The Klonopin Klub#2

So I'm not alone in this? It seems counterintuitive with a damaged CNS that is supposedly unable to calm itself that this is even possible. Guess there's more going on than we really know.

No, I am om clonazepam now, 0.5/0.5 and 0.625.  Plus mirtazapine 15mg in liquid form and Lexapro 15 mg. Since is getting hard to cut les than 1/4 of the 0.5mg pill, we were thinking to cross-over to diazepam. I used that in the summer, but after complaining of sleepiness I was switched to Ativan. On that I got interdose withdrawal , so my new doc put me on Clonazepam . I was at 2.25 mg max, cutting for the last 2-3 months to where I am now.

Teologul

 

If Diazepam made you drowsy and it was bad enough to switch to another benzo maybe it's better to explore alternative methods of tapering clonazepam first? Would that be an option for you?

Jelly baby,

Like water titration, or dry cut? I don't have a sensitive enough scale. Is clonazepam soluble in water then?

Yes, you can do water, milk, alcohol or you can crush the pills and make capsules.

Has anyone here who was dosing twice a day with generic clonazepam been able to cut one dose and handle one dose a day without inter-dose wd? A guy who posted a video on YouTube had done it without any ill effects, so I know it is possible for at least one person. I've considered removing my daytime dose for a long time because I only have wd symptoms during the day, and it would . Sleep is okay.

 

I'm currently at .394 mg total with .147 mg in the day and .247 mg at night, so I'm already night heavy as it is. And I've been having wd symptoms since the beginning, seemingly because I hit tolerance very quickly.

 

Because my symptoms seem to happen due to my dose, I've always wondered if not having that dose in the morning would help. Plus having a single dose at night would make things so much more simple.

 

So would the prevailing wisdom be to continue tapering both doses or focus on eliminating one? Just curious to hear some more thoughts and know if anyone has done this and been fine.

JB, crush the pills and make capsules? Have a link to that? Thanks a lot!

JB, crush the pills and make capsules? Have a link to that? Thanks a lot!

 

https://benzodrytapermath.com/

Hereforhelp

 

If I remember correctly then most people who dose multiple times eventually eliminate their doses to only one dose. At what point that happens I'm not sure. Sorry I can't be of more help.

HereforHelp,

 

I think you've been mulling this question over for awhile now and maybe leaning toward one dose.

 

I will say that I never felt good taking my doses when I was tapering.  I felt the heaviness of the medication and it never did anything for me from the beginning.  I say this because it's not always tolerance that makes people feel bad, it's the medication itself and withdrawal.

 

I stayed with my 3 doses till the end.

 

You are getting low and that is a good thing.

 

 

Final healing,

 

You're not lying. I have been considering this for awhile, because it feels like that morning dose is what sabotages my day. My evening dose seems to do nothing bad to me. At some point, I won't have that morning dose, because I'll be done, so I just wonder what would happen if I tapered off it first and rid myself of it now. It might not go well, and it might be better to do what you did and stick with the two doses I'm used to. I started with just a single dose during the day and only added the nighttime dose later on when I started having nocturnal panic attacks. Thank you for reminding me that you felt that heaviness too, that you felt the medication. I can't help but think there might be something I could do to make things just a little easier, but maybe there's not. There is so much uncertainty in all this, and that's hard to deal with. Thank you again! I hope you're doing well in benzo freedom.

 

jelly baby,

 

If you could link me to some others talking about dropping one of their two doses of k, that would be helpful. Thank you for your response. Hope your taper is going well today.

I am on 0.5mg x 3 for 13 days now. Started at 2.25mg/day total. Prior times, after 2 weeks things would improve a bit...Maybe I asked this before; is a c/o to diazepam advisable, like 10 mg x 3/day?

Switching to another benzo is a personal choice Teologul so it's something you will have to research and decide.  It does mean taking the time to switch over and then stabilizing on the new medication.  People I know who have tapered it, having crossed over, describe it as a very heavy medication.  Some people do well on crossing over and some do not. 

 

I can only share my personal experience, which was to stick with the medication I knew and work my way down. As I've written before, every time I wanted to change something in my tapering process, I realized it was me trying to gain control over a hard process. I realized there was nothing I could really do except control the pace.

 

You've come down from 2.25mgs to 1.5mgs, which is a big accomplishment. You may be feeling the effects of your most recent cut. 

 

FH

Thanks , FH.

How did you dry cut your pills? Or used a compound pharmacy?

I dry cut my pills using a scale, and metal nail file.  I would shave 0.001 every couple of days off of one dose at time.

 

FH

Hello... I am thinking of asking doc to switch me to .25 mgs ODT from my current regular .5 mg pills.  All for tapering purposes, I prefer dry cut and hold; are the ODTs OK for cutting? Texture-wise. I imagine they might be too small, or too soft. Never saw or took one. Thanks!!

