Do I need to taper

[Bgary530]

Hello.
After my first panic attack 3 months ago I was prescribed 30 1mg klonapin to take as needed. It took me 3 months but I finally finished the bottle and I am worried about having withdrawls. I never abused the meds and only took them when I was feeling really overwhelmed and was able to take week breaks here and there during the process. However the last few weeks I have been so worried about experiencing withdrawls that I wake up with swears and have been having muscle spasms in legs and arms that I am hyper focusing on. I can't tell if this is all my head or I'm really having withdrawls. I was experiencing some of these sensations when I still had a pill left and taking one didn't seem to alleviate anything so maybe that means I'm just making this all up in my head? I'm going to call my pdoc on Monday and see what he says but most of the people I talk to seem to think you need to be on them for a lot longer and take them more frequently before withdrawls kick in. Any advice?

[Catherine S]

Hi, Klonapin...known as Clonazipam in UK...is a sedative med, a tranquilser, and in my past experience of them 3 months is borderline dependant if taken daily, but of course you've taken them with some breaks, so you still have time to make a decision about whether to go on or not. From what you describe you are on the way to upping the dose to be honest. Unlike antidepressants, benzos are addictive and as soon as they start to produce similar symptoms to the original anxiety that's when you're advised to either give them up or up the dose depending on the doctor and your personal decision to carry on with them. With tranquilisers your body adapts to each dose and you end up having to take more to get the same effect. Doctors these days prescribe them in UK reluctantly but they do still have their place temporarily...usually one or two months max'. After my experience with them...on them for 2yrs and withdrawing gradually for another year, I became counsellor for people withdrawing from benzos and in those days...1980s, many people had been on them for years.

ISB x