Tapering 2mg Klonopin

[[Fl...]]

I got a panic attack last month August 25 and was prescribed Klonopin alongside Zoloft since the doctor suspected depression too. He scheduled me to reduce to 1mg within a week and therefter less by 0.5. And finally 0.25.Upon reaching 0.25 I woke at 2am with a panic attack. The next day he updosed me to 2mg again (after 3wks of the above first attempt). I have taken the Klonopin for 1 week at 2mg each night but want to taper off safety (he had suggested the earlier plan that didn't work!). Please help me with some advice. Am in Africa and the doctors here don't seem to know about tapering.

I will be grateful for your support.

 

[[Pa...]]

Hi @[Fl...], have you stabilized now, do you feel ready to tackle this?

Are your pills 1 mg?  I’m hoping you can do a fairly rapid taper since you’ve been on it for such a short time, certainly not as rapid as your doctor first suggested.  If your pills are 1 mg, you might try cutting one in half and taking .5 mg less for a week or two.  This is more than we typically suggest but as I mentioned, we hope to see short term users taper a bit faster.

You should know fairly quickly if this reduction is too much for you, if it is, then you’ll know you need to slow it down.  Tapering is about experimenting on yourself to find what works best, so it helps to keep good records of your taper and also your symptoms to help make decisions about future reductions. 

[[Fl...]]

Thanks for this advice. Am in possession of 2mg but will look out for 1mg.

[[Pa...]]

4 hours ago, [[F...] said:

Thanks for this advice. Am in possession of 2mg but will look out for 1mg.

What about cutting your 2 mg pill into quarters?  Many members have been able to dry cut their pills and yes, if the tablet is scored, we can’t guarantee you’re getting equal amounts of the medication but close enough can work.  

If at some point you need to slow your taper down, it would be better to ask your doctor for even smaller tablets than 1 mg but hopefully, with your short time on the drug you won’t have to do this. 

[[Fl...]]

Thanks for the response. I have tried breaking them to quarters which was easy. I had initially wanted to reduce by 0.25mg hence half of the 0.5mg but I noticed that it's very hard to be exact (yet that small taper affected me with tingles and cold/heat changes. I quickly noticed that a 0.5mg jump would be fast. I am currently trying to shave the 0.25 off the whole 2mg tablet. My country apparently doesn't have 1 mgs. I tried all yesterday.

[[Ji...]]

Hi Florence 👋,  welcome to BenzoBuddies, I just joined about one week before you. Already I have messaged with two very knowledgeable administrators and two BenzoBuddies members, all very kind, and terrific support.

Since I also am a new member I will hesitate in offering any advice, for now.

I wish you all the very best on your journey.

Jimmy

[[...]]

30 years ago...

I had a couple of panic attacks and was prescribed Zoloft and klonopin too.

I quit the Zoloft after a short while, I was getting electrical shock in my brain.

I stayed on klonopin around 1mg for 30 years. The benefits did not outway the downfalls it caused. And the horrendous illness when I finally could discontinue the klon.

I was getting panic attacks on the klonopin in the later years anyways.

My hope for you is you won't have to down the road I did.

You said you had a panic attack. Does that mean just one? I know they are extremely scary.

I wish I tried some cognitive therapy, daily mindful meditation,and anything else than Zoloft and klonopin.

Do you feel depressed? If you don't feel really depressed it may be better if you don't go down the pill road.

Klonopin is very powerful. Maybe a very low dose for a while. But learn to practice some meditation daily. You don't see the affects right aways but it does work for people like us.

Just my opinion, you do what you feel is best for you. I'm older now, less stress, and more skills. So I don't really  have panic attack any longer. 

If and when I do, they're mild and manageable.

Please educate yourself a lot.

Best of luck to you,

 

Edited October 3, 2023 by [...]

[[Pa...]]

8 hours ago, [[F...] said:

Thanks for the response. I have tried breaking them to quarters which was easy. I had initially wanted to reduce by 0.25mg hence half of the 0.5mg but I noticed that it's very hard to be exact (yet that small taper affected me with tingles and cold/heat changes. I quickly noticed that a 0.5mg jump would be fast. I am currently trying to shave the 0.25 off the whole 2mg tablet. My country apparently doesn't have 1 mgs. I tried all yesterday.

Shaving is a common reduction tool so I’m glad you’ve adopted it, you may need to slow down and make smaller reductions as you get to the lower doses.  

[[Fl...]]

8 hours ago, [[J...] said:

Hi Florence 👋,  welcome to BenzoBuddies, I just joined about one week before you. Already I have messaged with two very knowledgeable administrators and two BenzoBuddies members, all very kind, and terrific support.

Since I also am a new member I will hesitate in offering any advice, for now.

I wish you all the very best on your journey.

Jimmy

Thank you very much!