Daily Micro-Tapering Support Group

[[Be...]]

SG57,

 

Speaking of holding tapers.... I'm pretty functional in terms of my day. But GI issues just getting worse lower I go. Anxiety is ever present background vibration, plus light breathless, lability, "head just not right". I'm cutting every fourth day and have my doubts that stretching out cuts even another day will help. Do you think holding for a week help before making next cut? Perspective appreciated.

 

Bennie

[[...]]

SG57,

 

Speaking of holding tapers.... I'm pretty functional in terms of my day. But GI issues just getting worse lower I go. Anxiety is ever present background vibration, plus light breathless, lability, "head just not right". I'm cutting every fourth day and have my doubts that stretching out cuts even another day will help. Do you think holding for a week help before making next cut? Perspective appreciated.

 

Bennie

 

Sure, I don't think any time added goes to waste if you are symptomatic.  You either wait now or wait after you're done, but if you wait now the process will be more tolerable.  Needing to wait four or five days to recover from a cut is getting far away from the benefit of a daily taper.

[[ga...]]

SG57,

 

Speaking of holding tapers.... I'm pretty functional in terms of my day. But GI issues just getting worse lower I go. Anxiety is ever present background vibration, plus light breathless, lability, "head just not right". I'm cutting every fourth day and have my doubts that stretching out cuts even another day will help. Do you think holding for a week help before making next cut? Perspective appreciated.

 

Bennie

 

Sure, I don't think any time added goes to waste if you are symptomatic.  You either wait now or wait after you're done, but if you wait now the process will be more tolerable.  Needing to wait four or five days to recover from a cut is getting far away from the benefit of a daily taper.

 

I was also thinking that this was becoming a cut-and-hold and maybe the cuts are too large.

[[Be...]]

SG57,

 

Speaking of holding tapers.... I'm pretty functional in terms of my day. But GI issues just getting worse lower I go. Anxiety is ever present background vibration, plus light breathless, lability, "head just not right". I'm cutting every fourth day and have my doubts that stretching out cuts even another day will help. Do you think holding for a week help before making next cut? Perspective appreciated.

 

Bennie

 

Sure, I don't think any time added goes to waste if you are symptomatic.  You either wait now or wait after you're done, but if you wait now the process will be more tolerable.  Needing to wait four or five days to recover from a cut is getting far away from the benefit of a daily taper.

 

I was also thinking that this was becoming a cut-and-hold and maybe the cuts are too large.

 

The cuts are only .001 g

 

[[dp...]]

Putting the taper on hold at 4.68mg for now. Realizing I have to stop thinking in terms of how long it's going to take to get off the drug, because I have to admit I know we do heal on the way down.

 

Sure, I could be off sooner if I kept going.. but what's the point? I will feel worse during and still feel like crap once I'm off... better off to take a break and then go a bit more slowly.

 

Hope y'all are well.

 

Exactly.   You may now leave the temple.

 

Lol.. I've reached enlightenment. 

[[Mo...]]

Putting the taper on hold at 4.68mg for now. Realizing I have to stop thinking in terms of how long it's going to take to get off the drug, because I have to admit I know we do heal on the way down.

 

Sure, I could be off sooner if I kept going.. but what's the point? I will feel worse during and still feel like crap once I'm off... better off to take a break and then go a bit more slowly.

 

Hope y'all are well.

 

Exactly.   You may now leave the temple.

 

:laugh:

 

[[Ul...]]

SG57,

 

Speaking of holding tapers.... I'm pretty functional in terms of my day. But GI issues just getting worse lower I go. Anxiety is ever present background vibration, plus light breathless, lability, "head just not right". I'm cutting every fourth day and have my doubts that stretching out cuts even another day will help. Do you think holding for a week help before making next cut? Perspective appreciated.

 

Bennie

 

Sure, I don't think any time added goes to waste if you are symptomatic.  You either wait now or wait after you're done, but if you wait now the process will be more tolerable.  Needing to wait four or five days to recover from a cut is getting far away from the benefit of a daily taper.

