Klono Dosage is Low - Should I Attempt a Cold Turkey Quit?

[[or...]]

Hello all,

 

It has been awhile since I've been to the forum; the last 5 - 6 weeks I have been stuck at 68 ml (.34mg) nightly doseage of Klonopin on the liquid titration method.  When attempting to go below 67 ml in the past (over the period of a month, a real slow transition) I have been hit with real manic feelings, frenzied out of control behavior, anxiety etc.  I am stable emotionally but also somewhat numb emotionally at 68 ml.  It appears that I am unable to go any lower than 68 ml without strong emotional reactions, so I am stuck there.

 

I may need someone to kick me out of denial here, because my thought is that perhaps my brain would react better if I got all the Klonopin out of my system all at once.  My 'hunch' is that perhaps in some wierd bio-chemical way, my brain is reacting to any drops in doesage (no matter how small) much worse than it would react to a complete absence of the Klono.  I know that completely counters all the information I have read on this site, but this feels like a strong intuitive feeling, so I am hoping could I possibly be right?  What are other's experiences?

 

And, if I attempt a cold turkey, could I do damage to the already precarious balance of GABA and other proteins in my brain?

 

Has the cold turkey method worked for anybody?  It is hard to distinguish intuitive hunch vs desperate fantasy for me, so input would be appreciated.

[[Th...]]

Hello all,

 

It has been awhile since I've been to the forum; the last 5 - 6 weeks I have been stuck at 68 ml (.34mg) nightly doseage of Klonopin on the liquid titration method.  When attempting to go below 67 ml in the past (over the period of a month, a real slow transition) I have been hit with real manic feelings, frenzied out of control behavior, anxiety etc.  I am stable emotionally but also somewhat numb emotionally at 68 ml.  It appears that I am unable to go any lower than 68 ml without strong emotional reactions, so I am stuck there.

 

I may need someone to kick me out of denial here, because my thought is that perhaps my brain would react better if I got all the Klonopin out of my system all at once.  My 'hunch' is that perhaps in some wierd bio-chemical way, my brain is reacting to any drops in doesage (no matter how small) much worse than it would react to a complete absence of the Klono.  I know that completely counters all the information I have read on this site, but this feels like a strong intuitive feeling, so I am hoping could I possibly be right?  What are other's experiences?

 

And, if I attempt a cold turkey, could I do damage to the already precarious balance of GABA and other proteins in my brain?

 

Has the cold turkey method worked for anybody?  It is hard to distinguish intuitive hunch vs desperate fantasy for me, so input would be appreciated.

 

Hi Orange,

 

I have never read a good story about someone going cold turkey. If you feel you would do better by just getting the meds out of your system, it would still be better to do a faster taper than going cold turkey. There are some here that have jumped off at .125mg and do okay.

 

T2

[[wo...]]

Hi Orange, I am a cold turkey and I cannot say that jumping off right now will get you where you want any quicker. How I understand the process is, that tapering, gives the brain time to regulate itself better after the toxins of benzos. So I picture it like the "bends" that divers get when they come up too quickly. Yes it is uncomfortable either way, staying under water or coming up fast. Somewhere in there is a pace that will give you the fewest worries once you surface. That is always up to you. I hope this helps.

[[Be...]]

I wouldn't recommend a c/t at this point, either.  You could be okay or you could bring on way worse symptoms, so why chance it?

 

I like Theresa2's idea of speeding up your taper.  Since you are at 68ml. (.34 mg), you could safely go for a larger taper to "kickstart" the rest of your taper.  Rather than go totally off, maybe going down to 50ml in one go and holding for 7-14 days would work well for you, particularly psychologically.  When that goes well, you could drop 10ml next time and so on every few weeks.  How does that sound?

[[el...]]

Orange,

 

I cut klon by 0.125mg every 10 days or so with very few problems. That would be about 3 more cuts for you. 

[[...]]

C/T is never a good idea.....if there were a guarantee that you would feel better,than maybe....but that guarantee doesn't exist.

 

I like what has been suggested.  Speed it up a bit and see if that will kick start you to feeling better.  Worth a try

[[or...]]

Great feeback and support as always, thank you everyone.

 

Agreed, I think the taper 'kickstart' is a great compromise as opposed to going off the Klono all at once. 

 

Probably the safe way for me to approach this is by starting the reduced doesage on a Friday night; that way, if I experience adverse side effects (should be feeling them by late Saturday or Sunday for sure) I will be in a safe setting (not a work environment!) with a safe person (my partner) for support.

 

Sounds like a plan, I'll give it a go, thank again.  I'll post my results and let everyone know how it went....

[[...]]

Looking forward to hear of your success!!!

 

[[Lo...]]

Agreed, I think the taper 'kickstart' is a great compromise as opposed to going off the Klono all at once. 

 

 

 

Sounds like a great plan, orange8! Let us know how it goes!

 

Lori

[[ha...]]

Sounds like a great plan. I look forward to hearing your success. No point in suffering if you don't need to. You are going to do great.