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New Strategy ~ Hold Alprazolam ~ Taper Clonazepam


[Se...]

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I’ve been tapering off prescribed alprazolam for almost a year.  I started dry cutting from 4mg/day until DLMT started on May 22, 2019.  I was at .96mg at that point.  I’ve tapered slowly, held, picked up the pace and my symptoms haven’t gotten any better.  Worse probably.  I was prescribed 1 mg of clonazepam in November, 2018 with the hopes of crossing over from alprazolam. 

 

Back in November, my alprazolam dose was still in the mid 2+ mg/day.  Needless to say, I was unable to make the transition given the absurd equivalency of the drugs.  So...I’m on two benzos now!  I did manage to reduce the clonazepam dose to .87mg/day in January, 2019.  Yeah, I know.  Big deal.

 

My current alprazolam dose is .51mg/day using DLMT.  I evenly dose throughout the day.  I take a 0.5mg clonazepam tablet in the morning and the balance at bedtime. 

 

I have not improved at all.  Every day I suffer from nausea, paresthesia, tinnitus, anxiety, dizziness, balance issues, agoraphobia, insomnia, carb intolerance, high blood sugar, (blood work was done to rule out diabetes) and have lost 50 pounds and unable to gain any weight back. I do eat healthy options but force myself to do so.  I also force myself to walk about a mile a day for exercise.  It’s very difficult but I do it.

 

I was thinking of changing my taper.  I will hold at .50mg/day of alprazolam for a week before I begin a DLMT of clonazepam.  I will go slowly and continue to hold alprazolam at .50mg/day during the clonazepam taper. 

 

I know it sounds counter intuitive to hold on a short acting benzo and taper the longer acting one.  At this point, I have to think clonazepam may be the problem.  It certainly hasn’t helped or improved anything.

 

Looking for thoughts and comments for this plan.

 

Thanks for reading and would REALLY appreciate your input! 

 

 

 

 

 

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Sept, this is a hard one.  The clonazapam has a long half life and the alprazalam a short half life.

I struggled so much on my crossover from alprazolam to diazepam, I had to drop the diazepam and add back in the alprazolam, so I was on both at once.  I was able to titrate the xanax and end up on a lower dose of Valium, but Valium was always a hard drug for me and I have often wondered if it would have worked better if I had done that exactly opposite.  What are your drugs at in equivalency?

Mary

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Thanks for your input Mary.  As far as I know, clonazepam and alprazolam are equal milligram wise.  As you already know, clonazepam is longer acting than alprazolam.  I just couldn’t do the crossover....probably similar to your crossing over to diazepam from alprazolam.  I’m not entertaining crossing over to diazepam either.

 

I’m currently at .87mg clonazepam tabs and DLMT alprazolam, .51mg/day. 

 

I’m very symptomatic with this taper.  I was symptomatic before I started and adding clonazepam did nothing to alleviate my suffering and symptoms. 

 

If I stay stabilize at .50mg alprazolam, Im hoping to taper off clonazepam with less symptoms  I’ll start clonazepam taper with DLMT for more accurate dosing. 

 

Thanks Mary.💜

 

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Thanks for your input Mary.  As far as I know, clonazepam and alprazolam are equal milligram wise.  As you already know, clonazepam is longer acting than alprazolam.  I just couldn’t do the crossover....probably similar to your crossing over to diazepam from alprazolam.  I’m not entertaining crossing over to diazepam either.

 

I’m currently at .87mg clonazepam tabs and DLMT alprazolam, .51mg/day. 

 

I’m very symptomatic with this taper.  I was symptomatic before I started and adding clonazepam did nothing to alleviate my suffering and symptoms. 

 

If I stay stabilize at .50mg alprazolam, Im hoping to taper off clonazepam with less symptoms  I’ll start clonazepam taper with DLMT for more accurate dosing. 

 

Thanks Mary.💜

 

Wish you lots of luck!  Keep me posted on how you do 💜💜💜

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Thanks for your input Mary.  As far as I know, clonazepam and alprazolam are equal milligram wise.  As you already know, clonazepam is longer acting than alprazolam.  I just couldn’t do the crossover....probably similar to your crossing over to diazepam from alprazolam.  I’m not entertaining crossing over to diazepam either.

