What would be a reasonable taper?

Hi there.  I've been around this forum now since I began my taper in mid-March.  I started out at .75mg of Klonopin - .25mg 3x day.  I'm now down to .11mg daily via the titration method.  I've gotten slightly better since tapering began, but have pretty much suffered the entire time from w/d s/x:  Anxiety, depression, horrible insomnia - and have made up my mind that I'm one of those people who will experience symptoms no matter what and I just have to keep pressing on.  As of tomorrow, it will be 22 weeks since I began my taper.  It seems to me I've not rushed this in any way.  Here's my question:

Since I am now down to .11mg - .03mg in AM; .03mg in afternoon & .05mg at night - is it reasonable to reduce at a rate of .01mg every 2 days or is that too much?  I don't want to rush it, but I also don't want to hold at one spot for too long and suffer needlessly either since I've experienced s/x the entire time.  I have never reduced more than .03mg at a time, even when dry-cutting, and did so every 7 to 10 days when I did.

Any ideas would be appreciated.  Everyone's been so great!

Jan

Hi there.  I've been around this forum now since I began my taper in mid-March.  I started out at .75mg of Klonopin - .25mg 3x day.  I'm now down to .11mg daily via the titration method.  I've gotten slightly better since tapering began, but have pretty much suffered the entire time from w/d s/x:  Anxiety, depression, horrible insomnia - and have made up my mind that I'm one of those people who will experience symptoms no matter what and I just have to keep pressing on.  As of tomorrow, it will be 22 weeks since I began my taper.  It seems to me I've not rushed this in any way.  Here's my question:

 

Since I am now down to .11mg - .03mg in AM; .03mg in afternoon & .05mg at night - is it reasonable to reduce at a rate of .01mg every 2 days or is that too much?  I don't want to rush it, but I also don't want to hold at one spot for too long and suffer needlessly either since I've experienced s/x the entire time.  I have never reduced more than .03mg at a time, even when dry-cutting, and did so every 7 to 10 days when I did.

 

Any ideas would be appreciated.  Everyone's been so great!

 

Jan

Most here reduce a 1mg tablet in 100 days so that would be .01mg every 10 days if I am correct with this assumption. With you being in tolerance and not feeling well, you could speed it up to .01mg every 7 days and see how that goes.

How are you doing your cutting? Are you doing liquid titration? I don't remember exactly what process you are using.

Hi Theresa:

I'm doing the liquid titration.  And WOW!  .01mg every 7 days means that it would take me another 10 to 11 weeks to come off of this small amount (.11mg).  I didn't realize I should be going that slow.  I have less than 1/8 of a mg left to come off of.  I haven't gone quite that slow since I began my taper.

Thanks,

Jan

Hi Theresa:

 

I'm doing the liquid titration.  And WOW!  .01mg every 7 days means that it would take me another 10 to 11 weeks to come off of this small amount (.11mg).  I didn't realize I should be going that slow.  I have less than 1/8 of a mg left to come off of.  I haven't gone quite that slow since I began my taper.

 

Thanks,

 

Jan

You started at .75mg and its over 100 days since you started, so I think you were going slower than the .01mg every ten days??

Hello..

I have been using the titration method since June 29th.  I generally titrate 10 percent of my dosage per week.  I am using a 100 ml flask and tossing about 10 ml per week which brings me to the 10 percent figure.  I have tossed at least 1ml each day during this process (the equivalent of .01mg for me) and it has been a rather smooth process.  I don't think cutting .01 every other day would be bad at all.  That should be pretty smooth and thats a pretty slow, steady taper as T2 said.  I know alot of people have done the 100 day titration..which ends up being 1 percent a day or 7 percent a week.  You are so close to being done now...thats awesome.....I am looking forward to your celebration thread. 

Tim

Jan

you are so close why not just reduce 1 ml every night and be done in 11 days? Why prolong this agony? Chances are it wont get any worse? actually it will get better (eventually) This dose isnt doing anything i dont think and you have taken a nice slow approach to this. You can do this. You are very strong.

Jan

you are so close why not just reduce 1 ml every night and be done in 11 days? Why prolong this agony? Chances are it wont get any worse? actually it will get better (eventually) This dose isnt doing anything i dont think and you have taken a nice slow approach to this. You can do this. You are very strong.

