Kpin to Valium taper- HELP PLEASE

[[Da...]]

Started at 1mg a day of Clonazepam. Got down to .725 in 2 weeks and then down to .5 in the next 3 weeks adding the Valium. Started that at 15 mg then tapered off the Clonazepam. The symptoms started after the switchover. Dizziness, agoraphobia, anxiety. I'm currently down to 10mg of Valium after 2 and a half months since I started this whole journey from the taper to the crossover, now at 10mg of Valium for about 2 weeks now, I still find myself with with zero relief. Even updosed once fro 10 back to 11 for a week. Now it's like I hit a brick wall. Does the brain still heal while trying to taper, or do you pretty much have to be done? Symptoms almost seem to be getting worse. I'm going to hold for now to see if I can stabilize, although I've never felt stabilized during this whole process. Can anyone give any insight on this! Or can someone make any suggestions? Starting to lose some hope here. Thanks!!

[[Ju...]]

Sorry you are having such a hard time with this. Without knowing how long you were on the klonopin to begin with I am a bit unsure what to say. Members can respond best if they know your medication history. Please take a moment to create a signature line, listing your medication, dose and any relevant history. Go to the top of the page and select Profile, then choose Forum Profile, insert drug history/timelines into the text box and click Change Profile.

 

It does sound like the transition may have been too abrupt and then tapering a bit too fast immediately thereafter. If you are feeling uncomfortable it might settle down after holding for a few weeks at 10 mg valium. If it feels intolerable, it might be better to go back to 15 mg and try to stabilize there. Only you can define the uncomfortable/intolerable boundary for yourself. Either way, once you do feel better and ready to begin tapering again smaller cuts would be a good idea.

 

JKS

 

[[Da...]]

We all want our brain to heal. Is it healing during taper or do you need to be off of it for the healing to take place? Plus I'm not sure what stabilized means. Are you ever going to be stabilized until some time after the taper is over? I'd hate to think of updosing again. Will that reverse what has already started to heal? I don't mind staying at 10mg for another month if I have to but is that the best plan? It just seems that when I did the initial crossover to all Valium at 15 mg, that's when the symptoms really started getting worse. The biggest problem being all day dizziness. Can't shake it. Can't go places hardly at all. When I drive my wife to the train twice a week, it is so difficult. Anxiety is starting to creep in now on a daily basis. Maybe the taper was too fast, maybe it's the Valium vs the Clonazepam. I know it's all different for people and the effects they feel but not being on such a high dose of Clonazepam to start, I thought I might get through this with minimal symptoms. As the reductions take place everything gets worse. Even after a hold. So it's pretty discouraging right now because about 4 months ago I could do anything. Just cancelled a yearly winter trip to see my son in South Carolina because I can't travel. Lost all the money for the rental. So you can see how well this is going. Thoughts or suggestions?

[[Ju...]]

In my opinion healing happens during the taper and continues afterwards. Since you were at 1 mg klonopin for two years, it seems like the switch to 15 mg Valium wasn't enough which might make sense since the suggested Ashton equivalent would be 20mg. The dizziness does sound difficult to deal with. What made you want to switch to Valium instead of doing a klonopin taper initially? Some people do better on the klonopin taper. It might be best to try updosing back to 15 mg for a while and then tapering more slowly. Can your doc help you weigh the various options?

[[Da...]]

I tapered down on the Clonazepam before switching over to a 15mg equivalent. Then tapered off the Clonazepam maintaining the 15mg of Valium. I switched to Valium because of the Ashton method and the posts on here saying it was one of the better substitutes to use. My doctor is letting me pretty much call the shots at this point. But I'm afraid if I start going back to the original dosage he may start to wonder what I'm doing since he's not too benzo wise. That's why I was thinking of staying at 10mg for like a month and see if that helps. Or is that a bad plan. I started getting missed heartbeats and almost fainting spells on the Clonazepam. When I started the crossover and finally switched completely, those went away. Now it's dizziness and anxiety creeping back, along with the usual side effects of withdrawal. So that's where I'm at. Lost.

[[ho...]]

