Klonopin Taper Suggestion (Stuck at .50 MG)

[[kl...]]

Hello,

I am checking in with the tapering experts. I have been tapering down my klonopin that was prescribed to me for 18 years at 2 MGs a day. I started the taper in October of 2022. 
 

I did really well on my way down from 2 MG to 1 MG. My first cut was 2 MG to 1.5 MG. I held there for a few weeks then went from 1.5 to 1.25 MG and then 1.25 to 1 MG and held at 1 MG and through the holidays. I had put off tapering for a few months due to some family illnesses. I had TMS start in April and wanted to get as low as I could on my dose. I got to .50 milligrams relatively quick. I have been struggling on that dose ever since with a lot of insomnia and pain.

My question is should I hold for a while longer or do I continue with a slow taper? I also am wondering if I should updose to the last stable dose which would have been 1 MG. I’m just so bummed because I was doing so well and then cut way to fast and have been struggling ever since the last big cut. 

My psychiatrist is willing to switch me over to diazepam to taper the rest of the way but I have read that the crossover between the two doesn’t always work so well.
 

I would like to direct taper from the clonazepan if possible but wanted some advice as far as tapering the rest of the way goes. I have read about the micro tapering some, the jeweler scale tapering, compounding pharmacy, etc.

 

I am just so confused on what has worked best for people as they get lower in their doses get to the point where they can finally jump. I didn’t realize the cuts I was making were so big and wish I could go back and better execute my taper but all that I can do is focus on where I’m at now and the best way to get me where I want to be and that is off this medicine and hopefully healthy and happy once again.

I have also been intrigued by the NAD + reviews. Has anyone had success with that while tapering that wouldn’t mind sharing?

 

Thank you for any feedback you could provide.

[[ro...]]

can i ask what brand of k your on?

[[kl...]]

Teva .50 I cut in half and take .25 in the morning and .25 in the evening.

[[kl...]]

I think I read you didn’t like the teva much either. I like you was on accord for a long time but had to switch to teva a while back. I switched at a time where I made a huge cut so I can’t really say whether it’s the teva for me or the big taper

[[je...]]

Can you provide us with your taper history of when you made the cuts and how big the cuts were? 

[[kl...]]

October 2022 I was in 2 MG a day. I went from 2 MG daily to 1.50 MG for two weeks, then to 1.25 for two weeks, then in December to 1.00 MG. I held at 1 up until April due to some family stuff. In April 2023 and I figured I would cut from 1 to 0 the same way I went from 2 to 1 and that just didn’t happen.
 

I was unaware the equivalency of each MG of klonopin was 20 of diazepam.

So I have been holding at .50 since April. Some days I do ok others are very tough. Insomnia and pain have been my worse symptoms and not sure they would have been avoided even with a slower taper but any suggestions would be great. I know the Ashton manual says not to go backward so even when I struggled through April I tried to remember that to keep matching forward.

Edited July 27, 2023 by [kl...]

[[je...]]

If you've been holding for 3 months, I would think you should be over the worst of the cuts. Have your symptoms improved at all or was there no improvement over these past months?

I'm really sorry this is so difficult. I'm not dismissing your symptoms or what you're saying I'm just puzzled that it's still persisting and you're feeling so bad. 

[[kl...]]

Thank you jelly belly. I thought that too but it seems like things are getting worse especially fatigue but who knows if that would remain if I went up and tapered slowly or not. It seems like a gamble. I just wasn’t sure how long to hold before I cut and what the proper taper rate was from here as I don’t want to drop the .25 like I had done before. I’m thinking possibly going .02 at a time with a jeweler scale and holding that for a week at a time maybe longer if needed. Or should I hold this longer until I feel a little bit better. I just don’t see that happening either. My NP really wants me to crossover to diazepam and I would have been ok with that at the beginning of my taper but 3/4 of the way through I just don’t want to go on a different benzo to get off the one I’m on. It seems like I’m sensitive to any new meds.

[[Ko...]]

I am following as I am also looking at ways to taper slowly down from 0.5 mg of k. I am not feeling well on it and experience a lot of fatigue, depression, and lack of motivation. Is indecision a symptom of this medication? I cannot seem to decide how to proceed....

[[kl...]]

Kozmo glad you are following. Hopefully we get some good forward progress soon.

[[Pa...]]

27 minutes ago, [[K...] said:

I am following as I am also looking at ways to taper slowly down from 0.5 mg of k. I am not feeling well on it and experience a lot of fatigue, depression, and lack of motivation. Is indecision a symptom of this medication? I cannot seem to decide how to proceed....

@[Ko...], you might want to consider starting a thread on the Taper Planning & Adjustment - BenzoBuddies Community Forum to get help with a taper, and yes, our cognitive abilities are seriously challenged by this process.  

[[Ko...]]

I had started one before the forum changed such that it's now in the archives.  I will start another one again. 

 

[[Ko...]]

27 minutes ago, [[k...] said:

Kozmo glad you are following. Hopefully we get some good forward progress soon.

Thank you. I am new to tapering- started 0.5 mg k in April of this year and tried to cut dose by 25-50% for a week  and experienced severe fatigue, tinnitus, wired feeling and skin burning within days- couldn't bear it so went so went back to 0.5 mg. I feel better than I did then but overall do not feel good at all. 

[[Pa...]]

33 minutes ago, [[K...] said:

I had started one before the forum changed such that it's now in the archives.  I will start another one again. 

Sorry about that but I'm glad you're going to start one. 

[[je...]]

2 hours ago, [[k...] said:

Thank you jelly belly. I thought that too but it seems like things are getting worse especially fatigue but who knows if that would remain if I went up and tapered slowly or not. It seems like a gamble. I just wasn’t sure how long to hold before I cut and what the proper taper rate was from here as I don’t want to drop the .25 like I had done before. I’m thinking possibly going .02 at a time with a jeweler scale and holding that for a week at a time maybe longer if needed. Or should I hold this longer until I feel a little bit better. I just don’t see that happening either. My NP really wants me to crossover to diazepam and I would have been ok with that at the beginning of my taper but 3/4 of the way through I just don’t want to go on a different benzo to get off the one I’m on. It seems like I’m sensitive to any new meds.

• Are you functional at the moment? Meaning can you do what is expected of you on a daily basis? It doesn't mean you're feeling good, just that you can function and get through life.
• You said your main symptoms are insomnia and pain, what type of pain?

I personally don't think crossing to Valium is a great idea unless you're experiencing interdose withdrawal. I'll try and help with the taper questions but I'm still trying to assess your current situation before jumping in head first.

[[kl...]]

@[je...]functiining yes. Severe back and neck pain and lots of trouble sleeping. Difficulty paying attention to conversations and memory issues. I am also having a lot of fatigue some depression, weakness. I’m not able to work out much other than walking and I used to work out every day pretty intense. I’m also getting weird sensations in my hands and feet. A lot of times I will wake up with my hands and feet numb.

I guess I am functioning fine. I’m working 40 hours a week, but not  near where I was before the big taper. Thanks for your attention to this. 

[[Gl...]]

 

I feel bad that you are having a hard time right now.  Sorry!

 

Well, I know what I would do if I were you (my two cents).  I would hold until you feel better, but I wouldn't updose because of kindling.

 

You are just ahead of me (I'm at .60 mg Klonopin), but you are much braver than me for tapering so quickly.  I'm all for avoiding pain and suffering, but maybe I just end up prolonging it. 

 

[[ro...]]

Is 0.125 a lot to taper for 0.5 mgs of k.  Im on 2 1/2 pills .I only got half off then it got really bad .

[[kl...]]

9 hours ago, [[G...] said:

I feel bad that you are having a hard time right now.  Sorry!

 

Well, I know what I would do if I were you (my two cents).  I would hold until you feel better, but I wouldn't updose because of kindling.

 

You are just ahead of me (I'm at .60 mg Klonopin), but you are much braver than me for tapering so quickly.  I'm all for avoiding pain and suffering, but maybe I just end up prolonging it. 

@glitter I don’t think I was brave I just didn’t know better. How are you feeling at .60?

[[he...]]

