Short Term Klonopin Taper Schedule

[[Fi...]]

 

hello i’ve been on 2mg klonopin for the last 5 weeks and just started to taper, i’m on day 3

i have limited klonopin left and was wondering if i could substitute valium in with it? i take once daily in the evening to help with sleep other wise i have pretty bad insomnia 

Day 1 - 1.5mg k

Day 2 - 1.5mg k

Day 3 - 1.5mg k

Day 4 1mg k + 2.5mg diazepam

Day 5 1mg k + 2.55mg diazepam

Day 6 1mg k + 2.5mg diazepam

Day 7 0.5mg k + 5mg diazepam 

Day 8 0.5mg k + 5mg diazepam 

Day 9 0.5mg k + 5mg diazepam

Day 10 0.5mg k + 5mg diazepam

Day 11 0.5mg k + 5mg diazepam 

Day 12 0.25mg k + 5mg diazepam

Day 13 0.25mg k + 5mg diazepam

Day 14 5mg diazepam

Day 15 5mg diazepam

Day 16 5mg diazepam 

jump

i also have some ativan just in case i need it and will have a few more valium left over as well but hoping this won’t be too aggressive of a taper. so far on day three i feel okay, the day is rough seeing as i dose in the evening but i’ve been making out alright so far i guess other than a bit of anxiety and insomnia 

 

[[pi...]]

Hello @[Fi...] and welcome to Benzo Buddies!

Since you have taken klonopin for a relatively short period of time, you might be fine with a faster taper schedule. However, your dose of klonopin is quite high and it is a strong benzo. It is possible to reach dependency in 5 weeks.

Looking at your schedule, it seems to be ok except for jumping off at 5mg. That is still a fairly significant dose. The other issue is that that the longer you take a benzo, the stronger the dependency becomes. Finding a balance for your goal is important.

I would suggest listening to your body and make adjustments to the schedule if necessary. Do you have enough Valium for a longer taper, if needed?

pianogirl

[[An...]]

Hi @[Fi...], welcome to BB. Can you expound a little on your benzo history? Did they start you out taking 2 mgs of klonopin and you have only been on this amount for 5 weeks? Your w/d schedule is very aggressive. I would not advise if you have been on Klonopin for a lot longer than 5 weeks.

Did a doctor prescribe these or were you taking via the black market? I am not judging you, just trying to fully understand your current situation.

[[Fi...]]

@[An...] i started on 1mg for the first week went up to 2-2.5mg for 4 weeks and stayed at 2mg for the fifth and sixth week. it’s been about 6 weeks. i bought them off a friend and it’s my first time taking klonopin but i’ve taken other benzos in the past mainly valium, ativan and xanax. went through some pretty gnarly etizolam withdrawals a few years ago basically cold turkey with a bit of valium, i had no idea about withdrawals back then. trying to avoid  a similar situation 

Edited November 14, 2023 by [Fi...]

[[Fi...]]

@[pi...]its actually been 6 weeks now that i think about it, i do have a bit more valium if needed and also some ativan. xanax as well but i feel like i should avoid that

[[Co...]]

Hello @[Fi...]

Unless you have good reason to suppose that you are already dependent upon Klonopin (and the chances are the you are not, or the depth of the dependency is minimal), in your shoes, I would aim to taper off without substituting with Valium. And I would aim to to complete the taper within a couple or a few weeks.

I am assuming that you have 0.5mg pills. I further suggest splitting these so that you can create intermediate doses of 0.75mg and 0.25mg when you get below 1mg.

If the taper becomes too tough to manage, then reassess at that stage. But with a bit of luck, you will be OK.

[[Fi...]]

@[Co...] the thing is i’m running low on klonopin that’s the only reason for the valium substitute. i have 1mg pills klonopin and 5mg valium, is it not safe to take klonopin with valium? i heard it’s fine at low doses but have never taken them together before. also not trying to prolong the taper or rush it but just planning with what i have to work with basically, was thinking two weeks 

Edited November 14, 2023 by [Fi...]

