Been taking klonopin

I too worry about getting hooked on Ativan. Thanks for the advice. I take 1 mg in the morn and .5 if needed later in the day. 

And did you learn to cope?  So you need no meds at all except the Klonopin?  

I take Ativan.  I wondered about getting dependent.  What are your withdrawal symptoms when you try to get off?  

Thanks 

"And did you learn to cope?"  I can cope with high amounts of anxiety, always could, but I can't function with the extremely stupid amounts of anxiety or bodily side effects.

 "So you need no meds at all except the Klonopin?"  Like I said meds are a sore subject.  I was fairly "normal" and had anxiety I could control no prob.  I developed seasonal depression at age 38.  I went to the doctor thinking he could help me out but I wish that I did not.  I have extremely rare and horrible side effects from any SSRI  that I took so far.  I don't talk about them because I do not want people to worry about them, everybody is different.  Anyways just to give you a hint, one drug caused me to be paralyzed from my stomach down and unable to feel anything at all.  You could stick a knife in my leg and I would not be able to feel it.  I was also not able to control bathroom stuff.  I was in a constant state of unbearable panic, had my parents babysit me when my wife was out because I did not trust myself around my own kid.   I did not sleep for days on end.  I thought that I went insane.  I could keep going... Anyways after not sleeping for days on end, my first Klonopin calmed me in 5 minutes and I truly felt at peace.  So Klonopin is the only drug I am on because it WAS the only thing that helped.  I made several attempts at coming off of it.  My first symptom was increased anxiety with random pain like ice picks getting shoved into my ears.  It goes downhill from here.  I want to stress EVERYBODY IS DIFFERENT, some people can quit cold turkey.  I tapered extremely slowly from 1.0 mg to .5 in one year to stay at a functional level.  I was at .5 for three years but was told to bump it back up because nothing else works for me.  Don't be surprised if you do well but also be aware symptoms may get so bad that you can not think, function, or even get out of bed.  You may need long-term support or you may just have manageable high anxiety and carry on with a normal life.  I am not the normal case.  I never had a panic attack in my life until I got prescribed meds for minor seasonal depression.  But trust me these meds can truly be like hell on earth.  I figured it was a warning for what the afterlife could be like and I started to go deeper into my faith.

Hopefully, I did not scare you too much because what happens to me is not the norm.

MM Thank you for your honesty. I hope you find peace and relief from anxiety. You comments were very helpful. 

What happens when you try to get off?  Thanks. 

It depends on the mg. I tapered off 1 mg and had no problems. A small amount of klonopin a day will not hurt you. Anything past 2mg will be difficult to come off of. Also I took my time tapering. Take it with a grain of salt. People who take high doses and try to taper off fast are the real people who have issues. 

Thank you for your help!  

I was fearful of becoming addicted and scared to come off but I had 3 psych a nd therapist say absolutely no

Hi Katie I would like to respond to your comment l have never ever taken a high dose of diazepam.7 mgs to be exact nor am l tapering too quickly and to refer to your comment regarding dosage any dose of benzos can be addictive and your brain can become dependent causing withdrawal.Not everyone has a problem coming off however some do and that is a fact.

That is true! I had a friend who came off 2 mg within 5 weeks, she had no problem. She was on it for years and everyone is different. I have had multiple doctors tell me about addiction and dosage dependency bc it was my main concern. They have all said with a low dose, it should not pose as a problem. Also I’m stating what I have learned in school(I’m in nursing school) Also reading through my pharmaceutical handbook it shows people with high dosages have more trouble with tapering. Glad you are not going fast! Slow and steady wins the race.

When someone comes off after years, wonder why?  Did they not work anymore?  

Anyway thanks for your concern. 

Could of been. I stopped bc I found that I just didn’t need it anymore. In my personal experience I never upped my dose bc I felt like I needed more. I refused to take the bare minimum of a dose bc when I do or did come off, it won’t be too hard. 

Edit** did not need more. 

Thank you for your help. 

I would value your views. I have had valium for four years 5 mg to sleep and 2mg in day.  They tried ssris and my body vant tolerate them.  I have talked to dr about trying to come off these valium and he says it can be done.  Can you tell me what level you were at and what tapering will bring?

Hi Ann l started at 7mgs and have tapered down 0.5mgs every 3 or 4 weeks.The withdrawal symptoms are very varied so l am not going to tell you what they are as everyone is different.What l will say is take it slow and steady and don't rush it.

Hi Katie I am a nurse and have been for 20 odd years and l wouldn't trust a doctor if my life depended on it haha.Good luck with your nurse training.