New to BB. Tapering off clonazepam - down from 1 mg to .45 mg

[[th...]]

[[Ma...]]

For what it’s worth I’m on Clonazepam (currently .175 mg) doing something similar.  I had been cutting .005 pill weight a week but when I got to .058 pill weight my symptoms revved up so now I’m trying .003 every ten days or so.  I think the cuts caught up to me a little but I “stabilized” relatively quickly (4-5 days) doing it this way.  

Edited September 7 by [Ma...]

[[th...]]

@[Ma...] Im glad you've stabilized. It seems like there are quite few folks who struggle once you hit sub-theraputic doses.

I'm finding after a couple small reductions that the intense anxiety is the worst of it for me. Stomach issues, tremor in my hands, and tinnitus as well, but those are easier to manage.

I just had to take the dog to a vet appointment and the anxiety I felt was unreal.

I take a low dose of trazodone to help me sleep, and so far its worked like charm.

 

[[th...]]

Anxiety only got worse throughout the day - I'm hoping it eases up tomorrow. Otherwise, I dont think I can function with this level of anxiety all the time. There has to be a little relief from it.

What do people do when they can't reduce any lower? Do people just get stuck?

Also wondering if I just need to stabilize a while longer before trying to resume tapering... like, just take a month and really get my mind and body settled 100%. I just hate to not be making progress.

[[Ct...]]

13 hours ago, [[t...] said:

Anxiety only got worse throughout the day - I'm hoping it eases up tomorrow. Otherwise, I dont think I can function with this level of anxiety all the time. There has to be a little relief from it.

What do people do when they can't reduce any lower? Do people just get stuck?

Also wondering if I just need to stabilize a while longer before trying to resume tapering... like, just take a month and really get my mind and body settled 100%. I just hate to not be making progress.

@[th...] I have read of members holding at a dose to stabilize before proceeding with their taper. You went from 1 mg to 0.45 mg in a short period of time. It is recommended to journal your symptoms and proceed with your taper accordingly.

Edited September 8 by [Ct...]

[[th...]]

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

@[th...] I have read of members holding at a dose to stabilize before proceeding with their taper. You went from 1 mg to 0.45 mg in a short period of time. It is recommended to journal your symptoms and proceed with your taper accordingly.

@[Ct...] Yes, i have a spreadsheet to track my dosing and an app to track symptoms. It seems like about 2 days after a reduction I have horrible anxiety. I think the zoloft that I take prevents it from going into a full blown panic attack, but its right on the edge.

The perspective you gave me was really helpful. You are right in that Ive reduced a lot in a short period of time, and my CNS likely still has not caught up. Again, I let my desire to get off this medicine to overrule what my body is telling me to do... I need to hold and stabilize.

Theres also quite a bit of life stress happening at the moment, so perhaps trying to settle that during this time would help set me up for future success when I resume my taper.

I just dont want to let this go on any longer than I need to, but that has to be balanced by what my body is saying. I'm learning - about myself, my body, this process. Its a lot - and outside of this website and Chat-GPT, theres very little "good" guidance.

I thank you for your response and assistance.

[[Ct...]]

As I recall, @[th...], you were on the couch suffering the July 4th weekend, and your first post was August 17 after making another cut. It’s only September 8 now. If you have life stressors right now on top of working, I can understand why holding for your CNS to stabilize is wise. BB members very knowledgeable about tapering Clonazepam have contributed to this thread, and I hope they will provide you with their input again.

[[th...]]

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

As I recall, @[th...], you were on the couch suffering the July 4th weekend, and your first post was August 17 after making another cut. It’s only September 8 now. If you have life stressors right now on top of working, I can understand why holding for your CNS to stabilize is wise. BB members very knowledgeable about tapering Clonazepam have contributed to this thread, and I hope they will provide you with their input again.

Yes - two seperate attempts to taper, both far too large. That last big cut was on August 4, and I began to feel it on August 9. I tried to resume a very small taper this week, reducing just .002g of pill weight. While I dont feel like I'm in acute withdrawal, I'm pretty uncomfortable. Today the anxiety is gone, but stomach issues and fatigue have set in.

If we are to be symptom led, my symptoms seem to be asking me to pause. I think Ive gotten myself into some trouble by not fully understanding what it means to feel stable, and being far too ambitious with my taper schedule.

Id welcome any advice from fellow BB members.

Thanks again for your help.

[[th...]]

Symptoms are starting to resolve nicely, with most of the more severe symptoms easing up. It always comes back to the anxiety though. Today I was just overwhelmed with thoughts and anxieties around getting back to this taper.

I decided to hold for a good reason though, and I'm committed to seeing it through so that hopefully the journey to zero from here on is a little more managable.

Ive also been considering the idea that if tapering clonazepam is just intolerable when i try it again, maybe i should make the switch to valium. It could be just as intolerable, and the cross taper over might be miserable as well.

Id be very curious to hear from anyone who switched to valium from clonazepam and what the experience was like on both the cross taper and taper itself.