Restarting Generic Klonopin taper

[[To...]]

Cut and hold right now

[[se...]]

Thanks TouchdownIrish

 

Weekly Status Update

 

I pretty much hit my target for 6/5 of 0.22 mg. The week has been rough. My symptoms stay the same and wax and wane. I put off my decision to hold and have been doing every other day 0.001 g cuts. I am functional but honestly feed cruddy most of the time. It is a internal struggle with myself to make to decision to hold. I think with good feedback provided by others that I am going to hold for this week and reassess.

 

Since 3/7, basically the last 3 months I have tapered off of 3 mg Lunesta taken for about a year and went down from 0.41 mg klonopin to 0.22 klonopin or for the most part almost have cut my klonopin dosage in half. I know I have a long way to go but documenting your process allows you to look back at your progression. And looking back as to what I understand my pace has been rapid because I held klonopin dosage for about 3-4 weeks while I tapered Lunesta. Until the past few weeks I was doing ok, but I think my body is now telling me to hold the horses so my central nervous can catch up. According to the Ashton equivalency chart 3 mg Lunesta equates to about 10 mg of Valium and the Z drug has attributes of benzos, so I really did not get a break holding klonopin while I tapered Lunesta.

 

In addition I added Mirtazapine at 7.5 mg to help sleep. Hopefully that is not enhancing my symptoms.

 

In addition I am still looking at cut and hold versus DMT. As noted before with cut and hold you can not necessarily predict when your symptoms will hit and start to subside, but you have "some" guidelines. With DMT I understand micro dosing and the benefit but cannot tell what cuts are affecting me when.

 

When I resume I might try a 10% cut and hold. Not sure yet.

 

Thanks,

 

SeekingtoHeal

 

 

[[...]]

I want to give you some encouragement.

 

Also remember, when feeling cruddy, remind yourself it will not last forever.  In fact, some people have good hours and bad hours each day.  When the bad hours are happening, they remind themselves to wait and later to enjoy some good hours.

[[se...]]

Thanks for the positive feedback Bob7.

[[se...]]

6/8 Update.

 

Decide to hold at least for a week starting on 6/6.

[[Pa...]]

Are you arriving at any conclusions about cut and hold vs DMT?  Don't you hate being the guinea pig in this experiment?

[[se...]]

Hey Pamster, no conclusion yet. Been holding at .226 mg since 6/6. Yes I do hate being a guinea pig.

[[se...]]

Status update:

 

Decided to hold one more week and then resume my taper. Hate waiting for two weeks but think my body needs to catch up. Cutting my Klonopin dose in half and phasing out 3 mg lunesta in past 3 months I am learning is a lot.

[[Pa...]]

You've made a lot of progress in reducing your dose but I'm really glad you're not focused solely on that, functionality and quality of life are important.

[[se...]]

Definitely

[[se...]]

Hey buddies.

 

Hope everyone is doing as well as can be.

 

Here is my latest update. I have held for 2 weeks and still feel somewhat unstable. Not sure if it is the cuts have caught up with me or I had to have my script refilled (same brand of Teva and dosage 0.5 mg pills) or as noted taking the generic Remeron to help with sleep. The only other med I take is a Blood pressure med. Symptoms stay constant shaking, burning/tingling in hands and feet and heart palpitations.

 

I plan to start cutting again. My first inclination is to go back to doing a every other day 0.001 g micro taper which would put me between 4-5% each week. Part of me wants to do a cut and hold but am concerned about the effects of a say 10% dosage cut when symptoms peak.

 

I am currently at 0.226 mg and it seems like so far to go.

 

 

thx

 

seekingtoheal

 

[[...]]

I think you're feeling the effects of getting off of lunesta quickly as well as your benzo taper.  Just go slow for the next duration of time while you recover from lunesta and then later you might be able to speed up your benzo taper.

[[se...]]

Thanks. Thinking about doing a .001 g drop every other day. Averages to about 4-5% a week.

[[se...]]

Mid Week Status Update

 

for those who may have interest or future interest

 

I have held for 2 weeks and still feel somewhat unstable. As noted not sure if it is the cuts have caught up with me or I had to have my script refilled (same brand of Teva and dosage 0.5 mg pills) or as noted taking the generic Remeron to help with sleep.

 

I started cutting again and doing a DMT every other day 0.001 g drop which targets me at 5.30% for the week. Sleep is ok. Symptoms stay constant.

