.25mg of Klonopin taper

[[ka...]]

Hi,

 

I want to update you. I started reducing from .25  mg. I have taken only .125 mg clonazepem starting on March 9th. So, it's been 10 days now and I feel okay. I have been taking 300 mg neurontin and melatonin along with the .125 mg clonazepem at night around an hour or 1.5 hours before bedtime. I also am taking 300 mg neurontin in the morning/afternoon for anxiety. Last night I slept until the alarm (6 hrs. which is okay for me) which felt great. So, I'm thinking I will continue until I reach 30 days at .125 mg. At that point, I might try skipping a night and see how I do. Any thoughts?

 

btw, since I mentioned (possibly in an angry way) to my long time psychiatrist that I thought I was on zoloft 50 mg (for years) for too long (and it may have contributed to my having essential tremor) and that I thought that I shouldn't be on clonazepem for a year now as it's too long, since saying these things, I feel my relationship with her has changed and she's impatient and I'm not sure how well I can work with her. She is not concerned about me taking clonazepem (at .25 mg generally) and thinks I may be hurting myself by going off it or tapering it too soon. Her manner has changed and it is really not what I need right now. I need support and kindness and gentleness and don't know what she expects. But it's been a good relationship for nearly 25 years so I don't know what to do. I'm looking into possibly finding a psychiatric nurse practitioner or another psychiatrist or a therapist. Any thoughts?

 

Thank you so much for your help. It means a lot to me.

 

katyee8

 

 

 

 

[[Pa...]]

I'm very sorry to hear your relationship with your doctor has changed and you're right, you need someone who is supportive and patient with you while you're navigating this nightmare.  I'm disappointed in her professionalism though, she should be able to rise above whatever feelings she has about you challenging her judgement.  It's probably a good idea to find someone new if you need the support, the only problem is finding one who will support your taper and the medications you're currently taking for it.  Many of our members have had to use their doctors as prescribers, nothing more since so few of them understand this process.  I've heard fairly good things about NP's here.

 

I'm happy to hear you've been doing okay with the .125 dose but I'm not sure about skipping doses, can you tell me what you're thinking?

 

Oh, and one more thing, about the Neurontin, if you decide to go off of that at some point, I hope you plan to taper.

[[ka...]]

Thank you, Pamster. I don't know what else to do but to try and find another doctor or NP. My internist has experience running a drug dependence clinic. So just in case I don't find another provider right away, I believe I can work with him on tapering both drugs. He said there's no rush and I believe him but I do want off the clonazepam soon. I don't take a lot of the neurontin 300 mg 1 - 2x per day.

 

I was thinking of, after a month or more, skipping a dose of .125 mg clonazepam one night and see how I feel sleep and otherwise to test it out. Thoughts?

 

Thank you so much for your ongoing help and support. It truly means a lot to me.

 

Best wishes,

 

katyee8

 

 

 

 

 

 

[[Pa...]]

I'm relieved to hear you have options for getting a good supply of the medications you'll need to taper and I hope you have good luck finding someone to talk to.  After 25 years with one person I'm sure you're feeling a lot of emotion right now, almost like losing a friend when you need them the most.

 

We don't typically recommend skipping doses because this causes your blood serum levels to drop which can have a whiplash effect on your symptoms.  Your brain craves consistency so a steady state or gradual reductions are preferable to starting and stopping the drug.  Tell me, when do your symptoms show up after a reduction?  Most members report between days 2-5.

[[ka...]]

Hi again, Pamster,

 

Thank you for your reply. Well, I believe my internist will help but I think he prefers I get help from my current psychiatrist or another specialist. I'm not sure yet. Right now, I have a prescription that will last for four months (possibly enough time to get off of it completely) if I continue as I plan to to take only .125 per day (at night). And yes it's a very emotional thing to think about not having the kind of support I need right now and possibly leaving my long-time psychiatrist. Not pleasant at all.

 

My psychiatrist had suggested not taking it one night a week for two weeks and then 2 nights a week, etc., until I'm not taking it any longer. Her thought is the drug stays in your system for a few days and so it's not like there's none of it in you when you stop for one night.

