New to Tapering and I need support

[[sk...]]

I just started my taper process off of 2 mg of Clonazepam a day around February of this year. I had been on 3 mg of Clonazepam for almost 12 or so years and this was something I have wanted to do for some time but have been terrified to do so. I did step down from 3 mgs to 2 mgs back in 2019. It was very intense and it took me about 4 months to do just thdosage. Initially I tried go from 3 mg to 2 1/2 mg but that was horrible and I couldn't do it. I then tried another method that worked much, much better. I went from 3mg to 2 and 3/4mg  then back to 3mg for about two weeks then would make the permanent step down to the lower 2 3/4 mg doseage. I continued this method for around 4 months or so and got all the way down to just 2mg a month. That feeling of shedding 1 mg off was basically spiritual. I was going to continue the tapering but then COVID happened and there was no way I  could do it. Fast forward to around February of this year. I was finally brave enough to start the process again. My new Psychiatrist suggested a new method to approach the taper this time promising me that it would be "painless" and quite easy. They suggested I switch over fro. 2 mg of Clonazepam to 30 mg of Valium and then taper off the Valium. I switched over from Clonazepam to Valium  and it was extremely anxiety ridden and filled with depression and very bad thoughts for about two weeks but I eventually made the transition and wad feeling pretty good. But the fear of stepping down further crept back into my head as feeling those same symptoms as my initial taper on Clonazepam resurfaced. So I stayed on the 30 mgs of Valium from mid February to May 4th whe. I started the taper from 30 mg to 25 mg of Valium. The first week was great! I felt no symptoms! I though wow this is going to be easy and painless just like my doctor said! However the next week was pretty bad...anxiety,depression, insomnia,racing negative thoughts...it all came back. It was intense for about 2 weeks then it had started to even out. However I had a pretty traumatic experience on Friday and those feelings have resurfaced. I see my doctor tommororw and I feel that this pace of stepping down 5 mg a month which is what he wants to do is way to fast. I was possibly thinking about doing the alternating method I used for Clonazepam and cutting the taper dosage in half to try and really curb the withdrawal symptoms. There really is no place I have found for support like this site. I hope to find support and help in my journey here. Thank you all for taking the time to listen and read. It means a lot!

[[je...]]

Hi @[sk...]

Welcome to BenzoBuddies!

I’m really sorry you’re going through such a difficult time. Withdrawal is not an easy process. It sounds to me like your cuts are too big. Your body is struggling with the reduction. 

I would suggest you ask your doctor to make smaller cuts. Maybe try a 1 or 2mg cut? We don’t recommend going up and down in doses. It causes uneven blood serum levels. If your symptoms are too severe then it’s an indication that your cut is too big.

We are glad you’re here and happy to help.

[[sk...]]

Thank you for your input. I'm new to this site. It's great to have a place to come to get support and insight from other people going through the same process. 

[[En...]]

Look at my thread attached. You want to keep your dosages the same weight. I wish I knew to use a scale during this I wouldn't have suffered so much. The key is to keep each pill the same weight and hold until you feel better then continue. Dont reduce your dosage by more than 10% using the scale to measure. You will have a much more successful taper. You can do this. You can learn how to taper as pain free as possible.