 

I’m currently at .87mg clonazepam tabs and DLMT alprazolam, .51mg/day. 

 

I’m very symptomatic with this taper.  I was symptomatic before I started and adding clonazepam did nothing to alleviate my suffering and symptoms. 

 

If I stay stabilize at .50mg alprazolam, Im hoping to taper off clonazepam with less symptoms  I’ll start clonazepam taper with DLMT for more accurate dosing. 

 

Thanks Mary.💜

 

 

Hi SeptGirl,

 

Klonopin is a bit stronger than Ativan. .5mg of Klonopin=1mg of Ativan.

It might be harder to taper the Klonopin since it is stronger.

The advantage is that it does have a longer half life.

Hoping you feel better. It might very well work for you.

 

 

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Hi Dana! I’m on alprazolam (Xanax) not lorazepam (Ativan).  Doing a Google search I saw alprazolam and clonazepam are equal milligram for milligram.  Clonazepam hasn’t done me any good since I failed to crossover from alprazolam.

 

I know tapering alprazolam has me down for the count.  I think it’s time to regroup.  Stabilize on .50mg alprazolam then start clonazepam taper using DLMT.  Hoping the clonazepam longer half life is advantageous.  It’s a crap shoot with benzos. 

 

My original plan was to taper OFF alprazolam then taper clonazepam.  I can’t keep suffering much longer.  It’s with a try.  I’ll get back to the alprazolam taper after I finish clonazepam taper.

 

Thanks for the advice! 💜

 

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Sept Girl I have seen just a couple of people here that have really struggled trying to come down on two benzos I tried looking at your signature, but can't tell if you ever tried just straight Klonopin. I can imagine that can be really scary. I crossed over from Xanax to Valium really, but I was not having heavy symptoms which I think makes it a lot easier

 

I see from your new post that you are not interested in fully crossing over, so I withdraw the question. I assume you are not interested in trying a Valium crossover? Maybe all Xanax? It is a small sample size but I just see real concerns staying on 2

 

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Hey Matt.  I’m going to hold alprazolam at .50mg, (hopefully) stabilize then start clonazepam DLMT.  I’ve been tapering off 4mg/day alprazolam for almost a year now. I’m too symptomatic to continue alprazolam taper. 

 

I was very symptomatic before my taper began.  It hasn’t been an easy road.  Not even a little bit.  The constant nausea, paresthesia, tinnitus, food sensitivities, agoraphobia, insomnia, weight loss, blood sugar issues, all of it.

 

I’m aware being on two benzos at the same time is concerning. I failed to crossover from alprazolam to clonazepam and before I knew it, I was on both.  I did proceed with the alprazolam taper despite the failed crossover.  I’m not willing to risk another crossover to diazepam.

 

It’s time to change things up.  Hold alprazolam.  Taper clonazepam.  That’s my hope. That’s my plan.  DLMT from the beginning...no dry cutting like I did for more than 9 months with alprazolam taper.  I’m hoping it goes smoother using DLMT from the beginning of the taper.

 

Thanks for your comment. 💜

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Hi Dana! I’m on alprazolam (Xanax) not lorazepam (Ativan).  Doing a Google search I saw alprazolam and clonazepam are equal milligram for milligram.  Clonazepam hasn’t done me any good since I failed to crossover from alprazolam.

 

I know tapering alprazolam has me down for the count.  I think it’s time to regroup.  Stabilize on .50mg alprazolam then start clonazepam taper using DLMT.  Hoping the clonazepam longer half life is advantageous.  It’s a crap shoot with benzos. 

 

My original plan was to taper OFF alprazolam then taper clonazepam.  I can’t keep suffering much longer.  It’s with a try.  I’ll get back to the alprazolam taper after I finish clonazepam taper.

 

Thanks for the advice! 💜

 

Sorry about the mixup. I thought I read Ativan. Need those reading glasses!

I would say it is worth a try. I wish you the best!

 

Dana

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Thanks Dana!  Sometimes my benzo brain doesn’t relate to typing so I may have confused you.

 

Thanks for your reply!

