This is what any physician should be
required to advise patients upon prescribing Klonopin. I
began my journey to Hell a little over 6 years ago while
going through a nasty divorce. I was experiencing
major anxiety, panic attacks, and insomnia. These
symptoms did improve. However, over the years I
developed hypertension and steadily gained weight which I
had never had a problem with. I began taking
Lisinopril for the hypertension.
I made the decision to go off of the
Klonopin after seeing my gynecologist and discussing these
issues with her. She said that she felt the K was the
culprit. I asked how to taper, she told me to talk to
my family doctor who prescribed it to me. I was not
told of the horrible withdrawal so I didn't think it would
be a big deal. I began tapering....and did a complete
taper within a month. I had been taking 1 mg 3X daily
for 6+ years.
At first I did not attribute my
symptoms to the withdrawal. It was subtle at first,
smells and the taste of food was very strange. Hands
and feet numb and tingling. Unable to carry a train of
thought and to complete a task. I googled withdrawal
from Klonopin. I was shocked at what I read. I
prayed that I would not experience any of it.....and really
did not think this would happen to "me". Little did I
know that I had just begun my descent into Hell.
I do not feel that I can adequately
convey the nightmare. You just about have to go
through it to know what it is like. There are exceptions, as
Jim is proof of. I thank God for his dedication to
overcoming addiction and The Road Back. I will get
into this a little later.
Here is a list of what I experienced,
not in order and not to the degree of each symptom, there is
really no way to do so:
major anxiety and panic attacks,
insomnia, hot/cold spells, severe sweating, no appetite,
sensitivity to noise/ light/ movement, pain in extremities,
blurred vision, ringing in ears, fullness in head,
vertigo, high bp even on lisinopril, increased heart rate,
confusion, disorientation, de-realization,
depersonalization, detachment. I was completely unable
to function.
About two weeks into this horror, my
daughter visited and started researching online. She
found The Road Back program. I was willing to try
anything. My husband placed an order for the Neuro
Endure Mini. Of course it would be a few days to
receive it which doesn't seem long. But when you are
living a minute to minute nightmare it is a very long time.
And I was not certain it would even work. I was at the
end of my rope. I had not slept in 4 consecutive days
and nights. My heart rate was 130+ constantly. I
felt like I was going to die. My husband thought that
since I had read about these withdrawal symptoms that
somehow I should miraculously be "alright", bc it was
"normal" and I would eventually be okay. He told me to
"get a grip". I began to cry, uncontrollably.
And scream...it seemed as though it was not even coming from
me. I did not even feel human, I felt like an alien.
I could not take anymore.
My husband drove me to the ER. I
was terrified that I would be committed to the psyche ward.
I feared that the doctor would not understand (who
could???)! Thankfully I was wrong. After I had
somehow been talking for quite some time, he finally looked
me in the eye. I did not think I had gotten through to
him. He disclosed that his son had been addicted to K
and was hospitalized for seizures. I was relieved and
terrified at the same time. He reassured me that I was
most likely past the seizure stage. He said that
kicking the K would be the hardest thing I have ever done in
my life but that it would be so worth it. He did ask
me if I wanted to go back on the K, that the majority of ppl
could not make it through withdrawal and went back on the
drug. I will admit that I had thought about it......I
somehow found the courage to say NO. He was concerned
about my bp which was 157/124 P132 upon entering hospital.
But he did not want to address it just yet as he felt is was
a result of withdrawal. He prescribed a 20 day of
Lunesta for sleep. I actually slept for the first time
in days. Thank God for this doctor.
I thought that maybe since I had gotten
some sleep that my symptoms would improve. I was
wrong. I thought about Neuro Endure Mini and began an
agonizing wait. I would sit outside and wait for the
delivery, afraid that I would miss it. I was a bit
skeptical as I had the misconception that anything that
wasn't prescribed by a doctor was worthless. But yet I was
desperate and this man Jim Harper really seemed to know his
stuff. I finally received my NEM and had to restrain
myself to only take the recommended amount.
I had corresponded with Jim/The Road
Back on occasion. This was my lifeline. He
suggested keeping a journal to monitor my reactions and I
did. I am very thankful for this as now that I am
better it is a little difficult for me to remember how
debilitated I really was.
