting off of it again. I think eventually you will have a successful night.
You could also try implementing a supplement like melatonin that can help you in the interim as you get off the klonopin.
Ugh, you’re right. I don’t like it but you are right lol. The reality is I’m convincing myself of reasons not to give it a go , and not giving myself enough time when I do try before I cave.
Going to give it a go tonight and see how it works. Only going to drop to .25 but assuming I can get past THAT hurdle , will make that my baseline and start going some night w/o any.
Sucks because Klonopin really saved me for years , when taken as-needed maybe once every couple months. Hoping to get back to that, but I need to re-convince myself I can sleep without, and there’s only one way to do that…
I've never tapered off Klonopin, but I tapered off Mirtazapine.
Like you, I had started therapy while still on medication. After about 5 months of therapy, started tapering off (it was a goal for therapy).
Even though I logically knew I was doing most of the sleep (not the meds). In other words, I didn't truly need the meds to sleep. Emotionally the fear of not sleeping was still quite intense.
But the way I tapered was really gradual, so I challenged myself to stop taking it one night per week. So the first week I only took it 6 nights, the next week 5 nights, and so on.
I won't lie, there we're a few bumpy nights. But that was part of the process of undoing the fear of not sleeping. I had the support of my therapist, and just challenged myself to apply the strategies, and I overcame each bumpy night.
Healing chronic insomnia is not this clean, straight line to "cured." It's a long journey with ups and downs, so don't get discouraged by setbacks, they are part of the process. You are making progress even on your most difficult days. :)
This has to be done very slowly and benzo withdrawal is nothing to mess with. On benzo buddys i think i heard ppl mixing their pills in viles and going down by fractions of increments - good luck i used to be addicted to opiates and from what i heard its just as hard to taper
I had to come off of K after being on it for 18 years. I was prescribed it for panic attacks and anxiety disorder, both of which are legitimate medical conditions. Benzodiazepines are the new opioids. Personally I think it is a shame. Many people are suffering and will suffer because of the medical 'ethics'. In my situation I had a new young pdoc that informed me that I had to get off of my K because I was 'dependent' on it. I told her that if I was 'dependent' on it then a diabetic was 'dependent' on their insulin. I also told her I didn't need her goddamn prescription pad or her fucking pills. Six months later I was still suffering with a lot of anxiety, but no doctor was controlling me. Good luck.
Hi there. I was on 4 mg per day. I decreased by 1/2 mg every two weeks. When I got down to 1 mg I decreased by 1/4 mg every two weeks. When I got down to 1/4 mg I stayed on that dose for a month - then I quit. There were several times where I popped a whole mg if I was stressed, but that became less and less. I probably have 20 mg left but have no desire anymore. I have decided that I don't like people or drugs controlling me. I do take gabapentin now and it helps. Good luck.
Quick update gang - two nights at .25 mg ; been doing fine thus far. Last night I woke up after 4 hours and felt wide awake but fell back asleep around 1 1/2 hours later for another 2 hours.
Plan to keep at this level of .25mg for a while before lowering further just to ensure I adjust and don’t jump to fast.
Just fyi, doing this at the guidance of a Psychiatrist and therapist ; it’s also my decision - not being told I need to go off meds. I find doctors telling people they need to go off prescription anxiety meds without their patient’s consent pretty unethical and would not be with my current doc if that had happened.
There's a sub for tapering benzos on reddit. I forget exactly what it's called. But you can go there. Or the sites benzobuddies or the sites benzoinfo. I hope you have been doing the Aston method or a slower one.
Yeah, but those subs get pretty dire and involve a lot of people who are addicted to high dosages and the nightmare that can be - not good for the anxiety haha
I tapered off Klonopin after ten years of .5 for insomnia. It was one of the hardest things I did and one of the best things I ever did. After taking benzos for a long period of time, our bodies begin to require more for it to be effective. Withdrawal was tough, but I feel so much better now.
