Under .125 Klonopin Club

[[Be...]]

Hello there:) I'm in the 0.125 mg Klonopin Club too. A member kindly pointed me to this direction.

 

Not sure how to taper this small dose due to terrible tinnitus (my most annoying withdrawal symptom).

 

I bought a Jewelers Scale (8068 Series)...not very sure how to calibrate it...but for what I'm seeing my Clonazepam pill weights 153 mg. So basically I'm planning to scrape off a little bit from 38.25 mg pill (1/4 of the pill, the full pill is 0.5 mg), and put them different groups (each week)...

 

The pills are very small and almost sandy, so I'm planning 38 mg one week, 35 mg the other week, 30 mg the next week, 27 mg the next one, 25 mg and so forth...I'm not sure if I'm doing it right, and when should I jump off.

 

Any suggestions regarding tapering, dose intake, and calibrating would be appreciated.

 

My symptoms are really bothersome right now, and I'm not sure If because the doses are so small I'm experiencing kindling from one day to another.

 

I'm also taking supplements to ease the pain: magnesium, 5-HTP and Melatonin...

 

So any suggestion, comment on the supplements (what supplements are you taking, if any at all), would be great.

 

My tinnitus is pretty loud and scary, and my anxiety is up to the sky...so I'm not very eloquent right now...I do apologize for now.

 

 

 

Hi everyone

 

Not sure how many people here qualify but even if there are just a few of us hopefully we can support each other to the finish line.

 

I’d love to know what dose you are at and your taper method and maybe what plans you have for the finish. Jumping off or walking off at crumbs?

 

I’m doing a slow taper with longer holds using a gram scale. Just went down to .05 and change. At this low a dose I feel everything so I’m going slow and also want off. I am really learning patience.

[[Lo...]]

Kitsune, thank you so much! I’m sending light and love right back to you.  Your next window may be just around the corner, and it will come. I’m rooting for you!

 

Ben, you have come to the right place, friend.

 

Look for posts in this thread made by Bob7, and find the ones where he describes his method of cutting by .001 mg per day. If you’re in a difficult place right now, that’s going to be your best bet. I did cut and hold until I got here, and it was pretty punishing at times. The .001mg/day is a really smooth taper that should lessen your side effects and allow you to “step off” at the end, rather than “jump off” from a higher dose.

 

He also has links in his signature that you can click on, and get step-by-step instructions on how to measure your doses on your scale. He has a blog with videos as well.

 

Zinc is an excellent supplement to lessen anxiety.

 

Hang in there. You’re doing great, and you’ve made it to a huge checkpoint. You can do this.

[[...]]

Hello there:) I'm in the 0.125 mg Klonopin Club too. A member kindly pointed me to this direction.

 

Not sure how to taper this small dose due to terrible tinnitus (my most annoying withdrawal symptom).

 

I bought a Jewelers Scale (8068 Series)...not very sure how to calibrate it...but for what I'm seeing my Clonazepam pill weights 153 mg. So basically I'm planning to scrape off a little bit from 38.25 mg pill (1/4 of the pill, the full pill is 0.5 mg), and put them different groups (each week)...

 

The pills are very small and almost sandy, so I'm planning 38 mg one week, 35 mg the other week, 30 mg the next week, 27 mg the next one, 25 mg and so forth...I'm not sure if I'm doing it right, and when should I jump off.

 

Any suggestions regarding tapering, dose intake, and calibrating would be appreciated.

 

My symptoms are really bothersome right now, and I'm not sure If because the doses are so small I'm experiencing kindling from one day to another.

 

I'm also taking supplements to ease the pain: magnesium, 5-HTP and Melatonin...

 

So any suggestion, comment on the supplements (what supplements are you taking, if any at all), would be great.

 

My tinnitus is pretty loud and scary, and my anxiety is up to the sky...so I'm not very eloquent right now...I do apologize for now.

 

 

 

Hi everyone

 

Not sure how many people here qualify but even if there are just a few of us hopefully we can support each other to the finish line.