 

SG, you mention that it's beneficial to hold/wait as needed, but then you said what I have in bold. What other choice does a person have as far as waiting 4 or five days? If it takes 4 or 5 days to recover, then it just is what it is, right? If someone is symptomatic, then isn't holding for whatever it takes called for? I ask because I've seen you say to not push through symptoms or try to force things. Thanks for your input!

 

Jeff

[[...]]

Sure, I don't think any time added goes to waste if you are symptomatic.  You either wait now or wait after you're done, but if you wait now the process will be more tolerable.  Needing to wait four or five days to recover from a cut is getting far away from the benefit of a daily taper.

 

SG, you mention that it's beneficial to hold/wait as needed, but then you said what I have in bold. What other choice does a person have as far as waiting 4 or five days? If it takes 4 or 5 days to recover, then it just is what it is, right? If someone is symptomatic, then isn't holding for whatever it takes called for? I ask because I've seen you say to not push through symptoms or try to force things. Thanks for your input!

 

Jeff

 

It would have been better if I phrased it another way as I can see how it can be taken the way you read it.  What I was trying to get across was that Bennie could take advantage by breaking her cut into four smaller cuts...same rate, smaller steps, more of a ramp, fewer symptoms.  I get concerned when I see people go much beyond a few recovery days.

[[ga...]]

SG57,

 

Speaking of holding tapers.... I'm pretty functional in terms of my day. But GI issues just getting worse lower I go. Anxiety is ever present background vibration, plus light breathless, lability, "head just not right". I'm cutting every fourth day and have my doubts that stretching out cuts even another day will help. Do you think holding for a week help before making next cut? Perspective appreciated.

 

Bennie

 

Sure, I don't think any time added goes to waste if you are symptomatic.  You either wait now or wait after you're done, but if you wait now the process will be more tolerable.  Needing to wait four or five days to recover from a cut is getting far away from the benefit of a daily taper.

 

I was also thinking that this was becoming a cut-and-hold and maybe the cuts are too large.

 

The cuts are only .001 g

 

I defer to others who have gotten this low and to the math gurus. My benzo brain has no idea how that translates into a taper rate.

[[Be...]]

SG57,

 

Speaking of holding tapers.... I'm pretty functional in terms of my day. But GI issues just getting worse lower I go. Anxiety is ever present background vibration, plus light breathless, lability, "head just not right". I'm cutting every fourth day and have my doubts that stretching out cuts even another day will help. Do you think holding for a week help before making next cut? Perspective appreciated.

 

Bennie

 

Sure, I don't think any time added goes to waste if you are symptomatic.  You either wait now or wait after you're done, but if you wait now the process will be more tolerable.  Needing to wait four or five days to recover from a cut is getting far away from the benefit of a daily taper.

 

I was also thinking that this was becoming a cut-and-hold and maybe the cuts are too large.

 

The cuts are only .001 g

 

I defer to others who have gotten this low and to the math gurus. My benzo brain has no idea how that translates into a taper rate.

 

Yeah, well it's all a crapshoot at this point. I think I have the info I need: it's a choice of poke along now with some ease and the hope that I'll feel better when off— or move along feeling crappy and sit in crappiness for a while after. The only problem with either choice is that the outcome of either approach is not guaranteed given my specific health issue. Gut problems prompted the panic attacks and now the gut issues have returned. I could argue that the sooner I'm off, the sooner my gut has a chance to stop being reactive and harmed by K... My taper rate has been mostly .0029 mg every other day until recently when I started cutting every fourth day. It's a very conservative rate. I'm way low so I don't expect to be feeling wonderbar any way I cut it.

[[Ma...]]

Putting the taper on hold at 4.68mg for now. Realizing I have to stop thinking in terms of how long it's going to take to get off the drug, because I have to admit I know we do heal on the way down.

