.25mg of Klonopin taper

[[ka...]]

Hi Youngster1989,

 

I am interested in your method as well. I didn't take it last night and although I took 300 neurontin, 4 mg melatonin and another 100 magnesium before bed, I slept well first part of night but was up much of second. Ugh.

This is not easy already. I'll see if I modify the plan and let you know.

 

My best and let's share what we know.

 

katyee8

 

 

[[he...]]

It's worth a shot for sure, but just because you were on .125 mg (2.5 mg Valium equivalent) doesn't mean you haven't developed a dependence. I hope you're able to come off easily with few symptoms.

[[ka...]]

Thank you, hereforhelp. I hope I am able to come off easily and with few symptoms too. I really appreciate that. I think I have become dependent on it even though it is a "small" dose. It helps me relax and sleep at night. The psych. nurse practitioner suggested that I try taking 25 mg. of Trazodone tonight to help me sleep. It's supposed to help with sleep. So, I'll try it and I again won't take the clonazepam tonight. I'll also take 300 mg neurontin, 4 mg melatonin and I added 100 mg magnesium (what a lot of things!). She wants me to let her know tomorrow how I do. I'm very glad she's working with me hand in hand on a day by day basis to see what's going on and what helps. That's so nice.

 

Youngster1989, how are you finding your process of liquifying the .125 mg and removing a small amount each day or every few days?

 

Thanks very much.

 

katyee8

 

 

[[je...]]

It's worth a shot for sure, but just because you were on .125 mg (2.5 mg Valium equivalent) doesn't mean you haven't developed a dependence. I hope you're able to come off easily with few symptoms.

 

I agree with hereforhelp. People tend to underestimate the potency of these drugs especially Klonopin. Every night when I take my 0.125mg quarter tablet I shake my head in disbelief that a tiny little piece of a pill can cause such havoc.

 

I hope things go well for you katyee8.

[[Yo...]]

To be honest, I am struggling a little bit the last few days.  I will be holding for a week or so. I am currently taking 20ml of my 30ml mixture. 

 

I've been waking up at 4am each morning with a severe headache behind one of my eyes and I feel like I have a terrible flu. My tummy is also playing up a little.

Mentally I feel ok just physically taking a beating.  I'm not sure if this is withdrawal or perhaps I have a caught something going around - a few people at work have been unwell.

 

I am really unsure whether I ask my psychiatrist tomorrow if I can be admitted as an inpatient to do this last tapering off.  I just hate the feeling of being unwell.

 

[[ka...]]

Yes. I agree, Jelly Baby. It's hard to believe that this little piece of a pill can cause so much trouble. What an ordeal. I pray with the help of the psych. nurse practitioner I can get to the other side and be done with this terrible drug. God willing. Thank you for your good wishes.

 

Youngster1989, I feel for you. I don't want to give you advice bc I'm not qualified but I would try if possible to avoid going to the hospital. I hope your psychiatrist can help ease your mind and help figure out why you're not feeling well. Most of all I hope you feel better soon.

 

This is not easy. I know. But with help I think we can do this successfully.

 

Feel good.

 

katyee8

 

[[he...]]

I agree. In the hospital, it's harder to be in control of your treatment. You want to be in complete control of your taper plan and what all goes into your body than relinquish that to medical professionals who can't feel your symptoms.

[Guest [Ro...]]

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.

 

Katyee8, most of the medical community is not aware of withdrawal effects from benzo's.  My doctor told me that I could come off in a short amount of time too and I believed her until I was slammed with symptoms.  Benzos change your brain chemistry and it takes awhile for your brain to reboot and heal.  The best advice that I've gotten on this board is to taper slower than you heal.  We all want to be off this poison ASAP but have to balance ability to function and symptoms while tapering. 

[[ka...]]

Thank you, RodgerThat. I agree. So, what I have done so far is not take the clonazepem starting on 4/6 and not take it on 4/7. I am monitoring my symptoms daily and daily emailing with the psych. nurse practitioner who is a specialist in drug/substance abuse. That is her specialty and she runs a center in a major NYC hospital. So, on 4/6 I didn't sleep well the last half of night and I said I had Trazadone from another psychiatrist and he suggested taking 25 mg at night to help with sleep. She agreed and I took the 25 mg Trazadone on 4/7 at night with 300 mg neurontin, 4 mg melatonin and 100 mg magnesium and slept very nicely. I told her I'm more anxious during the day since cutting down to .125 mg (3/9/22 - 4/5/22) and take 300 mg neurontin and 100 mg magnesium during the day (two times each a day). She's asked me to let her know how I've slept and how I'm doing every day and so if I run into difficulty, which I hope I don't, I will work that out with her and then may modify what I am taking.

 

Thank you for your good advice friends.

 

katyee8

 

 

[[Yo...]]

katyee8 - how are you feeling three days off 0.125mg?

 

I saw my psychiatrist today. He wants me to now cease 0.125mg completely.  No tapering.  He is "very confident" I will not have any withdrawal symptoms as he believes this dose is simply a "placebo".

 

I've mentioned my heart flutters and headaches I am getting but he seems to think these are in my head.

 

At the moment, I am just going to continue with my slow water taper. I have enough pills left for a few months. I had severe headaches this week although I had a whiplash injury about a month ago now so it is hard to say if my headaches are from cutting or whiplash.  They always seem to happen when I'm cutting though..

 

 

[[ka...]]

Hi Youngster1989,

Good to get your message. It's very interesting that your psychiatrist suggested just going off of the .125 mg. Yes. I have not taken the clonazepem for three nights. The first night I didn't sleep well; the second my Psych. NP (PNP) suggested taking 25 mg of Trazodone (in addn to the 300 mg neurontin, 4 mg melatonin and 100 mg magnesium) and I slept well that night; last night I did that again and I was up half the night - ugh.