After only a few days I increased to 2
capsules 3X daily. On about day five, I began to catch
glimpses of "Jill". Very brief but still........it was
a start. I also began taking the JNK 3 capsules daily,
as well as Omega 3, vitamin E and biotin. It was a
slow and steady progression at first, but praise God I am
happy to report that I am feeling human again. I have
control again! I know without a doubt that these
supplements work! It seems like years ago that I first
contacted Jim. Hard to believe it has only been about
three months. Most with this degree of withdrawal
report at least a year. I do not think I could have
endured that. Occasionally I have a bad day, and I
found that even 1 glass of wine would set me back. I
avoid all alcohol. My bp and heart rate have returned
to normal! I no longer take Lunesta and I am able to sleep.
I am enjoying the things that brought me joy years ago.
I am discovering new and exciting things about myself.
I want to encourage anyone going
through withdrawal to Klonopin or other Benzo drugs to give
The Road Back a try. The information and support is
FREE. The supplements saved my life. I read some
reviews about the supplements being expensive.
Hello???????? I would have paid anything to be better,
even rehab. The ER doctor told me that his son had
been to rehab several times to no avail. I cannot
confirm or deny rehab treatment as I have not had it.
But I can tell you that the supplements are a mere fraction
of the cost of rehab. I will continue with the NEM
until I feel that I am completely well.
I hope that my experience will help
others that find themselves in this hellish nightmare.
I could never thank Jim Harper enough. God bless him
and The Road Back program.”
Klonopin Withdrawal Side Effects
CARDIAC DISORDERS
Palpitation
- Perceptible forcible pulsation of the heart,
usually with an increase in frequency or force, with
or without irregularity in rhythm.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Tachycardia
- Rapid heart rate.
Klonopin Withdrawal
EAR AND LABYRINTH DISORDERS
Ear pain
- Any pain connected to the inner or outer portion
of the ear.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Tinnitus
- A sound in one ear or both ears, such as buzzing,
ringing, or whistling, occurring without an external
stimulus and usually caused by a
separate condition, such as the use of
benzodiazepines.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Vertigo
- A sensation of irregular or whirling motion,
either of oneself or of external objects.
Klonopin Withdrawal
EYE DISORDER
Blurred vision
- Compared to normal, a distortion of vision.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Mydriasis
- Prolonged abnormal dilation of the pupil of the
eye induced by a drug or caused by disease.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Photophobia
-
An
abnormal sensitivity
to
or
intolerance of light, especially by the eyes,
as may be caused by eye inflammation.
An abnormal fear of light.
Klonopin Withdrawal
GASTROINTESTIONAL DISORDERS
Abdominal pain
- Pain between the chest and pelvis, stomach,
intestines, liver, spleen, and pancreas.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Constipation
- Difficulty having normal bowel movement.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Diarrhea
- Excessive and frequent evacuation of watery feces.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Dry mouth
- When the mouth is dry beyond what might be normal.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Dyspepsia
- Disturbed digestion; indigestion.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Dysphagia
- Difficulty in swallowing or inability to swallow.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Nausea
- A feeling of sickness with the urge to vomit.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Pharyngolaryngeal syndrome
- Of or pertaining to the larynx or pharynx.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Salivary hypersecretion
- A continual or excessive amount of saliva
that is uncontrollable.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Vomiting
- Ejecting all or part of the stomach contents.
Klonopin Withdrawal
GENERAL DISORDERS
Asthenia
- Loss or lack of bodily strength.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Chest tightness
- A feeling in the chest of contraction.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Edema
- An accumulation of an excessive amount of watery
fluid in
cells, tissues, or body cavities.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Fatigue
– The body feeling drained of energy.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Feeling drunk
- Feelings associated with drinking too much
alcohol.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Feeling hot or cold
- An uncontrollable feeling of being too hot or cold
that is abnormal
for the temperature.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Feeling jittery
- An uneasy feeling often associated with the
inability to remain still.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Hangover
- Feeling like the day after consuming too much
alcohol. All or a few hangover sensations may be
present.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Increased energy
- An abnormal amount of energy bordering on hyper.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Loss of control of legs
– Inability to control
legs, such as restless leg syndrome.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Malaise
- A vague feeling of bodily discomfort, as at the
beginning of an illness.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Pyrexia
– Fever.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Rigors
- Shivering or trembling, as caused by a chill. A
state of rigidity
in living tissues or organs that prevents response
to stimuli.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Sluggishness
- A fatigue type feeling or dull.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Thirst
- An abnormal sensation of needing liquid.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Weakness
- A reduced state of normal energy and stamina.