 

Sure, I could be off sooner if I kept going.. but what's the point? I will feel worse during and still feel like crap once I'm off... better off to take a break and then go a bit more slowly.

 

Hope y'all are well.

That's great! I hope you feel a lot better soon!

 

I'm learning to accept this too. 

[[nx...]]

Hello all,  I was recently forced off 45mgs tranxene and went 17 says c/t,it was hell,I finally was so worried about going crazy and or having some permanent damage I went to a Dr. she prescribed 20mg Valium daily...now I'm trying to figure out a taper plan, want to be benzo free!!!!any help will be appreciated.since I did go 17 days c/t then my tolerance is zero my main question is what mg should I start at...after filling proscription I took 20mgdose yesterday I took 10mg am 5mg pm...today nothing yet.      I don't know how I'll handle panic attacks if theycreep

[[Ul...]]

Sure, I don't think any time added goes to waste if you are symptomatic.  You either wait now or wait after you're done, but if you wait now the process will be more tolerable.  Needing to wait four or five days to recover from a cut is getting far away from the benefit of a daily taper.

 

SG, you mention that it's beneficial to hold/wait as needed, but then you said what I have in bold. What other choice does a person have as far as waiting 4 or five days? If it takes 4 or 5 days to recover, then it just is what it is, right? If someone is symptomatic, then isn't holding for whatever it takes called for? I ask because I've seen you say to not push through symptoms or try to force things. Thanks for your input!

 

Jeff

 

It would have been better if I phrased it another way as I can see how it can be taken the way you read it.  What I was trying to get across was that Bennie could take advantage by breaking her cut into four smaller cuts...same rate, smaller steps, more of a ramp, fewer symptoms.  I get concerned when I see people go much beyond a few recovery days.

 

SG, hmmm....interesting. I wonder if that would explain what I've been going through recently. I'm sure you remember that I had to take time to gradually xfer over to all liquid (from 1 tablet liquid to all 3 tablets liquid), and then I had to get my doses a lot more on an even path. The 3 doses were really lopsided (not to mention that two of them were dry pills). I've only started back to cutting the last couple days and only at .005/day, so I'm just getting back in the swing of things. I'm not sure how long my "hold" time was while in the process of switching to all liquid and then taking time to even out the doses, but it was well over a week. Maybe close to two weeks. For some reason, anxiety increased, but mainly I just felt freaked out, spooked, full of fear...I can't describe it at all. Then, throw in some depression, which I'm always good for. It was/is a freaky time. I'm hoping things level out because right now I don't even want to face people and my energy and motivation is really low. Mr. "sensitive body" here. I can't figure out what the heck is going on. I look pretty rugged. Psychologically, it's a little crazy simply because I realize that I'm only at 2.18mg clonazepam with so far to go, but I really felt like I had come to terms with that. Also, the weather models for Hurricane Erika showed that it's coming right to my front door here in South Carolina where I live (near Hilton Head). I immediately thought about the logistics of loading up my supplies and meds along with everything else (wife, daughter in college in Charleston) while planning the escape route for the storm. Everybody around here is on edge and getting pretty freaked too (maybe they're tapering too). I grew up in New Orleans with lots of hurricanes and had to evacuate a lot, but never with benzos, Vodka, and syringes in tow    Take care!

[[Be...]]

Sure, I don't think any time added goes to waste if you are symptomatic.  You either wait now or wait after you're done, but if you wait now the process will be more tolerable.  Needing to wait four or five days to recover from a cut is getting far away from the benefit of a daily taper.

 

SG, you mention that it's beneficial to hold/wait as needed, but then you said what I have in bold. What other choice does a person have as far as waiting 4 or five days? If it takes 4 or 5 days to recover, then it just is what it is, right? If someone is symptomatic, then isn't holding for whatever it takes called for? I ask because I've seen you say to not push through symptoms or try to force things. Thanks for your input!

