Stopping Klonopin

[liftr486]

im stopping klonopin and wanted to know what would be good natural alternatives to substitute it for. i know it wouldnt work as well as the klonopin, but at this point, the klonopin is doing shit for me anyway. i am also taking wellbutrin. i was thinking about adding in lexapro or oxycalm/p7....wat are your thoughts? GABA, 5-HTP. any experience would help a lot! thanks

 

[georgie24]

wait!

how long have you been on it? at what doses?

about 10 days post use your gonna run into a world of shit, trust me i know!

 

[liftr486]

i was planning on lowering dose gradually until im down to 0.5mg/day at the end of march

 

[liftr486]

right now im doing 4mg day with the occassional bump up sometimes

 

[airsmith2k]

how long u been doin them for? i used to take them and it sucks comin off of them. there is nothing to substitute them besides using xanax or valium

 

[liftr486]

been using them for a few months. plus im an alcoholic/addict so i dont always use as prescribed. i was planning on lowering dose every week until end of march and then going onto something more natutral and less addicting.

 

[airsmith2k]

been using them for a few months. plus im an alcoholic/addict so i dont always use as prescribed. i was planning on lowering dose every week until end of march and then going onto something more natutral and less addicting.

yeah im bad with pills too i was taking percocets for like 4 months straight and finally stopped them...i used to take xanax all the time and stopped them i dont withdrawl as bad as most people tho

 

[liftr486]

and u dont want to sub the klonopin with xanax or valium cuz then ill be hooked on them....i just go to gradually reduce the amounts....


any good otc anti-anxiety supps?

 

[liftr486]

im so scared about dropping the dose down....

 

[airsmith2k]

well do u really have anxiety or just take them to get fucked up like i did?

 

[liftr486]

have anxiety but they dont help

 

[liftr486]

bump

 

[stress]

Try Phenibut you can find it on bulknutrition.com. It has a similar effect. Here is a link with more information.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenibut

 

[liftr486]

never heard of it...

i wonder it neurogenex would have any effect?

 

[RachelEFC]

I used to also be hooked on it for anxiety reasons and fear of panic attacks. Rather than take it on a daily basis, you could try taking it only when you feel it's absolutely necessary. And don't keep it with you during the day, keep it somewhere else so you have time to think about whether you really need to take it or not.

 

[Bridger]

I would highly suggest consulting your prescribing MD on tapering and possibly finding a non-benzo substitute for your anxiety. Thats the smartest thing.

But, if that isn't an option....go to bluelight.nu or something. google it. You will find people who have experience with things like this.

 

[TVG]

Ughhhh. I'm on 3mg a day. Not looking forward to the day I have to quit. Funny. I used to take 1mg ativan EOD self-prescribed for a year with no addiction issues. Finally I went to the doctors to talk about the anxiety, and they get me hooked on klonopin.

 

[Cutiebaby]

Speak to your physician before attempting to do anything. You never know which meds have what affects when combined with another.
Or if you truly want to do this on your own speak to a pharmacist in the local pharmacy. If you are going to continue to ween yourself off of the klonopins then you really need to have some basic input on what to sub with that wont interact.
Good job weening yourself off of it, although you will be able to notice a difference. your body will notice and will act as though it "needs" the klonopins. Whatever you decide to do or not do I recommend the weening to continue, though if you are serious about this the last thing you want to do is bounce back and forth such as "Oh today I will take a full dose and maybe a little extra and tomorrow I will take 3/4 the normal dose cause I want to quit"...You will naturally screw up your system by bouncing around..So just speak to a pharmacist or a MD about which other options are out there that you can take while weening from the Kpins.

 

[musclemom]

As far as natural supplements that help with anxiety, I could tell you a few that are actually highly effective, non addictive natural supplements that help with anxiety/panic, but I'm telling you, you're going to get yourself into deeper shit by mixing GABA or 5-HTP in when you're already taking Wellbutrin. You're screwing around with your neurotransmitters and that can really make you nuts, literally.

No criticism or judgement, but be honest, are you playing pharmacist on yourself or is this monitored by a physician?

 

[jacquie]

im so scared about dropping the dose down....

Been prescribed 2mg 4x/day and 1mg 3x/day plus 2 at bedtime for the last six years or so. I always just took as needed and have many times forgot to take for a week or 2. Sometimes had been taking more than prescribed, sometimes less. No noticable withdawal. Got quite a large stash now . . . so I would agree to keep filling the scripts, taper yourself off, then take as needed.Very handy for panic attacks, situations of severe anxiety such as before public speaking/staff meetings for me. Don't worry.

 

[plifter]

I've been taking xanax for 17 years non-stop. I have severe panic attacks. I've been on almost every antidepressant and none of them stopped the panic attacks. I'm now taking controlled release xanax. I take one 2mg pill every day. It has been the greatest drug ever for my panic attacks. It gives me a consistent dose throughout the day. I haven't had a panic attack since I've been using the controlled release version.

Why do you want to quit Klonopin? Is your ailment cured? My best advice for quitting a benzo is to do it very slowly and be patient. At my worst I was taking 12 mg per day of regular xanax. I was on that dose for well over a year. I was always so tired. I told my doctor that I wanted to lower the dosage as much as possible. We started doing it 1/8 mg at a time. Slowly over a period of about 3 years I was able to get down to my current dose of 2 mg/day. However, by going that slowly, I did not suffer any type of withdrawal. Your doctor should be able to assist you greatly with this. I wish you luck!

 

[Snarling Force]

Interesting thread here. I've been on .5mg of Klonopin for the past 3 years and hever have upped my dose. That .5mg is the ONLY thing in the world that puts me to sleep and I've tried all prescription sleep aids. The problem is, after reading up on Klonopin, I read that it causes muscle fatigue and weakness. This all makes sense now because for the past several years, I could never figure out why I felt so weak in the mornings. The drug is still in my system at that point since I take it just before bed to sleep. The doctor wants me off of it and wants to put me on Lexapro but I don't want to take an SSRI. Do you all lift while taking Klonopin? Have you noticed yourself being weaker?