Taper length

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Ok.  I am responding to link.  Should i repeat my initial explanation.  Not sure but please let me know.   Thanks. 

Edited February 20 by [...]

[[je...]]

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Hi jelly baby.  I was asking pamster if with my profile would it be better to taper faster as opposed to using klonopin longer with slower taper.  I seem to be stuck on .15 mg per day and still good deal of nausea and palpitations.  I have a major back surgery sched April 9 and very anxious. Was hoping to be off meds by then. I am a fairly short term user. Sporatic use .5 mg from 9/23-11/23.  When I realized a physical dependance I started tapering.  Thank you for any guidance.

[[Pa...]]

Hi @[...], thank you for bringing your questions here.

Your use was short term but your taper is lasting awhile, can you tell us what your reductions look like, how you're tapering and how long you wait between reductions? 

I just read your history and saw how many surgeries you've had and now another one, I'm so sorry. 

We do suggest those on the medication a short time taper faster but that depends on how much you can withstand.  If your symptoms are too much for you, I don't know if speeding up your taper is worth it.  Even when you're benzo free, you'll still experience symptoms so I'm not sure how much you'll gain by striving to be done by April 9.

 

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Hi Pamster  Thanks for quick reply. I will go over my notes and try and be accurate by tomorrow. Would it be best to try and be as stable as possible by surgery and then finish taper after surgery?  If I can be very low would that be better. Maybe at .058 once or twice a day. Probably a hard question to answer. I have been at .058x 3 a day for about 8-10 days. Going to try to taper more by thurs

[[Pa...]]

I think you've hit on a good point, it might be better to hold your taper or work at getting stable for your next surgery.  As I mentioned, you'll most likely have symptoms for quite awhile after you're benzo free so it might be better to hold for now, if you're not too miserable that is.

I've known members who will hold their tapers when they have an upcoming trip, or if a loved ones needs help.  Tapers need to work for us and be able to accommodate life events and another back surgery is a big life event.

What do you think?

 

 

[[De...]]

Agreed with Pamster. Stabalize and be functional. Major surgieries are a hugely big undertaking. Be kind to yourself above all. Stabalize your sleep and move when you’re ready. There’s no clock, pressure or timeline other than the ones we artificially impose on ourselves. Just make sure the car is headed in the right direction. 

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Thank you for responses.  My taper has been as follows after .5mg K every 3 or 4 days  from  sept 2023-dec 10 2023

dec10 - jan 10     .125 mg x 2 / day

jan 11 - jan 31    .0625 mg x 3 / day

feb 1 - feb 10    .0588 mg x 3 / day

feb 11 - current    .053 mg x 3 / day

note:  last 2 tapers done by crushing and weighing and loading  in capsules for better precision 

question:  if I can stabilize before  surgery will nausea, palpitations, tremors be gone or at least manageable?

 

 

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Afraid to ask this follow up question.  Anyone have experience with surgery that will keep me under about 8 hrs.  Hoping if I am stable it wont be too awful. 

[[Pa...]]

Thanks for providing your timeline @[...], this is very helpful.  You've been speeding up your taper at a time when you should probably be slowing down.  Tapers get more difficult the lower we get, there is evidence now for why this is. 

 

I believe holding or possibly updosing a bit is the right move at this time, surgery is a big deal and you're going to need your strength for recovering.

I wish I knew how your surgery will affect your recovery, 8 hours is a long time to be under and we all know what anesthesia can do to our bodies, its a concern for sure.  The only experience I have is back to back surgeries that probably only lasted an hour each while I was recovering from my cold turkey.  I recovered just fine with no observable issues related to my benzo experience. 

 

[[Wa...]]

Hey @[Pa...] just to piggy back off of something you mentioned here. I, like @[...] am a short term klonopin user down to a moderate dosage. Can you explain what you mean by stabilize? I recently cut to .125mg and then did a small updose. But I’m wondering if I should have just pushed through it. Is it possible to stabilize at these smaller doses? I assume you don’t mean feeling 100%, right? I guess maybe it is just a personal preference of what we can tolerate. Much like the Op I would rather be off these sooner than later

[[Pa...]]

8 minutes ago, [[W...] said:

Hey @[Pa...] just to piggy back off of something you mentioned here. I, like @[...] am a short term klonopin user down to a moderate dosage. Can you explain what you mean by stabilize? I recently cut to .125mg and then did a small updose. But I’m wondering if I should have just pushed through it. Is it possible to stabilize at these smaller doses? I assume you don’t mean feeling 100%, right? I guess maybe it is just a personal preference of what we can tolerate. Much like the Op I would rather be off these sooner than later

I didn't taper but I've read its possible for most to stabilize, its just a matter of how much you can withstand while waiting for it to happen.  And yes, stable doesn't mean 100%, we define it as able to carry out your basic daily tasks like showering.  

For short term users, sooner is better unless there are extenuating circumstances like @[...] is facing or if the symptoms are too intense.  

[[Wa...]]

Thanks @[Pa...], good luck with your surgery @[...]

[[...]]

By stabilize I am hoping to stop nausea and palpitations. Do you think in my situation this is possible.  I did try up dosing a couple weeks ago by doubling a dose but it didn’t go well.  What would be a reasonable amount to up dose by percent and how long should I expect to feel somewhat better?

[[...]]

I really appreciate the help from all of you. Nice to talk to people who know what they are talking about.  I have one more question. Sleep is impossible.  I cant get 5 min sleep. Don't know how I am still standing. Are there any meds that dont affect gaba receptors?   Something that i could take every few days just to get a few hours. I know they may make wd worse but maybe a trade off.  I have taken seroquel and ambien in the past, not together.   They helped but I was not taking klonopin at the time