 

Thanks so much for your help. I'm getting a little cuckoo thinking about this.

 

Best wishes,

 

katyee8

 

 

[[ka...]]

And in terms of symptoms, I started taking only .25 mg on Feb. 1st and then went down to .125 mg on March 9th. I have experienced more anxiety during the day after a few days at .125 mg and possibly an increase in the tremor. 

 

Thanks for asking about that.

 

Best,

 

katyee8

 

[[Pa...]]

I've read some members who have tapered that way and yes, Klonopin is longer acting than some others so I guess you could try that when the time comes.  I can't remember, are you only dosing once a day?

 

Edit:

 

I finally found the post of the member who had a similar way of tapering, here it is.

 

Pretty much what I did was this: Say when I landed at 4 mg, I'd hold it for a month. Then I'd do 4 every day but 3.5 every 6th day for a few weeks, then 4 every day but 3.5 every 5th day for a few weeks, then every 4th day, 3rd day, 2nd day, every other day for a few weeks each time, and on and on. Every time I landed at a new dose, I'd hold for a month. And if I had physical discomfort, I'd hold longer, like when I had the tachycardia, I held for a long time until it let up. The tachycardia started when I got low, down to about 1.5. When the tachycardia let up, from that point on I went down in increments of only .25. Is that clear enough? I know it may be hard to follow.

 

 

[[je...]]

I'm very sorry to hear about the relationship with your psychiatrist. I had a pain specialist who prescribed me these pills and we were never close like a psychiatrist relationship. When I realised what he had prescribed to me and how he failed me as a doctor I just couldn't trust him again. I found a new doctor who supports me emotionally and even though she cannot help me taper she gives me all the support I need and allows me to taper how I want to. She listens to my symptoms and she doesn't dismiss me. I find it very comforting to have someone supportive.

 

It must be difficult to see her when she doesn't understand the consequences of benzo's and your desire to quit. I wish there was an easy answer. You just need to do what you feel is best for you. It's just very difficult when you've been in such a good relationship for such a long time and it's not easy to replace that. I hope you find an answer and peace on what you'd like to do.

[[ka...]]

Thank you, Pamster. Yes. The approach is similar to the one you cited. I think monitoring the symptoms as you go down in dosage is important as you said. I will see how I feel not taking the .125 mg one night and see how that feels and go slowly.

 

Thank you for your help and support. I'll keep you posted.

 

Warmly,

 

katyee8

 

 

[[ka...]]

Thank you, jelly baby. Yes. It isn't pleasant not feeling supported now by my long-time psychiatrist. My life was easier when I was working and so our work together was less difficult. The Zoloft too was continuing to help me at least I thought so. Now, I'm retired and we've had the pandemic and life is different. But no I don't feel that she is concerned about taking clonazepem for a year and neither is my internist maybe bc the dose is not that high. But I want to go off of it and don't feel it's healthy to stay on it for so long even at a low dose of .125 mg. Yes. I need to find that supportive person who knows what I'm going through and just is there for me and listens supportively. I'm looking for that now. For now, you and Pamster are those people .

 

Thank you for your message. I really appreciate your input.

 

Best.

 

katyee8

 

 

[[ka...]]

Hi,

 

So, I've tapered down to .125 mg of clonazepem starting March 9th to today (3/31). So, it's been three weeks. I have found another psychiatrist who was recommended by my primary care doctor. I asked him to help me taper off it safely and he said you can't do it quickly which I know and we all do. I also am meeting in two weeks with a psych. nurse practitioner who has experience with these drugs. I hope she can help too.

 

I've had a lot of anxiety in the last week or two and attribute to going down to .125 mg. I take 300 mg of neurontin which helps. Any advice re the anxiety??

 

Thank you my friends.

 

katyee8

 

 

 

[[Pa...]]

Its good to hear you've found a new doctor, and one who knows tapering slowly is the best option and you're going to meet with an NP, this is great!

