Able to function

[[Ch...]]

I am planning to taper from 2mg if klonopin since 2008. I am already suffering from tolerance withdrawals. Will I be able to continue to work and support myself once I start the taper. I am alone 56 female working no one to help or even be there for the taper. I have a stressful job health care executive and travel a lot. Can I do this and still earn a living l. I don’t have any savings. 

[[pi...]]

Hello @[Ch...],

Many people have had to work during the withdrawal and recovery process. While I didn’t ‘need’ to, I wanted to keep teaching. I do have the luxury of working at home and it is mostly part time. However, I felt I lost too much being ill on the drugs, I didn’t want this part of my life to disappear. It was actually good for me not to dwell on withdrawal.

I would suggest you plan a slow and sensible taper. Start a thread on the Taper forum and ask questions. I am not an expert at tapering, mine was rough and disorganized because I didn’t find this forum until I jumped off. Slow and steady is the way to go, there a few plans for you to consider.

One of our admins, @[Pa...] went cold turkey froma significant dose of Clonazepam and did keep working. 
 

This is doable! 
 

pianogirl 

[[Be...]]

Hi Chantal, I am close to your age and am still working a demanding job during the taper. I also bought a house that I am preparing to move to, and have been traveling. Tapering like this is very doable for me. I find that being busy and keeping myself occupied with interests and responsibilities outside of my own head are saving me from being stuck in my own head. As a result, the sx from w/draw, when they do occur, do not consume me. I'm able to look at them as part of the healing. It's just my receptors and body returning to the state it was in before benzos. 

Go slow w/ the taper, do not focus on negative thoughts and body sensations. You will drive yourself batty. Keep moving forward and looking at the bright future.

[[...]]

@[Ch...] I've withdrawn 4 times, all while working. I'm an engineer and don't do much travel, but work can still be stressful. The top advice I can give is:

1. Go very, very, very slow. If you think you're going too slow, go slower. The cuts have a way of catching up with you weeks down the line. Going slow with Klonopin means getting a milligram scale and a nail file and making very small reductions every few weeks.
2. Do not expect yourself to be at top form or near top form during this. Be kind to yourself. This is hard.
3. Have someone you can talk to about what you're going through. I find talk therapy very helpful.

[[Ch...]]

I am not sure how to do all of this traveling with a scale a file etc I am so scared and confused

[[Ch...]]

11 hours ago, [[C...] said:

Yes complicated. I am so scared. 

 

10 hours ago, [[B...] said:

Hi Chantal, I am close to your age and am still working a demanding job during the taper. I also bought a house that I am preparing to move to, and have been traveling. Tapering like this is very doable for me. I find that being busy and keeping myself occupied with interests and responsibilities outside of my own head are saving me from being stuck in my own head. As a result, the sx from w/draw, when they do occur, do not consume me. I'm able to look at them as part of the healing. It's just my receptors and body returning to the state it was in before benzos. 

Go slow w/ the taper, do not focus on negative thoughts and body sensations. You will drive yourself batty. Keep moving forward and looking at the bright future.

How much are you tapering a week and what was ur initial dose 

[[Be...]]

I don't have any advice on micro cutting or shaving or filing. I have been just cutting the pills in half where they are scored. 

There are many people on here who can give advise on that. There are also videos, too. I saw one where they pre-cut/shaved and put the daily doses in small containers.  It's doable.

[[Ch...]]

What meds are u on and mg?  

[[je...]]

37 minutes ago, [[C...] said:

I am not sure how to do all of this traveling with a scale a file etc I am so scared and confused

You don't have to travel with a scale and file it. You can prepare your doses in advance and put it in a pill divider. If you start a thread on the Tapering Forum someone can help you.

I know it's very scary and overwhelming when you first start, but you're going to be okay. It will all work out.

[[Su...]]

11 hours ago, [[C...] said:

I am planning to taper from 2mg if klonopin since 2008. I am already suffering from tolerance withdrawals. Will I be able to continue to work and support myself once I start the taper. I am alone 56 female working no one to help or even be there for the taper. I have a stressful job health care executive and travel a lot. Can I do this and still earn a living l. I don’t have any savings. 

Chantal.

I'm male. 55 y.o. Was on klonopin since 2008. 2mg daily. we are almost identical cases!

What i can tell you is please take the time to do a proper taper.  i have posted about my experiences and if you have the choice,  as you do,  it is well worth it to avoid or mitigate withdrawal. 

I think you should have a serious person in an oversight role as well, checking in every day and lending support. 

The fact that you are on here puts you miles ahead of where I was when I fell off a proverbial cliff in February. Use that you your advantage. 

 

[[Ch...]]

I cut 0,5 mg per my psychiatrist in June or May and I ended up in psych hospital. How can I look at your experience?  I am already having symptoms of dependence. I want to get off the poison bit I have to be able to support myself. I don’t have any friends or family now. I have a friend coming soon and he said he would help me. I am not sure if I can dk the weighting calculations etc also I travel extensively for weeks. 

