Under .125 Klonopin Club

[[Wo...]]

Checking in. Did not have a large dose or large usage like others. Really scared myself when coming off an SSRI... think that amplified my worry for benzo withdrawal and then discovered this site which scared me.. but also got me to do a taper which I’m proud of. I’m at .125mg klonopin and really don’t feel much withdrawal effect at all. Started tapering from less than .50mg 6 months ago after taking for a month straight.. probably didn’t need to do such a long taper but planning on going steady down .001 until I’m off.

[[...]]

Checking in. Did not have a large dose or large usage like others. Really scared myself when coming off an SSRI... think that amplified my worry for benzo withdrawal and then discovered this site which scared me.. but also got me to do a taper which I’m proud of. I’m at .125mg klonopin and really don’t feel much withdrawal effect at all. Started tapering from less than .50mg 6 months ago after taking for a month straight.. probably didn’t need to do such a long taper but planning on going steady down .001 until I’m off.

I think the data in your signature is a decimal point off.  For example, you are currently taking 0.125 mg of Klonopin but your signature is showing 1.25, what does that mean?

[[...]]

May I ask how low is suggested to taper clonazepam before jumping ?

And is 0.04 mg still a therapeutic dose ? Would it still help me sleep?

Do symptoms usually remain the same after jumping as when tapering ?

[[...]]

May I ask how low is suggested to taper clonazepam before jumping ?

And is 0.04 mg still a therapeutic dose ? Would it still help me sleep?

Do symptoms usually remain the same after jumping as when tapering ?

Everything depends on how long your on the drug and how much of the drug you were taken for day.

 

However I suggest you taper all way to 0 and yes expect symptoms to continue and slowly to improve over the period of weeks or months or even years depend on how long your were on the drug.

 

I also have MTHFR mutation  I have learned many things - PM me if you want to share notes.

[[he...]]

Anybody still hanging around here? I’m currently stuck just below .1mg, holding in hopes I can level off a bit before tackling this home stretch. Would be cool to sync up with others that are getting close to the bottom.

[[...]]

HI hearsaybenz,

 

At one point, this was a very popular page.

 

The good news for you is hope.  Since so many were "Under 0.125 mg" to be on this page, and now we are off the page, it means healing did happen.

 

It will happen for you too.

[[Ul...]]

Anybody still hanging around here? I’m currently stuck just below .1mg, holding in hopes I can level off a bit before tackling this home stretch. Would be cool to sync up with others that are getting close to the bottom.

I'm here but never been here before, but I initially started my liquid taper at 6mg/day of klonopin. You're in the home stretch! Keep the faith and hope going

 

Jeff

[[he...]]

Hi Jeff! Nice to meet you.  Wow it sounds like you’ve had quite the journey! How long have you been tapering the benzo? What dose are you down to?

[[Ul...]]

Hi Jeff! Nice to meet you.  Wow it sounds like you’ve had quite the journey! How long have you been tapering the benzo? What dose are you down to?

 

This May 29th will make 5 years of tapering. I'm just so mega-sensitive to anything since being on such a high dose of k for years (not to mention the other poly drugging that happened over the two decades too). My body is sensitive anyway to most things (see, touch, smell, etc) as I was always that way, but years of these "meds" took things up to a new level. Wow! Never had a clue, I just did what docs said to do. Not real smart on my part, but we all just keep going forward. I've had to work this entire time (full-time), and the stress from that is the main reason for having to taper even slower. I'm around .03 at this point, but what a ride! Throw in a Coronavirus and things really get nuts, right? How are you holding up these days?

 

Take care,

 

Jeff

[[he...]]

This May 29th will make 5 years of tapering. I'm just so mega-sensitive to anything since being on such a high dose of k for years (not to mention the other poly drugging that happened over the two decades too). My body is sensitive anyway to most things (see, touch, smell, etc) as I was always that way, but years of these "meds" took things up to a new level. Wow! Never had a clue, I just did what docs said to do. Not real smart on my part, but we all just keep going forward. I've had to work this entire time (full-time), and the stress from that is the main reason for having to taper even slower. I'm around .03 at this point, but what a ride! Throw in a Coronavirus and things really get nuts, right? How are you holding up these days?

 

Take care,

 

Jeff

 

Wow, I really admire your patience. That is good that you've been able to work the whole time. I, too, am working full time. I am hangin in there, some days just by a tiny thread. Some days I can actually feel pretty damn near normal, though. And yea, what a crazy time to be going through this huh? On top of corona, I lost my job in Jan, separated from my wife in Feb, and started a new job in March... so, super fun stuff. My job has been remote since I've started it (because of the virus), so even though that gets very lonely, I think it helps to not have to have anyone really looking over my shoulder during this final stretch of my taper.

