The Klonopin Klub#2

[[Li...]]

Hello Everyone, I'm new to this thread and looking for help as  i have been in tolerance on clonazepam 0.75 per day since last October. Symptoms are many and debilitating. I tried to switch from orally disintegrating tablets to compounded capsules and my body reacted very poorly. I have also reacted poorly to just switching brands.ugh. Has anyone had any success tapering using orally disintegrating tablets and doing a dry cut using a scale? I desperately need to taper, but think I need to stick with my current tablets. Has anyone else been in this situation? Many thanks.

 

Pamster has asked an important question — did you make a reduction in dose at the same time you switched to the compounded capsules or did you hold your dose constant?

 

Here’s another one:

 

What did the compounding pharmacist use as the source of the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (i.e. the clonazepam) in the compounded capsules?  Clonazepam ODTs from the same manufacturer you have been using?  Tablets from another manufacturer?  The pure drug powder?

 

Re: tapering by dry cutting the ODTs ….

 

We have indeed had members who tapered using clonazepam ODTs and a scale although I’m not sure how many of them are currently active on the forum.  One member who is still active is KlonopinQuitterinCO.  He dry cut until he reached a very low dose and is currently trialing a compounded liquid.  Other members include 1hopeful, wavesontheshore, and Lets be brave. You might find it helpful to read through their posting histories to learn more. 

[[An...]]

Thank you both so much for responding. I take 3 doses per day of the orally disintegrating tablets. 0.25 each. I first switched the afternoon dose and also decreased at the same time to 0.24. It was rocky, but I stuck with it. 4 weeks later I switched out my morning dose to the capsule and also decreased to 0.24.  Symptoms were pretty extreme within about 18 hours. I had to get back on the ODT for the morning. So, I am currently stalled at 0.74 mg per day. ODT morning and evening. Compound in the afternoon. I am really scared to try the switch again as I am already in severe tolerance. I will check out some of the posts you noted.

Also, I don't know what the pharmacist used for the compounded capsules. I can call and discuss with him. He is extremely kind and helpful.

[[Li...]]

Thank you for the additional information, AnnaMeg.

 

Generally speaking, it’s best to change only one variable at a time when tapering so you can evaluate the impact of that particular change.  You made two changes — a reduction in dose and a change in dosage form.

 

Although the reductions you made were relatively small, it’s possible they were too large for you.  The reduction from 0.75mg to 0.74mg was a 1.33% reduction; the reduction from 0.74mg to 0.73mg was 1.38%. 

 

However, it’s also possible the issues you experienced were due to the change in dosage form. Given that your compounding pharmacist is kind and helpful, I suggest you call him to share your experience and ask if he could tell you more about what ingredients he used for the capsules as well as what equipment/procedures. If you are open to the idea of using a liquid to taper, you also could ask him if he has experience preparing a compounded oral suspension of clonazepam using a stability-tested formulation such as the one linked below.

 

Link:

0.1mg/mL Clonazepam Oral Suspension from Nationwide Children’s Hospital

https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/-/media/nch/specialties/pharmacy/compounding-formulas/clonazepam-oral.ashx

[[Ul...]]

Hello all. I am new to the thread. I am starting a taper very soon. How do people liquid taper or what's the best scale to use? I want to taper down 10% every 3 weeks or so.

 

My old advice would be to not necessarily commit to a number like 10% every three weeks, and rather just taper according to symptoms ("heal faster than you taper"). You can always adjust along the way. The liquid taper worked good for me since I could do micro changes as needed (which was very often). There are some great plans out there, but good luck to you whether you choose liquid or dry. Hang tight!

[[An...]]

Thank you both very much for your thoughts. I will talk with my pharmacist tomorrow and pose those questions. I feel as though a liquid taper would be much easier and I really like the idea of tapering according to symptoms. I do think maybe changing to both the capsule and doing the decrease at the same time was too much for my brain. I had pretty severe symptoms... So, I guess I could try to make the switch at the same dose and see how that feels. Although, my gut feeling is that a liquid taper would be the most convenient and less jarring since I wouldn't necessarily have to decrease at a specific rate. Thank you both so very much.

[[Li...]]

You’re welcome, AnnaMeg.  Tip of the hat for making the decision to contact your pharmacist.  If you are willing and able, please let us know what you find out so we all may learn from your experience.

[[Up...]]

Hey guys.

I was on 2 mg Klonopin daily. I have since been cutting my second pill by 1/4 for about a week now.

[[je...]]

Hey guys.

I was on 2 mg Klonopin daily. I have since been cutting my second pill by 1/4 for about a week now.

 

How's it going?

[Guest [Th...]]