[[An...]]

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

Hello @[Fi...]

Unless you have good reason to suppose that you are already dependent upon Klonopin (and the chances are the you are not, or the depth of the dependency is minimal), in your shoes, I would aim to taper off without substituting with Valium. And I would aim to to complete the taper within a couple or a few weeks.

I am assuming that you have 0.5mg pills. I further suggest splitting these so that you can create intermediate doses of 0.75mg and 0.25mg when you get below 1mg.

If the taper becomes too tough to manage, then reassess at that stage. But with a bit of luck, you will be OK.

👍Colin. I was thinking along the same lines.

[[An...]]

It is safe to take klonopin with valium. They are both benzos. Klonopin is just a lot more potent.

[[Fi...]]

@[An...] i have limited clonazepam left otherwise i would taper solely with klonopin but unfortunately i don’t have enough to last 2 weeks without it being an aggressive taper. only reason i was thinking to add valium. why would you suggest not to add valium? 

[[An...]]

No, I did not suggest not to friend. You can substitute valium for klonopin. Klonopin is just a lot more potent. .5 mgs of K is equivalent to approx. 10 mgs of valium.

Question? The taper schedule you proposed in your initial post. After day 16, you are out of both Klonopin (day 14) and Valium (Day 17), correct?

You may be okay with the taper schedule you proposed since you have not been on but 5 weeks in total.

[[Fi...]]

@[An...] my bad i read @[Co...] response and you said you were thinking along the same lines so i assumed it was about substituting valium. yeah i’ll be pretty much out of K but will have a bit more valium left over i think around 15 5mg pills and also some ativan around 17 0.5mg pills. it’s actually been 6 weeks and started the taper 3 days ago so today would be 1mg K + 2.5mg valium. i’m just going to see how it goes if it feels like i’m moving too fast maybe i’ll add another 2.5mg valium for a day or two but so far i’m doing alright just want to avoid seizures at all costs 

[[An...]]

Your plan sounds very doable with the limited supply of benzos you have. Short-term use should work to your advantage. Is this your very 1st benzo detox?

[[Co...]]

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

@[Co...] the thing is i’m running low on klonopin that’s the only reason for the valium substitute. i have 1mg pills klonopin and 5mg valium, is it not safe to take klonopin with valium? i heard it’s fine at low doses but have never taken them together before. also not trying to prolong the taper or rush it but just planning with what i have to work with basically, was thinking two weeks 

Ah. I see. These medications (and all manner of benzodiazpines and z-drugs) are often prescribed together. But I cannot tell you that 'it is safe'. In good conscience, I can only advise you to ask your doctor about what medicines you should take.

In your shoes, I would attempt to quarter those 5mg Valium pills into doses of 1.25mg. Jumping off at 5mg is a bit steep. Given your short-term use, you might be OK. On the other hand, you might not be. Play it by ear is my advice. And make smaller cuts if you feel the need.

[[Fi...]]

@[Co...] alright i understand. i was reading the ashton method for getting off 1.5mg klonopin and they do sub clonaz for valium eventually but it is done gradually over like a 6 week period so i think it’s safe to take both in small doses but i cant do 6 weeks unfortunately. yeah i don’t know what i was thinking 5mg is a bit steep for sure. thanks for the guidance!

[[Fi...]]

@[Co...] so far the taper is going well on day 10 at 0.5mg clonazepam & 5mg valium, i just wanted to ask if i’m potentially at risk for seizures jumping of at 5mg valium? i do have enough valium to split into 1.25mg doses should i go from 5mg to 1.25mg for a few days?

[[Co...]]

1 hour ago, [[F...] said:

@[Co...] so far the taper is going well on day 10 at 0.5mg clonazepam & 5mg valium, i just wanted to ask if i’m potentially at risk for seizures jumping of at 5mg valium? i do have enough valium to split into 1.25mg doses should i go from 5mg to 1.25mg for a few days?