I am on 0.5mg x 3 for 13 days now. Started at 2.25mg/day total. Prior times, after 2 weeks things would improve a bit...Maybe I asked this before; is a c/o to diazepam advisable, like 10 mg x 3/day?

 

I agree with Final Healing...stick with what works, control what you can, and don't try to control what you can't. Just live with the ups and downs that come with any process used. Personally, everyone I spoke with over the years ended up regretting the attempt to c/o to valium. It's a gamble. V can sure increase depression in those who likely lean that way to begin with. I just stuck with my plan and let it ride. Three daily doses all the way down to my last day, too. Keep hanging tough!!

Hello... I am thinking of asking doc to switch me to .25 mgs ODT from my current regular .5 mg pills.  All for tapering purposes, I prefer dry cut and hold; are the ODTs OK for cutting? Texture-wise. I imagine they might be too small, or too soft. Never saw or took one. Thanks!!

 

I do think the texture is different and how it hits your system is different.  Why are you thinking of switching?

 

I did not react well to ODT benzos the first time I was on them but that was me.  I found that I was able to metabolize the regular pills well after considering liquid and then trying compounding. My usual message is, stick with what you know and work your way down as best you can.

Thanks Final healing - I wanted to switch because it's getting more difficult to cut .5 mg pills into small pieces so that I am cutting less than 10% each cut.  I was hoping to stay with dry cutting all the way, using .125mg ODTs for the last part of the taper. 

So, FH, since my Teva 0.5 mg weigh on average 170 mg each, can I file away around 10 percent per month, like 17 mg of each pill (153 left). Second month, 138 mg each, 3rd month 125 or 126mg (138-13 or 14)...It will take years , correct?

So, FH, since my Teva 0.5 mg weigh on average 170 mg each, can I file away around 10 percent per month, like 17 mg of each pill (153 left). Second month, 138 mg each, 3rd month 125 or 126mg (138-13 or 14)...It will take years , correct?

 

Teologul,

 

You cut 10% of each new dose. So if you're signature is updated you'll cut 10% of 2mg which is 1.8mg. Then you cut 10% of 1.8mg which is 1.62mg etc.

Please is there anyone on this thread that is tapering from Teva Klon brand ( the yellow pills).  If so are you micro tapering liquid, dry or regular taper.

 

Having a hard time.

Please is there anyone on this thread that is tapering from Teva Klon brand ( the yellow pills).  If so are you micro tapering liquid, dry or regular taper.

 

Having a hard time.

 

Yes I tapered on those pills from 2.0 mgs all the way to .5 mgs by dry cutting.  You can cut the pills into quarters (.125 mgs) and those are a 10% or less cut all the way to 1.125 mgs, from there you can cut into 1/8s and they are a 10% or less cut all the way to approx. .56 mgs.  Then I used 1/16s to get to .5mgs (.53 for a few weeks, then .5).  I just eyeballed at that stage.

Then used the scale and filed the pills to get the weights. .25 mg dosage = .085 grams, I filed my morning dose down.  But  I don't like the filing method or any liquids, so now I am looking at different pills that are easier to dry cut below .5 mgs.  If I can get Valium, I would take it.  I go to .375 mgs clon tomorrow, .125 mg in morning, .25 before bed.

Please is there anyone on this thread that is tapering from Teva Klon brand ( the yellow pills).  If so are you micro tapering liquid, dry or regular taper.

 

Having a hard time.

 

I am trying to dry taper off of Teva .5mg. I am on a fairly high dose, but am working on the afternoon dose. I am weighing and crushing. Ended up going too fast, at cutting every 2 weeks. Just too fast for me. I will cut monthly.

It is rough, to say the least. I though it would be easier since I am at a high dose, but it's not.

My brain is so sensitive.

Keep the Faith. Praying for you.

 

Dana

 

I wish I were tapering Teva like the rest of you so we had that in common, but I was started on Accord and so have stuck with it, although Walgreens moved over to Teva in the middle of my taper. I feel like I'm no longer getting very accurate dosing when I file the tablets, or the taper is just getting harder. I'm currently holding and trying to stabilize a bit after a rough week and a half. I tried to encapsulate for five days a few weeks ago, and I think that helped destabilize me. I've had trouble ever since.

 

Final, why did you have to hold at .400 mg? Did symptoms just get really rough for a bit? I'm right at .375 mg and was struggling immensely to continue tapering (intrusive thoughts and SI), but I'm having pretty bad symptoms holding as well. I haven't had a day without at least one fog if not two or three in over a week (the multiple fog thing is new in the last month). I had starting getting multiple days in a row without any fog and all while continuing to taper. It has just felt like the bottom has fallen out, and I don't know exactly what happened.

 

I'm so sorry for those who are struggling. I hope things turn around soon.