tapering off klonopin

[[tr...]]

Yes, it's a little to fast.  Here's the link where eljay advised you to updose just a little and suggested that you taper off xanax before finishing the klonopin.  Xanax is a pretty nasty drug so part of your wd could be coming from it. You will have to decide what you want to do.

 

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=8438.msg101916#msg101916

[[Co...]]

Hi,

 

Klonopin and Xanax are of a similar potency, so your total daily dose is equivalent to about 2.25mg Klonopin. The majority of people find that they can make cuts of up to about 10% of their dose, and the majority can make these cuts every 7-14 day (but this will vary - those figures are intended purely as a rough guide). 10% of 2.25mg is 0.225mg. So, you might be able to cut your Xanax by 0.25mg, but 0.125mg might be better. What dose pills of Xanax do you use? You should use the 0.5mg tablets at the most (a quarter of 0.5mg pill is 0.125mg).

 

Once you have tapered off the Xanax, then taper off the Klonopin.

 

The risks of seizure are associated a cold turkey (or very abrupt) withdrawal from a high dose of benzo. Although your dose is sizeable, I am not sure if it would equate to 'large' in the context of seizure due to withdrawal. In anycase, provided that you do not suffer from epilepsy (or similar), then there should be no elevated risk withdrawal seizure so long as you follow a sensible taper plan. A sensible taper plan would a gradual decline of dose over several months.

[[el...]]

Hi sweetpea, why are you still cutting your klon, and not your xanax? You have been put on klon to get off the xanax.

 

You can slowly taper off the xanax at this point as Colin has suggested, or you can finish crossing over. Stop cutting the klon. Since you have waited this long to stop the xanax, you probably shouldn't just stop it now. Rather, taper slowly or replace it with klon.

 

You are now on 1.5mg klon, is this correct? I would add another 0.5mg klon, and subtract 0.5mg xanax. So you will be on 2mg klon, and 0.5mg xanax. ok?

 

Then hold that for a week. Next week, I would add another .25mg klon, then drop the rest of xanax.

That will leave you on 2.25mg klon and no xanax. You will be ok with this. Then in another week or two, you can begin tapering the klon.

I know this is confusing, but you need to keep straight on this. Pleased follow this advice. It's best if you are on only one benzo, and klon is the better one for tapering purposes. Once you are ready, we will help you with a sensible taper.

 

 

[[sw...]]

did u recieve my message this mornig............what are the couple options u are talking about........it feels like my head is swelling.......why would i feel so bad,,,,,,,,,,,i hope u get this right away..where will i find your rresponse i dont know how to bookmark

[[el...]]

Yes, I recieved your pm' The two options are in these two posts right above this, in this thread. One from Colin and one from me. 

[[el...]]

SP,

this is in reply to your pm to me. You are not tapering to fast!  Yes, maybe a bit fast, but  you are not in any danger. As for the two options of taper plans we have given you,  the are in the posts above. I will repost them here.

 

One is from me, one is from Colin. We've discussed this, and you can choose which one you would like to do. Have your husband read them, ok?

 

Hi,

 

Klonopin and Xanax are of a similar potency, so your total daily dose is equivalent to about 2.25mg Klonopin. The majority of people find that they can make cuts of up to about 10% of their dose, and the majority can make these cuts every 7-14 day (but this will vary - those figures are intended purely as a rough guide). 10% of 2.25mg is 0.225mg. So, you might be able to cut your Xanax by 0.25mg, but 0.125mg might be better. What dose pills of Xanax do you use? You should use the 0.5mg tablets at the most (a quarter of 0.5mg pill is 0.125mg).

 

Once you have tapered off the Xanax, then taper off the Klonopin.

 

The risks of seizure are associated a cold turkey (or very abrupt) withdrawal from a high dose of benzo. Although your dose is sizeable, I am not sure if it would equate to 'large' in the context of seizure due to withdrawal. In anycase, provided that you do not suffer from epilepsy (or similar), then there should be no elevated risk withdrawal seizure so long as you follow a sensible taper plan. A sensible taper plan would a gradual decline of dose over several months.

 

Hi sweetpea, why are you still cutting your klon, and not your xanax? You have been put on klon to get off the xanax.

 

You can slowly taper off the xanax at this point as Colin has suggested, or you can finish crossing over. Stop cutting the klon. Since you have waited this long to stop the xanax, you probably shouldn't just stop it now. Rather, taper slowly or replace it with klon.

 

You are now on 1.5mg klon, is this correct? I would add another 0.5mg klon, and subtract 0.5mg xanax. So you will be on 2mg klon, and 0.5mg xanax. ok?

 

Then hold that for a week. Next week, I would add another .25mg klon, then drop the rest of xanax.

That will leave you on 2.25mg klon and no xanax. You will be ok with this. Then in another week or two, you can begin tapering the klon.

I know this is confusing, but you need to keep straight on this. Pleased follow this advice. It's best if you are on only one benzo, and klon is the better one for tapering purposes. Once you are ready, we will help you with a sensible taper.