Klonopin Withdrawal
INFECTIONS AND INFESTATIONS
Influenza symptoms
- The body feeling and at times the manifestation
of flue like symptoms.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Upper respiratory tract infections
- Infection of the nose, sinuses, pharynx
(part of neck and throat) or larynx (commonly known
as the voice box).
Klonopin Withdrawal
MENTAL DISORDERS
Abnormal dreams
- Nightmares or dreams that are upsetting to the
individual.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Aggression
- Hostile or destructive behavior or actions.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Agitation
- A feeling where something or anything could set a
person toward anger or combativeness.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Anger
- Uncontrollable and volatile emotion with rage;
usually
an attempt to stop someone or something.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Anxiety
- A state
of uneasiness
and apprehension,
as about future uncertainties.
A state of intense apprehension, uncertainty,
and fear resulting from the anticipation of a
threatening event or situation, often to a degree
that normal physical and psychological functioning
is disrupted.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Apathy
- A feeling of no hope, such as if anything can be
done it would not work.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Bradyphrenia
- A slowness of the mind.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Confusion
- An impaired orientation with respect to time,
place or the form of an event.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Depersonalization
- A state in which the normal sense of personal
identity and reality is lost, characterized
by feelings that one’s actions and speech
cannot be controlled.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Depressed mood
- A lowering of the state of mind or emotion
compared to what a person normally feels.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Depression
- A feeling of no hope.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Derealization
-
The
feeling that
things
in
one’s
surroundings
are strange, unreal, or somehow altered, as
seen in schizophrenia.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Disorientation
– A loss of sense of direction, position, or
relationship with one’s
surroundings.
A temporary or permanent state
of confusion regarding place, time or
personal identity.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Dysphonia
- An emotional state marked by anxiety, depression,
and restlessness.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Euphoric mood
- A feeling of great happiness or well-being,
commonly exaggerated and not necessarily well
founded.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Hallucination
- False or distorted perception of objects or events
with a compelling sense of their reality, usually
resulting from a traumatic life event or drugs.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Homicidal ideation
- The formation of the idea or having the mental
image of murder.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Hypomania
- A mild form of mania, characterized by
hyperactivity and euphoria.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Impulse control
- A sudden pushing or driving force. A sudden wish
or urge that prompts an unpremeditated act or
feeling; an abrupt inclination.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Insomnia
- Chronic inability to fall asleep
or remain asleep
for an adequate length of time.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Irritability
- 1. The capacity to respond to stimuli. 2. Abnormal
or excessive sensitivity to stimuli of organism,
organ, or body part.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Libido decreased
- Sexual desire decreased.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Libido increased
- Sexual desire increased.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Logorrhea
- Incoherent talkativeness.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Mania
- A manifestation of bipolar disorder characterized
by profuse and rapidly changing ideas, exaggerated
gaiety, and excessive physical activity.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Mood swings
- The up and or down movement of emotions that are
uncontrollable.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Nervousness
- Easily agitated or distressed.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Nightmare
- A dream creating intense fear, horror, and
distress.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Psychomotor retardation
- The retardation of movement and or mental process.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Restlessness
- An uneasy feeling of not being able to be where
one is located comfortably.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Suicidal ideation
- The formation of an idea or mental image of
killing one self.
Klonopin Withdrawal
METABOLISM AND NUTRITION DISORDERS
Anorexia
- Loss of appetite, usually including a fear of
becoming obese or a aversion toward food.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Appetite decreased
- A decrease in the feeling one needs food for
survival.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Appetite increased
- An increase of the desire for food for survival.
Klonopin Withdrawal
MUSCULOSKELETAL AND CONNECTIVE TISSUE DISORDERS
Arthralgia
- Severe pain in a joint.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Back pain
- An unexplained pain anywhere in the back.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Muscle cramps
- Muscle being contracted to the point of
discomfort.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Muscle twitching
- A rhythmic or irregular involuntary movement of
any muscle.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Myalgia
- Muscular pain or tenderness, especially when
nonspecific.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Pain in limb
- Pain in arm or leg.
