Klonopin Withdrawal Duration - How Long Does it Take

Klonopin withdrawal duration – How long does Klonopin last in your system?  I will go by my own personal experience.

I had a IT job for twelve years at a major company until I recently lost it this past April (don’t worry, I found a better job J  ).  When I was there, I would start off with a big amount such as 2mg.  Then, after three hours, I would find my body and mind “shutting down” and I would take a half a pill which was 1mg.  I would have these pills divided up beforehand, so whenever I needed it, I could reach in and pop it in my mouth, swallowing it without water.  I felt like a professional pill popper.  I would train myself not to take any before the three hour mark, and there were times I didn’t take it until the four hour mark.

Now on my days off from work, I would either take NO klonopin, or 1 mg.  This small dosage would last all day for me – that’s because I’m always anxious at work and I had to have the Klonopin, but at home – I didn’t.  Now my work schedule was like this though – I worked three or four twelve hour days and then I would have three or straight days off.  This was a great schedule for me. 

On my first day off from work – I didn’t need Klonopin at all, so I usually went without it.  Now the second day, I would start feeling the effects of not having Klonopin within my system, and would try to go all day without having the crap in my system.  This is when I turned to hypnosis, or meditation, and it would usually help me get through the day.  However, before my three / four days of time off was up per week, I would usually end up taking 1 mg of Klonopin.  For some odd reason, I just didn’t need the Klonopin when I was off from work.  However, at work – it was a different story, and I took it every three to four hours.

So you are probably wondering how much you should take.  Well, if this is your fist time taking a benzo, then you should start out with .25 mg – but again, this is up to your doctor.  The doctor will probably want you to see him/her in four to six weeks after you start.  Do me a favor.  Don’t ask for more when you go back in the second time.  This will be rough when you try to stop. 

Also –you are probably wondering about how long it will take to withdrawal from Klonopin.  Well – your not going to like the answer, but after reviewing hundreds of case studies – it will take up to a couple years, maybe longer.  However, I’ve known people that take only two months to get off the stuff as well.  Again, it really depends on your chemical makeup – and if you have an addictive personality or not.  The most important thing to remember is this:  take your time withdrawing from Klonopin (or Xanax).  Do NOT go cold turkey.  Set goals.  Expect yourself to retreat at times – BUT ALWAYS TAKE YOUR TIME WITHDRAWING FROM KLONOPIN.

Klonopin

I thought I would write a little bit about Klonopin itself.  This is intended for anybody that has some type of anxiety disorder in their life and is thinking about taking either Klonopin or Xanax.  Indeed, they both work, however, there is some consequences when taking these type of medications.  You, yourself, if you are one of those thinking about taking benzos, have to weigh in everything.  However, let me tell you my story.

I was diagnosed with social anxiety back in the mid-nineties.  The doctor gave me Xanax and I was on it for years.  I have to admit, I could function once again in society, however, when I was off of it for one day - it was horrible.  I had feelings of disorientation, headaches and short-term memory.  If I took it everyday, then I would get used to it and found myself taking more.  In the end - it helped me, but there was a price to pay.

So here is my advice.  Stay away from it and try to overcome your anxieties (or whatever you need it for).  One way is through self-hypnosis.  This is basically relaxing your body three times a day and visualizing yourself going through your own personal experiences that you have problems with.

Klonopin Withdrawal Symptoms

I have taken Klonopin for about ten years now and I would have  to admit, it has changed my life for the worse and for the better.  I am trying to overcome social anxiety and that is why I originally went to see my doctor.  He gave me Xanax and that is where everything changed.  I was able to talk to people whenever I took it but then I got addicted to it.  I found myself taking more and more where it wasn't as effective - but still good enough to talk to people.  However, I did not go out and socialize people over drinks or something like that (please see Klonopin and Alcohol Mixed about mixing benzos with other drugs).

I was developing Xanax symptoms which was anything from brain fog to headaches.  I then switched to Klonopin to make my system more steady.  I feel back to normal at times, but now I am trying to taper off the medicine and I'm really feeling the withdrawal symptoms.  Let me tell you what I go through.

First of all, I am a supervisor at a data center and work 12 hour days every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday - every other Saturday.  I take one mg of Klonopin every three to four hours during these work days.  On my days off, I hardly take it.  That's where it really hits me hard.  On my first day off, I really don't feel anything.  I feel pretty normal, however, on my second day, I feel a lot of brain fog.  So what is brain fog?  I can't really explain it, but it takes you out of reality.  You feel like medicine head and some slight ringing in the ears.  A lot of disorientation and it only increases if you go out in public - at least for me.  But I think social anxiety brings that on.  Amazing - I can't believe I am still alive after all these years.  I feel like a mere shell on my days off.

I have started to take a little bit of Klonopin here and there on my days off.  It helps me a little, but not like when I'm at work when I'm forced to take it every three to four hours.  I still get the headaches and the brain fog.  I also get "Klonopin Twitching" where the muscles are twitching or my skin feels like it is crawling.  How I deal with that is I used meditation.  In other words, I just lay down on my bed and relax my body.  I usually put some phones on with soothing music or sounds of waves crashing gently on a beach.  I then meditate and twenty minutes later - I'm feeling a lot better.  It doesn't mean that I will be relaxed for the rest of the day, but at least for the next hour or so - to get me out of a rough patch.  You may have to do it a couple times a day to keep the Klonopin withdrawal symptoms away.  Also - some of the symptoms may still linger, but at least you'll feel a lot more relieved.

You may think about drinking green tea as well.  I drink Teas' Tea which really helps a lot.  It isn't like meditation, but it does calm you down and keeps the symptoms at bay.  However, it does taste like tree bark, so you may want to put a sweetner in it.  I would also recommend Carrington Tea which is also Green Tea - however, it is not as powerful as the Teas' Tea.  You can get some at Walmart or or Giant Eagle.

Anyway - if you are suffering from withdrawal symptoms from any type of Benzo medication like Xanax or Klonopin, you can follow the above techniques.  However, make sure you check with your doctor before taking my advice.  Everything that I am prescribing is natural and will not hurt you - but I have to legally say this to protect myself.  Also, if you need to talk to someone, you can e-mail me at mshrigley@gmail.com.  I'll respond back to you within 24 hours to give you advice.

Good luck with your withdrawal symptoms and have a good day (or night).  :)