 

 

 

[[el...]]

SP, I am replying to your pm here. Please post to me here and not by pm. I can't give taper advice by pm.

 

Yes, go by Colin''s advice. But you must taper the xanax by no more than .25mg (a quarter of a 1mg pill) if you are not going to increase the klon.

Better yet, taper by .125mg. But in order to do this you will have to obtain 0.5mg xanax pills.

[[sw...]]

ok i will do that so how do i cut the dose of xanax...they aare  1 mg pills....break them in half makes it o.5 mg.....so please explain how i go to the doseage u say on the xanax i already took a half of a 1mg pill today...and how long do i taper off it..Thanks and also any ideas wht i can do witht his feeling that my mind is leaving me.i have had it before seems like when they stopped my meds and i ended up in hospital and i wont go back to a mental hospital,,Im just so scared and im also worried my kidneys may be bad.....i dont know why i think that....i know benzos are hard on the kidneys,,,i was thinking i ight should have them checked before my sinus surgery....and do u believe in supplements..my ENT dr told me to take magnisium and some stuff called L-Theanine  i bought some but it has other stuff with it and i dont know if its safe to take with klonopin and xanax..it has GABA,taurine,Relora.a blend of a patented extract from magonolia officinalias and a patyen pending extract from phellodendron amurense abd holy basil leaf in it..............i have no idea...........also any clues why my heartrate is up and why i have like a head sweeling feeeling....is it from going off these benzos......Laast year i had tons of medical tests like mri and blood tests heart test and all were fine..........i think im just crazy and scared...........i dont know how i will take those pills that i have to take before sinus surgey im so afraid of pills and that i will be allgeric or they will make me worse......oh also i feel like my skin is burning........anyway at least the most important question How do i break my xanax pill up to start tapering off it..Thanks

[[el...]]

I"m sorry you are feeling so badly SP. YOu will get better though. YOu just need to get thru this taper, and then you will heal.

 

 

YOu will need to cut your pills in quarters. Then reduce by a quarter. Do not taper your klon at this time. The xanax only. Hold each cut for at least a week. 

 

Others can help you with your questions about supplements. There are pros and cons to all of them. 

[[sw...]]

Call me stupid ok cut my 1 mg pills in quarters and go from taling 1 mg a day to just 1/4 of a pill? I HAVE  been taking 0.5 in the morning and 0.5 mg in the evening,,,i just want to get this right im sure u r sick of hearing from me,,,,,,,,,isnt  that quite a drop from 1 mg to a 1/4 of a pill...what do i know..and is this where i do all my posting?

[[el...]]

No honey, you are fine! It's the benzos that are making you foggy.

 

Just reduce by 1/4 pill every week or two. Go from 1mg, to 3/4mgs, then to 1/2mg, then to 1/4mg. 

 

So lets say you start tomorrow. Take 1/4 pill in the morning, then a 1/2 a pill at night. Or you can do it the opposite if you want. 1/2 a pill in the morning and a 1/4 pill at night. Whatever you prefer, it comes out the same.

 

Anyway, continue doing this for at least a week. YOu will be getting 0.75mg a day.

 

Then the next cut, take only a 1/4 pill in the morning and 1/4 pill at night. do that for another week or so. This will be a 0.5mg. Does this make more sense?

[[sw...]]

i think  i get it, cut the pill in fourths take 1/4 in the morning and i already forgot what to take in the evening i hate this.............oh can other people read our posts...............i was reading about a guy who had been on klonopin 9 years and went cold turkey anyway there was this link to a chart u all have on here so looking at it i was trying to figure out how i should have originnaly cut back from 4 pills of 0.5 klonopin,,,in april 23 i was origannly put on only 3 pills he added the 4th one like may 15 and then had me start tapering them may 28...i just want to be ok......i see where it took tony i think  8 months to get off 0.5 mtg he said ina respond]se to someone..........so i pray im not going to fast..i have so much to do and feel like crap do wwee just push on and go on with our lifes what all can i expect,,,and how do i make buddies on here?

[[sw...]]

Is it just me,but every day i seem to feel worse........shouldnt it get better,im like getting where i cant think or function...i force myslef..i would think the less med in us the better we would feel am i the only odd one that feels worse going off than even though i felt bad on them  im worse now and how do i cope? Try to do things but lots of dizziness and fear...ANYONE!!!!

[[ni...]]

hi sweetpea,

I notice you do not have a sig line so it is hard to know what you are doing......but you may be going too fast.....and unless you are titrating there really is no way to get that benzo cut up into small enough pieces to make small enough cuts unless you are using valium....

 

as for feeling better as you get lower in dose....well, some people do, some people dont....the best way to ensure the best results is go slow and steady..........

 

luv,

jay

[[tr...]]

Hi sweetpea,

 

Some people feel better while tapering and some have to get off the meds. completely before they feel better. It's a very individual thing.  I think once you stabilize you will notice a difference. 

