COLIN - Is there where I get advice from you about my Ashton taper schedule?

I successfully moved from Klonopin to Valium/Diazepam - took me from December to March.

Then started at 35 mg/Diazepam = 10mg - AM / 10mg- midday / 15mg- PM

I am now at 10mg- AM / 7.5mg- midday / 12.5mg PM

The Ashton protocol suggests tapering from the center first until gone, and then from AM and PM.

Also, instead of tapering in units of 2.5 mg = cutting 10 mg in quarters or cutting 5 mg in half, we should move to units of 2 mg.

Then in the morning you can take 5 x 2 mg = 10,  noon 3 x 2 mg = 6, and evening 6 x 2 mg = 12.

Then instead of tapering 2.5 mg every 10 days I would taper 2 mg every 7 days. It is suggested smaller dose taper in shorter time is better than larger dose taper in longer time.

This makes it easy as all tapers will be in 2 mg units.

We would take the mid day from 6 to 4 to 2 to 0 mg.

Then we would take AM down 2 mg. Then PM down 2 mg and keep repeating 2 down AM, then 2 down PM until done.

Colin,

how does this sound to you?

Thanks,

mp

Hi mp,

This sounds really good, except that once you get below 15 or so mgs, 2mgs become quite large cuts. To make it smoother, I would suggest you could cut your 2mg pills in half, (to make 1mg reductions) and then quarters, (to make 0.5mg reductions) as you get lower. You want to try and keep it roughly to 10% as you go down, of course, the percentage of your cuts will inevitably grow larger as you reduce.