 

So cool that you are almost done after all that time. Your determination is very inspiring.

[[Lo...]]

I just cut from .125 mg to .0625 two days ago, and Im getting nervous about jumping in two weeks.

 

The beginning of my taper (from 2.5 mg) was tough. I also quit Ambien, Adderall and cigarettes C/T at the same time. I was cutting .25 mg per cut, and powered through each, but my symptoms (insomnia, shortness of breath, restless leg, cog fog, benzo belly, terrible short-term memory) were bad for 1-2 weeks after each cut, starting around week 2 after the cut.

 

Since reducing my cuts to .125 mg, I have had almost no S/X, except for extreme lethargy, some dizziness & some unsteadiness on my feet, but absolutely nothing I can’t handle, especially compared to the other cuts.

 

I’ve worked my job during my taper, until COVID19 hit, and my workload dropped dramatically. It has actually been a godsend, since I’ve been able to relax, and not worry about work, and deal with my lethargy.

 

I’ve been reading on here though, from a lot of posters, it seems, that the real struggle doesn’t even start until withdrawal. I had been assuming that withdrawal was going to roughly mirror my last few cuts, but I guess that’s not accurate.

 

I’m desperate for anyone to shoot straight with me. I don’t care how terrible the news is, I just want to be prepared. How much worse are the withdrawals than the taper? I know that it’s different for everyone, but in general, am I looking at an intensification of what a I’ve already experienced? A bunch of new symptoms? What are we talking about here?

 

[[...]]

Many of us had our biggest troubles during our taper.

I tapered slow so by the time I reached zero benzo, I did not notice any big change at the moment of zero benzo. 

I did a progress report each week since I reached zero, you can see what I am talking about.

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=209038.0

[[Lo...]]

Thanks, Bob! I’ve actually read through your progress log before, and it’s very thorough.

 

I notice that you rate your symptoms at a 4 during your roughest taper point, at .125 mg, but within a couple of months of withdrawal, you rate them as 6, 6.5, and 7, at times.

 

Can you describe how much worse the 6.5-7 withdrawal symptoms were than the 4 taper symptoms?

 

I understand that it’s been awhile, but I’m hungry for information at this point.

 

Thank you so much for your reply!

[[...]]

I understand you are hungry for information.

 

I remember feeling the same way.

 

The waves and windows in benzo recovery are odd.

 

Now that I think back, I believe the bad times (waves) were a combination of the benzo withdrawal and circumstances in my life.

 

To answer your question, the ratings a couple of months into my withdrawal (into zero benzo time) did get worse than during my taper but never significantly worse. Nothing life stopping.  To compare, I did have life stopping events before I started my taper, back when I didn't know about tapering and I was starting and stopping the benzo, and was in tolerable withdrawal.  I had chest pains and what I thought were strange heart beats - all of which sent me to the ER.  But post tapering, I have not had anything that bad again.

 

I hope this helps.

[[Lo...]]

Thanks again, Bob.

 

It helps SO much. I’m so appreciative to have this website, and veterans of withdrawal and recovery like yourself to rely on for information. It sounds to me like zero benzo time is going to start out a lot like my taper, highly dependent on what’s happening in my world around me, and that’s a huge relief to me. I’ve made it this far, and I have zero doubt that I’m going to make it through zero benzo. Your post let’s me know that even if it’s a little worse here and there, it’s not going to be anything I can’t handle.

 

Thank you for remaining on this site, and documenting your recovery. It really is a service that you are providing to we who follow in your footsteps.

[[ha...]]

Hi, last night I cut to 0.10. All things considered, my taper has gone well. I'm dealing with a lot of stress now about uncertainties, like we all are. I plan to stay here at 0.10 for a week or two.

 

Hope everyone is doing well.

[[Lo...]]

Does anybody know if it’s possible to begin acute withdrawal at .0625 mg of K? Of my last three cuts, the first two were nothing at all, but the one going from .125 to .0625 has been pretty bad. The side effects hit me almost right away, and I still am not completely stabilized.

 

The worst ones are shortness of breath, inability to get enough oxygen into my lungs, and pretty bad insomnia, with brain zaps keeping me from getting any good sleep.

[[...]]

While I took a year to taper 0.5mg, I took 4 months to get off the last 0.125 mg and yet I still had symptoms.  So I simply think you're going too fast.

[[Lo...]]

That may be it. I just need to stabilize at .0625 mg. I hope it doesn’t take much longer.

 

Thank you for the reply.

 

What did you do to combat insomnia? My brain just won’t get into whatever phase it needs to be in for me to sleep. I used a sleep hypnosis music track for about two weeks, and it really helped; but it stopped working a few days ago.

[[...]]

That may be it. I just need to stabilize at .0625 mg. I hope it doesn’t take much longer.

 

Thank you for the reply.

 

What did you do to combat insomnia? My brain just won’t get into whatever phase it needs to be in for me to sleep. I used a sleep hypnosis music track for about two weeks, and it really helped; but it stopped working a few days ago.

I also have great success using hypnosis/meditation stuff on Youtube.  However, even very good one stop working after I use it several nights in a row.  The brain gets familiar to it and then is able to multi-task and get distracted.  So I find a new hypnosis/meditation every few days or even every night.  There are thousands of them on YouTube.

 

First of all, if you have restless legs and it hurts your sleep, ask me about that separately.

 

But for sleep, I have many tips for you.  But please note, these may or may not work will during a taper.  So please, even they fail you, do not forget to try them again after your taper.

 

Chamomile Tea is wonderful.  Or use Chamomile Extract if you do not want to pee in the middle of the night from drinking tea at bed.

 

Benadryl (diphenhydramine) - ½ tablet, gives about 5 hours of sleep, stops working after 4 days, rebound insomnia if you take too long SO JUST TAKE FOR EMERGENCIES, like the night before a big event.

 

Unisom works very well but can leave you tired the next day.

 

Currently I do this (note, for any supplement below, I break up the pill to only take about 25% of RDA)

8pm Niacin, Iron (for restless legs), Pyridoxal 5’-Phosphate, Zinc,

At bed Magnesium Glycinate, L’theanine, and an 1/4 aspirin or Advil

Hot bath

 

For absolute emergency times, when I really need to sleep, the doctor gave me a muscle relaxer (cyclobenzaprine 10 MG tablet, only 1/2 a tablet helps so much)

 

Bob

[[Lo...]]

Bob,

 

I feel badly relying on you like this, but you’re an absolute godsend. I didn’t even consider having to switch up my YouTube hypnosis video. Makes so much sense. I’ve been using the same one for ten days: 8 hours with a female voice. It was so good that I’d wake up 4 hours into it, hear her voice, roll over and go right back to sleep. Then it just stopped working.

 

I’m going to order Chamomile Extract online as soon as I post this. I have a multivitamin, but often forget to take it. I’ll buy the supplements you listed separately and see if they help.

 

Yes, restless leg is a total pain for me, but only in my right leg. Any advice you can give me about restless leg is much appreciated.

[[...]]

Love,

 

I am happy to help.

 

If you have a link to it, can you share the 8 hour hypnosis you use? 

 

Here are some of my favorites:

Anything by this lady: 

Also these

 

You must be careful with multivitamins.  I find my benzo withdrawal has me sensitive to certain B-vitamins.  Some make me lose sleep, others HELP me sleep.  Taking Niacin with Pyridoxal 5’-Phosphate are two good B-vitamins.  When mixed with zinc, they help convert glutamate to gaba (the key to putting your brain to sleep).  Also, do not forget Magnesium Glycinate (many folks take Magnesium for sleep).  The L'theanine is only helpful if you are easily distracted (mind overthinks in bed) and it is hurting your sleep (like if you are ADHD).  The Advil or Aspirin helps some people too.

 

For restless legs, I find taking iron before bed really helps.  Then, if I still have restless legs, I get out of bed, get in a hot tube just to cover legs (very hot water) for just a few minutes, and the restless legs are GONE for the rest of the night.  It works every time.

 

Remember, these "fixes" really only work wonderfully AFTER you are off benzos.  So if they only help a little during your taper, do not be afraid to try again in future.  I made that mistake.

 

Bob

 

[[Lo...]]

Thank you for the links! This is the one I used that worked so well for me in the beginning.

 

 

After reading your post earlier today, I switched to another one, and it worked like a charm. I look forward to trying the one you linked that is specific to Benzo withdrawal.

[[Ul...]]

Does anybody know if it’s possible to begin acute withdrawal at .0625 mg of K? Of my last three cuts, the first two were nothing at all, but the one going from .125 to .0625 has been pretty bad. The side effects hit me almost right away, and I still am not completely stabilized.

 

The worst ones are shortness of breath, inability to get enough oxygen into my lungs, and pretty bad insomnia, with brain zaps keeping me from getting any good sleep.

 

A 50% cut? I think that would make most people go a little bonkers. That's a brutal cut, but I do realize that everyone is different. Good luck!

 

Jeff

[[ha...]]

Well, I haven't worked outside of the home for 2 weeks now. Most of my normal metrics that I had to gauge my symptoms are gone since I can't tell how I feel when I'm at a workplace. My sleep isn't totally solid, but I'm not having nightmares anymore like I did at the start and middle of my taper. Hope everyone is hanging in there!