KLONOPIN withdrawal- PLEASE help me!
 

All HELP and encouragement is appreciated! Last year, in November, I abruptly stopped 60mg. of Cymbalta after taking it for 3 years. I had NO IDEA what would happen. I experienced a 20 day constant panic attack that I later learned was withdrawal.Needless to say, I was prescribed Klonopin as needed and went on Zoloft. I got through that and I think I only took a couple of .5 K. FAST FORWARD to this year...My PDOC had me on 100mg. zoloft and 36mg. Concerta, and 2mg. of Abilify. 11months later, I was so distant, I decided to come off Abilify. Stopped abruptly. Anxiety, sickness came on with a vengeance. My PDOC convinced me that he would not let me become addicted to the Klonopin and that I needed to take it regularly. Long story short, I took between .5 and 1mg for about 6 weeks. I then told him I wanted to taper. He suggested this:
5days - .5 am and .5 pm
5days - .5 am
5days - .25 am
(wanted me to stop after that but day 3, I couldn't take deal, so we continued taper)
13 days - .125am
1 day - 0
1day .125
then stopped.

SO, a total of 10 weeks in all I think of regular use.

This whole process has been HELL. I started having some hopeful days on the .125, but now I am on day 4 of being off and I am still having anxiety, have to force myself to eat, and depressed that I will never be back to my old self! I've lost 20lbs. and can't find Joy in anything. My faith is also suffering.I am 33, a mother of two great teens and this has been going on for 4 months now. I REALLY hope that it is just the withdrawal and that I am over the worst of it. PLEASE, ANYBODY give me HOPE that this will end soon. I just need hope to carry on. I am currently on:
20mg. Lexapro( have taken 5 weeks today)
36 mg. Concerta a.m
AND I have been taking Vitamins (Omega, B, Calcium and Magnesium)
Thank you so much for any help, encouragement, or advice. Horror stories won't really do me any good. I've read them all on internet. THANK you

Re: KLONOPIN withdrawal- PLEASE help me!
 

Hi!! coming off drugs like cymbalta etc need to be tapered. im so sorry u found out the hard way. ugh - how terrible! i'm so sorry you had to go through that. im on effexor, notoriously hard to come off of...i think cymbalta has that rep too.. being addicted to those is a different type than like, my percocet addiction, and you have to help your brain adjust to removing those SSRIs or SNRIs from your system.
anyhow- just be careful with the other meds u are on... the anti depressants, concerta etc, that if u want off, u talk to your Dr. They will tell u a good, safe way to taper down so you dont have to go through that again. A friend of mine went off her zoloft abruptly and went through what you described. So, just some kind words to protect yourself with those meds.
as far as the klonopin, i have never had to come off that... just percocets, which is hell as well. do you have an anxiety disorder? i do... perhaps your anxiety is due to that and not the pill withdrawl? did you talk to your Dr? maybe he needs to up your other meds, but keep you off the pure anti anxiety meds that can cause addiction. make sense?
as im sure u know, a lot of the anti depressants are used for anxiety as well, so maybe upping your dose can help? but of course, dont up it on your own or you will go through discomfort etc cause you can up it too much. your Dr. needs to supervise that.
I';m sure you know a lot of this... but just in case not, maybe my words can help. :)
hang in there! things will get better and if you have a good doctor onm your side, that will make things much easier as well. keep us posted!!

Re: KLONOPIN withdrawal- PLEASE help me!
 

Benzo's are very hard to come off of and you need to do it VERY slowly. The plan your doctor had you on was good, until you got to the end. You should have tapered to even smaller doses before stopping. You should talk to your doctor about the anxiety and see if he/she can prescribe something like a few Xanax pills to help with the anxiety. I went through the same withdrawals a while back and Xanax really helped me get thru the bad days until I was over the withdrawals.

Re: KLONOPIN withdrawal- PLEASE help me!
 

I sure agree with Wendy88 about the difficulties of coming off of antidepressants. I have been a longtime anxiety sufferer, and have had such severe problems with these drugs that I now refuse to take them. Effexor was the worst. Getting off of that drug was the worst hell I have ever experienced. Your doctor should NOT have allowed you to come off of Cymbalta cold turkey, but to my experience, psychiatrists are often remiss in telling patients that they should taper.

As for the Klonopin, I've been taking that drug daily for anxiety for many years. Unfortunately I have no choice. It's the only drug that works for me, since I react so poorly to anti-depressants. My doctor HAS warned me that if I ever decide to try getting off, to be VERY careful and to taper at an incredibly slow rate. The biggest/worst side effect from tapering too quickly is grand mal seizures. You don't EVER want to go through one of those.