 

Jeff

 

It would have been better if I phrased it another way as I can see how it can be taken the way you read it.  What I was trying to get across was that Bennie could take advantage by breaking her cut into four smaller cuts...same rate, smaller steps, more of a ramp, fewer symptoms.  I get concerned when I see people go much beyond a few recovery days.

 

Trying to understand, what is the concern beyond a few days? Liquid titration would enable me to break my .001 g cut into four cuts?

 

Bennie

[[...]]

Sure, I don't think any time added goes to waste if you are symptomatic.  You either wait now or wait after you're done, but if you wait now the process will be more tolerable.  Needing to wait four or five days to recover from a cut is getting far away from the benefit of a daily taper.

 

SG, you mention that it's beneficial to hold/wait as needed, but then you said what I have in bold. What other choice does a person have as far as waiting 4 or five days? If it takes 4 or 5 days to recover, then it just is what it is, right? If someone is symptomatic, then isn't holding for whatever it takes called for? I ask because I've seen you say to not push through symptoms or try to force things. Thanks for your input!

 

Jeff

 

It would have been better if I phrased it another way as I can see how it can be taken the way you read it.  What I was trying to get across was that Bennie could take advantage by breaking her cut into four smaller cuts...same rate, smaller steps, more of a ramp, fewer symptoms.  I get concerned when I see people go much beyond a few recovery days.

 

Trying to understand, what is the concern beyond a few days? Liquid titration would enable me to break my .001 g cut into four cuts?

 

Bennie

 

Yes, that is what I meant.  With liquid you can always cut daily no matter how small a cut is needed.  Maybe "concern" was too strong or not the right word, but you might have an easier time cutting daily.

[[Ho...]]

I just want to say that it really annoys me that it's going to take longer to get off this klonopin than I was even on it. Does that even make sense?! So frustrating.

[[or...]]

Hopeful Mom, you are so right!

 

I was on 1.5 mgs of Ativan for 6 months . . . couldn't do a fast taper off it . . . then found this site and crossed over to valium. Two years (and many tapering mistakes) later I am almost off.

 

It makes no sense!

 

Okatz

[[Gr...]]

Ok I'm on 15mg Valium and a bit of Xanax that I'm still struggling with. It's been 11 days since making a little .0625 cut to the Xanax. At first I felt ok, but then started feeling pretty bad one week out. I had planned to cut my final .25mg pill by .0625 cuts every 10 days, but it doesn't look like my body is going to cooperate. I really don't want to cut and hold for two months with every .0625 cut feeling horrible so I'm considering liquid daily titration of the remaining .1875mg of Xanax. At least if I'm reducing something every day I would feel like I'm actually making progress and maybe won't feel as bad as I do now.

How would one go about doing a daily liquid titration starting from .1875 mg? My brain fogs over just thinking about titration plans in general.

[[ga...]]

 

Yeah, well it's all a crapshoot at this point. I think I have the info I need: it's a choice of poke along now with some ease and the hope that I'll feel better when off— or move along feeling crappy and sit in crappiness for a while after. The only problem with either choice is that the outcome of either approach is not guaranteed given my specific health issue. Gut problems prompted the panic attacks and now the gut issues have returned. I could argue that the sooner I'm off, the sooner my gut has a chance to stop being reactive and harmed by K... My taper rate has been mostly .0029 mg every other day until recently when I started cutting every fourth day. It's a very conservative rate. I'm way low so I don't expect to be feeling wonderbar any way I cut it.

 

You're right. It's a crapshoot but I'm still jealous that you are so close to the end! And happy for out, too!

[[ga...]]

I just want to say that it really annoys me that it's going to take longer to get off this klonopin than I was even on it. Does that even make sense?! So frustrating.

 

Me, too! On it for 6 months for sleep and probably 1 1/2 years to taper off. But this slow MT is the way to go. I tried faster and was so, so, so sorry.

[[Ma...]]