 

💜

 

 

 

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Hi Sept

You have a fairly complicated history but I will offer some thoughts for you to consider.  First of all I’ve found that our brain is looking for stability, so any time we change something else, a different drug, a different dose, different times, quitting a psych drug, etc it is likely to make your symptoms worse.  Second, for some of us it can take a long time even under stable dosing to feel better.  Some of us must taper much slower than others.  Patience can be key.

 

it looks like you’ve tapered Xanax by a half in only 2.5 months.  This is on the fast side, there are many people who have to go much slower.  I’m doing about 6% a month vs your 20%.  I guess you quit ( cold turkey?) celexa only a month ago.  Celexa has its own withdrawal when you quit which could be adding in to your symptoms.

 

If it were me, I would hold everything stable now for awhile and let your system catch up.  Don’t taper or change anything until you feel a little better.  It could take awhile, it took me 3 or 4 months of holding to feel better, but I did improve and now I am tapering and much more comfortable.

 

Ultimately it’s your choice though.  We all react a little differently, I’m just letting you know what helped me, and I think holding makes sense to allow your body to heal.

 

Bill

 

 

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Thanks Bill!  I didn’t cold turkey off Celexa.  I did taper with Rx solution. It may have been a little faster than recommended but not by much.  Celexa, I felt, was contributing to my discomfort.  I was on 30mg for at least 8 years and was crossed over to Zoloft in May, 2018.  I believe I had discontinuation syndrome from that as it wasn’t an “equal” crossover.  My former shrink told me if I was taking 30mg of Celexa, I should have been switched to at least 100mg Zoloft.  I was prescribed 25mg, up to 50mg, briefly at 75mg by my PC and then ended up in the ER with blood pressure issues.  Long story short, psychiatrist took me off Zoloft in August, 2018 when I had tapered down to 25mg.  That probably wasn’t a good idea either.  More discontinuation but the psychiatrist constantly told me NO...my symptoms were anxiety related.  I started the alprazolam taper then. 

 

The 8 months I saw the psychiatrist, he NEVER once acknowledged I was going through benzo withdrawal or tolerance.  He insisted it was all anxiety and I was reinstated on Celexa in November, 2018.  It took FOREVER to get to 20mg because of ongoing nausea and other symptoms, and as soon as I did, I started to taper.  It simply pooped out on me and was useless. I tapered from a brief stay at 20mg down to 1mg when I stopped. I feel a little better since being off it but know the residual effects can last some time. I’m off Celexa almost 4 weeks now. 

 

Even at 4mg/day of alprazolam I was nauseated and felt terrible.  That’s why I decided to get off of it.  Then the psychiatrist added clonazepam to crossover from alprazolam and THAT wasn’t a proper crossover either!! 2.5mg alprazolam to 1mg clonazepam?  Nope.  It wasn’t going to happen.  That’s how I ended up on two benzos.  I at least had the good sense to continue the alprazolam taper.  The psychiatrist wanted me to taper .25mg every two weeks. :idiot:  That was impossible especially since I was on it for more than 10 years!!

 

I know I was tapering faster than most with alprazolam but I felt taking it was making my symptoms worse.  No matter the rate of my taper, I felt God awful. Still do.

 

I’m going to hold alprazolam dose at .50mg taken in equal doses throughout the day as I have been.  I’m going to transition over to DLMT clonazepam but hold the dose in liquid for a week then make small cuts.  I’ll get back to the alprazolam taper when I’m off clonazepam.

 

I just don’t feel I can stand still with the tapering process. I know my brain is fried but it’s tired of benzos.  I’m tired of benzos. 

 

I will be more conservative with the clonazepam taper and I’m hoping it won’t be as difficult since it’s a longer acting benzo. I also haven’t been on it for ten years like alprazolam but long enough to know it’s long past time to get off.  I’m hoping the longer I’m off Celexa, the better I’ll feel too. 

 

I file this under, “I wish I knew then what I know now.”

 

I know exactly what you’re saying and really appreciate your advice.  I just feel I need to move forward but at a much slower pace.

 

Thank you for your concise response Bill.  It’s food for thought.

 

💜

 

 

 

 

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