Technical advice on how to cut the pills?

[[Er...]]

I am almost 2 weeks into tapering from 0.5 mg Klonopin that I've been taking for 17 years to sleep. I have the jeweler's scale and have been using a pill cutter to shave edges off to remove approximately 10%.  I end up having to add back tiny chunks to get the more or less appropriate weight as it's impossible to reliably eyeball and execute the correct 10% cut.

I can see that as I start to taper more, I will need to be more exact. What is he most consistent way to remove the correct amount? If I use sandpaper, which does sound more likely to get to an exact weight, I'd be wasting/losing the amount that I'm taking off and I'd rather not do that at this point, if I don't have to. 

It is ridiculous that they don't manufacture lower dose pills. 

[[Kh...]]

consider this - its working for me

 

- 

[[Kh...]]

7 hours ago, [[E...] said:

I am almost 2 weeks into tapering from 0.5 mg Klonopin that I've been taking for 17 years to sleep. I have the jeweler's scale and have been using a pill cutter to shave edges off to remove approximately 10%.  I end up having to add back tiny chunks to get the more or less appropriate weight as it's impossible to reliably eyeball and execute the correct 10% cut.

I can see that as I start to taper more, I will need to be more exact. What is he most consistent way to remove the correct amount? If I use sandpaper, which does sound more likely to get to an exact weight, I'd be wasting/losing the amount that I'm taking off and I'd rather not do that at this point, if I don't have to. 

It is ridiculous that they don't manufacture lower dose pills. 

You will also be "wasting" some of the drug at some point  - it is somewhat inevitable

[[Er...]]

Thank you for sharing the video. I'm surprised that it dissolves so completely. Do you reduce your dose by very tiny increments every day? My plan was to try to do about 10% every 2 weeks or so. I'm wondering if something like 1% a day might be easier to handle?

[[An...]]

Yes, liquid titration reduces tiny amounts each day in theory. I like this video better if I was going to attempt a a microtaper using this method. I personally don't have the patience to do a microtaper. Luckily, I am just eyeballing and cutting my valium tabs up into 10 tiny pieces using a razor blade and reducing by one piece every 3 weeks and it has been working great for me.

 

[[Li...]]

Hello @[Er...].  Might I offer three points for your consideration regarding the approach shown in the ‘Use water to taper your benzo!’ video @[An...]referenced above?

(1) Clonazepam (Klonopin) is insoluble in water.  

(2) Water is a very poor suspending vehicle due to its low viscosity. 

(3) Removing 1mL of the liquid a day will result in a linear taper.  This means the effective taper rate per month increases over time.  Some individuals can tolerate these rate increases whereas others cannot.

 

[[An...]]

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

Hello @[Er...].  Might I offer three points for your consideration regarding the approach shown in the ‘Use water to taper your benzo!’ video @[An...]referenced above?

(1) Clonazepam (Klonopin) is insoluble in water.  

(2) Water is a very poor suspending vehicle due to its low viscosity. 

(3) Removing 1mL of the liquid a day will result in a linear taper.  This means the effective taper rate per month increases over time.  Some individuals can tolerate these rate increases whereas others cannot.

Thanks @[Li...]. Liquid titration does concern me.  I prefer to just cut or shave the tablets. No method is going to be 100% accurate.

[[Kh...]]

I crush pills into powder form - dissolves quickly but I usually do it overnight.  Milk 4% fat   I am doing 10-20% cuts depending on how I am feeling once I am stable on a dose.  6-7 days appears to be what it's taking for me.  Everyone is different.  

Edited November 19, 2023 by [Kh...]

[[Er...]]

Thank you all for your input. I think I'll continue with the dry taper, cutting and weighing the pills, for now and see how things go as I get further along.  I'm trying to save the little pieces I'm cutting off in case I ever get into a situation where I can't get my Rx filled for some reason.

[[Li...]]

Thank you for the update @[Er...].  We have multiple members who have tapered  clonazepam successfully using the ‘pill shaving and weighing’ technique.  For example, one of our former members has documented the ‘dry titration’ technique he is using to help his wife taper clonazepam at The Taper Log - YouTube.

Also, if you do decide to give liquid a try, another option to consider is a compounded oral clonazepam suspension.  Here’s a stability-tested formulation from Nationwide Children’s Hospital:

 

0.1mg/mL Clonazepam Oral Suspension