 

My 6/26 target is to be at .215 mg.

 

I hate going this slow but know its the right approach to take.

 

thx

 

seekingtoheal

[[Pa...]]

Cold turkey was awful but this tapering business is a challenge.  The continual need to adjust your taper then question if its the right thing to do must be torture, I wish there were an easier way. 

[[...]]

Hang in there things will get better

 

[[ca...]]

You're making progress seeking to heal 

good job 

[[se...]]

Thank you!!

[[se...]]

My latest update.

 

As noted I restarted my DMT taper and my plan is for between 4.2% and 5.6% for the seven day week. Today is a rough day. The one challenge I am facing is trying to get a good 5% average for each 7 days of a DMT. I feel like I am in withdrawal all the time even though I held.

 

The dose I am at now .209 mg doing a DMT every day would put me over 10% for the seven days and that is too much. So some days I do a DMT every other day to average my % for the 7 day week.

 

Pamster you are right. A DMT is very tedious process.

 

I am seriously thinking about trying a cut and hold.

 

seekingtoheal

[[...]]

Getting to 0.125 mg was a significant point for me and you're almost there.  Keep up the good work.

[[Pa...]]

We all say to distract and try to live your life as normally as you can but when our lives are consumed with the taper process how can this happen?  I wish the path was clear and didn't require so much of your attention, indecision is really hard on us so having to constantly question our method can add more stress.

[[se...]]

Getting to 0.125 mg was a significant point for me and you're almost there.  Keep up the good work.

 

Thanks Bob. Looking at my current taper rate that puts me getting to 0.125 mg in about 2 months. Seems like such a long way to go to get to there and then to the end.

[[se...]]

We all say to distract and try to live your life as normally as you can but when our lives are consumed with the taper process how can this happen?  I wish the path was clear and didn't require so much of your attention, indecision is really hard on us so having to constantly question our method can add more stress.

 

Could not agree more. I wish I could set it and forget it and put it into a routine. Tinnitus got me into this mess and TMJ and the w/d just adds tension which makes me clench more and my tinnitus to go higher. Horrible endless circle. Pushing hard and continue to motor on.

[[se...]]

Weekly Status Update

 

First I want to extend my thanks members of this forum for support and encouragement.

 

Hit my target today 0.203 mg. 7/10 target will put me at 0.19 mg. I guess I will take that as a milestone that I have gotten this far. Since 5/17 I have had to DMT 0.001 g (0.003 mg) drop every other day instead of every day. If I would have kept up every day DMT that would have put me into the 15-20% drop range every 14 days which I believe is to much for me and based on the 10% recommendation. Doing every other day puts me around 10-11% right now for the dosage I am at.

 

My symptoms remain the same with some shaking, burning/tingling, health palpations. Taking the klonopin at night with melatonin and the mirtzapine at night still getting good sleep. Basically do not feel that good most of the time but expected it. "On paper" I have about 4 months or so of tapering still to do if all goes well.

 

Still have anger at getting into this mess in the first place but that does not help me heal. Taking one day at a time.

 

Wishing all well in your tapering.

 

seekingtoheal

[[...]]

Weekly Status Update

 

First I want to extend my thanks members of this forum for support and encouragement.

 

Hit my target today 0.203 mg. 7/10 target will put me at 0.19 mg. I guess I will take that as a milestone that I have gotten this far. Since 5/17 I have had to DMT 0.001 g (0.003 mg) drop every other day instead of every day. If I would have kept up every day DMT that would have put me into the 15-20% drop range every 14 days which I believe is to much for me and based on the 10% recommendation. Doing every other day puts me around 10-11% right now for the dosage I am at.

 

My symptoms remain the same with some shaking, burning/tingling, health palpations. Taking the klonopin at night with melatonin and the mirtzapine at night still getting good sleep. Basically do not feel that good most of the time but expected it. "On paper" I have about 4 months or so of tapering still to do if all goes well.

 

Still have anger at getting into this mess in the first place but that does not help me heal. Taking one day at a time.

 

Wishing all well in your tapering.

 

seekingtoheal

Your story has so much good technical data with rates and dosages that it's going to be a testimony to help other people as they taper.

Thank you for sharing your story.

Just so you can set your expectations, brace yourself because even after you reach zero benzo some people take additional time to get back to full recovery in terms of sleep.