As for the anxiety, have you discussed that with your doctor? I just wonder if the withdrawals are causing that, or if you might have Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). That's what I have. That is often associated with depression, so there IS a chance that you have a real disorder that is not being caused by your taper. I would definitely call or go to see the doctor, just to be sure.

Best of luck to you. I hope you start feeling better soon. It does sound like the worst is behind you. Hang in there. Benzos are hardcore drugs, and there is no easy way off. But you're SO very close. You're almost there. You'll make it. :)

Re: KLONOPIN withdrawal- PLEASE help me!
 

[QUOTE=Wendy88;4239583]Hi!! coming off drugs like cymbalta etc need to be tapered. im so sorry u found out the hard way. ugh - how terrible! i'm so sorry you had to go through that. im on effexor, notoriously hard to come off of...i think cymbalta has that rep too.. being addicted to those is a different type than like, my percocet addiction, and you have to help your brain adjust to removing those SSRIs or SNRIs from your system.
anyhow- just be careful with the other meds u are on... the anti depressants, concerta etc, that if u want off, u talk to your Dr. They will tell u a good, safe way to taper down so you dont have to go through that again. A friend of mine went off her zoloft abruptly and went through what you described. So, just some kind words to protect yourself with those meds.
as far as the klonopin, i have never had to come off that... just percocets, which is hell as well. do you have an anxiety disorder? i do... perhaps your anxiety is due to that and not the pill withdrawl? did you talk to your Dr? maybe he needs to up your other meds, but keep you off the pure anti anxiety meds that can cause addiction. make sense?
as im sure u know, a lot of the anti depressants are used for anxiety as well, so maybe upping your dose can help? but of course, dont up it on your own or you will go through discomfort etc cause you can up it too much. your Dr. needs to supervise that.
I';m sure you know a lot of this... but just in case not, maybe my words can help. :)
hang in there! things will get better and if you have a good doctor onm your side, that will make things much easier as well. keep us posted!![/QUOTE]


Hi and thank you so much for responding. I never had anxiety or panic until I came off the meds. I do have some mild OCD and tend to be a worrier, but no diagnosis of anxiety. I caved this morning and took the .125 pill. I just couldn't continue with all my hope fading. I didn't want to prolong the agony by tapering too quickly. I have been really strong holding on to the idea that it would end soon, but it was at its worst yesterday and this morning. the pharmacist says no way the .125 is causing withdrawals, but I have read soooo many post that say to continue tapering. I'm trying to get ahold of my PDOC. I'll keep updating. Thank you again for taking the time.

Re: KLONOPIN withdrawal- PLEASE help me!
 

C BURGER :
Thank you so much for replying! I REALLY don't wanna take something else. I'm too scared. I reinstated .125 today after not taking it for 4 days. I didn't know what to do. I still don't know what to do now?? trying to reach my PDOC.This morning I called a compounding pharmacy to see if they could do a lower dose. She said it was ridiculous bc I was only taking .125 the last 13 days and there was NO way this would cause withdrawal. How can that be when I have heard from so many that they needed to continue?? Like I said before, if I just knew that this IS withdrawal and it will end...

Re: KLONOPIN withdrawal- PLEASE help me!
 

Thank you for your response, but I caved this morning and took .125. Not feeling any better, but didn't want to not take it and cause more problems. Trying to see my doc. I have no idea what to do!

Re: KLONOPIN withdrawal- PLEASE help me!
 

[QUOTE=MvingForwrd;4239749]I sure agree with Wendy88 about the difficulties of coming off of antidepressants. I have been a longtime anxiety sufferer, and have had such severe problems with these drugs that I now refuse to take them. Effexor was the worst. Getting off of that drug was the worst hell I have ever experienced. Your doctor should NOT have allowed you to come off of Cymbalta cold turkey, but to my experience, psychiatrists are often remiss in telling patients that they should taper.

As for the Klonopin, I've been taking that drug daily for anxiety for many years. Unfortunately I have no choice. It's the only drug that works for me, since I react so poorly to anti-depressants. My doctor HAS warned me that if I ever decide to try getting off, to be VERY careful and to taper at an incredibly slow rate. The biggest/worst side effect from tapering too quickly is grand mal seizures. You don't EVER want to go through one of those.

As for the anxiety, have you discussed that with your doctor? I just wonder if the withdrawals are causing that, or if you might have Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). That's what I have. That is often associated with depression, so there IS a chance that you have a real disorder that is not being caused by your taper. I would definitely call or go to see the doctor, just to be sure.

