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Tapering from 1mg a day Clonazepam


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So I've been on 1mg total a day of Clonazepam for the last 5 weeks. 4 weeks in I started to taper, went from 1mg to .875mg.  I take a .5mg at 6am and a .5mg at 8pm. So currently taking .5mg in the am and .375mg in the evening.  I had a few semi rough days, nothing too bad. I'm feeling okay I suppose. I'm wondering when I should down my dosage again and by what amount?

 

I'm thinking cutting another .125mg off from my morning dosage. So that will bring me to .375mg for both morning and night. Does anyone think I'm hurrying the tapering? I feel like I did pretty taper for the most part. BTW I was treated for severe panic disorder as a result of too much edible marajuana then being put on a ssri, which kicked it into high gear. Currently just taking Clonazepam and atarax 25 to 50 mg a night to help sleep.

 

Thank you all.

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That is very good plan  :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

 

I would do cuts of 0.125 mg every two weeks if I were in your case till I am at 0.25, from then 0.05 cuts...in fact a daily taper from there would be a good idea.

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I would suggest you create a signature. (profile, forum profile)

 

Usually it is advised that a taper does not last longer than the time you've been on the drug.

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With your short usage, you would be best getting off the drug sooner rather than later. You could taper off in less than 2 weeks and be just fine. The longer you are on the drug, the more dependent your body is getting to the drug. So get off of it! The rules for slow tapering do not apply to short-term users.
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I would suggest you create a signature. (profile, forum profile)

 

Usually it is advised that a taper does not last longer than the time you've been on the drug.

 

Will do, thanks for the advice.

 

I understand the taper shouldn't last longer then the duration on the benzo. Just really worried about rebound extreme panic and insomnia. I had it for two weeks due to Lexapro ssri and it was a flipping nightmare. Then I was put on Clonazepam and still had horrible insomnia for two weeks, even had a panic attack because of the sleep deprivation. Finally, Atarax was added in the mix and my sleep is much better but not quite where it was.

 

Do you think a faster taper would be ideal? Think I'll have rebound symptoms if I withdrawal too fast? Thanks for the response.

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That is very good plan  :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

 

I would do cuts of 0.125 mg every two weeks if I were in your case till I am at 0.25, from then 0.05 cuts...in fact a daily taper from there would be a good idea.

 

That is what my pdoc suggested. I pushed him for 1 week tapers but he thinks that would be a bad idea due to why I was put on the drug in the first place. I'm just worried about staying on it longer then I have too. Also worried about tapering too fast and having crazy rebound panic attacks and insomnia.

 

So far during the first week and a half of tapering, I feel as i did pre taper. Must be a good sign right? lol. Thank you for your response, I appreciate it!

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With your short usage, you would be best getting off the drug sooner rather than later. You could taper off in less than 2 weeks and be just fine. The longer you are on the drug, the more dependent your body is getting to the drug. So get off of it! The rules for slow tapering do not apply to short-term users.

 

I totally agree with you! I don't want to be on this any longer than I have to. Unfortunately I am worried about rebound panic attacks and insomnia. They were absolutely horrendous two weeks before and two weeks after being put on Clonazepam ( though the panic stopped and the insomnia continued until I started Atarax). This was caused by my first dosage of Lexapro in my opinion. Had such a horrible reaction to it. My pdoc suggests a two week taper at a reduction of .125mg. Its been about 10 days since I started the taper and overall I feel just as i did pre taper. Good sign I am thinking and probably could speed it up. What are your thoughts? Thanks for the response.

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Clonazepam is not a long-acting drug like diazepam. You should be able to tell within a few days how you are handling each cut, and can make a decision then about cutting again, rather than waiting 2 weeks. You may also be able to handle a larger cut (such as .25 mg). Clonazepam is an awful drug (I could not stand it), it is easy to get confused between the actual side effects of the drug, and withdrawal symptoms. If you are feeling a lot of anxiety not long after dosing, that is a side effect. Insomnia can also be a side effect. Many of these things will not resolve until a while after you are off the drug, but you should feel better as your dosage drops (especially because of your short usage history).
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Clonazepam is not a long-acting drug like diazepam. You should be able to tell within a few days how you are handling each cut, and can make a decision then about cutting again, rather than waiting 2 weeks. You may also be able to handle a larger cut (such as .25 mg). Clonazepam is an awful drug (I could not stand it), it is easy to get confused between the actual side effects of the drug, and withdrawal symptoms. If you are feeling a lot of anxiety not long after dosing, that is a side effect. Insomnia can also be a side effect. Many of these things will not resolve until a while after you are off the drug, but you should feel better as your dosage drops (especially because of your short usage history).

 

So I am day 10 into my taper, last night I couldn't sleep. I tried going to work then got this weird crying spell. I cried at anything and everything. Then panic either set in or arrived with the crying. I feel like absolute crap right now. I'm not sure what to do. Insomnia has always been a problem ever since I took that first lexapro pill

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I would get off asap... if you don't you're going to have rebound anxiety/panic when you get off from staying on  it longer. If you want to follow your Dr. I guess do that, but I would not do any longer of a taper if I were you. jmo I wish you well on this journey.
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I would get off asap... if you don't you're going to have rebound anxiety/panic when you get off from staying on  it longer. If you want to follow your Dr. I guess do that, but I would not do any longer of a taper if I were you. jmo I wish you well on this journey.

 

Thank you so much. I want to get off it as fast as I can as well. Do you think it's possible to have rebound panic/anxiety for getting off it too quick as well? Before I was put on, I had it horribly.

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