 

I’d love to know what dose you are at and your taper method and maybe what plans you have for the finish. Jumping off or walking off at crumbs?

 

I’m doing a slow taper with longer holds using a gram scale. Just went down to .05 and change. At this low a dose I feel everything so I’m going slow and also want off. I am really learning patience.

Welcome Ben.  Like Loveisalluneed said, you can check my signature for a couple of useful links.

 

I think you are doing the best thing right now.  Scraping off with a file and weighing will work very well.  If you want to create a bunch of you doses ahead of time, you can buy empty gel capsules at Amazon and fill them with the bits and pieces of the Clonazepam pill.  You can also buy a pill sorter to keep track of which pill to take next.

 

When you get really low in your dose, such that you can no longer do you method, let me know and I will show you an option for going very slow at tiny doses.

 

Bob

[[Be...]]

Thank you!,

 

Bob, I'm a little bit lost and overwhelmed (I have very loud tinnitus and anxiety), can you show me the link? I didn't see it:)

 

At present I'm at 0.125 mg (yesterday I have to updose and add an extra 1/8 of a pill and I'm depressed). I have a very loud hissing and can barely sleep.

 

Do you think reducing an average 10% per week is good? The pills are super small so these are approximates.

 

Also, I'm concern that such a small doses of Clonazepam are creating inter dose withdrawal effect with the subsequent kindling (sometimes I feel my tinnitus is worsening)...to tell the truth, I'm paranoid and scared.

 

I do have cases to separate the doses (they are not 100% exact, but might do the trick). Not sure at what point to jump off. Want to get off this nightmare so badly...

 

[[...]]

Try to go to this link  https://benzodrytapermath.com/

 

[[Lo...]]

Week One of Zero Klonopin is in the books, and without trying to jinx anything, I have to say that this has been the best week of the last five years of my life.

 

For 6.5 years, I was poly-drugged, taking 3 mg of Klonopin, 10 mg of Ambien, (and prescribed 30 mg of Adderall per day, although I never took the full amount of Adderall). I also drank heavily, and I just fell into a total stupor. I lost my personality, my emotions, and my passion. I became a zombie. I was very lucky not to have died.

 

The past 10.5 months of my taper have been extremely trying. I don’t know if I could do it again. The two times I had to take antibiotics were a couple of the most trying times of my life.

 

When I jumped off at .0147 mg a week ago, I was scared of what I was going to face, but determined that I had enough left in me for one more good fight. I was ready for at least some uptick in symptoms, but what I got was the opposite. For two days, I didn’t feel much, except a bit more energy, but on day three, I felt much more clear-headed. Day four, Sunday, was absolutely amazing.

 

It’s hard to describe, but I could feel my systems going back online, in a sense. I was in bed, and I felt my lungs open up in a way that haven’t since I first started the Klonopin. I felt my brain completely open up. It was like the gears finally meshed again, and it started cranking. I was talking a mile a minute, texting my family and very close friends, and spent a couple of hours looking back on the last 7+ years, and how much I had lost and missed out on, and how ridiculously grateful I was for this moment of reawakening.

 

Monday, I went out and got my glasses fixed, went to a bookstore and bought a magazine for my upcoming fantasy football league draft, and drove to a restaurant to get curbside takeout for lunch. That doesn’t sound like much of a day, does it? Trust me, it was damn near miraculous.

 

That night, I felt a bit of brain fog return, and I had to stay in bed probably twelve hours to get a good eight hours of sleep, but I cannot express the night-and-day difference in my energy, attitude, outlook, and more, from just a week ago.

 

I’ve got a ways to go to be “normal” again, but I’ve seen the light at the end of the tunnel. I know for a fact that the damage caused to my brain by Klonopin is not permanent, and I know for a fact that I will be living a great, “normal” life again someday soon, and that gives me so much joy that I can barely contain it.

 

Jeff, you’re going to get through this, and come out on the other side healed. There is no reason to be fearful. I promise you that what you’re going through is worth it. It is a brave, noble fight that you are fighting, and you will thank yourself when you’re done.