Best of luck to you. I hope you start feeling better soon. It does sound like the worst is behind you. Hang in there. Benzos are hardcore drugs, and there is no easy way off. But you're SO very close. You're almost there. You'll make it. :)[/QUOTE]

Thank you for your response, but I caved this morning and took .125. I'm not feeling better, but I didn't want things to get worse or know if I needed to reinstate. I'm trying to reach my PDOC, but no luck. I just feel hopeless and have no idea what to do! I'm so scared.

Re: KLONOPIN withdrawal- PLEASE help me!
 

[QUOTE=Cburger;4239598]Benzo's are very hard to come off of and you need to do it VERY slowly. The plan your doctor had you on was good, until you got to the end. You should have tapered to even smaller doses before stopping. You should talk to your doctor about the anxiety and see if he/she can prescribe something like a few Xanax pills to help with the anxiety. I went through the same withdrawals a while back and Xanax really helped me get thru the bad days until I was over the withdrawals.[/QUOTE]

I posted a reply to you, but I'm not sure if I did it right. Please read over the thread again and see if you see it. Thank you!

Re: KLONOPIN withdrawal- PLEASE help me!
 

Good morning, PJV. How are you doing today? I hope things are getting better for you. I just wanted to share that a week before I quit my 10+ a day norco habit I tried to quit taking my Zoloft. Let me tell you I was never so sick before in my life. After 4 days of vomiting, brain shivers, dizzy and crying, I went back on them and decided to taper per my Dr's instructions. For me, going thru withdrawals from norco didn't seem as bad as going thru it from the zoloft and I've been taking norco for almost 4 yrs! I really feel for you. It can be just miserable.

Take care,
Heidi

Re: KLONOPIN withdrawal- PLEASE help me!
 

[QUOTE=madhen17;4239805]Good morning, PJV. How are you doing today? I hope things are getting better for you. I just wanted to share that a week before I quit my 10+ a day norco habit I tried to quit taking my Zoloft. Let me tell you I was never so sick before in my life. After 4 days of vomiting, brain shivers, dizzy and crying, I went back on them and decided to taper per my Dr's instructions. For me, going thru withdrawals from norco didn't seem as bad as going thru it from the zoloft and I've been taking norco for almost 4 yrs! I really feel for you. It can be just miserable.

Take care,
Heidi[/QUOTE]

Thank you dear. Unfortunately today has been horrible. I took a .125 klonopin this am. I am a mess. Don't know what to do. Have lost almost all hope. My doc is supposed to call me soon.

Re: KLONOPIN withdrawal- PLEASE help me!
 

[QUOTE=PJV76;4239784]Thank you for your response, but I caved this morning and took .125. I'm not feeling better, but I didn't want things to get worse or know if I needed to reinstate. I'm trying to reach my PDOC, but no luck. I just feel hopeless and have no idea what to do! I'm so scared.[/QUOTE]

If you took the Klonopin, and it didn't help you to feel better, then there may be something else going on besides withdrawals. Definitely try to reach your doctor. Hang in there.

Re: KLONOPIN withdrawal- PLEASE help me!
 

hi PJV - hang in there!! i agree that it might not bw w/d at this point. it could be generalized anxiety disorder i have that). and like you, i am a worrier etc...
talk to your doctor. be honest with exactly how you are feeling, thinking etc. your doctor will help you get to the root of this issue and what is causing this. some people are really sensitive to meds... (like i have side effects to all anti depressants but effexor at the dose im at. but can't go higher... and if i miss it by a few hours, my w/ds start)... so maybe your body is super sensitive and it's still missing your full dose of pills. i suppose that is possible, but of course, i'm not a doctor. so don't lose hope! just talk to your doctor and it will get figured out. keep posting for support and let us know when you talk tot he doctor. call him/her as much as you have to until they call you back. they work for you (the doctor) ... you pay them... so, you deserve to demand attention when you are in need/ suffering. sending you good vibes!!

Re: KLONOPIN withdrawal- PLEASE help me!
 

