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Well it’s official, to me at least, that on top of my hormonal issues which are FINALLY being addressed by my internist that I am addicted to Klonopin. I was wondering how does one really do a successful taper of this horrible medication? My doc started a slow taper schedule and about 4 days in I started freaking out! Can’t sleep and am constantly nervous and overstimulated and the only way to belay these symptoms is to go back on the full dose again. I should say that I have suffered from clinical panic disorder for about 20 years and have run the gamut of meds for the problem. Klonopin has been the only medication that has worked for me but my goal is to get off as many meds as possible because they are now starting to cause unwanted side effects that they didn’t cause when I was 20. Now that I’m 40 my body is saying enough is enough!
Is there any way to get off this medication safely at all? I have been taking 1.5mg a day for about 6 years. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
What about getting off the other meds first and see if maybe you can keep the klonopin since that is the one that works for you? I know some people just need to stay on that one.
@wapf fan 2497 wrote:
What about getting off the other meds first and see if maybe you can keep the klonopin since that is the one that works for you? I know some people just need to stay on that one.
Well I think my doc wants me off of it because of unwanted side effects. Unlike a lot of other people I never really developed a tolerance to the medication. In other words I’ve never had to escalate the dose to reap the anti-anxiety benefits, however it has begun to cause unwanted sexual problems, I’m tired most of the time, lack of motivation, etc. This has been attributed to my testosterone deficiency however that problem has been addressed and I’m doing MUCH better in that department. I’m just tired of relying on it. I do understand though that there is a small chance I will always have to take it. Currently I take it and propranolol 40mg a day also for anxiety. The combination of those two is a real problem in the sexual and general energy department. I really don’t know what to do. I go for a testosterone injection tomorrow so I’m going to speak to the nurse about these problems. Thank you for your input.
So I just spoke with my doc. She says that sometimes it’s safer to leave people on low dose benzodiazepines indefinitely than it is to take them off especially if they’ve taken them for years. She did say though this is not true of high doses or people with a history of abuse or who develop a tolerance. Thankfully I don’t fall into either one of those categories. So it looks like I will be on 1 to 1.5mg of Klonopin as needed indefinitely unless something else happens. She said that exercise and a good diet can help to curb the unwanted side effects of tiredness and said that such a low dose should not interfere with my REM sleep.
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