 

I know that recovery is different for everyone, and I’m nearly certain that the hell I went through in July and August after taking Cefdinir was caused by it blocking the effects of the Klonopin, causing me to experience acute withdrawal before I jumped, but to anyone who comes here at .125mg and lower looking for good news, I’m here to tell you that it gets SO much better.

 

Bob, I can never thank you enough for walking me through the past four months, which were the roughest four months of my taper. You are a selfless hero. I honestly don’t want to spend much more time on this website than I have to, because even looking at it reminds me of all of the hours I spent scrolling through its pages when I was in a bad place with my taper, but I am going to come back and post updates in the hopes that I may write one thing that helps one person .001% as much as you’ve helped me.

 

I’m sure I’m going to have some rough days ahead; I remember reading about waves coming back at 5-to-6 months out, and I know I have more healing to do, but the future is very bright for the first time in a long time.

[[Ul...]]

Week One of Zero Klonopin is in the books, and without trying to jinx anything, I have to say that this has been the best week of the last five years of my life.

 

For 6.5 years, I was poly-drugged, taking 3 mg of Klonopin, 10 mg of Ambien, (and prescribed 30 mg of Adderall per day, although I never took the full amount of Adderall). I also drank heavily, and I just fell into a total stupor. I lost my personality, my emotions, and my passion. I became a zombie. I was very lucky not to have died.

 

The past 10.5 months of my taper have been extremely trying. I don’t know if I could do it again. The two times I had to take antibiotics were a couple of the most trying times of my life.

 

When I jumped off at .0147 mg a week ago, I was scared of what I was going to face, but determined that I had enough left in me for one more good fight. I was ready for at least some uptick in symptoms, but what I got was the opposite. For two days, I didn’t feel much, except a bit more energy, but on day three, I felt much more clear-headed. Day four, Sunday, was absolutely amazing.

 

It’s hard to describe, but I could feel my systems going back online, in a sense. I was in bed, and I felt my lungs open up in a way that haven’t since I first started the Klonopin. I felt my brain completely open up. It was like the gears finally meshed again, and it started cranking. I was talking a mile a minute, texting my family and very close friends, and spent a couple of hours looking back on the last 7+ years, and how much I had lost and missed out on, and how ridiculously grateful I was for this moment of reawakening.

 

Monday, I went out and got my glasses fixed, went to a bookstore and bought a magazine for my upcoming fantasy football league draft, and drove to a restaurant to get curbside takeout for lunch. That doesn’t sound like much of a day, does it? Trust me, it was damn near miraculous.

 

That night, I felt a bit of brain fog return, and I had to stay in bed probably twelve hours to get a good eight hours of sleep, but I cannot express the night-and-day difference in my energy, attitude, outlook, and more, from just a week ago.

 

I’ve got a ways to go to be “normal” again, but I’ve seen the light at the end of the tunnel. I know for a fact that the damage caused to my brain by Klonopin is not permanent, and I know for a fact that I will be living a great, “normal” life again someday soon, and that gives me so much joy that I can barely contain it.

 

Jeff, you’re going to get through this, and come out on the other side healed. There is no reason to be fearful. I promise you that what you’re going through is worth it. It is a brave, noble fight that you are fighting, and you will thank yourself when you’re done.

 

I know that recovery is different for everyone, and I’m nearly certain that the hell I went through in July and August after taking Cefdinir was caused by it blocking the effects of the Klonopin, causing me to experience acute withdrawal before I jumped, but to anyone who comes here at .125mg and lower looking for good news, I’m here to tell you that it gets SO much better.

 

Bob, I can never thank you enough for walking me through the past four months, which were the roughest four months of my taper. You are a selfless hero. I honestly don’t want to spend much more time on this website than I have to, because even looking at it reminds me of all of the hours I spent scrolling through its pages when I was in a bad place with my taper, but I am going to come back and post updates in the hopes that I may write one thing that helps one person .001% as much as you’ve helped me.