She stated that she is at .11MG not ML. 

Jan

you are so close why not just reduce 1 ml every night and be done in 11 days? Why prolong this agony? Chances are it wont get any worse? actually it will get better (eventually) This dose isnt doing anything i dont think and you have taken a nice slow approach to this. You can do this. You are very strong.

I can picture the two of you now, holding hands as you jump off!  Kind of like Thelma and Louise!

No she is at .11 on her cylinder at least that's what she has said I believe

Guess, she'll have to clarify where she is with her taper?

She did it the same way I did for ex I'm at 8 ml on the cylinder which equates to .08 klonopin right?

 

She did it the same way I did for ex I'm at 8 ml on the cylinder which equates to .08 klonopin right?

I don't know, she doesn't have a schedule in her sig line so not sure how she's doing it?

Hey Theresa:

I've been doing the titration method; yep - didn't think to post my schedule in my signature line.  I have been decreasing 1mL every 2 days (which is equating to .01mg), and times when it seemed like too much, I waited an extra day before reducing another 1mL.  In reality, if all went smoothly, I could be done in 11 days.  I guess I'm a bit hesitant due to trying to reduce every day and having a problem about 1-1/2 months ago when I went that fast.  I seem to be one of the slow ones, but I know I don't have long now.  Just needed to know if decreasing the equivalent of .01mg every 2 days was feasible when getting this low since I know at times the lower doses can really hit you.  I am going ahead with that plan and see how I feel, and hopefully will be off in approximately 22 to 24 days.

Thank you all for your input.  My decision making has gone awry these days along with so many other things.

Sam - we'll be close to jumping off together.  I'm so proud of you. You have come so very far!

Jan

Hey Theresa:

 

I've been doing the titration method; yep - didn't think to post my schedule in my signature line.  I have been decreasing 1mL every 2 days (which is equating to .01mg), and times when it seemed like too much, I waited an extra day before reducing another 1mL.  In reality, if all went smoothly, I could be done in 11 days.  I guess I'm a bit hesitant due to trying to reduce every day and having a problem about 1-1/2 months ago when I went that fast.  I seem to be one of the slow ones, but I know I don't have long now.  Just needed to know if decreasing the equivalent of .01mg every 2 days was feasible when getting this low since I know at times the lower doses can really hit you.  I am going ahead with that plan and see how I feel, and hopefully will be off in approximately 22 to 24 days.

 

Thank you all for your input.  My decision making has gone awry these days along with so many other things.

 

Sam - we'll be close to jumping off together.  I'm so proud of you. You have come so very far!

 

Jan

You're almost there, let's hope for an uneventful end to your taper!! 

Theresa:

Uneventful would be oh so nice!  So far my entire taper has been eventful but someone in this forum had said (maybe you did?) that some people can experience nasty w/d s/x the entire time, so why not keep forging ahead since the benzo itself is such poison.  I know I've been very sensible about it and not hasty, and hopefully not too slow.  It's hard to know at times if it's tolerance and the drug being down-right toxic, or if it's w/d, or if it's both.  But in any event, I've come a very long way and will see it to the end!

Thanks for your support and advice.

Jan

anxgrl- You just keep on going. I am following your posts. Kee at it...you give me hope

nine

Hey Nine:

I am certainly glad I give you hope.  Believe me it's hard for me to think I could possibly give anyone hope with the way I feel and have felt for so long.  I will look forward to the day when you, Samantha and I and so many others are benzo-free!!!!!  It WILL happen.  We're gonna heal.

Jan

Hey Nine:

 

I am certainly glad I give you hope.  Believe me it's hard for me to think I could possibly give anyone hope with the way I feel and have felt for so long. 

See I told you, you do good just by posting.  Someone will always see and find something they can use or cling to.  That's the way it worked for me, Tropicalsoul had my same story.  She was my lifeline!  Keep up the good work!

It is amazing how our stories our so interwoven and experiences DO help one another.  I certainly will keep posting, Pam, even on my most desperate of days (ESPECIALLY on my most desperate of days!). 

Jan

P.S. - Keep the hamster family growing!  Love to see a new little "face" all the time.

I've heard some say that posting helps distract them from their own suffering.  LadyH swears it's what helped her through.  So, for your own good and others, yes keep up the good work!

The hamster family is growing, the internet is a strange place that's for sure!