Just wanted to pop in here and say hello. I’m now a member of the Klonopin Klub. My original benzo was Xanax, and I did a crossover to Valium in April of this year. I gave it my best and I just absolutely couldn’t tolerate the Valium. I switched to Klonopin after a lot of thought and considering my options. I just knew that I wasn’t going to be able to stay on Valium. A week ago today I was in the E.R. due to how sick I was from trying to make a small cut of the Valium and even after up dosing and about 2 weeks later I was a mess. I could not eat anything, I was living on Zofran and trying to stay hydrated, extreme vertigo, and many other bad symptoms. I lost almost 14 pounds in less than a month. I had to get IV fluids, they ran labs, CT of abdomen. I was having pretty low blood pressure, etc. Anyway, I consider myself fortunate and very grateful that Klonopin has been helping me since I started it last Saturday at 3 mgs. I also have a supportive psych who doesn’t rush me and works with me, and for that I am also grateful! This morning my alarm went off for my am dose and I apparently swiped it thinking it was the phone ringing and didn’t realize until 4:30 that I missed my dose!    I felt a bit wonky and went ahead and took my 5 pm dose half hour early, and I took the missed dose 3 hours later, then my night dose at 11 pm. (Probably could have just skipped taking the missed dose but I figured that I needed to keep the same dose daily right now since I’m still new to it so I did. I was surprised that I didn’t feel horrible from that little blunder! So far the only side effects were the first day I was super tired and groggy! I felt like I could have slept for a week! That passed really quickly, like second day quickly! I’m now trying to get on a sleep schedule like I did when I started tapering almost a year ago, because it really did help. I’m a night owl by nature so sticking to a good sleep routine is hard for me but I know the benefits so it’s something to work on. Anyway, if you made it through my rambling intro, thanks! 

[[he...]]

Welcome, TAGD! It sounds like things are working out okay on the K. A lot of people will claim it's the worst of the benzos, but I hear and read awful things about them all.

[Guest [Th...]]

Welcome, TAGD! It sounds like things are working out okay on the K. A lot of people will claim it's the worst of the benzos, but I hear and read awful things about them all.

 

Thanks, hereforhelp. Yeah, I guess everyone has their own thoughts on which benzo is the “worst”. I have heard Xanax is the worst. I think it boils down to the fact that there isn’t any “good” benzo when it comes to tapering. We’re all so different and we handle them differently. I wish it was an easy one size fits all approach! Alas, it’s pretty much the opposite! I’m just grateful that K is working for me. I was really worried because Valium was just a complete nightmare and I was afraid I might have had to go back to my original benzo, Xanax, and that scared me too! I plan on holding at this dose for at least 2 months so that my brain has time to adjust to the change, assess and then figure out a taper plan, which I plan on doing more symptom based this time as opposed to 0.25 cuts every 2-3 weeks.

[Guest [Th...]]

Just checking in to see how everyone is doing! Hopefully the lack of activity on this group is a good thing! I’m now over 2 weeks on Klonopin since I switched from Valium and it has gone well. I’m still working on inner motivation since I have so much to catch up on that I was unable to do since I was very sick for a good while from the Valium and now I’m feeling overwhelmed with the amount of stuff I have to do, but baby steps I suppose. I’m also back in therapy with a new therapist and will have my first real appointment this week as the first appointment was the evaluation and intake stuff. Also my psych is wanting me to hold at this dose for a few months and said we will see how I’m feeling then, but for now I’m holding, which is what I wanted to do anyway. Grateful for a supportive psych!

 

Hope everyone is doing well. 

[[he...]]

Hey TAGD,

 

Glad things seem to be going well for you. I don't usually hear about someone crossing from V to K, but it sounds like it's working out well for you. I hope things continue and you're able to taper soon. I had symptoms after taking K as prescribed for just a few months, so I began tapering, once I realized what was going on. My doctor was clueless. That's great you seem to have a supportive doc. I saw a psychiatrist, and she recommended detox or going on an SSRI to help speed my taper. :sigh:

[[ne...]]

Hopefully a Klonopin veteran replies. Any advice on your K taper? What you did right? What you would do different in hindsight? I am at .07mg of K and you can see my history in my signature. Feeling stuck here-BAD symptoms so holding a bit. Would love any other advice. <3

[Guest [Th...]]

Hey TAGD,

 

Glad things seem to be going well for you. I don't usually hear about someone crossing from V to K, but it sounds like it's working out well for you. I hope things continue and you're able to taper soon. I had symptoms after taking K as prescribed for just a few months, so I began tapering, once I realized what was going on. My doctor was clueless. That's great you seem to have a supportive doc. I saw a psychiatrist, and she recommended detox or going on an SSRI to help speed my taper. :sigh:

 

Thanks. I couldn’t really find anything on here about switching from Valium to Klonopin, either. I just knew I couldn’t tolerate the Valium anymore after months of a crossover from Xanax and then pure misery. I did a direct switch to Klonopin, actually, so no crossover this time. I’m praying that it continues to work out. I will be holding at my current dose until at least January, I’m guessing, since my psych said to stay at this dose for a few months and take it from there. I learned from my initial taper of Xanax that I have to do smaller cuts when I start tapering again. I went into that making 0.5 mg cuts every 2-3 weeks (I think it was 3 weeks)  and it caught up to me fast! It was terrible.  