 

I’m sure I’m going to have some rough days ahead; I remember reading about waves coming back at 5-to-6 months out, and I know I have more healing to do, but the future is very bright for the first time in a long time.

 

You deserve to feel GREAT!!! I'm truly happy for you and wish you nothing but even better days in the very near future. The light at the end of your tunnel has become a big, blue and open sky. Enjoy it!

 

Jeff

[[...]]

Week One of Zero Klonopin is in the books, and without trying to jinx anything, I have to say that this has been the best week of the last five years of my life.

 

For 6.5 years, I was poly-drugged, taking 3 mg of Klonopin, 10 mg of Ambien, (and prescribed 30 mg of Adderall per day, although I never took the full amount of Adderall). I also drank heavily, and I just fell into a total stupor. I lost my personality, my emotions, and my passion. I became a zombie. I was very lucky not to have died.

 

The past 10.5 months of my taper have been extremely trying. I don’t know if I could do it again. The two times I had to take antibiotics were a couple of the most trying times of my life.

 

When I jumped off at .0147 mg a week ago, I was scared of what I was going to face, but determined that I had enough left in me for one more good fight. I was ready for at least some uptick in symptoms, but what I got was the opposite. For two days, I didn’t feel much, except a bit more energy, but on day three, I felt much more clear-headed. Day four, Sunday, was absolutely amazing.

 

It’s hard to describe, but I could feel my systems going back online, in a sense. I was in bed, and I felt my lungs open up in a way that haven’t since I first started the Klonopin. I felt my brain completely open up. It was like the gears finally meshed again, and it started cranking. I was talking a mile a minute, texting my family and very close friends, and spent a couple of hours looking back on the last 7+ years, and how much I had lost and missed out on, and how ridiculously grateful I was for this moment of reawakening.

 

Monday, I went out and got my glasses fixed, went to a bookstore and bought a magazine for my upcoming fantasy football league draft, and drove to a restaurant to get curbside takeout for lunch. That doesn’t sound like much of a day, does it? Trust me, it was damn near miraculous.

 

That night, I felt a bit of brain fog return, and I had to stay in bed probably twelve hours to get a good eight hours of sleep, but I cannot express the night-and-day difference in my energy, attitude, outlook, and more, from just a week ago.

 

I’ve got a ways to go to be “normal” again, but I’ve seen the light at the end of the tunnel. I know for a fact that the damage caused to my brain by Klonopin is not permanent, and I know for a fact that I will be living a great, “normal” life again someday soon, and that gives me so much joy that I can barely contain it.

 

Jeff, you’re going to get through this, and come out on the other side healed. There is no reason to be fearful. I promise you that what you’re going through is worth it. It is a brave, noble fight that you are fighting, and you will thank yourself when you’re done.

 

I know that recovery is different for everyone, and I’m nearly certain that the hell I went through in July and August after taking Cefdinir was caused by it blocking the effects of the Klonopin, causing me to experience acute withdrawal before I jumped, but to anyone who comes here at .125mg and lower looking for good news, I’m here to tell you that it gets SO much better.

 

Bob, I can never thank you enough for walking me through the past four months, which were the roughest four months of my taper. You are a selfless hero. I honestly don’t want to spend much more time on this website than I have to, because even looking at it reminds me of all of the hours I spent scrolling through its pages when I was in a bad place with my taper, but I am going to come back and post updates in the hopes that I may write one thing that helps one person .001% as much as you’ve helped me.

 

I’m sure I’m going to have some rough days ahead; I remember reading about waves coming back at 5-to-6 months out, and I know I have more healing to do, but the future is very bright for the first time in a long time.

I want to congratulate you on your one week off anniversary.

 

Also I want to make a comment on how interesting it is that you are spending 12 hours in bed to get 8 hours of good rest. That exact thing happened to me when I 1st got off benzos.  Nowadays I need about 9.5 hours in bed to feel rested.  So it does get better.

 

Yes please come back and tell us how you're doing because it gives encouragement to so many people.

[[Lo...]]

Yes, I spent about 12 hours in bed to get 8 hours of good sleep. It still varies for me.

 

Last night, I slept from 6:45 pm to 12:15 am, and 5:30 am to 10:00 am, having only taken chamomile and 3 mg of melatonin around 4:30 am. If it weren’t for the quarantine, the strange hours would be a problem. Then again, if it weren’t for the pandemic, maybe I’d be sleeping on a better schedule. Who knows?

 

Day 10, and I could not be happier with how I feel. I left the house twice today, briefly each time. I drove to get breakfast, then later to get cranberry juice and a few other things from CVS. I’m very lethargic. I should be able to do more, and one day, I will.

 

If I absolutely hadto do something more, though, I know I could.

 

I thought I’d be experiencing withdrawal symptoms now, but I’m not. I can remember the restless leg that tormented me for the last 3 months of my taper, and the other symptoms that became “normal” for me, and I’m so grateful that they’re all gone.

 

Life is so good.

 

Wishing everyone effortless sleep, and peace of mind.

[[Js...]]

I just found this Under .125 Club, so if you saw this post on Klonopin Klub 2, sorry for the double post - just looking for some feedback:

 

 

I am just 2 weeks into a taper of .25mg a day of klonopin. I have been on klonopin for almost 30 years. My new doctor (psychiatrist) recommended that I get off klonopin 1) because it is probably not doing anything for me anymore 2) bad side effects as I age.

 

I was lucky enough never to have any issues (that I know of) that I can attribute to klonopin use (guess I was very lucky). When I originally went on it decades ago, I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. 

 

My Doctor recommended skipping my .25mg dose every other day. It has been a struggle. I have suffered small bouts of anxiety (not as bad as when I was first diagnosed), insomnia, hyper sensitivity/self awareness, headaches in the afternoon, and some tinnitus when I lay down to rest.

 

I am worried because I generally dont feel great/ have a 'foggy brain' and will be going back to work soon. 

 

Some questions for the klub:

1) are these symptoms all pretty normal?

2) do you think the taper was too aggressive/not following the Ashton Manuel?

3) 2 weeks in, should I just 'make the jump' and quit altogether since I am already feeling crummy? 

 

Thank you all.

[[...]]

If you have been on 0.25 mg Klonopin for 30 years then yes, skipping your .25mg dose every other day is considered very fast for most people.  In fact, many symptoms do not really start feeling extremely sick for 1 or 2 weeks so do not reduce any faster for at least another 2 weeks.

 

That all said, there are some people who can taper as fast as you.  Everyone is different and it would be very nice if you doctor is correct and you can taper this fast and be done with it.

 

You want to be done with the drug.  So your symptoms are tolerable, I recommend you continue to follow your doctors instructions. 

 

If symptoms become real bad in the next 2 to 4 weeks, we can talk about slower tapers. 

 

I wish you the best.

 

[[Js...]]

Thank you Bob7. I have an 11am teleconference with my Doctor tomorrow, so I will try and get an idea of where he wants to go. Feeling crummy like this is not easy (one of the hardest thing I have done), so I appreciate the support

[[...]]

Make sure you let the doctor know your trend.  Are you symptoms getting worse each day or did they start bad on day 3 and have stayed constant - that sort of thing.

 

[[Js...]]

Hey Bob - spoke with my Dr. today. He is young, caring, open and is familiar with this blog and the Ashton Manual. He is all about me making this my 'own' taper. He agrees that an aggressive taper like mine (cutting 50% by skipping a .25 pill every day) would not be advisable on higher doses of Klonopin, but believes it will be safe for me.

 

He and I agreed (we had discussed this possibility before I started the taper and this decision is based on the symptoms I described to him) that I will add 100-200mg of Gabepentin at bedtime. I am not stoked to start a new med, but if it can help me with the symptoms I am experiencing without any long term side effects, I am willing to give it a try.

 

Any thoughts on Gabetentin? He wants to reassess in 2 weeks about whether to 'make the jump', once the Gabepentin is in my system.