I tapered down on the Clonazepam before switching over to a 15mg equivalent. Then tapered off the Clonazepam maintaining the 15mg of Valium. I switched to Valium because of the Ashton method and the posts on here saying it was one of the better substitutes to use. My doctor is letting me pretty much call the shots at this point. But I'm afraid if I start going back to the original dosage he may start to wonder what I'm doing since he's not too benzo wise. That's why I was thinking of staying at 10mg for like a month and see if that helps. Or is that a bad plan. I started getting missed heartbeats and almost fainting spells on the Clonazepam. When I started the crossover and finally switched completely, those went away. Now it's dizziness and anxiety creeping back, along with the usual side effects of withdrawal. So that's where I'm at. Lost.

since you said you felt somewhat better after the crossover, maybe you didn't give your body enough time to adjust or you started cutting too much. Just a thought.

[[ho...]]

In my opinion healing happens during the taper and continues afterwards. Since you were at 1 mg klonopin for two years, it seems like the switch to 15 mg Valium wasn't enough which might make sense since the suggested Ashton equivalent would be 20mg. The dizziness does sound difficult to deal with. What made you want to switch to Valium instead of doing a klonopin taper initially? Some people do better on the klonopin taper. It might be best to try updosing back to 15 mg for a while and then tapering more slowly. Can your doc help you weigh the various options?

hi just swimming, I'm currently at 2.5 k and 20 Mgs Valium. I originally was going to do a crossover, after doing some huge cuts from my k but after researching was kind of convinced to do a milk titration at a slow pace of the k. The klonopin I don't even feel. It has caused me a lot of heart issues, heart goes super high when walking around, cannot stand for long, agoraphobia etc. etc. when I introduced the Valium in October (which I take in the evenings) my heart is lower, I can walk around without it going up, I can stand longer, less anxiety. I only have access to 50 Mgs Valium daily and I'm already taking 20. This klonopin is killing me. I'd really like to taper off just the Valium but don't have enough to cover the k I'm on. So stuck. Have you known anyone successful using milk for their taper from klonopin? I've gotten myself into a messed up dose situation. Any suggestions? Thank you. Nicole

[[Da...]]

Nicole, I did taper too quickly I think even though I was following the Ashton method instead of listening to my own body. Although I figured from what I've heard, one should expect to feel crappy most of the time we are doing this. Plus I may have tapered the Kpin too quickly during the crossover. In any case, I'm kind of stuck with what I did. I updosed once and it really didn't help me "stablize ". I at 10mg V right now and have felt a bit better on the dizziness but none of the other symptoms. I have enough to hold for another month if need be although at week 3 at 10mg, I'm hoping to see some better results in the next couple of weeks. I don't know if it's easier to just taper off the Kpin or switch over. Someone suggested that I should have just done that but it was too late at that point. I feel your frustration and pain. I feel like I will never feel stabilized enough to move forward. I guess time will tell. People here say that we will so I have to believe that we will at some point. Not just tapering to get off but after this is all said and done. Sure doesn't feel that way does it? We'll just all stay in touch and help each other through this. 👍🤕

[[ho...]]

Nicole, I did taper too quickly I think even though I was following the Ashton method instead of listening to my own body. Although I figured from what I've heard, one should expect to feel crappy most of the time we are doing this. Plus I may have tapered the Kpin too quickly during the crossover. In any case, I'm kind of stuck with what I did. I updosed once and it really didn't help me "stablize ". I at 10mg V right now and have felt a bit better on the dizziness but none of the other symptoms. I have enough to hold for another month if need be although at week 3 at 10mg, I'm hoping to see some better results in the next couple of weeks. I don't know if it's easier to just taper off the Kpin or switch over. Someone suggested that I should have just done that but it was too late at that point. I feel your frustration and pain. I feel like I will never feel stabilized enough to move forward. I guess time will tell. People here say that we will so I have to believe that we will at some point. Not just tapering to get off but after this is all said and done. Sure doesn't feel that way does it? We'll just all stay in touch and help each other through this. 👍🤕

hey Dave, yes this is quite the nightmare. Yes I've heard the Ashton crossover is too fast, but hard to cut the 1 mg k pills I have. I've been holding three months, still not stable but better than when I did my huge cut. Yes in Ashton it says crossovers don't work because the dose isn't equivalent, or done too fast. I'm sorry you're feeling bad. Yes feeling kind of hopeless right now. Unbelievable the power of these pills. Gotta keep hoping for the best. I know it's temporary, but you're right sure doesn't feel like it. Nicole

[[Pl...]]

