gb84 Posted August 29, 2018 Share Posted August 29, 2018 Been on Klonopin for 12 years. Currently taking .25mg am and .5mg pm. I am trying to get in to a new pdoc who wants me to get off Klonopin. Haven't had the appointment yet, but deathly afraid of withdrawal. I read that Klonopin works on gaba receptors. I also take Gabapentin 600mg x5. Will having the Gabapentin in my system while I taper off Klonopin reduce the chance of bad withdrawal symptoms? I tried many years ago to get off Klonopin and I remember having major fits of rage and anger along with rebound anxiety. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyRedhead Posted August 30, 2018 Share Posted August 30, 2018 (edited) On 8/29/2018 at 9:48 AM, gb84 said: I am trying to get in to a new pdoc who wants me to get off Klonopin. Haven't had the appointment yet, but deathly afraid of withdrawal. Why does the new doc want to take you off Klonopin?......You really are on a pretty low dose (less than 1mg/day). Edited August 30, 2018 by CrazyRedhead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gb84 Posted August 30, 2018 Author Share Posted August 30, 2018 3 hours ago, CrazyRedhead said: Why does the new doc want to take you off Klonopin?......You really are on a pretty low dose (less than 1mg/day). When the office called they said it was a requirement to see the pdoc that I am willing to get off of it. I don't know the actual "why" yet unfortunately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyRedhead Posted August 30, 2018 Share Posted August 30, 2018 (edited) 2 hours ago, gb84 said: When the office called they said it was a requirement to see the pdoc that I am willing to get off of it. I don't know the actual "why" yet unfortunately. Not trying to pre-judge this doc, but IMO, he might be one of those pdocs who refuses to prescribe benzos to anyone.....I have heard of such docs. I realize your choices might be limited, but I personally would not go to a doc who has a requirement to make someone quit a med in order to see him. (Especially a med that has been helpful to them for a long time). Edited August 30, 2018 by CrazyRedhead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gb84 Posted August 30, 2018 Author Share Posted August 30, 2018 That's what I am thinking. I don't know what to do now. I went to my gdoc and he couldn't prescribe anything requiring a pre-authorization since he's not a pdoc. I tried to ask for saphris or rexulti and both require a pre-authorization. I've tried pretty much everything else. Oh well, suffer in silence, that's the way to be in America. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyRedhead Posted August 30, 2018 Share Posted August 30, 2018 1 minute ago, gb84 said: That's what I am thinking. I don't know what to do now. I went to my gdoc and he couldn't prescribe anything requiring a pre-authorization since he's not a pdoc. I tried to ask for saphris or rexulti and both require a pre-authorization. I've tried pretty much everything else. Oh well, suffer in silence, that's the way to be in America. This makes me angry.......Are there any other pdocs you're looking at?... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gb84 Posted August 30, 2018 Author Share Posted August 30, 2018 I have called the office a couple of times but haven't heard back yet. There are not many pdoc's under my insurance in the area. Most of the doctors with good reviews online are cash only. If I don't get accepted by a pdoc at the office, I'll just go in and get my records and go from there. I wish I knew someone in the area that could recommend some good pdoc's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
looking for answers Posted August 31, 2018 Share Posted August 31, 2018 i had this happen to me once, however the pdoc ended up keeping me on it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyRedhead Posted August 31, 2018 Share Posted August 31, 2018 (edited) 15 hours ago, gb84 said: I wish I knew someone in the area that could recommend some good pdoc's. I would suggest calling your insurance company, and asking them for a list of pdocs in your area that accept your insurance...........The insurance company should be able to do that for you.......It's worth a try, IMO. Are there any teaching hospitals in your area?......I have found in the past that pdocs associated with such hospitals will accept just about any insurance. Edited August 31, 2018 by CrazyRedhead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gb84 Posted August 31, 2018 Author Share Posted August 31, 2018 I have a list from my insurance website. Problem is, the insurance site says that the pdoc's are accepting new patients, but when I call it's a 3 plus month wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notloki Posted August 31, 2018 Share Posted August 31, 2018 Thats standard. Try 6 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt07 Posted September 1, 2018 Share Posted September 1, 2018 Yep, a 3 month + wait is pretty standard. That's what I found. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gb84 Posted September 1, 2018 Author Share Posted September 1, 2018 I guess I will suffer, because I refuse to go to another hospital after my experience in June. I'll just have to ration my other meds. I don't know what I will do if I run out of Klonopin. Withdrawal scares the crap out of me. I hear Gabapentin withdrawal is pretty bad too. I don't understand why mental health care is so poor and unavailable. All that comes to mind is eugenics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt07 Posted September 1, 2018 Share Posted September 1, 2018 1 hour ago, gb84 said: I don't understand why mental health care is so poor and unavailable. All that comes to mind is eugenics. It's because psychiatry is one of the lowest paid specialties in medicine. That means fewer people go into it which in turn means longer wait times to get to see one. There really aren't enough psychiatrists to meet the demand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l'appel du vide Posted September 1, 2018 Share Posted September 1, 2018 (edited) I have been seeing the same psych since 2013 for terrible, terrible panic disorder with a nice agoraphobia on top. I was on 2mg Klonopin a day, sometimes temporarily raised to 3mg a day. My psych had absolutely no problem with this. Then, at the beginning of 2018 he suddenly did a 180 and said that Klonopin was addictive and that I need to get off it. So I have tapered down to 0.5mg a day, and thankfully I have convinced him I don't need to be COMPLETELY off it. He even lets me take up to 1mg a day. Anyway, the moral of the story is that I think psychs are cracking down on benzo prescriptions because of the opioid epidemic. It really sucks. But, I have good news for you. Not only is my anxiety and panic still 100% manageable at only 0.5mg a day, but the tapering and withdrawal were not bad at all. I was DEATHLY terrified of lowering the dose, I mean I'm taking 1/4th of what I used to! But I did it and I'm glad I did, because now my tolerance has lowered, and I faced my fears. Ask for a slow, slow, SLOW taper off the Klonopin. The gabapentin will help. There are orally disintegrating Klonopin tablets that come in very low doses, 0.25mg and 0.125mg. Utilize them and you will have a very comfortable taper. My schedule was to reduce 0.5mg a month until I hit 1mg a day, then I reduced it by 0.25mg a month. If I choose to go lower than 0.5mg a day, then I would begin to reduce it by 0.125mg. I promise the horror stories online are over-sensationalized, it is not that bad at all. But please emphasis with him a SLOW taper. You don't have to wait a month to reduce the dose like I did, I'm pretty sure even reducing it a week at a time will be comfortable. You will be okay. Do you think the gabapentin helps with your anxiety? How about your antidepressant Pristiq? There are other options out there that do actually work. Have you ever given Buspar a try? Do not be afraid to ask questions, Klonopin is super helpful and to be taken off of it when it's working is just like....what for? So do not let your psych leave you hanging. Good luck to you. Edited September 1, 2018 by icygrave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts