[ha...] Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Good morning, I was placed on this poison by my GP while still active duty military for stress and panic attacks; retired after 28 years I have been on them since 2004. I would like some help in a water titration schedule made up to rid myself of this poison. I currently take 1.5 Mg's of Clonazepam twice a day 12 hours apart. The pill I use is a 1 mg tablet that I cut in half for the .5 MG part of my dosage. I'm already experiencing tolerance withdrawal and all the VA wants to do is to up my dosage which I will not do. Any help in developing a schedule would be super. My main trouble in making my schedule is multiple dosage and having to split the 1mg table to get the .5 mg. Supplies I have are a 250ML cylinder with 1 ML increments. Mortar & Pestle, little personal blender, and a syringe with 1 ml increments. Any assistance with this would be truly appreciated!!!!!!! Thanks Again harleyrider Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest [Ju...] Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 harleyrider- welcome to BB...someone will be by to help put together a titration plan...just hang tight there, okay? Just Breathe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[Th...] Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Good morning, I was placed on this poison by my GP while still active duty military for stress and panic attacks; retired after 28 years I have been on them since 2004. I would like some help in a water titration schedule made up to rid myself of this poison. I currently take 1.5 Mg's of Clonazepam twice a day 12 hours apart. The pill I use is a 1 mg tablet that I cut in half for the .5 MG part of my dosage. I'm already experiencing tolerance withdrawal and all the VA wants to do is to up my dosage which I will not do. Any help in developing a schedule would be super. My main trouble in making my schedule is multiple dosage and having to split the 1mg table to get the .5 mg. Supplies I have are a 250ML cylinder with 1 ML increments. Mortar & Pestle, little personal blender, and a syringe with 1 ml increments. Any assistance with this would be truly appreciated!!!!!!! Thanks Again harleyrider Hi harleyrider, Welcome to BenzoBuddies!! Congratulations on your retirement and thanks for serving our country!! I am interested in knowing if you have tried dry cutting your pills? We recommend cutting approximately 10% off your total daily dose every 7-14 days. Your total daily dose equates to 3.0mg, so 10% off that much would be .30mg. Since it is impossible to cut that much from a 1.0mg pill, you would go down .25mg or 1/4 of your 1.0mg pill. Reduce either the morning or evening dose by .25mg, hold for one or two weeks (most hold for two weeks). The next cut of 10% off your total daily dose of 2.75mg would again be .25mg since cutting .275mg would be impossible so you would reduce the other daily dose by that amount. Does this makes sense?? I would recommend dry cutting until you get down to a point that making dry cuts become impossible or if your withdrawal symptoms become intolerable. You can look at titration then. It would be best also when you get lower on your total daily dose to acquire the .50mg pills to make it easier to make smaller reductions. If you have more questions, just ask! We're glad you're here!! T2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[ha...] Posted October 21, 2009 Author Share Posted October 21, 2009 I have tried dry cutting but the pills splinter badly even using razor blade... also trying to get the .5 mg tabs from the VA will not work because they have already tried to convince me to drop the benzo but over a two week period which I know is way too fast!!!! So I'm provably stuck with the 1mg tab. Should I try to cut into quaters again and see what happens? harleyrider Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest [Ju...] Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 I have tried dry cutting but the pills splinter badly even using razor blade... also trying to get the .5 mg tabs from the VA will not work because they have already tried to convince me to drop the benzo but over a two week period which I know is way too fast!!!! So I'm provably stuck with the 1mg tab. Should I try to cut into quaters again and see what happens? harleyrider Hey harleyrider, yes, try again...are you using a straight razor, brand new and sharp...that would be the best to get as clear a cut as possible. There will always be some residual flake from the cut. Just Breathe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[Th...] Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 I have tried dry cutting but the pills splinter badly even using razor blade... also trying to get the .5 mg tabs from the VA will not work because they have already tried to convince me to drop the benzo but over a two week period which I know is way too fast!!!! So I'm provably stuck with the 1mg tab. Should I try to cut into quaters again and see what happens? harleyrider Have you tried a pill cutter? I didn't have any problems cutting mine. Two weeks?? That is ridiculous! Some people do not have any problems getting off benzos but those that do take many months to come off these meds and some find 10% every couple of weeks is still too fast. It is just so different for everyone. Titration is a bit more time consuming and if you use milk, refrigeration is necessary. In my opinion, start out dry cutting and get down to at least around 1.0mg before going to titration. It is your decision and we will do whatever you want. If you still want to do the titration, then you will need to answer the following questions for Colin to make up a schedule for you.... Please have the following information ready. I cannot create a schedule if any of these details are missing. Start date: when you would like your titration to start. Dose: the dose you anticipate you be taking