Advice needed on how my Psy told me to taper off Klonopin

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Ok, I have been taking Klonopin for approximately 8 months now.  The first 5 months I averaged .5mg per day.  The last three months I have averaged 1mg per day.  I only take the klonopin at bedtime.  Anyhow, I had printed off the Ashton manual about crossing over to diazepam and was going to show him.  After I told him I wanted to start tapering off and started to explain the Ashton manual, he said no that we will do this his way.  I just wanted some advice about how you all think this will go according to his tapering plan.  His plan is like this.

First 8 days take 1mg one day and .75mg the next day.  Repeat this for 8 days

Next 8 days take .75mg only

Next 8 days take .75mg one day and .5mg the next day.  Repeat this for 8 days

Next 8 days take .5mg only

Next 8 days take .5mg one day and .25mg the next day.  Repeat this for 8 days

Next 8 days take .25mg only

Benzo Free

He called this the stair step taper and said he has gotten many people off klonopin this way.  He told me that if symptoms were too hard that I could go back up to previous level and hold for another 8 days.  He has been psy for 30+ years so he must know what he is doing.  I’m going to at least give it a try but from what I read, this taper seems a bit fast.  If I don’t have to hold, it will only take me 7 weeks to be benzo free.  Appreciate all advice and thanks!!!

 

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Seems reasonable considering you have only been taking them for 8 months.  If he has had good results with this method then go for it.  My health care provider has given me ZERO advice except to "go slow", then she tells me to check back in with her after 3 months.

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That's the exact same thing we were told. Then when it got rough and we slowed down, he said he'd have to basically let us go. I would find someone that hasn't been able to get people off that way because they would have a wider range of experience just in case you turn out to not fall into his category. And hopefully you won't have it hard either way but already you know about the subset of people that can go wrong on that taper method.

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Something else to consider, my husband wasn't hit really hard from that taper method until he got down .625. Then it was as if it all caught up to him and he was slammed with side effects.  Hopefully you'll fall into the majority and have little to no issues. But I wish we would have waited at least twice as long between cuts just to make sure his process would have been right for us.  But people that cut at that rate with no problems probably aren't on this forum but maybe this bump will give more people a chance to chime in.

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Eight months is long enough for the brain and body to have developed some serious adaptations . Proceed with caution . It frustrates me to have doctors compare patients progress and tolerance for a taper plan. Really ? We are all different the important fact is to get off the drug safely and with as minimal withdrawal as possible. I am thankful to have found my doctor who lets me control the taper . After all I control her bank account in a small way. lol

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Since you haven't been on that long, you might do fine with it.  But even some short term users have problems and that is a fairly quick schedule.

 

I have had lots of doctors tell me that they have no problem getting people off benzos and have done it with lots of people  Here is what I think may happen.

 

A doctor believes that you can stop benzos quickly with no problems because that is what he has always heard.  And for some people it is not a problem, so the doctor has success.  But some patients do have problems.  When that happens, I think one of two things happen.  The patient has been told he won't have a problem, so whatever symptoms he has he attributes to something else.

 

Or the patient goes back to the doctor and says "I am having bad problems from coming off the drug."  The doctor has already concluded that one can come off quickly with his method.  So he will not accept that this patient has a problem.  He will assume that the problem is some underlying disorder.  And in his mind this patient too has successfully come off quickly.

 

Hopefully it will work, but just because a doctor assures you that there is no problem does not mean that his thinking is correct on this.

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Thanks for all the advice.  I have been delaying the taper for the last 3 months due to oxycodone addiction.  I only used oxy for 1 year and today makes 51 days clean.  I figured I was already somewhat addicted to klonopin so I decided to use it as a clutch to help me with the withdrawal symptoms from cleaning up from oxy.  It has been a tremendous help with sleep and anxiety.  It is nearing time to start the taper off klonopin.  I am really dreading working my way off it due to all the negative scary stories that I've read.  However, hopefully my God will take away most of the WD symptoms and this will not be as bad as I hope it isn't.  The psy told me to take it as slow as I needed to so if I need to go 16 days instead of 8, he is cool with that.  If the symptoms are also to bad, instead of dropping .25mg, I can cut .125mg.  Thanks for all the input.

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Well I have only been on clonazepam since Aug 2011 and have been tapering since Jan 9. 2012. Not that long. And let me tell you this stuff has its hooks in me. At .5 I started liquid titration and will drop 4 mls today. I slept 3 hours last night. Got up with high anxiety and pain from my right eye down to my jaw bone and down my neck to my collar bone and blurred vision. And a few small pains too numerous to mention. I an glad I have no intrusive thoughts or other mine games. So it could be worse.

 

I have a friend who has taken clonazepam at .25 a day for 6 years. he just stopped 5 weeks ago. I saw him yesterday and he has had zero problems...not one WD problem. I told him its people like him that make it rough for the rest of us LOL. So you never know. As they say you don't know what you look like till you have had your picture taken.

 

endeavor to persevere

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thanks Festus.  I hope my symptoms will be more like your buddies.  I started in July 2011.  However, it wasn't until September/October that I started taking klonopin on a daily basis.  To be honest, I really can't remember what month it was that I started taking on a regular basis, I was to messed up on the oxy's to be honest.  Thanks!!!