After Discontinuation...

[[JE...]]

When I jump from my .10mg of Klonopin I'm very interested to know how long others have taken to be symptom free from discontinuing their very low dose of Klonopin. This assumes no protracted withdrawal symptoms.

 

I know each individual is different but what are those on the board who have experienced a more subtle discontinuation.

 

[[Pa...]]

There are a couple of inactive threads in support groups for low dose members, not sure if they will have what you're looking for.

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=76061.0

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=216590.0

 

 

[[JE...]]

Thanks for your input Pamster. I looked over both threads and it appears that most of the posters are still having a hard time with a protracted taper from a low dose of Klonopin. I didn't see any examples of someone in my situation that jumped from a very low dose and what accompanying symptoms they may have experienced.

 

I'm still holding a little below  .10mg which by the most part is a very small amount. I see a very well regarded Neuro Psychiatrist this week to address my medication situation as well as any other possible causes for my sensory OCD and CNS sensitivity.

 

I completed an at home sleep apnea test that showed I had 20 apneas per hour. I will discuss the inner details of the study and will follow up with an in lab study the following Monday. I haven't been a person who sleeps straight through for a very long time and very occasionally I have awoken with my heart racing. At minimum they will rule out sleep apnea and possible reasons for my sleep problems. Maybe my sleep problems are contributing to my OCD!

 

 

[[gr...]]

Have you considered tapering a little lower before jumping? I know .1 seems like a low dose but it is equal to where I am now at .2 lorazepam and there is no way I could jump at this dose. I am actually a little below .2. I plan on going much lower maybe to zero.

[[JE...]]

I might actually be a bit below  .1mg. Do you have any suggestions for my tapering process?

[[gr...]]

The best thing is to go slow. Base your tapering on your symptoms. It might be a good idea to taper a bit lower before jumping. Clonazepam and lorazepam are extremely potent drugs. In my opinion they are much worse than Diazapam. They should be banned.  I was on Lorazepam .5mg for just under a month and it messed me up bad. I have been tapering for 6 months now and it has been horrible. I am going to taper as low as I possibly can.

[[JE...]]

I have a dear friend who has been on Ativan for over 20 years. Over the last four years he moved up from .5 to 1mg

and hasn't told me has tolerance withdrawal. He hasn't tapered Ativan but he was able to reduce his oxycodone from 4 pills to 1 pill a day with no major effects.

 

Just wondering what makes Ativan and Klonopin a stronger drug?

[[gr...]]

Lorazepam,Klonipin and Xanax bind to  gaba receptors much stronger than Diazapam does. Which makes them more potent, and I am sure they do a lot more damage in a shorter period of time.

[[je...]]

I agree with gray cloud that I don't consider 0.1mg of K a "low dose". Don't get me wrong, you've done a fantastic job on tapering and getting to this point. Klonopin is extremely potent as gray cloud said. I need Libertas to correctly explain potency but it relates to how much concentration of the drug you require to get the effect. So you would require a very low dose of Klonopin to get the same effect as a much higher amount of Valium.

[[Li...]]

Lorazepam,Klonipin and Xanax bind to  gaba receptors much stronger than Diazapam does. Which makes them more potent, and I am sure they do a lot more damage in a shorter period of time.

 

Hi, gray cloud.  I wonder if you could provide references to support the above claim?  I’d like to read them!

 

Lorazepam, clonazepam, and alprazolam are indeed more potent than diazepam but — as jelly baby has so ably explained — potency is the amount of drug required to produce an effect of a given intensity. A highly potent drug (e.g., clonazepam) produces an effect at lower strengths (amounts) while a drug of lower potency (e.g. diazepam) produces an equivalent effect only at higher strengths (amounts).

[[gr...]]

Hi Libertas, I could not find the original study. Slow and steady had sent it to me when I was considering switching to clonazapam. I found this study which explains it to a degree. Xanax binds the tightest to Gaba receptors then Lorazepam and then Clonazapam.  Diazepam has a weak binding affinity for the GABA receptors.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3684331/?msclkid=351345afcff611ec8bfe089424cff599

    I understand the concept of potency but Jet was asking what makes Lorazepam and Clonazepam more potent.

[[Li...]]

Thank you, gray cloud.  I am familiar with the Griffin et al (2013) overview paper.  I was hoping you could direct me to actual research studies on this topic.

 

 

[[Fr...]]

Jet .1 of K is still equal to about 2 mg of Valium. I would taper much lower. I believe the jump dose for k is .025. Sending healing your way!

[[JE...]]

I'm probably below. 10 currently. How can I accurately measure the lower doses. I have been eyeing the pills up and cutting from that. They don't make Klonopin in a liquid form.

 

Just wondering how long will it take my body to stop having any withdrawal symptoms after discontinuation?