at the start date (in mgs). Tablet dose: the dose of your individual tablets. Number of tablets: the total number (and/or fractions) of tablets you take per day. Examples: 2 tabs; 2.5 tabs; 0.75 tabs. These are the number of tablets (not doses), and the tablets used must be of the same dosage (strength). Taper rate: if you are unsure, ask for the input of others. The majority of people probably titrate at a rate of about 10% of their dose every 7-14 days. If you are unsure of where to start, and unless you have good reason to think you need a particularly slow taper, 1% per day is probably a good starting point. The taper plan can be altered later if need be. Cylinder details: I will need to know the size of the cylinder you are using (100ml is recommended). I will also need to know that size of the marked increments. Just make sure that there enough increments for the given cylinder to ensure that the pill can be divided into small fractions (100ml cylinder with 1ml increments is always fine; 100ml with 2-5 increments is probably fine; 50ml with 5ml increments is not very useful). If you are using very large dose pills (for your given benzo), such as 10mg Valium or 2mg Xanax, you will absolutely need lots of increments. This usually means a 100ml cylinder with 1ml increments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[...] Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Harleyrider, You will get excellent advice on this site. I think T2's plan on dry cutting is pretty solid and at some point you could then switch to water titration. I understand the recommendation to get off in two weeks, but I am glad you thought better of this. I recently visited a doctor who told me the 1mg K I am on could be stopped by cutting the dose in half for two weeks, then halving the dose again, then dropping at .25. No way! That would have been a month to get rid of 1mg klonopin....your docs wanted you to move even faster....crazy stuff. Stick around here, you will get good advice. You may have to play along to continue to get your prescriptions filled, so they don't cut you off the meds, but certainly taper at a rate that is good for YOU, not for the doctors. I wish you well..my new friend.. Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[ly...] Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Hi Harleyrider, Welcome to Benzobuddies! I'm glad you have decided to come off these pills, you will get alot of help and support here love lynn xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[ha...] Posted October 21, 2009 Author Share Posted October 21, 2009 Thanks for the input all. I will start using T2's advice and cut my 2nd 1mg tablet into quarters and start my cut this Friday night's dose from 1.5 MG to 1.25mg and hold for 7 to 14 days, and see how it goes and then do the same with my morning dose. Sound like a plan? Then I will keep alternating morning and evening dosage cuts every 7 to 14 days. If that is too harsh then I'll go the other way Peace all harleyrider Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[Th...] Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Thanks for the input all. I will start using T2's advice and cut my 2nd 1mg tablet into quarters and start my cut this Friday night's dose from 1.5 MG to 1.25mg and hold for 7 to 14 days, and see how it goes and then do the same with my morning dose. Sound like a plan? Then I will keep alternating morning and evening dosage cuts every 7 to 14 days. If that is too harsh then I'll go the other way Peace all harleyrider Since you are not able to get the .50mg pills, you will probably have to go to titration sooner than most. That may happen closer to the 2mg mark since 10% of 2mg is .20mg and cutting .25mg will bring that cut percentage up to 12.5%. Most here when on a lower dose, are able to reduce by .125mg (1/4 of .50mg) every week or two but using a 1.0mg pill makes that small a cut too difficult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[so...] Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 harley rider, greetings from softtail 98 fxstc here. Just gotta help a fellow biker. You will get alot of advice and information here, and believe me, this site has helped many like us to get free of the drug. the road ahead is not an easy one, but if you read many of the stories here, you will see the struggle is worth it in the end. You are smart not to try to cut the drug as fast as your doc says. unfortunately , they do not understand the difficulty you can have getting off this drug once addicted. It sounds like your allready experiencing the wd.s , so bear down and hang in there. You will hear this statement alot here, " its not a race to get off the drug, slow and steady is how you do it." This is the best chance you have of keeping the wd's to a tolerable level. Now , I don't believe you indicated how your supply of the drug is. If your present doc. cuts you off from the drug, you will need to find a new one who is more understanding. and if possible , get the .5 mg pills. this is not a must, but as theresa indicated, you will need to start titration sooner than most if you have larger pills. Also , there are no dumb questions here, especially about titration, as many who come here are overcome by the math thats required to get the titration right. When on benzo's , easy things that you could do before can become major problems during this time. Just ask, and we will walk you thru. st. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[ha...] Posted October 23, 2009 Author Share Posted October 23, 2009 Greetings Softail!!! I have 2 hogs a 98 flhtci that I rode all over Europe while still active duty Air Force and an 08 fxstc that was my retirement gift to myself. Good to have a fellow biker to lean on!!!!! You are right in saying that I am already experiencing w/d symptoms due to dosage tolerance. Being retired military I still get medical care through them. My pdoc just wanted to up my dose when i told him my anxiety was through the roof again with various muscle aches and sleeping problems. I knew that upping my dosage again would just repeat a vicious cycle and I just needed to wean myself off. I will have no problem getting the 1mg pill perscription filled whenever I need too. But I know if I go back and ask for the .5mg pill instead of the 1mg pill, he is going to cut me off at his pace and not mine. Military minds what a wonderful waste. HA HA I'm taking T2s advice and going to cut my second 1mg pill into quarters and start dropping with my evening dose by 1/4 hold for 7 to 14 days and do the same with my morning dose. Hopefully I can get down to only taking 1 1mg pill twice a day and then titration from there. Hope you don't mind if I pick your brain from time to time as I go through this as well as the other great people on this site Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[so...] Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 harley , thats what we are here for. ask away. we understand just what you are going thru, When you get down lower, titration will work great for you, and its not hard at all once you have a routine down. we will walk you thru it when you get there. Now, gonna have to start a topic on the "off topic" part of this forum, so we can get a look at those harleys. I'll start it with instructions on how to post pic. The off topic site is for fun and games, and helps to take the serious side out of this poison journey for a few minutes. Hang in there St. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[Pa...] Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 My first introduction to Klonopin was from my friend who was a military member. He'd been given Ritalin for a bogus ADD diagnosis then a big bottle of Klonopin to deal with the effects of the Ritalin. Sure wish I wouldn't have tried that little green pill.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[ha...] Posted October 23, 2009 Author Share Posted October 23, 2009 Pamster2 Sorry my military buddies got you into this mess but military docs love to just throw pills at you then put you back on the line got to keep the body count up for mulitary operations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[ha...] Posted October 23, 2009 Author Share Posted October 23, 2009 St See ya on the other part of the site; will get pictures of my babies posted for all to see!!! keep it on two wheels brother harleyrider Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[Pa...] Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 Pamster2 Sorry my military buddies got you into this mess but military docs love to just throw pills at you then put you back on the line got to keep the body count up for mulitary operations. No worries about the military or your buddies getting me where I went, I did that all on my own. I'm a recovering alcoholic of 18 years, I knew better! I work side by side with Air Force members, good folks all. However I do agree that the quality of the medical care leaves a bit to be desired from what I've seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[so...] Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 ok , one of my 2 harleys in online now, the other to follow soon. looking forward to seeing yours. posted in off topic part of forum st. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[Co...] Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 Hi harleyrider, How's your taper going? Do let us know when you need a titration schedule. I will need to a taper rate (ask others to help you with this if you are unsure of how fast you wish to proceed), and provide a start date. The schedule can start from any dose, so don't worry about what fractions of tablets you take - this all can be worked out within the schedule. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[st...] Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 Welcome, Harleyrider. I see you are already in good hands. This is a great site for support. You can do this. Patty xo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[ha...] Posted October 29, 2009 Author Share Posted October 29, 2009 Clolin Sorry it to soo long to get back with you. Yes it looks like I will need a schedule. Attempted to use T2s suggestion of dry cutiing my second 1mg pill that I cut in half by 1/4 on one dose. wait for 7- 14 days and them cut the morning dose. WELL I think I am like you just that little cut was terible. I still work for the gevernment as an aircraft mechanic as aciclian instead of active duty military. And I could not function either at home or at work!!!! Awful aniexty 24/7.. I also have COPD along with heart diease so the aniexty made me feel even more short of breath which in turn made my chest hurt which brought on panic attatcks. So the vicious cycle was out of control. No working at this point is not an option!!!! So with that said I think I will try to restablize at 1.5mg twicw a day and have you work me up a titration schedule that Start Date: 1 Jan 2010 Dose: 1.5mg twice a day for a total of 2mg per day Tablet: 1mg Number of tablets: 2 1.5 in the morning and 1.5 at night Cyclinder: 250ML with 2 ml increments; would like to drop around 1 % a day. Thanks Colin Harleyrider Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[el...] Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 Hi Harleyrider! Thank you for supplying your complete titration info. It makes things so much easier. Can you re-post this when it gets closer to your start date? A few days before should do it. Once he gets the info it will only take a day or two to get your schedule to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[Co...] Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 Hi Harleyrider, Yes, do pipe up about a week before you plan to start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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