Why I Realized I Needed to Quit

TL;DR: After two years on the same daily dose of clonazepam, its effects gradually started wearing off, especially for sleep, and my dose was increased several times. As the dose rose, I developed a growing list of symptoms including nausea, feeling drugged, internal jitteriness, poor cognition and a general sense that something was wrong with my body. Because the changes happened slowly and my medical tests were normal, I initially looked for another explanation and never suspected the medication. Eventually, I searched my symptoms alongside the name of my prescription and found that other people were describing the same experience. I raised the possibility with my doctor, who considered my dose normal and told me I could stop if I wanted to. I had no idea what stopping would actually mean.