Nicole, I did taper too quickly I think even though I was following the Ashton method instead of listening to my own body. Although I figured from what I've heard, one should expect to feel crappy most of the time we are doing this. Plus I may have tapered the Kpin too quickly during the crossover. In any case, I'm kind of stuck with what I did. I updosed once and it really didn't help me "stablize ". I at 10mg V right now and have felt a bit better on the dizziness but none of the other symptoms. I have enough to hold for another month if need be although at week 3 at 10mg, I'm hoping to see some better results in the next couple of weeks. I don't know if it's easier to just taper off the Kpin or switch over. Someone suggested that I should have just done that but it was too late at that point. I feel your frustration and pain. I feel like I will never feel stabilized enough to move forward. I guess time will tell. People here say that we will so I have to believe that we will at some point. Not just tapering to get off but after this is all said and done. Sure doesn't feel that way does it? We'll just all stay in touch and help each other through this. 👍🤕

 

Dave... May I ask how long you held to see if you could stabilize and how much you updosed? Many thanks to you!

[[Da...]]

 

Pleasebehere

I went down from 11mg to 10 in a week. Felt terrible but I believe it was an accumulation of fast tapers from 15 down to 10. So I updosed back to 11 for another week and then cut down to 10 again. I've held at 10mg now for 3 weeks and could hold as long as I wanted to. There was a 4-5 day period last week where I thought I was finally stabilizing. I was hardly dizzy at all and was able to function. Although the sleep and other symptoms were still there, they eased just a bit. So then I thought since I had those good days in a row, I might start another cut. Maybe down to 9.75 or 9.5mg. But then the last 2 days, I got the dizziness back and it felt like I did weeks ago. That's why I'm confused about feeling so called stable. What is stable exactly? Will that ever happen really? Or do you just forge on when you get a couple day window? And as you taper lower, how is it even possible to stabilize if all the symptoms get stronger as you go? The symptoms that made us go on the meds to begin with just don't magically go away. 😡🤕

[[ho...]]

 

Pleasebehere

I went down from 11mg to 10 in a week. Felt terrible but I believe it was an accumulation of fast tapers from 15 down to 10. So I updosed back to 11 for another week and then cut down to 10 again. I've held at 10mg now for 3 weeks and could hold as long as I wanted to. There was a 4-5 day period last week where I thought I was finally stabilizing. I was hardly dizzy at all and was able to function. Although the sleep and other symptoms were still there, they eased just a bit. So then I thought since I had those good days in a row, I might start another cut. Maybe down to 9.75 or 9.5mg. But then the last 2 days, I got the dizziness back and it felt like I did weeks ago. That's why I'm confused about feeling so called stable. What is stable exactly? Will that ever happen really? Or do you just forge on when you get a couple day window? And as you taper lower, how is it even possible to stabilize if all the symptoms get stronger as you go? The symptoms that made us go on the meds to begin with just don't magically go away. 😡🤕

Dave from what I've been told becoming stable you still feel bad but symptoms are not increasing at an intolerable rate and kind of being baselined so to speak. Thats why people say listen to your body, symptoms start increasing, hold. At least that's how it was explained to me. Nicole

[[ma...]]

Hi,

please help!

Since May 2016, I began to diminish Klonopin (0.5 mg in the evening).

I am now 37 days at a dose of 0.25 mg Klonopin (evening).

I had 80 days to sleep max. 2 hours. During those 80 days, I slept only four nights max. 4 hours, one night I slept five hours.

It is 37 days since I stopped cutting Klonopin. I am exhausted. Please advise me what to do? How do i have to proceed?

Please email me your opinion. I am sorry for my english.

Thank you very much.