Should I Rapid Taper Remaining .14mg Klonopin

[[Wa...]]

I recently developed trouble swallowing on my last cut from .14mg to .125mg. After a few days I updosed to .14mg and have been there for 2 weeks. I still have issues swallowing. They seem to be getting slightly worse. My throat muscles feel weak almost like they have atrophied and I have trouble initiating swallows some times. On any day I may or may not be able to eat food.

I am a relatively short term user at about 4.5 months at this point. Would it be better to just rapid taper off at this point? It genuinely feels like the benzo is making my issues worse. I have no other symptoms as of now. My Doc said I was going too fast and should keep holding, but if anything I believe my taper has been too slow given my short term usage

[[...]]

Hi. You have responded to me in the past and I appreciate that. Didn’t realize you and I are on same path.  Took .5 K for couple months every few days. Didn’t realize what my pcp had prescribed.  Stupid on my part. Started taper in Dec. On same amount as you.  I have purchased Maudsley deprescribing book from Amazon.  Very informative.  Anyway, moving up or down has been painful.  If I Stay at same dose at 8 hr interval for 2-4 wks things ease up. Any dose change may take take that long to stabilize. Hope this helps. I know its hard.

[[Pa...]]

Unfortunately, the only way to know what works is to experiment on yourself which can be painful.  But if your gut is telling you to speed things up then you might want to try it.  I hate seeing short term users on long tapers but if symptoms are intolerable, going slow can provide some relief, I wish I knew what is right for you.

I've seen so many people have swallowing issues, it sounds really scary and I'll bet the more you think about it, the more you want and need to swallow.  I was that way with breathing, I couldn't take deep breaths so that was all I wanted to do.

[[Wa...]]

[[Wa...]]

17 hours ago, [[P...] said:

Unfortunately, the only way to know what works is to experiment on yourself which can be painful.  But if your gut is telling you to speed things up then you might want to try it.  I hate seeing short term users on long tapers but if symptoms are intolerable, going slow can provide some relief, I wish I knew what is right for you.

I've seen so many people have swallowing issues, it sounds really scary and I'll bet the more you think about it, the more you want and need to swallow.  I was that way with breathing, I couldn't take deep breaths so that was all I wanted to do.

Thanks @[Pa...]. Yeah I really felt I had turned a corner until this happened. Pretty frustrating. The pill at this dose does little for anxiety so it seems like I am hyper aware of things. It’s a bad cycle as you have mentioned, sorry you had to experience those breathing issues.

I think I will give it a few more days. Been holding for 15 days at this point and it does not really seem to get any better. We will see what happens. At some point I’ll obviously just have to roll with it though

[[Wa...]]

On 01/03/2024 at 15:04, [[P...] said:

Unfortunately, the only way to know what works is to experiment on yourself which can be painful.  But if your gut is telling you to speed things up then you might want to try it.  I hate seeing short term users on long tapers but if symptoms are intolerable, going slow can provide some relief, I wish I knew what is right for you.

I've seen so many people have swallowing issues, it sounds really scary and I'll bet the more you think about it, the more you want and need to swallow.  I was that way with breathing, I couldn't take deep breaths so that was all I wanted to do.

Hey Pam just a quick update. I held for a few more days then cut to .12. I’ve been here for 7 days, still having some trouble swallowing. I’ve been managing with 500 calorie boost drinks and am able to eat at least some food during the day.

I will hold here for a few more days. My plan is either to cut to .06 and jump or cut to .09 then .06 then jump. Do either of these seem reasonable to you? My main concern with long holding is there is no guarantee it will work and I also have the risk of developing other symptoms. As I mentioned I was a short term user and I am now a little over the 5 month mark. Thanks for your help so far @[Pa...]

[[Pa...]]

I didn't taper so I don't have practical jumping experience but your concerns are valid, and as long as you're aware that you'll likely be uncomfortable for awhile, then it may be time.  I know I'm not much help, but I hope you'll let us know what you decide to do and how it goes. 

[[Wa...]]

20 hours ago, [[P...] said:

I didn't taper so I don't have practical jumping experience but your concerns are valid, and as long as you're aware that you'll likely be uncomfortable for awhile, then it may be time.  I know I'm not much help, but I hope you'll let us know what you decide to do and how it goes. 

Thanks for the support @[Pa...]. I will keep this thread updated as I go

[[ti...]]

Hey @[Wa...] - hope it's going well enough

[[Wa...]]

41 minutes ago, [[t...] said:

Hey @[Wa...] - hope it's going well enough

Hey Tip thanks for checking in. My last few days at .12 the swallowing issues went away for the most part. I cut to .10 a few days ago and they have returned a little.

Unfortunately I think I have a hernia, I have a small lump in my abdomen. Getting an ultrasound this week. Hopefully it is just a pulled muscle, or if it is a hernia does not require immediate surgery.

Hope your taper is going well too

[[ti...]]

Good to hear the swallowing is getting a bit more manageable, and that you are down to .10. It's going well enough - nothing scary happening. I think the most annoying part of it is that I am also on Lexapro, and had been dealing with a reaction/withdrawal of sorts from the other SSRI I was on (Zoloft), which is making it very challenging to isolate a single cause for a particular symptom. I have become acutely aware throughout all this process the fewer psychotropic drugs one is on / been exposed to, the better.