Hey guys!!! I want to be completely off any mind alternating pills but I do suffer from anxiety and panic disorder and have Klonopin for that and I only take it as needed, my next goal is to wean myself off them. I also take Celexa for depression so I’ve got clean from opioids so now on to the benzo. Thanks for any tips or help. You all are awesome
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A bold move!
Is this something you’ve already discussed with your doctor? They may have tips on stepping it down, or other important things to watch for.
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I have and we are going to start a taper so I can come off of them. It’s been 9 years so I’m going to taper under doctor’s care.
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Sounds like a solid plan to me then! May you know peace. 
Getting off of the benzos will be an awesome thing. Though I never abused them, I stopped everything at once when I was in rehab. Talk to tour doctor about Buspirone. It helps with anxiety and is in no way a narcotic. It works completely differently than xanax and klonopin, though I don’t know how.
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Buspar is a very solid choice for anxiety. Also, there are a few SSRI’s that work well too. Prozac had the highest success, but Lexapro is milder and works as well. I’m very glad you are taking this step. I was strictly following my prescription for xanax and klonopin for 7 to 8 years, then things changed and it wasn’t enough. By the time I went through detox I was taking anywhere between 6-9 mgs just to survive. I did a brutal detox over 18 days for benzos and alcohol and now have 2 years 4 months plus. Things are different off the benzos, but overall so much better!
Keep us posted! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me. I recently finished a looooong taper off of seroquel, so I know a good deal about the madness. I’ve also learned a lot about benzos since getting clean.
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Buspirone (buspar) has made such a difference in my recovery. I had used klonopin for anxiety attacks associated with PTSD, so when I went to rehab for pain pills, I asked for the klonopin to be stopped too. Buspar has helped keep my anxiety in check.
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Benzos were hard for me to get off of. My body would crave it and I was shakey and sweaty for a long time. It’s best to decrease your dosage slowly. I got sober in jail so I went off of benzos (and everything else) cold Turkey. It’s hard, but you can get through it. By the grace of God, I’m 1 year 5 months and 9 days sober today. It might be a good idea to ask your doctor for an anxiety medication that doesn’t have benzos in it.
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I was unable to tolerate buspar, it made me manic during the adjustment period, so we switched me to Lexapro, which is a good fit for my body chemistry. Finding what works for your own body/mind is key. No shame in taking medication needed for your well being.
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I’m thinking about talking to my psychiatrist about reintroducing buspar into my treatment. I was on it for a few years, a few years ago, and stopped taking it for what I know now was it interfering with my drinking. It’s never been at the top of the list of medications to try since getting sober, but that probably had more to do with me not dealing with it well while I was drinking. I have a script here at home, for as needed. I’ve never taken it that way. It’s a very off label way to take it, but my psychiatrist has a lot of experience prescribing it this way, and she’s young enough to be very up to date on new ways of using medication. I have to do something, the low dose of Lexapro isn’t enough and I’ve had issues with higher doses.
I’m glad this thread has been started. I need to evaluate these things.
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Thank you so much, my doctor has me on Celexa and I am in a taper from the Klonopin. He has me every other day for 2 weeks, then twice a week for 2 weeks then once a week then stop.
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Just remember why you are doing this. Always keep that in mind. You will have issues with anxiety and panicking throughout the taper process, this is completely normal. It will lessen after a bit of time once the benzos are done.
I completely understand the wish to be off all mind altering medications, but please remember that healthy mental health is a key component in sobriety. I’ve found myself now only on Lexapro and propranolol, which is amazing to me. Will it stay this way? I have no idea. Probably not since I am going to be exploring the Buspar again. And I will be going into an ADHD evaluation program to see if a prior, off the cuff diagnosis is true. But I’m okay with whatever happens because my mental health is the absolute biggest trigger for my addictions.
Maybe talk to your doctor about propranolol. It’s a blood pressure medication that is prescribed off label for anxiety, primarily social anxiety. I’ve found it extremely helpful for my OCD as well. At the very least, it helps with the physical symptoms anxiety. And, what anxious person has low blood pressure? 
I think it is amazing that you have made this choice. It’s not an easy one, but it’s the best choice.
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Oh wow!!! Thank you so much. I will definitely mention it to my doctor. I know people who buy and steal Klonopin and I’m thinking yes it helps me and I was put on it for good reason but I’m addicted to it, my body craves it when it’s gone and I just don’t want that anymore so anything else I will try just no benzo. Thank you so much and I wish you luck on your mental health also
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Yeah, that’s how it works. It’s scary that it’s so addictive, and that doctors aren’t very transparent about that or the way it changes your brain.