[[Su...]]

Look at my profile for a brief view of my experience. Search my posts as well. 

I need people with tapering experience to weigh in here,  but I think you should work with a Dr who will bump you UP in klonopin dose to get rid of tolerance withdrawal [stable]  and then start a lengthy taper off. 

The whole point is to stay out of withdrawal as much as possible,  so I think you need to start stable. 

Edited September 13, 2023 by [Su...]

[[or...]]

12 hours ago, [[S...] said:

Look at my profile for a brief view of my experience. Search my posts as well. 

I need people with tapering experience to weigh in here,  but I think you should work with a Dr who will bump you UP in klonopin dose to get rid of tolerance withdrawal [stable]  and then start a lengthy taper off. 

The whole point is to stay out of withdrawal as much as possible,  so I think you need to start stable. 

I've never mentioned much about this, bumping up, or reinstating because there's so many opinions on BB, and I tend to go too much with the flow.  But one thing "they say" over and over I agree 100% with is that we have to find our own way.  Doctors fall short unless they themselves have experienced the wd sxs from benzos it seems.  We don't have any "sound" studies, and seems to me the benzo crisis I see is alive and well and showing up pretty good on BB.  It is a crisis.  Lots of info on pain-pills, but not much on benzos around the internet highway.

I've been my own little scientist's guinea pig ever since I beat T2 Diabetes without any of the pills offered.  I think we need to try out ways, but I see people worrying so much, they never get started on a taper.  I did that, I think at least a month!  Had to get it all figured out on paper exactly how I would do my taper.  Wasted time maybe, or a good learning experience.  You'd think I would have just broken that dang tablet, weighed out a few of the recommend %'s and tried it for a few days, but no, I had to whine and worry about it.

I think a lot of people should try this, being stable, as we can be, makes good sense to me.  I had bad-ass issues from a CT, reinstated to 1 mg, then I had some sort of seizure, they never found a thing, so I figure wd sxs, whole left side of body went numb when my doc took out 25% a month, reinstated to 1 mg as that was enough for me to experience.  The best advice I got on BB in the beginning, just last March, was hold that dose until you are stable, then try another taper.  @[...] I think it was gave me that advice.

Now I find BB, which has helped me, but sometimes it comes down to just using the brains God gave you, even if they are scrambled.  You may say you can't make a decision!  Well you made the decision to not do anything, just keep asking people what and how to do a taper when you've already seen the feedback 20 times over.

[[Ch...]]

18 hours ago, [[S...] said:

Chantal.

I'm male. 55 y.o. Was on klonopin since 2008. 2mg daily. we are almost identical cases!

What i can tell you is please take the time to do a proper taper.  i have posted about my experiences and if you have the choice,  as you do,  it is well worth it to avoid or mitigate withdrawal. 

I think you should have a serious person in an oversight role as well, checking in every day and lending support. 

The fact that you are on here puts you miles ahead of where I was when I fell off a proverbial cliff in February. Use that you your advantage. 

How to I see your profile? 

[[Su...]]

Click on my pretzel icon

[[Ch...]]

I don’t see it 

[[Ch...]]

I am having such a hard time with the website 

[[Pa...]]

13 minutes ago, [[C...] said:

I am having such a hard time with the website 

When you click on the pretzel, his profile will come up, then you can view the area that says About me, or History, this is where you’ll see the medication history.  I know its difficult getting used to the new format but if you play with it, you’ll likely stumble across what you’re looking for. 

[[Ch...]]

I did nothing is coming up. I am so scared reading everything. Please help me. 

[[Ch...]]

5 minutes ago, [[P...] said:

When you click on the pretzel, his profile will come up, then you can view the area that says About me, or History, this is where you’ll see the medication history.  I know it’s difficult getting used to the new format but if you play with it, you’ll likely stumble across what you’re looking for. 

Nothing when I click on the pretzel 

[[Pa...]]

1 minute ago, [[C...] said:

Nothing when I click on the pretzel 

What do you see when you click on the big C for your username?

[[Ch...]]

Nothing 

[[Ch...]]

I look at your recommendation for tapering for others and how others have calculation I can even add 2+2. How can I do this. Please help. 

[[Be...]]

@[Ch...] I'm so sorry that I missed your post yesterday asking me what dose I take and how much I cut. I take Xanax. I started at .75mg for sleep. My first cut was at the end of May. I'm now at .375mg- I cut half of a .25mg tablet about every 3 weeks now.  I held a little bit over the summer because I was traveling and forgot about it. The first 2 days after a cut I feel a little restless, jitters, maybe have some GI issues, but I keep working, I exercise (sometimes light, sometimes heavy) and keep going. I just remind myself that the symptoms are signs that my body is coming back to what it was before I started the Xanax.  This too shall pas, is my mantra lately.

[[Be...]]

This is a link by a poster on the Success board that I found very helpful. I hope these approaches help you too: