Benzo Taper from Clonazapam to Diazepam - Looking for advise, options, suggestions. Any help will be very appreciated ( :

[[Ma...]]

Hello friends,

I hope someone will have time to answer an important question for me. I have been on 0.25 Clonazapam for over 5 years from reducing from larger dosages of benzo's for over a decade. I have tried a direct taper from 0.25 mg of clonazapam to smaller dosages but it was too hard (too severe withdrawal symptoms) and plan on using cross taper to diazepam and taper further from here. I am not comfortable with liquid taper at the moment. with clonzapam 

My doctor is open to helping with tapering but wants to start on alternating days of 0.25 mg of Clonazapam with 5 mg of Diazepam. From here, he wants to taper diazepam to smaller dosages.  I was more inclined to cross taper using 0.125 mg (cutting 0.25 mg clonazapam in half) of clonazapam and then use 2.5 mg of Diazepam. I thought this would be easier for me and cause less adverse reactions. After this, I was wanting to taper down from 5mg of Diazepam. I am meeting with my doctor early next week and wanted to know if any one of you can provide me advise and literature if possible of the difference between both taper strategies. My taper strategy I was going-to present to my doctor is

1) 0.25 mg clonazapam and 2.5 mg of diazepam - 1 month - Rather than family doctors advise of alternating days of 0.25 mg of clonazapam and 5 mg of diazepam. 

2) 5 mg of diazepam - 1 month of more if needed

3) taper in 0.5 mg increments of diazepam( 4.5 mg, 4 mg, 3.5 mg, 3 mg, 2.5 mg, 2 mg, 1.5 mg, 1 mg) one month or more with each taper

4) when I am down to 1 mg - I may keep cutting oral dose in half or switch to liquid for a 10 percent reduction until completed.

 

Any help advise with this with be much appreciated.

Grateful for any future advise 

 

[[Ma...]]

If people can provide any literature for my doctor, that will be helpful too. If not, anything is appreciated.