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I noticed you are from KY… So greetings from your sister state next door here in WV… 
I feel ya… 
Here’s why… After being on enough mind altering medications to choke a horse for more than 20 year’s, I made the decision that you are considering/working toward now almost two year’s ago… My life has been better this past couple year’s than has been in more than two decades!!! I’ve worked in healthcare management for more than 20 year’s so I’ve always had a lot of pressure to get my Anxiety issue’s in line because I still had to be productive despite those issue’s… Part of my job was to audit charts to make sure we had our ducks in a row… One day while helping our director of nursing department DNS reviewing charts for elderly patients to see who was taking 9 or more meds (because it automatically triggers the state to do an audit of that chart to ensure the need for all the medications) I thought well I’m on a lot of meds too… So sitting there around 24 year’s old back then I counted how many pills that I was up to myself and it was actually 12… Sadly, I was on more medications at 24 year’s old than a dying elderly patient in many cases would be… I was alarmed!!! My disorders according to the Dr started with Anxiety which led to Depression… Overtime I had also accumulated other diagnoses such as Tachycardia (high heart rate) ADHD, Bipolar, PTSD along with thing’s like seasonal allergies etc… When I expressed my concern to my primary health physician at the time his face turned red and I was told that being worried about thing’s was part of my disorder… So I continued my meds because after all I was not a Dr… But by doing what I was told to do I was actually making really bad choices such as not worrying about thing’s that I should like paying bills on time, overspending at the store, being on time for meeting’s, far worse etc… It wasn’t until my body hit the floor and my head hit my tub, blacking plum out waking up, going into the office and saying I’m done with it, that I was taken seriously… I know that’s not safe but neither was I to myself at the time… Of course I went off again/on again with my meds except for my Toprol (heart pill) and my prescription all day allergy medicine for year’s trying to fix my issue’s which was worse than just continuing or completely stopping treatment… completely stopping is also unsafe but I was making very unsafe choices by now… I can’t really explain how I did it because all I really did was decide I didn’t want to feel unlike myself to be able to feel like I fit to be productive… Although I wouldn’t advise anybody else to do what I did because I’m not a Dr, I will tell you that one day I just put it ALL down and said no more because I was unsure what was causing my issue’s and I knew I didn’t have every disorder I was being treated for, the side effects were in many cases worse than my disorders… I take ZERO medications now… My heart rate is fine since I no longer take the allergy medicine containing the main active ingredient in making meth which had my heart beating through the roof… (I wear a fitbit to monitor it constantly)… In all honesty as crazy as it sounds I might have just been going through a rough time in life, had a stressful job and probably just had a sinus infection…
I’m good now… I still go see my Dr, take my flu shot, get all my check ups etc but if they are gonna treat me with a pill, I want to see evidence that I need it… I told her a couple years back it’s just part of my disorder that I worry about it according to past Drs and she smiled lol… She said I didn’t even need to take Synthroid anymore because all of my labs are great… That allergy medicine side effect was thyroid problems too… It was one of the best things that I ever did for myself… Good luck to you!!! 
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That’s sounds so much like my story. I too have passed out and I hit my face on the corner of my living room and had 8 stitches. I’ve made my mind up and I’m coming off of this. Thank you for everything and I can do this!!! Great job!! I know that was hard. Much love from Kentucky
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Did you taper or just cold turkey with the benzo. I know 18 days doesn’t feel that long to most, but when you are in withdrawal every hour is torture
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Thank you and yes, you most certainly can… It sound’s to me like you have a REALLY great Dr who is willing to listen… I know I said I’d have to have evidence that I needed it before ever agreeing to medication’s but honestly if my current Dr was to tell me that I did, I’d ask for a follow up visit and bring a couple close relatives and I would do whatever she and they tell me to do because I trust my best interest would be in mind… They’ve seen me at and through my worst and I once saw My Current Dr year’s ago prior to being my Dr during a quarterly quality assurance meeting refuse cruise tickets from a well respected pharmaceutical company representative… She slid them, the pamphlets and samples back across the table and said she was too busy for a vacation and she gets sea sick… I was sold before she ever got her family practice license… Some people need medications, nothing at all wrong with that and are doing very well in their treatment… I feel like I’m doing well in mine… This app is helping me to understand so much… Nice to meet you…
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I stopped, 3 weeks after alcohol with xanax. And now I am minimalising the anti depression medication citalopram. Not easy but still motivated to go on.Nice to read same motivation.i feel supported by your mail.Thanks.
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Do not cold turkey from a benzo you could have a seizure. The tapering process it’s really important with that stuff
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