 

Can you add your signature information so we can see at a glance what medications you take and what your taper has looked like?  This saves us from having to go back and read through your posts.  Here are the instructions.  Add your history/signature 

 

Is anxiety your only symptom?  Are you still able to take care of your daily tasks? 

 

[[ka...]]

Thank you, Pamster. I am also meeting with one other psychiatrist next week. I'm not sure I like the first one. He immediately prescribed two antidepressants which I cannot tolerate. One kept me up all night last night. I'm not going down that road. Yes. I'm also going to meet a psych. nurse practitioner next week who has experience with drug tapering. I want to learn from them.

 

I did write a profile. Let me know if it looks okay.

 

Yes. Anxiety has been the only symptom. My appetite is not as good as I'd like. I'm depressed from leaving my long time doctor and the stress of life now. It hasn't been an easy time for anyone. The anxiety is no fun. The neurontin at least does help. Yes. I take care of everything that needs to be done. It's an effort but yes it all gets done.

 

Hope you're doing well. Thank you for writing me.

 

Best,

 

katyee8

 

 

 

[[Pa...]]

Your signature looks great, thank you.  Its good you're looking for the right fit with a doctor, I know how important this is but I'm sorry you had to experience an upset with the A/D.  Many members can't tolerate new medications while going through this because of our super sensitized central nervous system so adding more drugs can tricky. 

 

I know your anxiety is intense but it looks as if you're doing fairly well symptom wise so your taper must be working for you, I hope you're getting enough to eat, you need to keep your body healthy so it can do these repairs.

[[je...]]

You're doing really well katyee8. I know it can be challenging but you should give yourself credit for how far you've come.

 

Seems like your taper is working for you and you are now managing the process. Great work!

[[ka...]]

Thank you so much, Pamster and Jelly Baby. I really appreciate it. I took the step to reduce from .25 mg to .125 mg myself and experienced more anxiety but the neurontin helps with it. Yes. I'm evaluating a different psychiatrist and a psychiatric nurse practitioner this week. I really don't want to go on another A/D. I don't like the side effects. I really didn't like the first psychiatrist. He took very little time and then wrote a prescription for two A/D's. I don't want another prescription. I just want to get off of clonazepem. I hope the second psychiatrist is good and gives me a plan to go off of the drug safely. And I hope the psych. NP offers good advice too and support. I need a team and I also like having you both helping me. You're so helpful and supportive. Thank you so much. I'm doing everything I know to help myself and yes I will make sure to eat enough and put back some weight I've lost over the last stressful year. 

 

Back with you soon. You're the best. Thank you!

 

Best,

 

katyee8

 

[[ka...]]

Hi again,

 

I'm going to meet with a Psych. Nurse Practitioner tomorrow and want to hear her suggestions. I've had more anxiety in the past few days and am taking 300 mg of neurontin 1 - 3x per day for last few days. I do feel shaky and the tremor is a bit worse. I wish I never took this terrible drug. I'll update in the next few days. I also am meeting with another Psychiatrist on Thursday (4/7/22) and want his advice.

 

I might have been better off two years ago staying on Zoloft 50 mg which I'd taken for years and years and also had more frequent therapy sessions. The terrible anxiety that started me down this road in early 2021 might never have happened. I don't know for sure.

 

I welcome good advice and or thoughts here from my good benzo buddies.

 

katyee8

 

 

[[je...]]

It is very possible that benzos are contributing to the anxiety. If it were me I would ask questions to see what natural ways they have of managing anxiety rather than throw even more meds at it. It might just be that for now you need to recover from benzos before you'll be able to fully tackle the anxiety thing. I know my anxiety has been much worse since I've started tapering and it's difficult to manage. I'm just accepting it as a symptom of withdrawal now.

 

[[ka...]]

We'll, that is very intelligent advice. Thank you, jelly baby. I think you're right that the benzo (while taking it and/or while tapering) has made me more anxious and throwing another drug into it such as an antidepressant now may not be the best approach and may complicate tapering off it successfully. That makes good sense. They all have side effects including the antidepressants. I'm wondering if the benzo has made my hair quality thinner and caused me to lose weight over the past 12 months and get depressed? I think so. (losing my long term psychiatrist didn't help). But boy, what an awful drug and class of drugs. When I meet with both the psych. nurse practitioner and the psychiatrist, I will focus on how to best taper off from the .125 mg that I've been taking for the past month. I'll listen to other suggestions but that's my laser focus now.

