Clonazepam 1mg 8 years - Here is my taper plan as recommended by my doctor

[[Mi...]]

Hello BB's! Here is my taper plan as recommended by my doctor. I have been on 1mg of clonazepam for approximately 8 years.

 

1) Alternate .5mg with 1mg every other day for 2-4 weeks

2) .5mg every day for 4-6 weeks

3) .25mg alternating with the .5mg every other day for 4-8 weeks

4) .25mg daily x 2-3 months

5) Stop completely

 

Any thoughts? Does this seem like a reasonable plan? I started alternating .5mg - 1mg on 12/11/14. So far, so good. No negative symptoms yet! Wondering if I might not have many withdrawal symptoms due to the low dose? OR have the withdrawal symptoms just not started yet??

 

Thanks for any advice! 

 

[[ME...]]

Hi Mingster,

 

It seems that clonazepam is very kind to you.  8 years 1 mg and no increment.  Stopped for maybe 3 days now and no trace of withdrawal symptoms.

 

Your taper plan is recommended by your doctor and it may work with you.

 

For me, I think it will give me problem.  I am sensitive to dose variation.  Alternate dosing will create larger waves of high and low dose concentration in my body.

 

When I was at 0.5 mg, my reduction plan was like this:  0.5, 0.4375, 0.375, 0.3125, 0.25, 0.1875, 0.15, 0.125, 0.09, 0.0625, 0.03, 0.  It gives me almost uniform concentration of clonazepam in my system, and slow reduction.

 

Direct cutting every 7 or 10 days. 

 

Maybe in a few days, you will know if the tapering plan is ok.  There may be a possibility that it is ok, because it seems that you do not have so much problem with clonazepam.

 

 

MEexpat

[[Be...]]

Welcome Mingster,

 

My thought is that your doctor is oblivious. What low dose? The issue here is that you've taken this drug for 8 years. This does not sound like a taper plan at all, but a creative numbers game that will quickly prove to be extremely painful. Every decrease suggested is a 50% drop, which is ridiculous. Also, inter dose withdrawal symptoms are sure to happen when a dose is taken every other day. And stopping after that mess of approach, at .25 mg is going cold turkey. But you'll be crying uncle before you even get this far. Sorry for the pessimism, but it's only to spare you from forging ahead on your doctor's ill devised plan. I dare say that with the long half life of clonazapem, you just haven't felt the effects of your adjusted dosing.

 

If you have not already done so, please read about taper plans on this site. Then speak with your doctor about implementing one of them. Read the Ashton manual as a primer and direct the doctor to read it also. If you can't get cooperation, then find another doctor.

 

Other folks will no doubt chime in to get you started off on the right foot.

 

Best to you,

Bennie

[[Cl...]]

Hi Mingster,

I did an accelerated taper at the begining and I would no recommend this to anyone. I agree with MEexpat and Bennie that alternate doses may lead to a hard time. Even when your Dr has given you long time for stabilizing, you may have long waves.

However, who knows. I also would not jump off of Clonazepam at 0.25 mg, I am expecting to jump at 0.03 mg...

[[...]]

I agree with Bennie and Clona.  Your doc is clueless and has put you on a path to pain.

[[be...]]

Same here......