 

So, I emailed my NP who suggested that tonight I cut the .125 mg tablet clonazepem in half (won't be easy) and take it with the Trazodone and neurontin. I asked her if I could dissolve it in water and take half. Is that what you are doing - dissolving it? That method sounds very difficult and complicated.

 

I'm glad you're not following your psychiatrist's recommendation. I'm glad my PNP is emailing me daily.

 

Thank you for letting me know where you are at now. I hope you feel better soon.

 

katyee8

 

[[ka...]]

I decided to stay off clonazepem and have not taken it for four nights. Tonight (4/10) will be five nights. I've been more anxious during the day and take 300 mg neurontin and 100 mg magnesium (up to 900 mg neurontin/daily and 400 mg magnesium daily). They help. I have taken 25 mg of Trazodone and the 300 mg neurontin and 4 mg of melatonin and 100 magnesium at night to sleep. This will be night four with the Trazodone. I don't want to take Trazodone for a long period of time but I think it's helping me now go off of clonazepem.

 

I think the psychiatric nurse practitioner has provided a lot of moral support. I email her each morning and update her how I'm feeling and she gets right back to me. She felt I could go off the drug completely and is very supportive and positive. I think she's really giving me suggestions and letting me decide what I want to do. I talk it over too with my brother who's been really supportive and helpful. I am totally committed to going off clonazepem safely and completely and to never taking it or any other benzo or other dangerous drug again.

 

Thank you for any good suggestions or comments. I look forward to getting them. Your friendship and support mean a lot to me too. 

 

Best wishes,

 

katyee8

 

 

[[Pa...]]

Wow, you did it, congratulations!  I have every confidence you made the right decision for you, you sound determined and that's what matters.

 

Keep us posted and remember, these are just symptoms of your brain doing its repair work, they're a necessary part of recovery. 

[[ka...]]

Thank, Pamster! Appreciate it. Yes. I hope the tremor calms down and the anxiety. I also feel a bit nauseous this morning and am not sure if it's due to taking Trazodone last night or from being off the clonazepam now almost 7 full days. As my PNP says, it's a major accomplishment I've achieved. The fourth day I might have tapered further but she had confidence I could just go off it and that's what I did.

 

I asked two religious organizations to pray for me - Silent Unity and an abbey in northern England called Stanhope Abbey. They are contemplative nuns. I need all the prayer and support I can find!

 

Thank you for your caring and support, Pamster. It is so helpful to me. You provide such a great service. Thank you.

 

God bless you. I'm on my way to feeling better now.

 

katyee8

 

 

 

 

[[Ka...]]

Way to go Katyee!!  That final goodbye to benzos can be so hard!  It takes such courage to come off these drugs.  Kudos to you!!

[[je...]]

Sounds like things are going really well. I'm really happy for. Please keep us updated. You've come a long way!

[[ka...]]

Thank you, Kate08 and jelly baby. Thank you for your wonderful support. I just know how bad this drug really is and that's why I had to go off it and any feel the same about any benzodiazepems or any other dangerous drug. I have to find other ways to get rid of anxiety and insomnia (why I started to take it last Feb. 2021). I pray the anxiety and increase in the tremor calm down considerably and soon. It's worse when I'm home in the morning and in the afternoon. I need to be busier out of the apartment and be distracted from it.

 

I will keep you up to date. I'm thinking of not taking Trazodone tonight and seeing how well I sleep without it. I don't want to be dependent on another pill - so easy to fall back into. I don't want to make it harder for myself but I might just see what happens.

 

I hope you are both doing well. I'll write again soon.

 

Warm wishes,

 

katyee8

 

[[Ir...]]

Congratulations! 

 

Iris

[[ka...]]

Thank you, Iris! I want to put it in the rear view mirror and be totally back to normal again. Thank you for your support.

 

katyee8

[[ka...]]

Hi All,

 

I am off the clonazepam completely for 28 days. Hallelujah. But my anxiety is worse as are the tremors. Any advice on how to deal with both please? Hard especially in the mornings recently.

 

Thank you!

 

katyee8

 

[[Ka...]]

Wow, 28 days is awesome katyee - congratulations to you!

 

Learning new ways to deal with anxiety and life in general became the second phase of my recovery.  In the early days I relied heavily on distraction which was, for me, staying busy with things that weren't stressful and I wasn't particular and what I did.  I crocheted a bunch of hats and afghans, walked a lot, cleaned my house (closets and drawers too!), cooked - anything that burned off the excess energy and kept my mind occupied. 

 

Oh, and I didn't lay in bed in the morning when what I call "The Committee" is meeting in my head and giving me negative messages - I got up and got going even when I hadn't slept well.

[[ka...]]

Good advice, Kate08. Yes. Getting busy in many activities. I hope the anxiety got better at some point for you. How long did that take for you?

 

Thank you!

 

katyee8

[[Ka...]]

For me, anxiety improved as I tapered and I began to feel better than I had in a very long time.  But I was on benzos many years and had bad tolerance-related anxiety.

[[je...]]

Unfortunately I don't really have any advice. I still struggle with it. I notice when I focus on it it becomes worse. I'm currently reading a book on breathing that a friend gave me. She swears it cured her asthma. The book talks about correct breathing to help anxiety and lots of other conditions. In the long covid groups I'm in, they also focus a lot on breathing techniques to calm the nervous system. This seems to be something I'm coming across a lot lately. It might be helpful to look into it?

[[ka...]]

Thank you, Kate08 and jelly baby for your replies. I will look into natural ways to reduce anxiety. I will exercise more often and meditate more often. Breathing techniques sound good too. Thanks for your advice.

 

katyee8