Hi @[kl...],

Plenty of people, including me, have tapered successfully off clonazepam using a dry-cut method, either cut and hold or daily microtaper. I can answer questions about that. If I were you, I would consider getting a scale, pill splitter, and nail file (I've linked the ones I used in my profile), and start cutting at 5% every 14 days. I would recommend cutting the equivalent of that daily and see how you do. If it's too much, you can try slowing down a bit; if it goes well, you can bump up your speed and see what works for you.

You've got this!

[[kl...]]

Thank you @[he...] I am hoping my jump from April down to .50 didn’t mess my system up for the remainder of my taper. I didn’t realize it’s equivalency and had now realize .50 of Valium is different then .50 of clonazepan. Hopefully I can keep some forward progress going. I don’t know if the brain will heal the same or not. Sad I did that now should have had more of a plan I suppose. I’m the good thing I’ve read on here is people do seem to heal whether cold Turkey or taper. Not sure what I would consider my taper now that I’m stuck at .50. Did I do a mini cold Turkey? 

[[Fa...]]

Hi, @[kl...],

I just wanted to stop by for encouragement.  I can completely relate to your situation (almost exactly) and can let you know my experience, although everyone is different.  I had a failed rapid taper last year from 15mg to 2.5mg diazepam in 3 weeks.  I was hit with panic and severe insomnia.  I didn't know any better (nor did my doctor) and immediately re-instated back to 15mg with no perceived relief, although I may have gotten worse.  I then found BB and figured out my situation.  

I had cut down to 11mg (unstable the whole time), and decided to hold for 3.5 months at the advice of some wonderful people on this forum, as my wife and I were expecting a new baby in February of this year.  I too agreed with you that updosing was not going to help my situation as I was/am convinced an "injury" had occurred.  If it was just "withdrawal" (instead of injury), I believe reinstating to my full dose last Fall would have alleviated my symptoms, but it did not.  Who knows what extremely high dose it would have required to temporarily eliminate my symptoms.  My insomnia and broken sleep unfortunately never completely left, however, like you I was "functional", kept fighting and my sleep did eventually stabilize to some 4-6 broken hours of "sleep" on most/good nights and I began to feel a bit better.

Basically after 3.5 months of holding, I determined my baseline was most likely not going to improve any further and my worse symptom (insomnia and broken sleep) had basically "stabilized" at 4-6 broken hours (varying degrees of quality).  I have been making (almost) daily micro cuts since and am almost down to 8.5mg diazepam.  Remaining "functional" while still getting off the benzo is the goal with a taper.  

I believe @[je...] tapered off clonazepam with insomnia the whole way down as well, but remained functional.  I completely agree with the advice @[he...] provided to you going forward and wish you the best! 

[[kl...]]

@[Fa...]rhank you so much for this. I have to hold true to wanting off the med and not getting off. I’m so sad because I’ve always coached my kids in sports. I’m a well respected coach and have parents emailing me now that season is about to start asking if I am coaching again this season and how bad they want to be a part of my team. I’m sad because I want to say yes because I do want to coach and connect with community and give back but I’m also having so much pain and anxiety that I don’t know what to do. I feel like this drug strips everything away from you little by little. I don’t know whether to keep pushing back and keep doing what I love or give in and take a break. It’s all so hard. I want to be there for my kids and don’t want to miss these precious times in their life but also want to respect that I’m injured in some way and need to recover. Now is recovery resting or is recovery pushing through and doing what you love even when it hurts? I’m sorry that wasn’t all taper related but it’s where my heart is at right now.

@[je...]did you experience all of the symptoms in the Ashton Manual? I never have experienced some and some of them really scare me such as depersonalization and derealizartion. Just anticipating some of theses things is so hard on and of itself. For example I’m sick with a head and chest cold right now and have read so many stories on here about people being floxed by antibiotics I’m scared to even take something for this infection I have.

[[kl...]]

It’s like you have the anxiety of what is, the anxiety of what’s to come and the grief of what you are missing because of both.

[[kl...]]

I just want to know long term prescribed users can go on to live long and successful lives post benzo use. I don’t know if it’s the chemical anxiety lying to me or what but I would love to hear from someone who is recovered from long term use who is living a happy and productive life. It’s not like alcohol wheee you can go to AA and see someone 30 or 40 years from their last drink and talk to them in person. I desperately want that for someone benzo recovered from long time use I think it would be good for my soul and help push me forward.