[[...]]

Well I have never taken Gabetentin so I do not have much real world advice.

But like you, I would want to avoid new drugs.

For me, as long as I could tolerant the symptoms (go to work each day), I would try not to take the Gabetentin.

 

[[Ul...]]

Hey Bob - spoke with my Dr. today. He is young, caring, open and is familiar with this blog and the Ashton Manual. He is all about me making this my 'own' taper. He agrees that an aggressive taper like mine (cutting 50% by skipping a .25 pill every day) would not be advisable on higher doses of Klonopin, but believes it will be safe for me.

 

He and I agreed (we had discussed this possibility before I started the taper and this decision is based on the symptoms I described to him) that I will add 100-200mg of Gabepentin at bedtime. I am not stoked to start a new med, but if it can help me with the symptoms I am experiencing without any long term side effects, I am willing to give it a try.

 

Any thoughts on Gabetentin? He wants to reassess in 2 weeks about whether to 'make the jump', once the Gabepentin is in my system.

 

Just an opinion here, but if the doc seriously wants to even consider "making a jump" from the .25mg k in a couple weeks, then maybe he's not as knowledgeable as he claims to be. That's a pretty big jolt to the system, but maybe your brain and body are way beyond the norm. It's a big risk, but everyone is so different. Just for some info you may want to visit the BB's thread regarding the Gabapentin recovery group. Either way, good luck to you!

[[Js...]]

Thanks Ultra, I'll took a look. I did some independent research on gabapentin and some of the trials look promising. I know it is considered a fast/aggressive taper and I don't want to rush things too much. The cut I made at his advice (removing .25mg every other day) will be reviewed at the 1 month mark. I don't believe this guy is not looking to rush me. He has basically said the taper was mine.

[[Ul...]]

Thanks Ultra, I'll took a look. I did some independent research on gabapentin and some of the trials look promising. I know it is considered a fast/aggressive taper and I don't want to rush things too much. The cut I made at his advice (removing .25mg every other day) will be reviewed at the 1 month mark. I don't believe this guy is not looking to rush me. He has basically said the taper was mine.

 

That's the key! You're going to do great

[[se...]]

Please note I am also on a very low dose, my Dr. also felt a quick larger dose reduction would be doable.  I took her advise, on day three I could barely tolerate existing.  My husband to me back and she quickly advised to reinstate my original dose and double my daily dose.  I reinstated my original dose, but never updosed.  It is best to take it slow, you can always go faster if you are coping well..

[[...]]

I am glad you are getting more time to heal before your job gets heavy.

Thank God for the chance to heal more.

[[De...]]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if anyone of you guys experienced interdose wd at the lower doses. I always take my dose in the morning. I ne er split it up. I notice since my last cut my afternoons my muscles cramp and I get tons of anxiety. Do you think maybe I should split the doses. I'm no good at this so I just kept it to one dose. Any help would be very appreciated. Thank you.

[[...]]

In my opinion, Clonzanapam has such a long half-life in the blood, I never did any more than two doses a day.  It didn't make sense to me to split into a third dose.  But perhaps you are more sensitive to changes.  I wanted to do just one dose a day, before bed, to help with sleep.  I do remember taking half at bed and the other half at 3am so I could fall back to sleep.  For me, everything was about getting enough sleep.

 

[[De...]]

Thanks bob,

That makes sense. I hop your sleeping has improved. Maybe I will leave it to just the morning. The mornings are pretty rough. I did lower my gabap. Long story, so I'm sure that hasn't helped. Today seems alot better. Ugh. This is not fun. Thank you!!

[[De...]]

Hi,

 

Does anyone know if .0875 is a small dose. I think I calculated that right. My dose w4ighs .50 on my scale. Ive been holding 4 months. My gabsp was dropped a month ago. Feeling better. Am I wasting time staying on such a small dose.

[[ki...]]

Dehytq2, given that the rough equivalent of your dose in Valium is 1.75 mg, I would say taper lower before you jump.