Hopeful, oreginkatz, and gardener,

 

I am sorry it is taking you longer to get off than the time you were on it. That is crazy! There is a DBT skill where you compare your life to others to feel better. I know it sounds kinda weird, never my most used DBT skill. I'm grateful you all realized earlier on that you needed to get off. I was put on klonopin at 18 and didn't realize it was harmful to me until 12 years later. I hope everyone is having a good night! 

 

XO Maya

[[Be...]]

 

Yeah, well it's all a crapshoot at this point. I think I have the info I need: it's a choice of poke along now with some ease and the hope that I'll feel better when off— or move along feeling crappy and sit in crappiness for a while after. The only problem with either choice is that the outcome of either approach is not guaranteed given my specific health issue. Gut problems prompted the panic attacks and now the gut issues have returned. I could argue that the sooner I'm off, the sooner my gut has a chance to stop being reactive and harmed by K... My taper rate has been mostly .0029 mg every other day until recently when I started cutting every fourth day. It's a very conservative rate. I'm way low so I don't expect to be feeling wonderbar any way I cut it.

 

You're right. It's a crapshoot but I'm still jealous that you are so close to the end! And happy for out, too!

 

Funny how it goes, gardener. I am jealous of people who are at .0625 mg! You'll get here too!

 

Maya,

I think I'm using the DBT comparison tool backwards. I'm supposed to be appreciative I'm not on 20 mg K. 

 

SG57, thanks for clarifying. Your always a big help. Much appreciate you!

 

Bennie

[[Mo...]]

I just want to say that it really annoys me that it's going to take longer to get off this klonopin than I was even on it. Does that even make sense?! So frustrating.

 

Me, too! On it for 6 months for sleep and probably 1 1/2 years to taper off. But this slow MT is the way to go. I tried faster and was so, so, so sorry.

 

Me three ( or four).

 

4 months or so and I'm now almost done with my taper after a bit under two years.

So maddening. So sad. So ....everything 

 

I agree : mt is the way to go...

[[Ma...]]

 

Yeah, well it's all a crapshoot at this point. I think I have the info I need: it's a choice of poke along now with some ease and the hope that I'll feel better when off— or move along feeling crappy and sit in crappiness for a while after. The only problem with either choice is that the outcome of either approach is not guaranteed given my specific health issue. Gut problems prompted the panic attacks and now the gut issues have returned. I could argue that the sooner I'm off, the sooner my gut has a chance to stop being reactive and harmed by K... My taper rate has been mostly .0029 mg every other day until recently when I started cutting every fourth day. It's a very conservative rate. I'm way low so I don't expect to be feeling wonderbar any way I cut it.

 

You're right. It's a crapshoot but I'm still jealous that you are so close to the end! And happy for out, too!

 

Funny how it goes, gardener. I am jealous of people who are at .0625 mg! You'll get here too!

 

Maya,

I think I'm using the DBT comparison tool backwards. I'm supposed to be appreciative I'm not on 20 mg K. 

 

SG57, thanks for clarifying. Your always a big help. Much appreciate you!

 

Bennie

You can compare yourself to others who had/have it worse. Maybe it was stupid to bring it up I was trying to make others feel better. I try to compare myself now to myself when I was on 8mg in tolerance wd for 7 years or others who were on it longer and still don't realizing its harming them or they can taper etc.  Like I said its not my most used skill.

[[dp...]]

This kat is holding. Seems that even with the m/t... you really do need to be aware that symptoms can catch up on you and put you in a really bad spot... woke up this early 2 am with burning skin, shaking, nausea, tremors, and starving... it's going to take a lot of patience, but this really should be a 2 week hold at least... considering school is coming up and I'm continuing to work. (would not have been possible with cut/hold)

 

10% seems to be the threshold per month that I can handle now... I hope that changes (it'll have to as I get lower in dose)...

 

.. anywho, hope y'all are sticking tough. This is a crazy ride.