Need a titration schedule

[[ma...]]

After 7 or 8 benzo - hopping and so many interdose withdrawals, I am stable at .5mg Klonopin and 10 mg Valium. My doctor feels bad about his mistakes, and the substitution taper is too sedating. 25% cuts are too much for me. Want to go back to once daily evening dosing and titrate all meds.

 

Can any one reccomend a schedule?

 

Saw the video, read the threads...just need a schedule

 

[[ma...]]

Please have the following information ready. I cannot create a schedule if any of these details are missing.

 

Start date: AS sson as I can get the cylinder -- one medical supply store said they had a few different ones -- estimate Tuesday 24th, as long as the medical supply store gave accurate information

 

Dose: 0.5mg Klonopin, 10mg Valium

 

Tablet dose: 0.5mg Klonopin, 10 mg valium

 

Number of tablets: 2 tablets

Taper rate: I want to start out slow, say 5% the first week, until I know I have the hang of it.

 

Then go to the normal 10% reduction every 7-14 days...(with no decreases duruing PMS)

 

Cylinder details:  100mg cylinder....The medical supply store said they had them going to look at it Monday one with 1mg increments, if that doesn't work my doctor will tell me where to get one -- this guy really feels bad

[[dr...]]

Hi Martian:

 

I'm glad to hear your doctor is on board with you on this.  Does he have any ideas on which medication you would titrate first?  I'll get back to you within a couple of days with a schedule.

 

Draftsman

[[ma...]]

No, unfortuanalely he asks me how I came down my "manic psychotic" episode -- my interpretation --(throwing me into withdrawal with a benzo change while on Seroquel and changing other meds simeoultanously -- then having interdose withdrawlas with every benzo change ....(I refused to listen to him when he tried to manage my meds) ....and I told him I just "felt my way through it, gave my brain what it was asking for...and that's how I ended up on just benzos....he told me maybe I should just do that, follow my instincts."

 

My second opinion "addiction expert" is so condescending that I have to stand up for myself for 10 minutes before I can even get my one question asnwered, so I dropped him (he probably knows the most, but our personalities will not gel.)

 

Can I just titrate them all together? I have an appointment with him tommarow...I had to let my mind heal from all the other meds but I am an impulsive person...(it's a symptom actually) and my memory sucks, (I forget a dose and freak out later) even with a med minder....which makes once a day dosing appealing....can a person do that? Take the two benzos, mix them up together, and titrate the whole thing....? It's my "gut" instinct..."?

[[ma...]]

I'll talk to him tommarrow and let you know what he says...

[[ma...]]

Okay..I just reread the titration concept...The first one that needs to go is definately the Klonopin...sorry I keep rambling...you I have no idea the "ADD" I've suddenly developed...

[[dr...]]

Hi Martian:

 

Since you are having a problem with the Valium being too sedating, one idea would be to taper down the Valium first to a dose where you no longer feel sedated.  Once you stabilize, you could then taper off the Klonopin.  Once you are off the Klonopin, then you can continue tapering your Valium until finished.  The advantage of doing it this way is that you would be able to address the sedation first, although you may adjust to the sedation anyway with time.  The advantage of leaving some Valium to the end of the taper is that you are unlikely to need to titrate.  You can finish with a dry cut taper.  Very few of our members have required titration for Valium.  It would not be a good idea to titrate both Valium and Klonopin at the same time.  Perhaps it would be a good idea to talk to your doctor about this plan first.  If you have any tapering questions, you can also post on the general taper board.

 

Draftsman 

 

 

[[ma...]]

I like you're idea. My doctor wanted to know if I wanted to use a compounding pharmacy...I told him about the cylinder but I haven't found one yet. I'm going to look into both. My next appt is in 6 weeks. I'll have to meditate on this a bit

[[ma...]]

I've reviewed everything and this is what I would like to try:

 

I am primarily interested in eventually only ending up on valium. I got stuck on the ashton manual when it came too the "stop clanazapam" and couldn't stop it once I got to 0.25 two times a day. That's why I kept taking 0.25 twice a day, with only 5mg of Valium with each Klonopin Dose...... , but I'm struggling with the concept of my addiction specialist -- to correct the Valium dose to 10 mg twice daily to stop the Klonopin...) I "dropped"  the addiction specialist but he was only consulting..may consult with him further and keep my appointment on Thursday...might consult with him further, but I'm still using my primary psychiatrist for prescriptions. He wants to see me on Valium instead of Klonopin...so I keep putting off our appointment..

 

I ordered the equipment and I will have everything Monday, April 2 (If this next monday is April 2...)

