Advice - Getting Off Klonopin

[Ocean5]

Has anyone tried Prazosin (minipress) for Benzo or Klonopin withdrawals (tremors/shaking hands.) I have tried in past Prazosin (for PTSD nightmares.)

Unfortunately no money for doctor, and lost health insurance. And to be very frank I've gotten very poor advice from doctors in past year. Actually most of what they've tried on me has made me worse, and wrecked my life.

 

[Blessedwithacurse]

maybe not answering your question but i thought 15+ years of 4-20mg knop a day i should voice my opinion. Firstly i dont think you can really go down the herbal route and expect anything even romotely close, sorry for sounding blunt. I think these drugs have there place but IMO its should not be for any ongoing length of time as when you find them not only doing nothing but adding to your troubles (which with time will happen) its a really sad place to be.

 

[KwanYingirl]

@Ocean5 just want to tell you my experience. I was put on low dose of Xanax (a benzo) for tremors for which they blamed on a severe chemical exposure I had and it f*cked up my brain. So, low dose .5mg up to four a day. It didn't work as well after awhile, so instead of putting me on a higher dose, I was prescribed an atypical antipsychotic Zyprexa. It worked like a charm. No more tremors, my depression got better, but I gained a ton of weight. So I got switched to another atypical antipsychotic, Geodon, that is supposedly weight neutral. It helps too but I have not lost any weight, damn it!!

So I was still taking the Xanax and tried to get off it a few months ago. I also ended up on an ambulance and was really feeling horrible for three days with only a .5 dose a day. I read the word brutal used and yes it was. I'm back on my original dose minus one dose a day with no withdrawal symptoms. I'll stick with this for a year and reevaluate my situation then. For now I'm only taking .5 mg twice a day. The Geodon evens things out. Good luck. Any way you could download skype and for 2cents a minute you could call home doctors for advice and perhaps they could arrange for you a mail order service for getting your meds?

 

[Ocean5]

I think these drugs have there place but IMO its should not be for any ongoing length of time as when you find them not only doing nothing but adding to your troubles (which with time will happen) its a really sad place to be.

I have to agree, and doctors should warn patients.

@KwanYingirl Sorry for your experience. Yea hospital doctors said I was in really horrible shape (I don't remember much.) When I did come through I remember one doctor saying, "welcome back." Uhh....He said they didn't expect to release me so quickly. But that was about a month ago.

I'm considering getting back on Klonopin (I have some supply left)...then reducing much slower rate (once off Ativan.) Some suggested Vistaril for withdrawals, and another Inderal for anxiety (But I read it's also used to treat tremors.) I'm researching that.

Yea I have Xanax for Panic Attacks, but rarely take. It's actually the "only" benzo I was "warned" about. I even asked p-doc if Klonopin was as addictive as Xanax. Told no - not to worry. Uhhhh....

Good idea with home doctor, but lost insurance and don't trust her anymore. Obviously....

My heart goes out to all of you who are dealing with getting off these drugs, or have in past. *hug*

 

[joeylittle]

I even asked p-doc if Klonopin was as addictive as Xanax. Told no - not to worry. Uhhhh....

I think medically, it's not 'as addictive' (it has a shorter half-life) - but that doesn't mean it isn't addictive. It's addictive. I'm sorry your doctor gave you a different impression.

edit to add - strikethrough the info re: half life, I was mistaken

Personally, I would recommend talking to your doctor about a very slow discontinuation of the ativan, while monitoring for tremors, and potentially dealing with them using something other than the benzo family. Getting off 2mg of ativan daily, doing it slowly to minimize withdrawal effects, will take 3-ish weeks. I know it seems strange, because the numbers are so low. But it really takes time.

Then, if anxiety is still something you need medical help with, you could look into some other kinds of medication.

I'm sorry it's going to need to be one thing at a time and slowly, but it's better to do that than risk having another seizure response, right?

 

[Ocean5]

@joeylittle

I think medically, it's not 'as addictive' (it has a shorter half-life)

You mean Xanax is not as addictive since it has shorter half-life than Klonopin.

I surely do not want another seizure! Ever.

Thanks

 

[joeylittle]

You mean Xanax is not as addictive since it has shorter half-life than Klonopin.

Ah, actually I'm wrong about that.

When your doc told you that klonopin was not as addictive as xanax, your doc was telling the truth - it seems to have to do with a slight difference in the way they work. It starts to get too technical for me to truly understand, but according to how addiction is understood, klonoipin is less addictive.

But klonopin can still, itself, be addictive.

Xanax, according to some sites I looked at, does not handle tremors, while klonopin does. That's just interesting, given what you've been dealing with.

 

[Ocean5]

@joeylittle

Thanks Joey. My old p-doc explained Xanax was more addicting because it takes effect so quickly. But I've also read Klonopin can be worse because it stays in your system longer. I wish I'd never listened about taking 2nd higher dose of Klonopin...

 

[Marymickaela]

Since July 10th I've gotten my Klonopin down from 4mg to 2.5mg. It hasn't been horrible, but I have this constant underlying feeling of anxiety. I saw my Pdoc (psychiatrist) again this week and was telling him how my EMDR therapy was going. Last week was extremely stressful. He usually only spends 15 min for my appointment, but spent almost a half hour as I was telling him details of the session, my abusive childhood, lots of details I've never had time to share. I was diagnosed as bipolar back in 2003 at the age of 52. Now he said he doesn't think I'm bipolar, but it's the PTSD and anxiety causing my problems. I would love to get that bipolar diagnosis taken off my records. He didn't mention cutting the Klonopin again so I'm going to stay with the 2.5mg for at least another week. Haven't slept very well the last two nights so that's not helping. I have some .5mg pills and my next cut will be 2.25mg.

He explained that all benzos do is numb your feelings, which I guess is good for short term, but I'm hoping that this EMDR will help me deal with my emotions as I cried for the first time last week. I mean really really cried. I'm still stress eating and that's got to stop as I need to lose weight so I can't continue to substitute food for tranquilizers.