Help me in tapering 0.25 mg of clonazepam

[[se...]]

Hi 

I am taking 0.25 mg of clonazepam for last three months I do have some panic attacks and I am on fluvoxamine 175 mg for my OCD and pregabalin 75 mg help me in tapering those also.I do also take melatonin 5mg for my sleep for last 30 days

Edited November 26, 2023 by [se...]
Missed some info

[[Co...]]

Hello @[se...]. Welcome to BenzoBuddies.

I assume you are intending to taper off just the clonazepam. If you intend to taper taper of other medications, it is generally best to do this one medicine at a time.

You are on a low dose of clonazepam - generally at the very bottom end of what be prescribed. And, three months is relatively short-term use. It is certainly possible to to become dependent within this timeframe, but there good chance you are not (or the depth of your dependency is relatively low). Do you have to reason to suppose that you have become dependent? Have you already attempted to withdraw, or do you suffer interdose withdrawal effects?

How are you feeling?

 

[[se...]]

Thnks for reply @[Co...] Before that I was on 0.5 mg dose of clonazepam say before three months and that dose was there for three months say June,July and August didnt face any issues in lowering that to 0.25 mg but sometimes I have nauseous feeling when i try to withdraw this 0.25 have panicky feeling like feeling a rush of adrenaline.

Edited November 27, 2023 by [se...]

[[Co...]]

Hi @[se...]

I assume that you are already splitting 0.5mg pills into doses of about 0.25mg. You might instead try crushing your pill and splitting the powder into four piles for doses of about 0.125mg. The powdered pill might hit you a little more quickly than using a non-crushed pill. But I expect there will be little difference between the powder and a half-pill for how quickly it is absorbed.

Anyway, these smaller doses might provide you with a softer landing.

[[se...]]

We have 0.5 mg in tablet then 0.25 mg also in tablet form and below that we don't have ; so can I make half tablet of 0.25 and take it so how long should I take it and then withdraw and totally stop it?

[[ou...]]

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

We have 0.5 mg in tablet then 0.25 mg also in tablet form and below that we don't have ; so can I make half tablet of 0.25 and take it so how long should I take it and then withdraw and totally stop it?

If you can quarter the .25mg tabs I would suggest starting with a .0625mg cut and reevaluate after a week.

[[Co...]]

13 hours ago, [[s...] said:

We have 0.5 mg in tablet then 0.25 mg also in tablet form and below that we don't have ; so can I make half tablet of 0.25 and take it so how long should I take it and then withdraw and totally stop it?

The 0.25mg tablet - is that a sublingual wafer? As far as I know, they are not a reliable form for splitting (the two halves might have wildly differing doses).

[[Mo...]]

They make .125 sublingual wafers in the US. I use them to taper. I even cut them in 1/2 .

[[se...]]

In India we don't have 0.125 mg dose and doctor says to cut into half I want to know for how long I take this 0.125 mg dose and stop it so I don't see any withdrawal effects

[[Co...]]

@[se...] Do you have 0.25mg pills is India? Or you obtaining 0.25mg doses by splitting a 0.5mg pill? Or are you using 0.25mg sublingual wafers?

[[Li...]]

5 hours ago, [[M...] said:

They make .125 sublingual wafers in the US. I use them to taper. I even cut them in 1/2 .

Hello @[Mo...].  First and foremost, thank you for contributing to this discussion!

A point of clarification if I may on behalf of future readers of this thread …

The 0.125mg clonazepam tablets available in the US are a dosage form referred to as Orally Disintegrating Tablets or ODTs.  They are designed to be placed on the tongue (not under the tongue as in the case of sublingual tablets) where they quickly disintegrate in saliva.

 

[[Co...]]

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

Hello @[Mo...].  First and foremost, thank you for contributing to this discussion!

A point of clarification if I may on behalf of future readers of this thread …

The 0.125mg clonazepam tablets available in the US are a dosage form referred to as Orally Disintegrating Tablets or ODTs.  They are designed to be placed on the tongue (not under the tongue as in the case of sublingual tablets) where they quickly disintegrate in saliva.

Ah. I misremembered. I've never used one myself. Thanks, @[Li...]

Though, practically speaking, is there a meaningful difference for our purposes? Do you happen to know anything about their suitability for splitting? As I recall, clonazepam wafers are unsuitable for splitting. Hopefully, I am not misremembering this too.

[[Li...]]

You’re welcome, @[Co...].  The point of my clarification was to alert future readers that clonazepam ODTs are designed to be placed on the tongue not under the tongue.  My concern (perhaps unfounded) is that placing them under the tongue might alter bioavailability.

Re: whether or not clonazepam ODTs are suitable for splitting … all I can share is that we have members who found them to be ‘suitable enough.’   We also have members who have used the shave-and-weigh technique with ODTs as well as members who have dispersed ODTs in water or whole, fat homogenized milk. 

 

 

[[Co...]]

Thanks, @[Li...].

[[Li...]]

You’re welcome, @[Co...].  

The other observation I can offer is that ODTs ‘suitability’ for a given dose manipulation technique may vary by manufacturer.  For example, the ODTs from Teva are comparatively larger and softer than those from Par.  Both Teva and Par are supplied in blister cards containing 6 blisters each (I’ve read this is because they are hygroscopic and friable.) In contrast, the ODTs from Sun are manufactured using a different technology and are  ‘sturdier’ — they are supplied in bottles just like regular tablets.  None of the aforementioned products are scored. 

[[se...]]

@[Co...]

We have both 0.5 mg as tablet and 0.25 mg also as tablet form.

So let me know how I can taper below that as we don't have 0.125 mg 

[[Co...]]

13 hours ago, [[s...] said:

@[Co...]

We have both 0.5 mg as tablet and 0.25 mg also as tablet form.

So let me know how I can taper below that as we don't have 0.125 mg 

Assuming that splitting 0.25mg tablets into quarters is impractical for you, in my opinion, there are two relatively reliable methods you might employ to achieve smaller cut to dosage in the home. You could either grind the tablet into a fine powder and quarter this into four small piles (I suggest using a sharp knife or blade) - this would provide you with doses of about 0.0625mg. Or ask your pharmacist for advice about using an over-the-counter suspension agent so that you can make your own liquid. Of course, obtaining a prescription for preparatory liquid clonazepam would be best, but this option might not be available to you, and might be expensive.

[[se...]]

@[Co...]

 

Thanks colin for you reply meanwhile Yes cutting is fine I can do it but I can't do the liquid clonazepam preparation.

My question is how long should I take this 0.0625 mg and stop it completely.

[[Co...]]

@[se...] In your shoes, I would make cuts of 0.0625mg as and when I feel reasonably recovered from the previous cut. To put this into perspective - and although there is great variability in what individuals can reasonably tolerate - these are very small cuts to dosage, and from a small starting dose. You might find that you can make a new cut every week. But if you find that you do not feel ready to make a new cut, allow longer. What is important is to move forward, not the pace of moving forward. The thing to avoid is moving too fast so that you feel that must reverse your taper and increase your dose again.

[[se...]]

Ok sure @[Co...] thanks for your time and reply will start the taper soon