[broken_sword_1]

I've just started(within the last couple of months) on Klonopin and I feel good. However, I have heard horror stories about how difficult it is to get off the med. I take only about 1mg a day. Should I worry about withdrawal or what. Please share some experiences. Btw, I also think it makes me a bit more creative.

[Skeezyks]

Hello broken_sword_1: I'm sorry I can't really answer your question myself. I took Klonopin for a short time & had no difficulty getting off of it at all. But I probably wasn't on it long enough to really become dependent. Plus I have a history of going on-&-off psych med's without experiencing any particular problems. I'm certain there are other members, here on PC, who will be better able to address your concern than I am.

I see this is your first post here on PC. So... welcome to PsychCentral… from the Skeezyks! I hope you find the time you spend here to be of benefit.

PsychCentral is a great place to get information as well as support for mental health issues. There are many knowledgeable & caring members here. The more you post, & reply to other members’ posts, the more a part of the community you will become. Plus there are social groups you can join & chat rooms where you’ll be able to connect with other PC members in real time (once your first 5 posts have been reviewed & approved.) Lots of great stuff! So please keep posting!

[Angelique67]

Originally Posted by broken_sword_1

I've just started(within the last couple of months) on Klonopin and I feel good. However, I have heard horror stories about how difficult it is to get off the med. I take only about 1mg a day. Should I worry about withdrawal or what. Please share some experiences. Btw, I also think it makes me a bit more creative.

Hi, broken sword. Yes, you should be worried, for those two reasons and hundreds more. I was forced off Klonopin in 2013 and I am still suffering the withdrawals. But I was on them for 30 years, and at times at unbelievably high dosages.

Can you drop your dosages down a bit per day? It's good that you're not taking much but there's still a bad withdrawal risk. Also, can you give up the daily use and hopefully only take it when you are having extremely bad anxiety?

[naia]

Klonopin is the benzo that has the longest half-life, which means it stays in your body even if you miss a dose. Yes, you become habituated and yes, to get off it you have to do it slowly. But I don't think it is a harmful med compared to fast-acting benzos or other meds, which have really serious side effects.

Once I had a surgery that involved pain killers that had too much Tylenol. I became sick from the excessive amount of Tylenol and couldn't keep anything down, including even water so couldn't take my meds. After a while of having no food, water, or meds, I went into a sudden withdrawal. The worst that happened was that I had a very brief panic attack. Once I was able to stomach something and took my meds again, everything was fine.

I have been on Klonopin for a long time without worrying about it. Given the alternatives and the amount of stress and distress, the benefits outweigh the potential harm.

[*Laurie*]

I've been on Klonopin for 20 years and thus far have not been able to come off of it without being extremely ill from withdrawal. I am currently trying AGAIN to very slowly taper off of it, but I figure it'll take me a year.

Klonopin is a very helpful medication - for a few months. Beyond that, I believe you are asking for trouble to stay on it. After 2 or 3 months your body builds a tolerance to the dose you're used to and you need a higher dose to feel okay. When that point comes, I believe it's wise to start tapering off the Klonopin and find a different anti-anxiety medication that isn't so addictive and potentially disabling.

[BeyondtheRainbow]

It also depends how you use it. My pdoc just explained this to me the other day. If I hold stable for a few months we're going to start a very slow taper after 14 years on benzos (I think 7 on klonopin).

I have missed doses occasionally if I am sick or whatever and never had much trouble. I've also been on the same 2 mg dose for years without any need to increase.

She said that because I take it only at night my body is used to my levels going up and down and that will make my body react less as I go off it. She plans to go down over 12-24 months and says with that I shouldn't have a problem at all but that if I were taking it during the day as well like I used to that it would be more difficult.

So it's not just using it or how much you use, it is how often that matters as well.

For what it is worth in the hospital they told me gabapentin works on similar receptors and I did find it is excellent for anxiety for me.

[SingDanceRunLife]

Withdrawal can suck...luckily all I got was severe constipation which immediately stopped when I went back up in dose. I was good going down from 2mg to 1mg, and fine going down to .5mg, but going to nothing is where the withdrawal started happening. And it took me a week to figure out what the hell was going on...why my stomach was killing me so badly. I want off klonopin, but at the same time, it's the only med I'm currently taking that'll even put a dent in my sleep and without it I'd probably take 2 hours to fall asleep...so I just deal with being on a benzo.

[nicoleb2]

I'm on 1mg of Klonopin at bedtime to help me sleep. I talked to my psychiatrist because I don't want to stay on it for an extended period of time. He refuses to make a change because he says I'm too fragile (med changes are a pain for me, I usually end up hospitalized repeatedly)