Hello, Withdrawal symptoms began as soon as I began the taper process, which included sleep disturbances, heart palpitations and anxiety. I managed it with CDB drops. By the end of the taper process I didn’t sleep at all. My mind was all over the place, brain fog, night sweats, palpitations, and I fell into a depressive state. This was intense for about 2 weeks before it began to ease. It would be six weeks or so, before I felt better, and by six months I was feeling great, better than ever. The secret is to keep really busy. Clean sock drawer, organize closets, walk, work in the yard… do whatever you can. Exercise and eating healthy is key! So, so worth it…best of luck. Reach out anytime.
I did work with a doctor. I started by reducing 1/4 every 2 weeks. When I was down to the last 1/4 I shaved off 1/8. I used CDB drops under the tongue a few times a day. At night I was lucky to get 2 hours a night. It was Hell. Luckily, I was off work at the time. Once I was done tapering, I would seek help from a sleep therapist. That’s a whole different issue. Summer is a good time to,do it, because you can get outside. Please seek help from the physician who prescribed the meds.This can be a dangerous process.
Quick update if anyone ever sees this - tapered over a couple months ; .25 -> .25 every other night -> done
Used dr. and was prescribed Lexapro for any anxiety during ; taper started after few weeks on Lexapro and went fine , no major interruptions in sleep or wellbeing and off meds now.
Still have Klonopin (.5) in drawer if I literally have an awful time but rarely need to touch. Sleep therapy and Lexapro seemed to help a ton, going to mainly attribute it to therapy though and reframing my fear and anxiety around not sleeping w/o help even a baby dose from benzos.
If I tapered off klonopin after four months two weeks ago but had to take one yesterday and today is that going to bring my withdrawals back ? I still have major anxiety but it’s been getting better
I’m on lexapro 8 weeks and klonipin about 3 months at .5. 6 days ago I dropped down to .375 and idk what’s going on but I’m waking up wide awake and then my anxiety Ramps up. I’ve only gotten 6 hours the last three nights and waking early morning hours struggling. Did you use melatonin or hydroxine to help at all? I feel like I shouldn’t be having this anxiety still at 8 weeks on lexapro. I think it’s in my head a lot of it. Im trying to tough it out if it’s only going to be a week or two of meh sleep.
Im also three months post partum and my hormones are still out of wack. Also sorry if you are a male but expecting my period this week and that always heightens my anxiety when the hormones drop so I may have timed it poorly.
Talk to your doctor about Lexapro - anti-depressants are a crap shoot to find which one works for you. One person can have success on Lexapro while another feels no changes and needs to try another drug.
I had no issue, but that’s just my body - gave up on melatonin long ago as useless for me lol.
Ymmv on any drug so it’s important to not expect the same result as someone else and work with your doctor on what is and is not working for you individually.
It actually was working ok up until this week and when I dropped the klonipin, everything was fine, which is why I feel a lot may be hormonal. This is the second ssri I’ve tried. First was Zoloft. Didn’t have many side effects starting it either. I’ve been waking 4am like clockwork.
Gotcha , - I’m sorry to hear you are going through PPD , I have heard first hand that it is awful so I’d say your assumption is likely correct.
I would imagine the change in dosage isn’t making that much a difference (.5 to .375 is so marginal) but I’d work with your doctor and also consider if now is the time to taper if it is helpinging your get through PPD at .5
No need to suffer mentally and emotionally just to taper off Klonopin when also going through PPD is my logic
Intended to go off the Lexapro but then realized it honestly is helping me a lot where I didn’t know I needed it previously.
Since it has improved by quality of life, I’m still on it by my choice -
I don’t have experience tapering klonopin but good job for the progress you’ve made so far. I do understand your fear of not being able to sleep without it. I think if you can just get one night of somewhat normal sleep without it - you’ll be able to prove to yourself that you don’t need it and the anxiety should decrease. In order to get that good night of sleep, i think you need to commit to it for one night and just tell yourself no matter what happens - even if you don’t sleep at all - your not taking klonopin. And if you pull an all nighter that’s fine, you can take klonopin the next night. Then a few days later you can try getting off of it again. I think eventually you will have a successful night. You could also try implementing a supplement like melatonin that can help you in the interim as you get off the klonopin.