I officially have hope. I was literally lifted out of the abyss by this small hope. Pdoc saw me today. I was a wreck so my friend went with me. We discussed a lot and he agrees with you that it's not WD but rather depression. Here's what I left with:
He wants me to up my lexapro to 25 a week then 30! Meanwhile, he said go ahead and take Klonopin .125 at night as well and here's the HOPE...
He gave me olanzapine or zyprexa. 5mg. To start tonight. He truly feels I will have some immediate relief. I was on 2 mg. Abilify before about 11 months when I stopped and thus all started. Anyway, I have decided after much thought, to take the olanzapine tonight, BUT not up the lexapro yet or take the Klonopin tonight. I will see how it goes. Please pray this works! The hope alone has served me well enough tonight to eat a bit. Thank you so much for your concern. My heart really goes out to all suffering such torture!

Re: KLONOPIN withdrawal- PLEASE help me!
 

cool! so glad that you saw the doctor. remember though that he may be asking you to take all those different pills cause they need to work together to help you... so dont get discouraged if the one u take doesnt do as much as you are hoping (im not saying it won't... i'm just saying...). you may need them all to really get you out of what you are going through, you know? so make sure to do that and certainly keep thst hope burning brightly til you try it all.
and of course, don't go off of any of it, or lower your dose on any of them without calling him cause the same thing can happen again as did with the Cymbalta if you alter your script yourself. so just be safe! no need to put yourself through torture you dont need! :)
keep us posted!
wendy

Re: KLONOPIN withdrawal- PLEASE help me!
 

[QUOTE=PJV76;4239788]I posted a reply to you, but I'm not sure if I did it right. Please read over the thread again and see if you see it. Thank you![/QUOTE]

Sorry - I haven't been on for a few days. Get a pill cutter or if you're [U]very[/U] steady with a sharp knife, cut the pills down into the smallest pieces you can and estimate what the dose it. I would cut 0.5 mg pills into 1/8th toward the end and stay on each dose for at least 5-7 days before decreasing down further. 1/8th of 0.5 is 0.0625 mg, which was my final dose that I tapered down to before I got off.

Re: KLONOPIN withdrawal- PLEASE help me!
 

Also, someone suggested on here a long time ago to break your dose into 2 doses a day (if you can) so that you keep a level amount in your body thru-out the day.

Re: KLONOPIN withdrawal- PLEASE help me!
 

I am really sorry you had to go through this.
Anxiety is a terrible thing.
I had a similar experience with Ativan when I first started having panic attacks.
I went off of it cold turkey, looking back I wish I hadn't, it was too hard on me,
same thing about having to force myself to eat, horrible anxiety, depression, etc, etc.

The good news is you are going to be fine.
But you do have to find what your brain is missing that it needs.
Ask your Pdoc about trying Strattera, it along with Zoloft has helped me
immensely. I take 75 mg Zoloft and 65 mg Strattera.
In the mean time you can add some supplements that will help:

L-theanine is calming, it is green tea extract and non-addictive
GABA is also calming and non-addictive and both are natural
and available over the counter at your local vitamin store.

I know what you mean about shaking your faith, panic and anxiety
are for real, and need to be treated, they can tear you apart.

Don't forget to call friends and family no matter how late if you
need someone to talk to, it has made me closer to those people
and gotten me through some horrible days and nights.

God Bless

Re: KLONOPIN withdrawal- PLEASE help me!
 

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. It makes me so mad and sad that so many people are having to endure this as a result of simply trusting their doctor to be informed. I hit bottom a couple of dats ago and doc saw me. Now I'm taking 5mg. Olanzapine. He says for just a few weeks, but then what?! I'm trying to stay positive and not scare myself. It most definitely brought me out of dangerous territory, but I still have a way to go. I'm going to .0625 for a week and then stop the Klonopin. I hope you are out of this now and doing well. Do u mind me asking how long before the hell was over?

Re: KLONOPIN withdrawal- PLEASE help me!
 

Your best bet for getting through this, if you are still having major anxiety, is
add to your maintenance meds, either up your antidepressant or add something like Strattera to your antidepressant that works on a second neurotransmitter like norepinephrine. Both should help the anxiety. Doctors
don't always know how people will react. I am unfortuneately like you, hyper-sensitive to meds, very small changes, make big differences in my anxiety level. Most people aren't like us, so doctors don't think about it, they just go with the average. Now that you know, you can warn them that you are sensitive to meds and need to take it slowly going up and down. I would also recommend, if you are not already, see a psychiatrist and not just a family doctor. Much of these meds will have to go on experience with people and family doctors just don't prescribe them often enough to get that experience to know what will work with what situation.

One thing I wanted to say is that, I would recommend looking for the best med combo and dosage, and not the smallest amount or when you can get off of them. Balanced brain chemistry is a blessing, and life will take on new meaning when you find it, you owe it to yourself and your kids.


God Bless