Another taper plan request please from clonazepam

[[Ho...]]

Because I was taking clonazepam very irregularly over a 6 month period and at the very most .25 in the am and then again pm I decided to try and stabilize on .25mg a day taken once in the morning.  I have been taking .25 x 1 a day for the past 2 weeks. At first I experienced severe anxiety but although it has reduced anxiety is still around. I was going to start tappering my does from tomorrow morning by mixing .25 in 50 ml water and then withdrawing 5ml. That's a ten per cent cut. Is this likely to be too much and increase my anxiety levels again?  Any advice would be appreciated. Should in reduce this to 2.5ml cut?

[[...]]

The short answer is, go with your instincts and see how it goes.

 

I too got hooked on a small dose, regular bedtime xanax. When I tapered I dosed so that there would be an even level of benzo in my bloodstream around the clock, which in essence initially involved dosing up. But anything to reduce the roller coaster ride of withdrawal. Consider dosing twice a day. Hard to avoid the anxiety. It's just part of the "fun."

 

I think you have a good plan. You'll do fine, but as I said, this forum wouldn't exist if it wasn't challenging.

[[1a...]]

Because I was taking clonazepam very irregularly over a 6 month period and at the very most .25 in the am and then again pm I decided to try and stabilize on .25mg a day taken once in the morning.  I have been taking .25 x 1 a day for the past 2 weeks. At first I experienced severe anxiety but although it has reduced anxiety is still around. I was going to start tappering my does from tomorrow morning by mixing .25 in 50 ml water and then withdrawing 5ml. That's a ten per cent cut. Is this likely to be too much and increase my anxiety levels again?  Any advice would be appreciated. Should in reduce this to 2.5ml cut?

how often were you on your .50 per day.... that was my dose when i started tapering....i always took my dose at night, but i guess it doesn't really matter because of K's long half life...ideally the best way to taper would be a little bit off both the morning and evening dose....if you were used to taking .50 per day and dropped to .250 that too big a cut...how did you feel before you tried to stabalize at .25 per day...if you were stable you should have slowly stated tapering from that point....usually 2 weeks should be enough for your body to adjust if your cut wasn't too much....a 10 per cent cut should be low enough but the old listen to your body rule always applies.if you are still uncomfortable with you symptoms you could always updose a little to see if that helps...it's much better if you feel stable before making cuts if possible....btw.. i took 3 months to taper off .50 and was albe to wwork the entire time

[[Ho...]]

Thanks 1after909

I was prescribed Clonazepam in March 2011 as I was having health issues that was causing me anxiety. As far as i can remember, for about a month I took .25 x 2 a day, then I took it Intermittently, then in July/August probably took it similar to previous although I can't honestly remember. I was never told about this drug, how it should be taken and about w/d. At the end of August I was in hospital, had an op, came home, was readmitted due to complications. Taking C went out the window and it was only when I got home and the anxiety kicked in that I realized I was probably in C w/d. So I started taking .25 daily. 1st I tried taking .125 am and .125 pm but that didn't seem to work, so since about 4 weeks ago I suppose, I have been trying to stabilize on .25 each morning and and it seems to be working. The anxiety is becoming less although it is still no fun but it is a little more manageable. Since Sunday I have water titrated .25 in 50 ml water and withdrawn 2.5ml, so a 5% cut if my calculations are correct. If  the anxiety continues to improve I will up the cut to 10%. I have been off of work all of this time. I will shortly be on no pay which I cant afford to do, so I have got to return, but it really scares me. Did you experience the anxiety while you were working and if so, how did you manage that?

 

 

[[1a...]]

so you were on .50 of k for a month ( long enough for some to become dependent)then intermittent then maybe another 2 months of .50... i think it would have been best if you would have started back at .250 2xs and tapered both doses..however since you are already into it a month and seem to be functional then maybe you should stay where you are....also something you might consider....lets say you make a 15 percent cut  for example then hold it for two weeks....instead of doing that if you cut one percent everyday by the end of the two weeks you would have reached that 15 percent cut in the same amount of time, but your body would have slowly adjusted each day to the small cuts... anxiety wasn't a major problem for me ( except in mornings) but when i first  c/o'd to k i had horrible anxiety to the point of not being functional so i understand how debilitating it can be.....if you are able to function then  you  should be able to work...in fact the distraction of work can be very beneficial...i think the whole idea of getting off benzos is to do it with as little pain as possible while remaing functional...go as slow as necessary.i think my 3 months for .50 was very reasonable....best of luck

jon

[[Ho...]]

Thanks 1after909, Now you are Benzo free, have you been left with any symptoms? I like many others no doubt, wish that the prescribing doctor would have fully informed me about this drug as had I have known, I would never have taken it.