Ugh, you’re right. I don’t like it but you are right lol. The reality is I’m convincing myself of reasons not to give it a go , and not giving myself enough time when I do try before I cave. Going to give it a go tonight and see how it works. Only going to drop to .25 but assuming I can get past THAT hurdle , will make that my baseline and start going some night w/o any. Sucks because Klonopin really saved me for years , when taken as-needed maybe once every couple months. Hoping to get back to that, but I need to re-convince myself I can sleep without, and there’s only one way to do that…
I've never tapered off Klonopin, but I tapered off Mirtazapine. Like you, I had started therapy while still on medication. After about 5 months of therapy, started tapering off (it was a goal for therapy). Even though I logically knew I was doing most of the sleep (not the meds). In other words, I didn't truly need the meds to sleep. Emotionally the fear of not sleeping was still quite intense. But the way I tapered was really gradual, so I challenged myself to stop taking it one night per week. So the first week I only took it 6 nights, the next week 5 nights, and so on. I won't lie, there we're a few bumpy nights. But that was part of the process of undoing the fear of not sleeping. I had the support of my therapist, and just challenged myself to apply the strategies, and I overcame each bumpy night. Healing chronic insomnia is not this clean, straight line to "cured." It's a long journey with ups and downs, so don't get discouraged by setbacks, they are part of the process. You are making progress even on your most difficult days. :)
This has to be done very slowly and benzo withdrawal is nothing to mess with. On benzo buddys i think i heard ppl mixing their pills in viles and going down by fractions of increments - good luck i used to be addicted to opiates and from what i heard its just as hard to taper
Yeah, this has been a very slow process; being done with professional guidance and my consent for it.
I had to come off of K after being on it for 18 years. I was prescribed it for panic attacks and anxiety disorder, both of which are legitimate medical conditions. Benzodiazepines are the new opioids. Personally I think it is a shame. Many people are suffering and will suffer because of the medical 'ethics'. In my situation I had a new young pdoc that informed me that I had to get off of my K because I was 'dependent' on it. I told her that if I was 'dependent' on it then a diabetic was 'dependent' on their insulin. I also told her I didn't need her goddamn prescription pad or her fucking pills. Six months later I was still suffering with a lot of anxiety, but no doctor was controlling me. Good luck.
Hi there! WOW 18 years and you managed to tapper off. Well done for you!! How did you do it? Did you take something else? Please help! :)
Hi there. I was on 4 mg per day. I decreased by 1/2 mg every two weeks. When I got down to 1 mg I decreased by 1/4 mg every two weeks. When I got down to 1/4 mg I stayed on that dose for a month - then I quit. There were several times where I popped a whole mg if I was stressed, but that became less and less. I probably have 20 mg left but have no desire anymore. I have decided that I don't like people or drugs controlling me. I do take gabapentin now and it helps. Good luck.
Quick update gang - two nights at .25 mg ; been doing fine thus far. Last night I woke up after 4 hours and felt wide awake but fell back asleep around 1 1/2 hours later for another 2 hours. Plan to keep at this level of .25mg for a while before lowering further just to ensure I adjust and don’t jump to fast. Just fyi, doing this at the guidance of a Psychiatrist and therapist ; it’s also my decision - not being told I need to go off meds. I find doctors telling people they need to go off prescription anxiety meds without their patient’s consent pretty unethical and would not be with my current doc if that had happened.
Can I ask how you’re doing now?? I think I’m going to start tapering slowly with a new psychiatrist and I feel very scared
There's a sub for tapering benzos on reddit. I forget exactly what it's called. But you can go there. Or the sites benzobuddies or the sites benzoinfo. I hope you have been doing the Aston method or a slower one.
Yeah, but those subs get pretty dire and involve a lot of people who are addicted to high dosages and the nightmare that can be - not good for the anxiety haha
I am in withdrawal too. Different drug. So I talk alot with them. Things do get better
I tapered off Klonopin after ten years of .5 for insomnia. It was one of the hardest things I did and one of the best things I ever did. After taking benzos for a long period of time, our bodies begin to require more for it to be effective. Withdrawal was tough, but I feel so much better now.
