New to the board / need help with withdrawal schedule

[[p2...]]

HI all,

 

I'm 62 years old, I'm a man, and I've been prescribed 0.5mg of Clonazepam by my doctor for problems associated with Diabetes.

 

( depression, insomnia, general discomfort from highly fluxuating blood sugar levels ).

 

I,ve been taking the Clonazepam for about 3 years now and have realized it's time to withdraw since I've finally gotten my Diabetes

 

under controll with the proper low carb diet and medication ( metformin ).

 

I've been reducing the dose of the Clonazepam by 0.125mg about every 10 days. I went from 0.5 mg to 0.375 mg with no trouble at

 

all but when I started 0.250 mg I began having pretty severe withdrawal symptoms IE: insomnia, extremely weird dreams, fatigue,

 

body aches, and anxiety. I'm familiar with the Heather Ashton Benzodiazepine withdrawal protocol and I've shared the manual with my

 

doctor but she is skeptical about prescribing Diazepam. She seems not to accept the equivalency 10 mg Diazepam = 0.5 mg clonazepam.

 

My problem is how do I convince her of this ?

 

Help !

 

[[Pa...]]

Hello p28800, Welcome to BenzoBuddies!

 

Congratulations on getting your Diabetes under control, I know that takes a huge commitment on your part.  There is some disagreement over the equivalences, some Drs say it's about half of what we like to see, but actually it's better to go a bit high while crossing over, then adjust as necessary.  When crossing over, it's not an exact science but it's better to have some wiggle room so you're not thrown into withdrawals while crossing over.  Hopefully you can reassure your Dr that if you feel too sedated as a result of the Valium, you'll cut back your dose.

 

If your Dr won't support the crossover, we can help you figure out how to slow down your taper plan from the Klonopin.

 

Please ask questions, we're here to help.

 

Pam

[[dr...]]

Hi p28800:

 

Welcome to BB!  It's good to hear you are already aware of the Ashton protocol.  You're half way there!  I'm sure there will be plenty of ideas to help you come off the Clon.

 

Draftsman

[[St...]]

Hi p28800, welcome aboard

 

You seem well informed about benzos, I wish I was as informed as you when I was stuck. And yes, congratulations on getting your diabetes under control, I'm sure that took a lot of work.

Hopefully with a slow taper you won't feel any worse symptoms than you already have, you'll find plenty of support here along your way. I'm glad you found us.

 

Star

[Guest [Si...]]

p28800,

 

Welcoming you to BB,

 

I crossed from Klonopin to Valium.

 

I got to where I couldn't taper the Klonopin any longer.

 

I crossed from 2.25mg to 45mg of Valium.

 

It has been a smoother ride down than Klonopin.

 

You will find plenty of support here.

 

If you have any questions, just ask.

 

Sigma.