How to taper off Clonazapam 1MG

[[Ka...]]

I have been on 1 Mg of Clonazapam for over 10 years. Have severe anxiety (which has gotten better lately) and was prescribed this . I honestly had no idea of the horrific withdrawal symptoms until I was a year or 2 on them. My Doc prescribes me 2MG pills that I break in half and 1 trip to the doc lasts me a year. Am I guaranteed to have withdrawals in some form? 
 

From what I have read and watched on YouTube, decreasing 0.10 Mg every 2 weeks seems to be the most popular choice. I’m sure that I could have found most answers throughout these forums but I wanted to have everything here in 1 place where I would know where to look every time. Any kind of tips or anything anybody feels could be relevant or helpful please share. Thanks for your time. I plan on starting next week. 

[[Co...]]

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

I am not entirely sure that I properly understand your situation. But unless you have already attempted to withdraw and experienced problems, you are more likely to experience relatively few problems withdrawing. However, withdrawal still should be done gradually. Although mileage varies, the chances are that you will tolerate a taper reducing your dose by about 10% every couple of weeks.

In practical terms, following the principle that unless experience dictates otherwise and of keeping things simple, I would suggest that you get a prescription for 0.5mg tablets. With a little care, you can probably quarter those pills into 0.125mg doses. The chances are (again, assuming that you have not already experienced difficulties with withdrawal) that you will be able to reduce your dose by 0.125mg every week or two.

The taper rate you follow should be dictated by your symptoms. You might initially aim to make a 0.125mg reduction every week, but if you are experiencing significant withdrawal symptoms from your previous reduction, hold off for a while longer. Let your symptoms dictate the rate of withdrawal.

[[An...]]

Hello @[Ka...] and welcome to BB.

Yes, benzo w/d can be pretty bad for many ppl. I am just curious. Are you experiencing tolerance w/d sxs from the 1MG of klonopin you are currently taking?

 

You said>>>>

Quote

 My Doc prescribes me 2MG pills that I break in half and 1 trip to the doc lasts me a year. 

1 MG / day.

365 days / year.

2 MG tablets prescribed that are broken in half.

Takes 1MG per day.

Doctor prescribes enough for one year.

365 days / 2 mg tablets = 183 (2) mg tablets needed for one year.

Does this doctor write your script for 90 2 MG tablets with one refill?

I am just curious.

[[Ka...]]

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

Hello @[Ka...] and welcome to BB.

Yes, benzo w/d can be pretty bad for many ppl. I am just curious. Are you experiencing tolerance w/d sxs from the 1MG of klonopin you are currently taking?

You said>>>>

1 MG / day.

365 days / year.

2 MG tablets prescribed that are broken in half.

Takes 1MG per day.

Doctor prescribes enough for one year.

365 days / 2 mg tablets = 183 (2) mg tablets needed for one year.

Does this doctor write your script for 90 2 MG tablets with one refill?

I am just curious.

Correct.  I get 30 2MG a month. I only take 1Mg . So my 1 month prescription last 2 months. 

[[Ka...]]

7 hours ago, [[C...] said:

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

I am not entirely sure that I properly understand your situation. But unless you have already attempted to withdraw and experienced problems, you are more likely to experience relatively few problems withdrawing. However, withdrawal still should be done gradually. Although mileage varies, the chances are that you will tolerate a taper reducing your dose by about 10% every couple of weeks.

In practical terms, following the principle that unless experience dictates otherwise and of keeping things simple, I would suggest that you get a prescription for 0.5mg tablets. With a little care, you can probably quarter those pills into 0.125mg doses. The chances are (again, assuming that you have not already experienced difficulties with withdrawal) that you will be able to reduce your dose by 0.125mg every week or two.

The taper rate you follow should be dictated by your symptoms. You might initially aim to make a 0.125mg reduction every week, but if you are experiencing significant withdrawal symptoms from your previous reduction, hold off for a while longer. Let your symptoms dictate the rate of withdrawal.

Thanks! I have never tried to quit since I started taking these. I will definitely be taking it slow! I had no idea how awful these withdrawals are for some people. Makes me sick that I was just put on them and given them every month like it was nothing 

[[Co...]]

2 hours ago, [[K...] said:

Thanks! I have never tried to quit since I started taking these. I will definitely be taking it slow! I had no idea how awful these withdrawals are for some people. Makes me sick that I was just put on them and given them every month like it was nothing 

The chances are that you will be OK if your taper off gently. How you react to each cut should inform how you move forward with your taper.

BB is a self-selecting group of people who have (mostly) already experienced problems withdrawing. The greater population of all those who have withdrawn from benzodiazepines is much more diverse than our membership, and you fall within that larger population.

[[Ru...]]

@[Ka...] I've been on clonazepam (klonopin) for 11 years ( I think, maybe 10 ). I've tapered off of it twice with no issues.

I tried to cold turkey a few months and that did not go well. I reinstated half my dose (original dose was 1 mg daily) after finding this forum and talking to my doctor. I stabilized and was able to begin tapering two weeks later by cutting an 1/8th every 14 days, more recently 10 days, and I have not had any difficulties. Thank God! I'm down from .5 mg when I reinstated, to .1875 mg. This is not to say that things cannot change, but I feel  confident. This is not to say that I don't have rough days, but I'm functional and feeling ok and can do everything that needs to be done on a daily basis.