 

I would like to titrate my 0.5 mg by half...and then reassess...I need a slow taper...I'm a busy mom, my brain absoluely loves Klonopin...I was 17 months out c/t and STILL ended up back on it, out of ignorance. I'm no good at math...If I can do 1% the first week until I get the hang of it, and just very gradually lower the Klonopin -- I'm in NO HURRY -- down to 0.25...I can re-evaluate the situation. The sedative nature of the valium is already wearing off...but for me, provides very little relief to replace the Klonopin (my brain wasn't even finished growing when I got on it and I'm 40...I don't even REMEMBER when I started....). Is this enough information for you to come up with a titration schedule just to rid myself of half of a .05 pill?

 

 

[[ma...]]

Correction -- it's the Addiction specialist that wants to see me on Valium ...not my psychiatrist...my psychiatrist is on board with trying new things.

[[Be...]]

I've reviewed everything and this is what I would like to try:

 

I am primarily interested in eventually only ending up on valium. I got stuck on the ashton manual when it came too the "stop clanazapam" and couldn't stop it once I got to 0.25 two times a day. That's why I kept taking 0.25 twice a day, with only 5mg of Valium with each Klonopin Dose...... , but I'm struggling with the concept of my addiction specialist -- to correct the Valium dose to 10 mg twice daily to stop the Klonopin...) I "dropped"  the addiction specialist but he was only consulting..may consult with him further and keep my appointment on Thursday...might consult with him further, but I'm still using my primary psychiatrist for prescriptions. He wants to see me on Valium instead of Klonopin...so I keep putting off our appointment..

 

I ordered the equipment and I will have everything Monday, April 2 (If this next monday is April 2...)

 

I would like to titrate my 0.5 mg by half...and then reassess...I need a slow taper...I'm a busy mom, my brain absoluely loves Klonopin...I was 17 months out c/t and STILL ended up back on it, out of ignorance. I'm no good at math...If I can do 1% the first week until I get the hang of it, and just very gradually lower the Klonopin -- I'm in NO HURRY -- down to 0.25...I can re-evaluate the situation. The sedative nature of the valium is already wearing off...but for me, provides very little relief to replace the Klonopin (my brain wasn't even finished growing when I got on it and I'm 40...I don't even REMEMBER when I started....). Is this enough information for you to come up with a titration schedule just to rid myself of half of a .05 pill?

 

 

 

I'm sorry but I'm really confused about what benzos you are on and how much of each, martian.  Or maybe you are just on Klonopin.  We need to know the starting dose and the size of your tablets.  It looks like yuo want to taper only 1%/week, is that right?  Most start out tapering 1%/day is why I'm asking.  You can go slower or faster no matter what schedule is created so no worries on that score.

[[ma...]]

I'm confused too. I think I was so unprepared for this...I found the website by accident when my doctor bounced me around from long-acting to short-acting so much that I couldn't take it anymore --even Klonopin by itself (original drug = interdose withdrawal)...Valium by itself = interdose withdrawal...(every benzo change produced an interdose withdrawal....) I couldn't even take either of my other two meds = interdose withdrawal.

 

I had every single symptom of Benzo withdrawal all at one. EVERY SINGLE SYMPTOM! AS well as the symptoms of c/t two other meds.

 

because I could take nothing I just started making stuff up...I just started experimenting...I found out if I took Valium and Klonopin together I could avoid an interdose withdrawal, but then I didn't know how much of what to take and when...i ended up trying too many ideas and changing my mind constantly because I was not stable enough.

 

I need to start over. The original idea of both doctors, one primary, one an addiction specialist..."get stable first" ....I don't think either have ever seen anything like it. Because no one's advice could get me stable enought to start anything, I just kept making stuff up. While trying to educate myself...

 

I still want to titrate. But I recently closed my eyes, said a prayer, and tried a klonopin by itseslf -- no more interdose withdrawal....thank god...Now I can go back to the addiction specialist, allow him to "correct the dosage", get on a stable schedule...and once stable, and on a stable schedule, I can begin. Honestly, right now, I'm just trying to make through each day, without taking an excessive amount of anything...and learn everything I can. So I'll get the equipment....I'll try "titration" of a pill with no reduction...just to learn.

 

Please don't judge me for this: I'm able to see more clearly now because I dipped into my husband's hydrocodone (he's about to have a back procedure)....I just needed to see clearly for a few hours....long enough to realize that I can't taper anything with no real starting point....and a lack of preparation, and making impuslive erratic descisions..... (then I told him to hide his hydrocodone, because I was going through something he was going to be learning more about as we go...and if he let's me have one as a "coping pill" it will complicate things further....)

 

I will get back to you when I am stable enough to begin.

 

 

[[Be...]]

Yes, getting stable first is important, martian.  There are a number of options and that can make the whole thing confusing and having multiple health care providers involved is bound to make it more confusing.  Maybe pick the one that makes the most sense to you and stick with his/her plan?  Good luck.

[[ma...]]

I was goingto say that as well...my husband and i are working together to pick the better of the two evils (my disdain for psychiatry is just a symptom)