New Member .5mg Klonopin Taper Advice After 4 months on benzos

Pdoc appt tomorrow.  She is suggesting a 20% every 10 days taper.  Most people say here 10% but I see some that have been able to to .20 or .25.

 

If I do the 20% that would get me off these nasties in less than 6 months which seems positive but will I be sorry.  Any advice? 

 

When I dropped from 1.5 mg of Ativan to 1mg not knowing I shouldn't do that it was bad but not impossible.  When I dropped.75 it got awful --lost weight weepy, body buzzing .    Went to GP doc who gave them to me originally and asked him what's going on here and he put me on Klonopin and said take .5 at night and one during day or more and why are you doing this to yourself take some more. Fortunately I knew better by then cuz I'd already googled and found BenzoBuddies.  Went to Pdoc who's had me holding to stabilize on .5 K which has finally happening or as stable as gonna be I think.  (Was taking at night for for sleep only.)

 

 

 

Dropping 20% every 10 days when you are on such a low dose is medical madness.  Bets

Thanks for that.  I'm gonna do a 10% cut tomorrow.  Am waiting til tomorrow because I am taking a Silenor tonight to see if it helps with sleep.  Don't want to try a new drug while I'm tapering. Won't know if any symptoms are from Silenor or new withdrawals.  Not gonna take it regularly but once or twice a week alternating (as in not at same time) with some melatonin benedryl and doxylamine all of which have helped me sleep after dropping 33% (.5mg) of the Ativan dose at once (mistake) but held and crossed over to.5mg Klonopin  because had already suffered couple of weeks before realized why and didn't want to go back.  Took 4 weeks then to stabilize on Klonopin and if I'd known how long it would take and could do a redo would have up-dosed on Klonopin to .65 or about and started from there.  Probably would be am same place now with less suffering.  Please send good thoughts my way on my cut.

 

  I'll try to re post on how the Silenor worked for me for others to see. 

3mg Silenor worked great.  Slept 8 hours.  Did not feel that bad when woke up. 

 

Ate 3 hours before taking which is what is recommended:

Do not take SILENOR (doxepin tablets) within 3 hours of a meal. Silenor (doxepin tablets) may not work as well, or may make you sleepy the next day if taken with or right after a meal.

Day two of 10% cut. +  .125 Benadryl & 5mg melatonin - last night slept 6 hrs. 

 

Sxs

Brain fog in am think from Benadryl & melatonin

Little Depressed

Not much appetite but am eating

 

Otherwise feeling fairly normal.  Did some errands exercised a little walked dog  - .65 % functional.  Understand Day 3 tomorrow is when I will probably start feeling cut though.

 

Day 3 of 10% Cut + .125mg doxylamine & 4mg melatonin - last night slept 8.5 hours (few wakeups but went back to sleep quickly)  Was less drowsy in morning with less melatonin or maybe because of doxy instead of benedryl.

 

Sxs

Felt pretty good in am

 

Little tired by afternoon

little headache

little tingly scalp

little burning tongue

little brain fog

 

Nothing really bad and was functional up until now 5pm anyway

 

 

 

 

 

 

Days 4-6 - of 10% taper.  Fairly mild symptoms.  Was able to pack and and fly to  California where I'm staying for the month.  Have been getting 5-7 hours sleep which I can live with on 4 mg melatonin and adding with it one of the following in rotation 1 Tylenol pm or .125 doxylamine or .125 benedryl (without Tylenol).  Had to drop Silenor because woke up with tachycardia last two times I took it.

 

W/D symptoms Day 4

tachycardia from 3 mg Silenor lasted til noon

weak in afternoon from tachycardia night and morning

mild muscle twitches when resting

little headache

 

W/D symptoms Day 5-6

mild muscle twitches when resting

little tired

 

May try 15% cut today and see how that goes since 10% wasn't too painful. 

 

 

 

 

Days 4-6 - of 10% taper.  Fairly mild symptoms.  Was able to pack and and fly to  California where I'm staying for the month.  Have been getting 5-7 hours sleep which I can live with on 4 mg melatonin and adding with it one of the following in rotation 1 Tylenol pm or .125 doxylamine or .125 benedryl (without Tylenol).  Had to drop Silenor because woke up with tachycardia last two times I took it.

 

W/D symptoms Day 4

tachycardia from 3 mg Silenor lasted til noon

weak in afternoon from tachycardia night and morning

mild muscle twitches when resting

little headache

 

W/D symptoms Day 5-6

mild muscle twitches when resting

little tired

 

May try 15% cut today and see how that goes since 10% wasn't too painful.

