hi frozen yogurt.

first; great that you want to do something about the klonopin. that is a huge first step.

i am doing the same.

next; you can and will get off the klonopin.

just be careful and wise how you do it.

i would do some research, but also be very very careful what you read, or come across on the internet. including what i am about to write.

every person is different. and; many many people get off benzos (properly) and never post their 'success' stories. the internet is full of scary stuff. including info/experiences about benzo withdrawal/reduction.

***slow wins the race.***

i suggest you read that last line 3 times. and, really believe it.

i was up to 4mg per day about 9 or so months ago. i am currently at .5mg. i really didn't plan on reducing. it sort of just happened initially. though it was always on my mind.

i was doing pretty intense 'deep' tms therapy with a new doc last summer and we would talk about the klonopin. i dropped directly to 3mg for a while. felt no real difference. (again, this is me.) dropped to 2.5 for a month? felt no difference. (again; me.) went to 2mg and held for a couple of months. really felt no difference.

new year 2015.

decided to really try and get-off or reduce. i had been on klonopin now for 5 years. spoke to my doc about it and he was fine with it. he said take your time...

made cuts of .25mg as i read on the net and what my doc told me. i kept a journal for a while. got lazy with that. sorry. but in a nutshell; i dropped .25mg about every 2 to 3 weeks. really felt nothing. some disturbed sleep maybe? but, my sleep is upside down already. i do sleep. just at the wrong time. lol

no increase in anxiety. at all. again, this is my experience. but, i am going pretty slow as you can see.

got to 1mg last month or a bit longer out. i was like 'wow. this is really happening. i am getting down to a much smaller dosage.' this empowered me...

i felt better too. lighter. a bit more energy. more active. some exercising even. gentle stuff; long walks. swims. my depression is still there. but, this is the least medication i have been on since i went down 5+ years ago. i am on no other psych meds. ironic. they even gave me ****ing ect 5 years ago.

k; went to my primary doc who i really like. said i need a rx for .25mg wafers. he said no problem. he was on board. these wafers are scored. and, are brand.

cut a 1mg in half. took a .25mg. and; cut a .25mg in half. = .875mg. only did this for like a week. felt no difference. yay. i was nervous about going under 1mg.

i did a few days at .5mg + half of a .25mg wafer. = .625mg (somebody check my math!) did this for just a few days. felt no difference...

went to .5mg. yay. could not believe i made it to .5mg! 5 long *** years i had been taking at least 3 to 4mgmg per day. i am still feeling excited as i write this. sorry for the book, but this is therapeutic for me.

held for 1 week. took .25mg + half of a .25mg = .375mg...

took it for 2 nights. i felt a bit, not a lot, of anxiety and funkiness on the morning of the 2nd day. this was the first of anything i had felt. i said to myself; 'slow wins the race' and went back-up to .5mg. i am holding there and will try a cut again next sunday night. a week from now. this would make 2 weeks at .5mg.

i have read several times that you can make bigger cuts to start, but it can be harder as you get closer to zero. this may be the case with me. we'll see.

i have researched the hell out of benzo withdrawal. the vast vast majority of info on the net is some scary stuff. but, as i mentioned, i have met several people who got off benzos (klonopin) relatively 'easy.' all these people did it very slowly and under a doctor's care.

the 'horror' stories seem to be from people who came-off way too fast, or off by cold turkey. no. either is bad.

i also came across this from a very good peer run site;

***"This is best done under the care of a doctor. The proper way to taper Klonopin is by every week reducing the total daily dose by 0.125mg (an eighth of a milligram) , until you reach zero. For example a person taking 1mg of Klonopin per day, would need eight weeks to safely taper off."***

i tried doing this. initially it was too slow. then, as i got to .5mg it was too fast. trust a good doctor. and, mostly, trust yourself if you can.

not sure how long you have been on the klonopin. but for me i realize i didn't just start taking it. why should i expect to be off it so quickly?

this is a very long post. sorry everyone. i have more info if you want frozen yogurt. just let me know if you want to hear more.

again; you can do it! just communicate with a doc you trust and has your back and pay attention to how you feel.

slow wins the race on this one. i think i mentioned that before.