[[ni...]]

hi sweetpea,

I read your story and feel bad about what this doc is putting you thru....he clearly isn't very knowledgable in benzos....but there are only a small handful that do...unfortunately.....klonopin does have a little bit longer of a half life then xanax so he didn't have the wrong idea when he thought to use klonopin to get you off of the xanax, but where he was wrong was, he left you on xanax and added more klonopin in....?? not sure what his reasoning would be to that besides to get you hooked on even more benzos......he should have gave you the equivalent in dose to the xanax and let you taper slowly off the k.....

you have two options now,,,,either taper the xanax before the klonopin, or crossover additional klonopin and cut out the xanax.....I would opt for the second because xanax has an extremely short half life so it leaves you going in and out of withdrawals all day long.....have you considered valium? You may do much better on it.....I would think about printing out parts of the ashton manual and taking it to the doctor and start going very slow from here on out.....you are doing yourself harm by all this switching up and down you are doing and defo going too fast.....You are not it risk of seizure though,,,,that usually only happens with a c/t.......listen to your mods, they willl help you with your rates of cutting, and do not be afraid.....you will get thru this and go on to live a happy and productive life....

luv,

jay

[[el...]]

You will be fine doing this SP. Tony went extra slow. Most people don't have to go that slow.

 

So to begin tapering your xanax, take a 1/4 pill in the morning, and a 1/2 a pill at night.  Do this for at least a week. And keep taking your klon. I would take 1.5mg klon everyday. That is 3 of your 0.5mg pills.  Stay on this til you are done with your xanax taper.

[[sw...]]

HI,Thanks for writing,,,im going with the taper off the xanax and stop my klonopin taper for now till im off the xanax...klonopin makes me depressed,and im sure having trouble thinking today......i feel like im losing my mind,,i dont know what to do and im worried about my kidneys for some reason..im thinking about having them checked i have  to have sinus surgery on july 9 and i have to go on med like predisone and antibotics on the 1st and im scared of meds so thats stressing me.Im so dizzy and out of it its worse today than usual sometimes i think  i feel worse after taking a klonopin...but im at 2 1/2 pills and i guess i will stay there till im off this last xanax..which drugs have u come off of and how did u do...sweetpea

[[sw...]]

you mean go up on my klonopin......back to 3 pills my hubby would be so mad............im thinking the klonopin maakes me feel bad and i know it makes me depressed. will i do ok if i stay like i am..........the main thing is me feeling better,,,,,,,,i cant even think today i have a medical dr app, and dont know if i will make it my mind is so messed up im scared

[[el...]]

ok, stay where you are on the klon. Yes you will be fine.

I'm sorry if I confused you, I just am trying to unconfuse you, and probably making it worse!

 

Stay on your current klon, and begin your xanax taper of a quarter pill.

[[sw...]]

when you tapered off klonopin i see you did it in several months..how long were u on it and how long did it take u to get off if .Did you feel like u were losing your mind,,,,,,,,is there something the drs can give us to help with the withdrawal im not sure im strong enough to do this ,since i feel worse everyday.....so how can i ever get off it?Seems hopeless

[[el...]]

I was on klon for 4 months and various other benzos for about another 4 months.

I tapered off over 4 months.

I was lucky, it was relatively easy for me. We all have diff. chemistries and no one can predict who will have an easier or harder time.

 

You can and will do  sp, I know you will. 

[[sw...]]

so did u get my  message about what medical dr said.......should i go abck to 3 klonopin..till im off the xanax my hubby wants me off these meds fast,and even when i take them they dont calm me down much but i am feeling like im losing my mind,,,,,,,,,,just dont know if i can deal with how my mind is feelinfg he said get off the xanax and then tapr the klonopin..thats like starteing over and klonopin makes me depressdd any advice

[[el...]]

so did u get my  message about what medical dr said.......should i go abck to 3 klonopin..till im off the xanax my hubby wants me off these meds fast,and even when i take them they dont calm me down much but i am feeling like im losing my mind,,,,,,,,,,just dont know if i can deal with how my mind is feelinfg he said get off the xanax and then tapr the klonopin..thats like starteing over and klonopin makes me depressdd any advice

 

Well, I think 3mg is a bit overkill, I would say 2.25mg would be better. But I don't want to confuse things for you and if your doc is helping you taper, I don't want to mess with that. The important this is that you go off the xanax if you add this much klon. Otherwise you will be on way too much benzo!

[[sw...]]

You think 3 pills of klonopin is too much..in that on epost you were advising me to go back to 3 klonopin...and taper off my xanax,so im still not sure how to get off the xanax,,,cut  a 1/4 and then a quater or cut to a half and try to do it that way.....i had a very bad dizzy spell just sitting here,do u think its from ading the 3rd klonopin i took a full one last night instead of a half...and the right side of my head and face still feel so wierd,,im scared an di feel like im never going to get this right..please aanswer me and why do u know think 3 pills is to much?thanks sweetpea