Another one, where can I get a spreadsheet?

I know this question has been posted 1000 times, but I want to know where I can find a good reliable tapering spreadsheet to use for a tapering plan. I found one on benzosupport.org but I heard that BB can also offer us a spreadsheet among other places as well.

 

Where does everyone else get their spreadsheet from?

 

Thanks,

-DH

Tell us a little about what drug(s) you're tapering, where you are in your taper, how you are tapering it (e.g. bi-weekly, micro, solid, liquid), and somebody will likely volunteer a spreadsheet.

We haven't started tapering yet, aside from a couple of failed textbook tapers offered by my wife's doctor, which failed.

 

Right now she has been bumped up to 1mg 2x a day of Clonazepam (2mg total per day), though her original dose when this all started was 0.5mg 2x a day. After this last failed taper she was bumped up to 1mg 2x day to  stabilize her, and which brings me to this board seeking a better way. We were unsure if we wanted to dry cut down to her original 0.5mg 2x a day dose and then do titration for the rest, or if we should consider doing titration for the whole course in some combination. Experience dictates that she has a high sensitivity to this med based on the last 3 failed tapers over the last 7 months so I am leaning more towards titration as a more feasible approach.

 

Thanks!

So as not to repeat previous mistakes - what was attempted in the previous (failed) tapers?  Has the original reason for taking benzos been dealt with (e.g. through therapy)??

 

Most people around here will taper at a rate of around 0.25 to 0.50 percent of their dose per day.  The cuts can be done daily (using liquid titration or by weighing out crushed pills) or can be made every couple of weeks by cutting somewhere around 5-10% (often done using a scale and crushed pills).  The rate is adjusted as the symptoms dictate.  You get to decide if you want to do a daily micro-taper or bi-weekly cuts.

Thanks, for the info.

 

A little history can be found in this post I just put in:  http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=146035.0

 

And to fill in the gaps, she was originally being treated for an anxiety and panic disorder and was prescribed Zoloft, but in order to help her along they gave her Clonazepam at the start since she was in hysterics and basically mimicking what I see as the "typical crash" we have been through so often. In retrospect, I wonder if this is all related to her tapering off of Lyrica so long ago too fast.... which she is still on Lyrica now, though on a very low dose. we suspended tapering off of that until she stabilized and got off the benzos first.

 

So regardless, yes, zoloft for the anxiety, etc...  50mg 1x a day.

With this last taper the Dr. also prescribed Buspirone at varying doses as we went along to help with the sxs. We are up to 40mg a day now though I have my doubts about the effectiveness of this drug to help with tapering.

 

 

Wow - she's been through a lot! 

 

I do hope that she is able to stabilize on her old dose.  Sometimes the medicine is less effective when patients taper down for a while then reinstate.  It's similar to the 'kindling' effect that many people report.  I've not seen a particular study on the cause, but it's going to play into 'tolerance' somehow.

 

Step one is to get stable again, and that may take time.  It takes several days to build up klonopin levels in your body, so don't rush it.  She'll want to be stable for at least a week (two would be better).  After that, a very slow taper would seem prudent with long (month+) holds before she begins to feel appreciably ragged.  Maybe a taper rate of just 1 or 2 percent every week or two would be a safe approach.  That's considerably slower than most people taper.  Stop whenever the symptoms become significant - in fact, hold before they become significant.  There's nothing wrong with holding for weeks or even months to give her body a chance to fully get used to a lower dose before moving on with the taper.

 

This obviously makes it difficult to write up a schedule and package it into a spreadsheet.  Perhaps the most appropriate approach would be a simple loop... 

1) How do you feel this morning? 

2) If her feeling rating is 80% or higher for 7+ days in a row, then reduce dose by 2% (or 1%) and hold for a week (longer if needed) 

3) Else, hold at current level for another day.  (no dose increases).

4) Repeat daily.

 

You will need a scale that's accurate to milligrams.  Many people in this forum use a Gemini20 balance (available from Amazon for a little over $20).  We can walk you through its use for tapering.