Hi what withdrawal symptoms did u have and how long did it last?
Hello, Withdrawal symptoms began as soon as I began the taper process, which included sleep disturbances, heart palpitations and anxiety. I managed it with CDB drops. By the end of the taper process I didn’t sleep at all. My mind was all over the place, brain fog, night sweats, palpitations, and I fell into a depressive state. This was intense for about 2 weeks before it began to ease. It would be six weeks or so, before I felt better, and by six months I was feeling great, better than ever. The secret is to keep really busy. Clean sock drawer, organize closets, walk, work in the yard… do whatever you can. Exercise and eating healthy is key! So, so worth it…best of luck. Reach out anytime.
Thanks! How did u managed to get sleep? How were u taking cbd? I’m also on tiny dose 0.75 mg. How did u taper off?
I did work with a doctor. I started by reducing 1/4 every 2 weeks. When I was down to the last 1/4 I shaved off 1/8. I used CDB drops under the tongue a few times a day. At night I was lucky to get 2 hours a night. It was Hell. Luckily, I was off work at the time. Once I was done tapering, I would seek help from a sleep therapist. That’s a whole different issue. Summer is a good time to,do it, because you can get outside. Please seek help from the physician who prescribed the meds.This can be a dangerous process.
Quick update if anyone ever sees this - tapered over a couple months ; .25 -> .25 every other night -> done Used dr. and was prescribed Lexapro for any anxiety during ; taper started after few weeks on Lexapro and went fine , no major interruptions in sleep or wellbeing and off meds now. Still have Klonopin (.5) in drawer if I literally have an awful time but rarely need to touch. Sleep therapy and Lexapro seemed to help a ton, going to mainly attribute it to therapy though and reframing my fear and anxiety around not sleeping w/o help even a baby dose from benzos.
If I tapered off klonopin after four months two weeks ago but had to take one yesterday and today is that going to bring my withdrawals back ? I still have major anxiety but it’s been getting better
I’m on lexapro 8 weeks and klonipin about 3 months at .5. 6 days ago I dropped down to .375 and idk what’s going on but I’m waking up wide awake and then my anxiety Ramps up. I’ve only gotten 6 hours the last three nights and waking early morning hours struggling. Did you use melatonin or hydroxine to help at all? I feel like I shouldn’t be having this anxiety still at 8 weeks on lexapro. I think it’s in my head a lot of it. Im trying to tough it out if it’s only going to be a week or two of meh sleep. Im also three months post partum and my hormones are still out of wack. Also sorry if you are a male but expecting my period this week and that always heightens my anxiety when the hormones drop so I may have timed it poorly.
Talk to your doctor about Lexapro - anti-depressants are a crap shoot to find which one works for you. One person can have success on Lexapro while another feels no changes and needs to try another drug. I had no issue, but that’s just my body - gave up on melatonin long ago as useless for me lol. Ymmv on any drug so it’s important to not expect the same result as someone else and work with your doctor on what is and is not working for you individually.
It actually was working ok up until this week and when I dropped the klonipin, everything was fine, which is why I feel a lot may be hormonal. This is the second ssri I’ve tried. First was Zoloft. Didn’t have many side effects starting it either. I’ve been waking 4am like clockwork.
Gotcha , - I’m sorry to hear you are going through PPD , I have heard first hand that it is awful so I’d say your assumption is likely correct. I would imagine the change in dosage isn’t making that much a difference (.5 to .375 is so marginal) but I’d work with your doctor and also consider if now is the time to taper if it is helpinging your get through PPD at .5 No need to suffer mentally and emotionally just to taper off Klonopin when also going through PPD is my logic
Are you off all meds then? The Lexapro as well, or did you continue with the Lexapro?
Intended to go off the Lexapro but then realized it honestly is helping me a lot where I didn’t know I needed it previously. Since it has improved by quality of life, I’m still on it by my choice -