 

Please don't push the envelop and go to 15%. Bets

Thanks for the post Bets I didn't see it til after I'd already cut 15%.  It's been two days and not as easy as 10%.  Don't know if I should continue at .375 or go up to .4 tonight.  Symptoms so far are not intolerable but think worst won't hit til tonight or tomorrow--day 3

 

Syxs day 1&2 of 15% cut

 

Insomnia (5 hrs sleep interrupted & both nights took either .125 benadryl OR doxy with 4mg melatonin)

depression morbid thoughts

lots of muscle twitches

irritation

 

 

 

 

went back to .4 k last night - a 10% cut - which i seem to handle better than .15%.  slept 8.5 hrs (one wakeup but back to sleep) with .125 doxylamine & .4mg melatonin. the syxs with 15% were not intolerable but I am hoping to accomplish about the same total reduction with a smaller cut and with fewer hold days.  with less pain will try to post how it goes. 

 

syxs today

little drugged this morning

otherwise OK

 

10% seems to be the right place for me right now.  I feel ALMOST normal slept 2 nights 8.5 hours then only 5.5 hours last night (it was a benadryl night - doesn't work as well for me as the doxy..) If still feeling this good tomorrow will try another 10% cut.  Almost normal as in can do what I need to and am going to stop by and see some friends tonight but only drop by can't stay. 

 

syxs

few muscle twitches

numb upper lip at times

little numb tongue

mild ear ringing

 

 

 

Days 1-7 of taper from .4mg to .35 mg klonopin

 

 

Day 1 –  Feel Pretty Good – Sleep 5 hrs

Day 2 – Anxiety Burning Bladder Rage – Sleep 9 hr

Day 3 – Feel Pretty Good little brain fog – Sleep 8.5hrs

Day 4 – Wake up feeling almost normal but after lunch in a terrible rage –Sleep 6.5

Day 5 – Terrible Depression - Crying bouts - Sleep 8.5

Day 6 – Mild Depression little stomach problems – Sleep 5.5 hrs

Day 7 – Moderate Depression, headache, kinda mild flu feeling blah

 

This cut from .4 to .35 has come with more mental symptoms than physical although can’t say I feel good.  Odd that I have hardly had any muscle twitches this cut when I had a lot the previous ones.  Day 7  thus far has been worst than day 6 on my cuts.  Am hoping I will get a decent sleep tonight and feel a bit better tomorrow and can make my next cut to .3.  Wish me luck.

 

 

Well felt almost normal today and fairly decent sleep 6,5 hrs solid then intermittent for another 1.5 hrs so 8 hrs all together.  Took .125 Benadryl and .4mg melatonin.  While I'd like to have another good day tomorrow who knows if it would be good or not whether I cut or not so am making the plunge and taking the next cut to .3.  The sooner I can tolerably get this benzo out of my body the better I think. Hopefully will be able to stick with the original .05mg (10% from original K dose).

 

Shakey knees on the diving board  .  Wish me luck.

I wish I could taper this quickly with those sxs.

I appreciate you posting your progress and sxs...

I took 45 doses of kolopin 0.5mg had a 3 day break at the beginning and a 8 day break in between doses... Recently just started about 6 days ago from 0.5 to 0.25 mgs .... And in 7 days am going to just stop ... I don't know much about the AD's or antidepressants but this whole benzo thing is like "pulling off a bandaid" you can do it fast or slow and either way it's going to hurt... Personally big cuts and dealing with it is better than tapering and keep the hell going .... But that's just me so far I haven't up dosed ( yeah I want too ) but noooooo def not I'm rdy to get off ! Anyway if i was in you're shoes I would decrease more and not be worried.... Thinking constantly of your "taper and dose reduction" brings on more symptoms  and anxiety because all you're doing is thinking more about it!

Dylan,

You've been on benzos a lot shorter time than me and maybe easier on your system also.  I'm so glad for you that you could do it quickly.

 

Everyone else thanks for your kind thoughts and support.

Days 1-7 of taper from .3.5mg to .3 mg klonopin

 

Day 1 –  Feel Pretty Good Little stomach issues– Sleep 7 hrs

Day 2 – Little anxiety at wake up built during day like a worse case of PMS than I ever had + burning tongue some hand feet numbness muscle twitches headache little dizzy appetite good  – Sleep 6.5 hrs

Day 3 – Pretty Good-mild anxiety Sleep 8 hrs

Day 4 – Mild  depression-Sore Tongue –few muscle twitches–Sleep 6-7hrs

Day 5 – Pretty good – few muscle twitches - Sleep 8.5

Day 6 – Pretty Good – few muscle twitches & tired in afternoon Sleep 5.5 hrs

Day 7 – Moderate anxiety got worse in afternoon some depression – Sleep 8.5 hrs

 

This cut from .35 to .3 was easier than I was expecting—only two bad days.  Day 2 the day after the 1st cut and Day 7 the day before the next cut.  It was a pleasant surprise. I thought it would be worst as my percentage of the dose cut is greater as I go down.  I'm not counting on it for the next one but am so grateful for this relatively easy week. I got a good night sleep the last night of this cut and then felt good the next day so dropped to .25mg.  So far so good will try to report at the end of the week. Thanks again for the well wishes.  I think I may need to move this post over to the blog section but am working on a little minipad now will try to do that next post when I have access to my computer... But in case someone else trying to cut is following me wanted to keep post updated..