Everyone is different. I just thought that if I shared my experience, it may encourage you. Like Colin said above, listen to your body during your taper and let that be an indicator as to how to proceed.

Wishing you all the best.

 

[[Ka...]]

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

@[Ka...] I've been on clonazepam (klonopin) for 11 years ( I think, maybe 10 ). I've tapered off of it twice with no issues.

I tried to cold turkey a few months and that did not go well. I reinstated half my dose (original dose was 1 mg daily) after finding this forum and talking to my doctor. I stabilized and was able to begin tapering two weeks later by cutting an 1/8th every 14 days, more recently 10 days, and I have not had any difficulties. Thank God! I'm down from .5 mg when I reinstated, to .1875 mg. This is not to say that things cannot change, but I feel  confident. This is not to say that I don't have rough days, but I'm functional and feeling ok and can do everything that needs to be done on a daily basis.

Everyone is different. I just thought that if I shared my experience, it may encourage you. Like Colin said above, listen to your body during your taper and let that be an indicator as to how to proceed.

Wishing you all the best.

Thanks for the reply! I’m honestly scared to death after reading some of the things I have . I wish you and everyone here nothing but the best in your journeys to live a better life. I will keep everyone here updated weekly or bi weekly on how things are going. I have to get a refill tomorrow but I’m having  to see a new doctor. Hopefully they are understanding  . I don’t want to mention anything to them about the tapering for fear of they might try to change up medication or something crazy. My doctor has moved away . This was really what sparked me wanting to do away with them in the 1st place. 
 

 

[[Le...]]

take it much slower than that first post i read. sounds like the bad advice some doctors dish out that messes people up badly. 

you are guaranteed to experience some and the effect of lowering your dose of a long acting benzo that has built up in your body wont even be felt until 2 to 4 weeks after reducing your dose. 

you cant really go too slow. 

[[De...]]

On 30/04/2024 at 22:43, [[K...] said:

Thanks for the reply! I’m honestly scared to death after reading some of the things I have . I wish you and everyone here nothing but the best in your journeys to live a better life. I will keep everyone here updated weekly or bi weekly on how things are going. I have to get a refill tomorrow but I’m having  to see a new doctor. Hopefully they are understanding  . I don’t want to mention anything to them about the tapering for fear of they might try to change up medication or something crazy. My doctor has moved away . This was really what sparked me wanting to do away with them in the 1st place. 
 

One thing I would remind you — for every horror story, there’s 10 more stories of people successfully tapering down. You can do this. 

[[Ma...]]

On 30/04/2024 at 13:44, [[C...] said:

BB is a self-selecting group of people who have (mostly) already experienced problems withdrawing. The greater population of all those who have withdrawn from benzodiazepines is much more diverse than our membership, and you fall within that larger population

This is so true and something we should all keep in mind.  Even within BB there is a wide range of people’s WD experiences.

 There are a lot of helpful people on here if you run into problems, but if you are doing ok with your taper and able to mostly function, it is probably best to not spend tons of time on benzo sites. You will find some people going through really bad struggles which can cause you undue stress.  Best of luck.  

[[Co...]]

21 minutes ago, [[M...] said:

This is so true and something we should all keep in mind.  Even within BB there is a wide range of people’s WD experiences.

 There are a lot of helpful people on here if you run into problems, but if you are doing ok with your taper and able to mostly function, it is probably best to not spend tons of time on benzo sites. You will find some people going through really bad struggles which can cause you undue stress.  Best of luck.  

Hi @[Ma...]. You might be surprised to learn that I agree. I understand this is an unusual position for a support forum operator to espouse, but spending a lot of time at BB and similar sites might be detrimental to recovery for some people. If anyone here feels that they are spending too much time at BB, take some time away. Use BB to aid recovery - if it starts to become a hinderance, spend less time here or even leave. Not that I am actually encouraging anyone to leave!

You might find this old thread, below, interesting.

 

[[Le...]]

21 minutes ago, [[C...] said:

Hi @[Ma...]. You might be surprised to learn that I agree. I understand this is an unusual position for a support forum operator to espouse, but spending a lot of time at BB and similar sites might be detrimental to recovery for some people. If anyone here feels that they are spending too much time at BB, take some time away. Use BB to aid recovery - if it starts to become a hinderance, spend less time here or even leave. Not that I am actually encouraging anyone to leave!

You might find this old thread, below, interesting.

I have made some comments about how I keep coming back and it is hard on me. 

When I figured out how to control my tinnitus i had to share. I didnt have to start checking again every hour to see if it helped someone. It is hard to control the compassion that makes you want to help even when you have little left to offer. 

[[Co...]]

Just now, [[L...] said:

I have made some comments about how I keep coming back and it is hard on me. 

When I figured out how to control my tinnitus i had to share. I didnt have to start checking again every hour to see if it helped someone. It is hard to control the compassion that makes you want to help even when you have little left to offer. 

I think coming back to help others is very good reason to be here. But even then, it should not be a chore. We all should prioritise our real lives above BB and similar.