I ended up having to updose back to my starting dose and then I was pretty much paradoxical at that point, which eventually led to a Valium crossover.

I’m sorry your doctor was so clueless! I’m hoping you found a better doctor?

 

 

[Guest [Th...]]

Hopefully a Klonopin veteran replies. Any advice on your K taper? What you did right? What you would do different in hindsight? I am at .07mg of K and you can see my history in my signature. Feeling stuck here-BAD symptoms so holding a bit. Would love any other advice. <3

 

nervouswreck, I am sorry you are having bad symptoms and feeling stuck. It’s an awful place to be. I’m definitely not a Klonopin veteran but I want to bump up your post so hopefully someone with more experience will see it and be able to hopefully give you some advice and help.

[[ne...]]

That was very kind of you! Thank you and hoping your day is going okay 

[[ne...]]

ThroughAGlassDarkly: I know BB does not seem super active though it is of course an amazing help and no where else can you find so many posts on topics we need answers for. If you are on FB, and maybe you already know this or have done this, quite a few benzo groups are very active with quick feedback usually.

[[gr...]]

NervousWreck - good for you on your taper from K. I wish I had tapered instead of jumping off three months ago. I hadn't realized what a horrid drug it was, after being prescribed it for many years. Painful as my withdrawal has been, I am happy to be clear minded and awake. You can do this!

[[ne...]]

Thank you and I am glad you are hanging in there! May we forge ahead and find our better paths

[[he...]]

Thanks. I couldn’t really find anything on here about switching from Valium to Klonopin, either. I just knew I couldn’t tolerate the Valium anymore after months of a crossover from Xanax and then pure misery. I did a direct switch to Klonopin, actually, so no crossover this time. I’m praying that it continues to work out. I will be holding at my current dose until at least January, I’m guessing, since my psych said to stay at this dose for a few months and take it from there. I learned from my initial taper of Xanax that I have to do smaller cuts when I start tapering again. I went into that making 0.5 mg cuts every 2-3 weeks (I think it was 3 weeks)  and it caught up to me fast! It was terrible.  

I ended up having to updose back to my starting dose and then I was pretty much paradoxical at that point, which eventually led to a Valium crossover.

I’m sorry your doctor was so clueless! I’m hoping you found a better doctor?

 

Hope being on K is much better for you. I'm sorry for all that you've had to go through. This is rough...

 

I do not have a new doctor yet. As soon as I'm able, I will fire him.

[[Iv...]]

I learn so much reading all of the Klonopin stories.  I got stuck at about .33 mgs a day, because of stress -- tapering definitely got rougher once I went below .4 mgs and I don't think anything has healed since then, judging from the tinnitus I have had for a year now.  I am breaking my taper into slow steps - next goal is to get to .3 mgs a day.  Should take a month. After that I may hold again for quite awhile.  I know long holds aren't always recommended, but I am able to function and feel OK most days. 

[[he...]]

I learn so much reading all of the Klonopin stories.  I got stuck at about .33 mgs a day, because of stress -- tapering definitely got rougher once I went below .4 mgs and I don't think anything has healed since then, judging from the tinnitus I have had for a year now.  I am breaking my taper into slow steps - next goal is to get to .3 mgs a day.  Should take a month. After that I may hold again for quite awhile.  I know long holds aren't always recommended, but I am able to function and feel OK most days.

 

My taper also seemed to get rougher after dropping below .4 mg. I'm glad you've been able to get down further. Hopefully you can get down to .3 mg soon. Long holds work for some, but for the rest of us, they don't work at all. I had symptoms before starting my taper, so some neurotoxicity was already happening. I believe that's why I do not benefit from a hold. My baseline includes symptoms. And honestly, the quicker I can tolerably get this drug out of my system, the better. I believe it is causing more problems the longer it is in me.

[[ab...]]

Hi buddies!

 

hereforhelp I'm in tolerance at 0.5 and my baseline also includes withdrawal symptoms (insomnia, GI issues, tinnitus, panic attacks, intrusive thoughts, derealization).

 

I did a 2% cut during 4 days in October and I was hit my severe symptopms- although I reinstated again at my usual 0.5 dose, now I'm having more withdrawal than during those 4 days of tapering.

 

I take it as a sign that I need to taper very slowly (as others have suggested) to remain as functional as possible. Although my doctor has recommended an updose.

 

IvyGibbsville I'm so happy you're functioning and feeling OK most days! That's actually my goal for the taper.

[[ab...]]

Hope everyone is doing well. 

 

Hope you're doing well as well! Thanks for the positive energy <3