Clonazepam Taper, Advice Please

[[Mr...]]

Hello all,

I've been on a 3mg dose of clonazepam for 3 years now. I'm in my 60's and have had a history with benzos for 45 years, so I know how awful they are.

Anyway, I'm down to 2.25mg from 3mg in the past 3 weeks and am not feeling well at all. I dose once a day a bedtime.

My question to you all for now would it be advisable to dose twice a day instead of just once at bedtime?

Thanks in advance,

Mr. Blue

 

[[PE...]]

I'm no doctor but clonazepam is a long lasting medicine and while I was on it I dosed like you do now,  once a day.

Are you having interpose withdrawal?

 

[[Mr...]]

I don't believe so, just a significant increase in anxiety and depression since I hit tolerance withdrawal and started decreasing my dose. I know this will be a long process. At this point all I can do is more forward with a cut and hold strategy until I get to a point where it may be wise to switch over to diazepam.

Is it typical for someone who doses once a day to continue with a once a day dosing schedule during their entire taper?

Thank you.

 

[[PE...]]

I'm no doctor but clonazepam is a long lasting medicine and while I was on it I dosed like you do now,  once a day.

Are you having interpose withdrawal?

No I'm off since 10 weeks.

I think most dose once a day during taper but can't see any problem splitting up the dose as long it's the same amount each day.

45 years is a long time.. how come you starting with it in the first place? For me it was because of insomnia..

 

 

[[Mr...]]

10 minutes ago, [[n...] said:

45 years is a long time.. how come you starting with it in the first place? For me it was because of insomnia..

I started abusing diazepam when I was a kid (16 years old). I was off benzos for 5 years in the 1990s. I started using xanax for 4 years in the early 2000s. I had been abstinent from 2005 until 2021. I had been plagued by severe insomnia the entire time I was abstinent. I was going through a rough time and couldn't deal with the insomnia so I started using the clonazepam. A really big mistake. I hope I can do this again. I know my brain has been forever altered from this poison.

[[je...]]

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

Anyway, I'm down to 2.25mg from 3mg in the past 3 weeks and am not feeling well at all. I dose once a day a bedtime.

Going from 3mg to 2.25mg is a 25% reduction. We generally recommend no more than 5-10% reduction every 2 weeks. I believe you've cut too much and this is causing your symptoms. 

If you're not experiencing interdose withdrawal then there's no need to dose multiple times a day. I started at 2mg Clonazepam and only dosed once per day my entire taper.