I know about this, but I need more info. It depends on your dose and do you take it every day? How much is your dose, may I ask? Are you taking another medication to replace this, or are you looking to get off of this type of medication altogether?

As with going off other meds of this type, it would be a gradual tapering down. Clonazepam, a benzodiazepine, can be addictive, due to it's tranquilizing, anti anxiety, and calming effects.

Are they switching you to another benzodiazepine?

They switched me to lorazepam a couple weeks ago due to the clonazepam seemed to quit working. I am now on up to 3mg of lorazepam if needed. I had been on clonazepam for the last 19 years 1 mg a day.

I want to get off this kind of med completely but they are having trouble finding one that works.

I was using point 5 mg of lorazapam for mood swings and hot flashes. Couldn't sleep either. I took it down myself. It wasn't hard but you may be different. My dose was not big to start with. I didn't have the worries I have now either!

Thank you GirlinCalif and Mary. Any more info would be greatly appreciate. I am so scared of getting off this.

You will be okay! :) Everyone is different. I liked the clonazepam, and was up to 2 mgs once per night to wind down so I would be calm and sleep. I found it more calming and relaxing than lorazepam (which I have also taken, but only during the day, whereas clonazepam I took once per night to calm and sleep).

If you like the clonazepam, you can stay on it. You can take both of those medications, too. I took one for day, and the other one for night, because they are different kinds of medications. 1 mgs might not be enough, and they need to increase it to get the full effect. Like I said, everyone is different, and you'll have to talk to your doctor about it. I loved clonazepam, but I needed closer to 2 mgs.

Remember that YOU are in control. Take note of which medications you like, which you don't. They could just do a dose adjustment. I think you will have to wean off it slowly, though.

I certainly understand being scared of medication changes. Just remember you are in control, and you will ultimately do what works best for you. Doctors can only make suggestions and try things, but ultimately YOU have the last say! :) See what he has to say, and you two can talk about it, too. You do have power in all of this.

Thanks GirlinCalif you made me feel less anxious about this. When I googled it the withdrawals were too much for me to handle. We will see what the dr says. ❤️

I was on it for about 3 yrs===.5mgs and I had to taper off reallllllllly slowly or I'd get kickback anxiety and heart palpitations----but I seem to always have an issue with getting on or off these meds...also--no one was giving me something to replace it.

Hyperpgal. Did you not go on any other med at all?

I agree. Hypergal was on 5 mgs, and I was on 2 mgs taken once per night. Mattie, May I ask why do you want to go off Clonazepam? And then your goal is to switch to only Lorazepam? Just wondering. Because I have been on both, and I took both of them at the same time. I feel they are completely different drugs, they give me different effects, so I took Clon at night and Lorazepam during the day. And that seemed to work out well for me.

Maybe the Clon dose is too low, that's why it's not doing anything? Just a thought! I have no idea what your situation is and of course you need to discuss with your doctor. But in my case, I liked Clonazepam a lot and I would take it forever, it has that very subtle calming to it, and I liked it better than the Lorazepam.

Maybe if you explained more what you are trying to accomplish, we could be of more help? Thanks :)

I have always done well on the clonazepam till just the last month. My anxiety skyrocketed so my med manager tried a couple other things That didn’t work rather than increasing my clonazepam. The clonazepam always worked and the lorazepam makes me more agitated and doesn’t take care of the anxiety as well. But she wants me to stay on this until I see the pdoc. My med manager said I can’t be on both.

Of course you can be on both! Okay, I shouldn't say that, obviously everyone is different, but I was on both for over 20 years... Lorazepam once during the early day, and Clonazepam 2 mgs once per night. I could take both at the same time if I wanted.

You *might* need to take more Clonazepam. Since you said it works for you (I liked it too!!), I am really thinking you just need a half milligram more and you would be okay (AGAIN, I do NOT know, I am only sharing my experience with it). I think Clonazepam is a really good anxiety drug. For me, I could only take it in the evening (due to sedating effects), and then I had like 12 hours of bliss and calmmmmm.

Is a "med manager" a doctor? I have never heard that term.

Again, YOU are in charge. If you like the Clonazepam, you should stay on it. Probably just need 1/4 or a 1/2 more would be my GUESS.

Feel free to PM me if you want.

For starters, always listen to your doctor. I went off Clonazepam cold turkey (not advised, but for personal reasons I wanted to get off my meds) after taking it for 2 years daily and the withdrawal was horrible. Massive headaches, nausea, and basically the worst week or so that I've ever experienced. I would advise against what I did and work with your doctor on a plan to lower the dosage until you're off completely. I still take a low-dose pill from time to time to deal with high-anxiety situations, however, just know that anxiety doesn't just go away. I deal with mine much better than I have in the past, but it's always there. Make sure you have a new med or you are prepared to cope without your daily dosage. Life without meds are possible, but it's not easy and some days are a lot more difficult without meds.

I will emphasize - keep a daily journal to help you sort through the changes and whether those changes are short-term, long-term, and what the medicine accomplishes.

All too often, the race to change medicine levels is done in "piecemeal" fashion. Accurate evaluation is so important.

Be careful, whatever you choose.

Sometimes, the doctor is focused on one symptom, rather than the full symptom.

Best wishes.