CLONOPIN HELP! I can’t figure out taper dosage. Where is everyone?

[[Buddie]]

Thank you! I’d not done the math until today. I was hoping a year. M I guess it will be what it will be.

[[Buddie]]

Yeah, you just need to surrender to the process. Chasing dates is futile. We all get get there in the end, it's HOW you get there that matters. Whether you suffer in agony or whether you try to remain functional.

[[Buddie]]

I tapered at just over 6%/14 for many months and then dropped to 5% this summer after symptoms increased in May, but it really didn't help much. After trying to go even slower and finding no relief, I sped up and settled on about 8.5%, and it was no worse (and possibly better) than 5%. Since the end of August, I've tried speeding up every few weeks, just to see what I can tolerate. Things change as your dose changes. Your body can handle less or more. You just have to test and see. Don't get stuck going super slow for the entire taper, unless you absolutely cannot tolerate going faster. It's worth trying every so often to see if things have changed. These days, different speeds have different effects, some good and some bad. I'm trying to settle on one I can tolerate for the time being. Nothing is certain in this other than you will get off eventually if you keep going.

And yes, a Schitt's Creek reunion show would be great. I'd love to see that cast together again.

[[Buddie]]

I’m trying not to get caught up in the timing, but it’s all very daunting. I’m high-risk for serious disease from Covid and I found out you can’t take Paxlovid with clonopin. Very dangerous. Cutting for the duration is suggested. (eye roll)
That was what got me investigating and now I believe I’ve been in a tolerance state for years with new and very odd symptoms no doctor or tests can explain.

I’ve been on 0.875 for about 16 days now, after two days of 0.75, which caused too much anxiety. I’ve only experienced some mild anxiety very late at night (I take full dose in morning), but yesterday developed chills, nausea and more anxiety (possibly over worrying about getting sick, but who knows?). I’ve stopped walking outdoors due to freezing weather and did two days of harder indoor workout. Not sure that made me feel sick. Feel better today. Still on 0.875 and will probably stay here until Jan 1, if more symptoms besides tolerable anxiety continue.

I’m just wondering if tolerance and withdrawal cause flu-like symptoms. I wear a mask everywhere. Live alone and haven’t been anywhere around people in weeks. No Thanksgiving. Only go indoors for food shopping and medical with an n95. This is the main reason I want out. Covid is never going away and I need a life. Covid test was negative.

Trying to be positive. My scale arrives tomorrow! Yay? ❤️

[[Buddie]]

Oh my dear, do I ever know how you feel!!!  I got Covid at the end of October after being so extremely careful the past year and a half.  But not one person at my class reunion was wearing a mask.  I should have known better than to follow my classmates over a cliff.

NOW because of post-covid complications, I can't get a flu shot, nor can I risk getting the flu.  So it's like being back in covid isolation all over again. 

And here at the end of my taper, I can't tell what is WDs and what is long covid.  Oddly enough there seems to be quite a bit of overlap in symptoms.

In any case.....my heart goes put to you being alone!  I do necessary shopping in a mask, and my BF spends some time here, but at least half the time I'm alone.  His birthday is Saturday and I can't go to dinner with his family, can't get together with friends over the holidays.  It's a terrible time to be stuck home alone.  You are smart to be careful about covid, though.

I'm wondering.....you said a person can't take Paxlovid if they take Klonopin.  Why is that?

[...]

[[Buddie]]

Hi [...],

I skipped my weekend long reunion this year because no one planned on masking. Friends were not understanding. Pretty disappointing, but I wasn’t taking the chance. I’m sorry you got the virus and LC. That must be so very confusing. Not what anyone needs during withdrawal.

Paxlovid and Clonazpam (clonopin) are contraindicated in the list of drugs not to mix. One increases the others effects. It is in the list of drugs not to use with Paxlovid on any Google search. It does say you can hold or switch to another drug for 9 days, but we all know how disastrous that could be. No good option for us on clonopin. I don’t know what would happen if on a very, very small dose, but it’s just another good reason to get off these vile drugs.

I hope your LC symptoms subside soon. That seems to be the case with omicron. The earlier variants supposedly caused longer LC. Fingers crossed. I’m guessing you have some fairly decent immunity right now, so once you can push past the stress of going out, you could feel less isolated. Of course, there is the flu! Arrrrgh! You’re so close to the final stretch. ❤️

[[Buddie]]

Morning Sun,

I purchased the scale you use, Smart Weigh Premium High Precision Digital Milligram Scale, but I think I have to return because it isn’t working correctly. Can’t get “cal” to blink to calibrate and “pass” each time. I did get it working once, but I weighed my pills as I’m taking them and they are definitely not adding up to anything near 0.875 mg. I chose the gn setting, but the weight is just completely different. Total weight came up as 0.290. (Using 0.5 + 0.25 + 0.625 as cut by hand). I’m not sure if this model weighs in mgs even though the description says it does. Any thoughts? I expected the weight to be slightly off, but this seems a bit weird.

Just realized I had cut from 1mg to 0.8125mg (NOT 0.875) on Dec 1st. So 15 days on this lower dose. My brain does just not do math. It would probably help if I knew the actual weight of the 0.5 pill I’m cutting.

And the first thing I did was cut my finger on pill cutter. Ugh! I need to calm down.

[[Buddie]]

Preach! 

Yeah, you just need to surrender to the process. Chasing dates is futile. We all get get there in the end, it's HOW you get there that matters. Whether you suffer in agony or whether you try to remain functional.

[[Buddie]]

It’s not easy. 

[[Buddie]]

Yes, stay away from Paxlovid. It does not pair well with benzos.

Glad your scale arrived. You can use the gram setting just fine. That's what I use on mine. Your 170-mg tablets will read about .170 g on your scale, so that's pretty easy to work with. The decimal is just moved over to the left 3 places. I'm happy to answer any weighing questions; I've been filing and weighing my dose for over 13 months.