I can't tell you what the risk is for that. I suspect that it is low, but I cannot say for certain. It is a relatively low dose, but not exactly small. And your use has been limited, so that helps too. But 5mg is a higher dose than most people quit Valium. I agree that lowering your dose by 1.25mg intervals for a few days at each step is sensible.

5mg
3.75mg
2.5mg
1.25mg

If you do not have enough for that, then maybe halve your dose (2.5mg), and then maybe halve it again (1.25mg). And if you do not have enough for that, then your suggestion of spending a few days at 1.25mg might well help.

[[Fi...]]

@[Co...] i feel you, i literally asked a doctor today and he said to contact an addiction clinic which i ended up doing, just waiting to hear back. i think what you suggested sounds decent though i should have enough to drop down gradually from 5 to 1.25. how many days would you stay at each step down from 5mg? i could probably do 2-3 days each before stopping all together

[[Co...]]

After short-term use - in your shoes - I would not stay at each dose for too long. Maybe three days. Of course, if it proves too difficult, I would - if pill availability allowed - expend the the number of days between each cut.

Your doctor's response was rather dismissive. Unfortunately, it is quite common.

[[Fi...]]

@[Co...] hey sorry to bug you again, taper went well initially but i stretched out the lower doses a little bit, been on 1.25mg valium for the last week and before that 2.5mg valium for a week. is it fine to jump? i was having a bit of trouble sleeping last night so i ended up taking 2.5mg valium but i’ve been consistent otherwise 

[[Co...]]

Hi @[Fi...]

You will be the best judge of this. Of course, you are making larger cuts to your dose than most of our members tapering off from Valium. Generally, they are using 2mg pills which they half (or even quarter). But on the other hand, we have many members who taper off far more potent benzodiazepines. For example, they might take Klonopin (which is 10-20 times as potent as Valium), and use 0.5mg pills. A 0.5mg pill of Klonopin equates to 5-10mg Valium. If they quarter their pill (0.125mg), this equates to 1.25-2.5mg of Valium. For they most part, they manage. I provide this example for comparison purposes.

The other thing to consider is how your previous cuts have gone. For the most part, it seems that you have managed quite well. I Cannot tell you with certainty how your final cut will go for you. But if similar cuts and time intervals have worked out OK, this is surely very encouraging.

[[Fi...]]

@[Co...] i could probably half the 1.25mg roughly but do you think it would too much to just go cold turkey? i know you can’t say for sure but if you could guess or suggest otherwise 

[[Co...]]

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

@[Co...] i could probably half the 1.25mg roughly but do you think it would too much to just go cold turkey? i know you can’t say for sure but if you could guess or suggest otherwise 

I would not describe that as a cold turkey cut. Rather, it is a final reduction which might be considered as larger than ideal, but reactions to a cut this size comes down to the individual. Some are fine making larger cuts than others. And, again, if we compare this cut with the cuts made by many of our members (albeit, usually from other, more potent benzodiazepines), this final proposed cut of 1.25mg Valium is ordinary. It is also worth mentioning that because of Valium's relatively long half-life value, it will leave your system more gradually than most other benzodiazepines, softening the cut.

None of this guarantees you anything; I cannot guarantee you anything. So what I suggest is that if you do not feel confident of making the final, single cut, perhaps you should instead make that interim cut you suggested. It is not going to cause you any harm after all.

[[Kh...]]

On 15/12/2023 at 06:51, [[F...] said:

@[Co...] i could probably half the 1.25mg roughly but do you think it would too much to just go cold turkey? i know you can’t say for sure but if you could guess or suggest otherwise 

Hey friend - how is your progress?  What was your decision here?  Curious as I am planning my cuts and how to get to 1 mg V and what to do then 🙏