Klonopin Withdrawal
NERVOUS SYSTEM DISORDERS
Amnesia
- The loss or impairment of memory.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Ataxia
- Loss of the ability to coordinate muscular
movement.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Coordination abnormal
- Maintaining balance of the body difficult in
comparison to what is normal for the person.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Disturbance in attention
- Not able to remain as focused
as one was able to in the past.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Dizziness
- A disorienting sensation such as faintness,
light-headedness, or unsteadiness.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Dysarthria
- Difficulty in articulating words due to emotional
stress or to paralysis or in coordination of the
muscles used in speaking.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Dyskinesia
- An impairment in the ability to
control movements, characterized by spasmodic
or repetitive motions of lack of coordination.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Headache
- A continual or time specific duration with
pressure or pain within the head.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Hypersomnia
- A condition in which one sleeps for an excessively
long time but is normal in the waking intervals.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Hypoesthesia
- Drowsiness.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Hypotonia
- Reduced tension or pressure, as of the intraocular
fluid in
the eyeball. Relaxation of the arteries.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Memory impairment
- Not able to recall an instance from the past as
well as before.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Mental impairment
- The ability to think and reason diminished.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Paresthesia
- A skin sensation, such as burning, prickling,
itching, or tingling.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Sedation
- An over expression of reduction of anxiety,
stress, irritability or excitement.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Seizures
- A sudden attack, spasm, or convulsion,
as in epilepsy.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Sleep apnea
- A temporary
cessation of breathing while sleeping.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Sleep talking
- Speaking words while asleep.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Somnolence
- A state of drowsiness; sleepiness. A condition of
semi- consciousness approaching coma.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Stupor
- A state of impaired consciousness characterized by
a marked diminution in the capacity to react to
environmental stimuli.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Syncope
- A brief loss of consciousness caused by a sudden
fall of blood pressure or failure of cardiac
systole, resulting in cerebral anemia.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Tremor
- An involuntary trembling movement.
Klonopin Withdrawal
RENAL, THORACIC, AND MEDIASTINAL DISORDERS
Difficulty in micturition
- Difficulty with urination or the frequency of.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Urinary frequency
- An abnormal frequency of urination.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Urinary incontinence
- Involuntary leakage of urine.
Klonopin Withdrawal
REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM AND BREAST DISORDERS
Dysmenorrhea
- A condition marked by painful menstruation.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Premenstrual syndrome
- A group of symptoms, including abdominal
bloating, breast tenderness, headache, fatigue,
irritability, and depression.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Sexual dysfunction
- A non-normal, for the individual, behavior or
ability to have sex.
Klonopin Withdrawal
RESPIRATORY, THORACIC AND MEDIASTINAL DISORDERS
Choking sensation
- A feeling of choking with or without cause.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Dyspnea
- Difficulty in breathing, often associated with
lung or heart
disease and resulting in shortness of breath.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Epistaxis
- Nosebleed.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Hyperventilation
- Abnormally fast or deep respiration resulting in
the loss of carbon dioxide from the blood, thereby
causing a decrease in blood pressure and sometimes
fainting.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Nasal congestion
- A stoppage or restriction of the nasal passage.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Rhinitis
- Inflammation of the nasal membranes.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Rhinorrhea
- A discharge from the mucous membrane,
especially if excessive.
Klonopin Withdrawal
VASCULAR DISORDERS
Hot flashes
– A sudden, brief sensation of heat, often over the
entire body, caused by a transient dilation of blood
vessels of the skin.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Hypotension
- Abnormally low arterial blood pressure.
Klonopin Withdrawal
SKIN AND SUBCUTANEOUS TISSUE DISORDERS
Clamminess
- Abnormally moist, sticky and cold to the touch.
Pruritus
- Severe itching, often of undamaged
skin.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Rash
- A skin eruption.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Sweating increased
- Abnormal increase of perspiration.
Klonopin Withdrawal
Urticaria
- A skin condition characterized by welts that itch
intensely, caused by an allergic reaction, an
infection, or nervous condition.
Klonopin Withdrawal