 

Thank you for all your great advice and comments. I hope you're feeling better now and are recovered completely from having Covid.

 

Please let me know if you have any additional advice or comments.

 

Many, many thanks for your friendship and advice.

 

katyee8

 

 

[[Yo...]]

Magnesium can be helpful for anxiety

 

I take 2 x 300mg a day.

 

 

[[he...]]

I'm wondering if the benzo has made my hair quality thinner and caused me to lose weight over the past 12 months and get depressed? I think so.

 

Benzos can absolutely cause all of that. You'll find many members on here with those symptoms.

 

Magnesium can be helpful for anxiety

 

I take 2 x 300mg a day.

 

What type of magnesium do you take? I typically see posts about magnesium glycinate and magnesium taurate to help with sleep. Some have said mag citrate can help, but of course it's a laxative at a certain dose, and that doesn't help anxiety or sleep. 

[[Yo...]]

I do prefer magnesium powders over tablets as I find they work better but it is all individual preference.

 

I am based in Australia so we probably don't have the same brands but in the morning I take ethical nutrients Mega Magnesium which is magnesium glycinate dihydrate based (it also contains Taurine) - https://www.ethicalnutrients.com.au/products/magnesium/ethical-nutrients-magnesium-mega-magnesium-citrus-200g-powder

 

In the evenings, I take Bioceuticals Muscleze night which is magnesium as amino acid chelate - https://www.bioceuticals.com.au/mobile/preview/Ultra-Muscleze-Night

 

I do find I react to cheap magnesium oxide - it has always given me nightmares so I steer clear of that one.

 

Oh and I've also suffered from losing hair but it is getting better as I taper

[[ka...]]

Thanks, Youngster1989 and hereforhelp. You know a friend recommended magnesium and I've been taking 100 mg 1-3 x per day and it does seem to help. I tried one that gave me terribly negative thoughts one night and I got rid of the bottle but the one I like is by Nested and it is Magnesium Glycinate Chelate 100 mg capsules.

 

I find it so awful that clonazepam is recommended for anxiety but it can cause more anxiety and has these horrid effects such as loss of appetite, weight loss, increased anxieity and hair thinning. The public needs to know. Thank you for your suggestions. I appreciate it.

[[ka...]]

fyi, I met with a very nice psychiatric nurse practitioner this afternoon. She has many years of experience working with people to go off of various drugs and runs a department for that at a major NYC hospital. She listened to my history and said bc I am on a small amount (.125 mg) of the clonazepam and have been at that level for a month and also not taken the drug for that long (a year in total at various levels), that she thought I could just stop it as I am very motivated to do so. I suggested that before jumping off completely that I would prefer to take a week of one night off one night on and she thought that was fine. Then, after that one week, I will go off it completely. I want it out of my system as soon as possible. I will take the 300 mg of neurontin 1-3 x per day (that includes one at night before bed, along with 4 mg of melatonin) for the anxiety and to help me sleep. She wants me to email her how I'm doing in a few days and I will gladly do that. She's very down to earth and is not sold on giving me more pills or another antidepressant (I cannot seem to tolerate any of them lately anyway). So, that's where I am right now. I cancelled an appointment for tomorrow with a new psychiatrist. I will stay with the psych. nurse practitioner.

 

Any good ideas or suggestions are welcome. Thank you my friends.

 

katyee8

 

 

[[Yo...]]

Please let me know how you go katyee8 when you do stop completely:)

 

I have recently started reducing from 0.125 as well - I have diluted 0.125mg in 30ml of water and taking one ml out per day on my own accord/research.

 

I am seeing my psychiatrist on Saturday so I am interested in hearing what his plan is. When I saw him last, he told me not to reduce until I saw him again but I felt ready and I am motivated to get off Clonazepam as well!