Although Klonopin addiction is more common among people who misuse the drug, it’s still possible to become dependent on it if you take it as prescribed. Living with addiction, mental health issues, or overwhelming fears can feel isolating — even when no one else notices. Our expert team offers confidential, compassionate support that meets you where you are.
- With the help of a local psychiatrist, she slowly tapered off benzodiazepines using Valium.
- In the United States, benzodiazepine use is high, with around 12.5% of Americans taking medications in this drug class.
- People suffering from rebound effects can experience intense sleeplessness, anxiety, seizures or panic attacks.
- Willingway’s medical staff members work as a unified care team, analyzing the origins of the condition and its impact on whole-person health.
Chapter 2: How to withdraw from benzodiazepines after long-term use
While in the short term benzodiazepines like Klonopin provide rapid and pleasing relief, in the long-term they ultimately lead to more insomnia and anxiety. It takes a little as one month to develop a dependence on Klonopin. When this happens, the user needs to keep taking the drug in order to prevent withdrawal symptoms. In the second week, have them reduced to 50 percent of their original dose or 1 mg. In the third week of tapering, have them drop to 25 percent of their original dose or 0.5 mg. In the fourth week, have them lessen their dose to 12.5 percent or .25 mg daily.
Factors That Affect the Withdrawal Timeline
Antidepressant drugs should also be tapered slowly since they too can cause a withdrawal reaction (euphemistically labelled “antidepressant discontinuation reaction” by psychiatrists). If you are taking an antidepressant drug as well as a benzodiazepine it is best to complete the benzodiazepine withdrawal before starting to taper the antidepressant. A list of antidepressant drugs and brief advice on how to taper them is given in Schedule 13 of this chapter. Some antidepressant withdrawal (“discontinuation”) symptoms are shown in Chapter 3 (Table 2). Furthermore, the evidence suggests that benzodiazepines are no longer effective after a few weeks or months of regular use. They lose much of their efficacy because of the development of tolerance.
Treatment for Klonopin Addiction
Common side effects include slurred speech, memory loss, confusion, sleepiness, and increased fall risk. Car accidents from slowed reaction time or over-sedation can occur. If people become tolerant, and as the dose is increased to get more therapeutic benefit, the 4 ways to withdraw from clonazepam side effects get worse, too. Some people even start to crave these medications and use more than prescribed or develop an addiction to them. Keep in mind that detox clinics will often have a tapering schedule that is too fast. It is deemed safe when it is an inpatient detoxification or medical detox, but it can leave you with post-withdrawal syndrome.
Understanding Addiction
Researchers reduced each person’s daily dose by 0.5 milligrams every two weeks. Once the participants were taking 1 milligram per day, doctors decreased the dose by 0.25 milligrams every week until doses were stopped altogether. Additionally, benzodiazepines should not be withdrawn abruptly because there is a risk of epileptic fits or a person can become confused or experience paranoid psychosis. Therefore, doctors typically recommend that patients who are on benzodiazepines like Klonopin taper off the medication in order to avoid the potentially life-threatening withdrawal symptoms.
Understanding Clonazepam’s Effects on the Brain and Body
Unfortunately, the literature is sparse and often anecdotal at best. Very small studies and case reports have shown that drugs such as gabapentin, carbamazepine, and propranolol may help as aids in withdrawal. Trazodone, mirtazapine, and quetiapine may be helpful in some for insomnia. Some patients have reported relief of withdrawal symptoms with the use of CBD oil or medical marijuana.
Whether you are struggling with addiction, mental health or both, our expert team is here to guide you every step of the way. Don’t wait— reach out today to take the first step toward taking control of your life. Even though each person is unique and follows their own recovery schedule, there is a general withdrawal timeline to expect. Understanding what this timeline looks like can help you prepare accordingly for each step of the process. Klonopin’s withdrawal symptoms can last up to 90 days, but the exact duration of withdrawal is different for everyone. Licensed medical professionals review material we publish on our site.
The Relationship Between Neuroplasticity and Anxiety
Diazepam (Valium) is the only benzodiazepine that is ideal for this purpose since it comes in 2mg tablets, which are scored down the middle and easily halved into 1 mg doses. Even by halving these tablets the smallest reduction one could easily make is the equivalent of 2.5mg diazepam. (Some patients become very adept at shaving small portions off their tablets). Because of limited dose formulations, it may be necessary to switch to diazepam even if you are on a fairly long-acting benzodiazepine of relatively low potency (e.g. flurazepam Dalmane).
- Some people that quit cold turkey may experience a post acute withdrawal phase in which they experience symptoms long after the drug has been out of their system.
- Withdrawal symptoms can occur after taking benzodiazepines for longer than three to four weeks, even when taking them exactly as directed.
- If you’re facing this yourself or helping someone who is, it’s vital to understand Klonopin withdrawal symptoms.
- Therapy can also equip individuals with coping strategies to manage anxiety, depression, or stress that may arise during the withdrawal process.
- The body’s response to clonazepam withdrawal largely depends on individual physiology.
If they try a more-conservative conversion and feel underdosed or experience intolerable withdrawal symptoms, they should be allowed to increase their dose until they are comfortable before attempting a reduction. Unlike opiates, benzodiazepine equivalents are not studied or mandated by the FDA, and individual responses may differ. During clonazepam withdrawal, healthcare providers may prescribe certain medications to help alleviate severe symptoms. One common medication used is Clonidine, which can effectively manage excessive sweating—a notable withdrawal symptom.
About Benzodiazepines and Z-Drugs: The Good and the Bad
Tapering under medical guidance is the safest way to prevent serious complications. According to an article published in Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology, when taking benzodiazepines like Klonopin, it can result in physical dependence and tolerance. After a period of 1 to 6 months of use, abruptly stopping benzodiazepines can result in severe withdrawal symptoms, such as life-threatening seizures, delirium, and death. Additionally, since these drugs impact brain activity, discontinuing use can result in disturbances in the brain, which can result in seizures, psychosis, and suicidal thoughts or actions. For short-acting benzodiazepines, such as alprazolam, rebound symptoms may appear between doses,1 which typically leads to dose escalation with temporary relief of these symptoms,4 as in this case scenario. This patient has developed numerous concerning adverse effects, including tolerance, physiologic dependence, and withdrawal.
