Need help with putting together a titration schedule Kristin

Hi All,

After a 6 month c/t off klonopin I had to reinstate as the w/d was getting worse instead of better and that reinstatement was 10 weeks ago.  I am stable but can feel tolerance setting in so I would like to get off the drug the right way this time with the help of you wonderful people.

I am currently taking .25mg of klonopin twice a day. Once at 11 am and 7 pm

I would like to do a slow taper since I am scared silly about getting off again as I know what might be coming mentally and physically. 

I am choosing to use the 100 ml cylinder with 1ml increments

Hopefully this is all the information you need to know.

Thanks so much

Kristin

Hi All,

After a 6 month c/t off klonopin I had to reinstate as the w/d was getting worse instead of better and that reinstatement was 10 weeks ago.  I am stable but can feel tolerance setting in so I would like to get off the drug the right way this time with the help of you wonderful people.

 

I am currently taking .25mg of klonopin twice a day. Once at 11 am and 7 pm

 

I would like to do a slow taper since I am scared silly about getting off again as I know what might be coming mentally and physically. 

 

I am choosing to use the 100 ml cylinder with 1ml increments

 

Hopefully this is all the information you need to know.

Thanks so much

Kristin

Kristin -

Here's Colin's post about the information needed for him to draw up a schedule:

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.

Kristin,

Question?  During your reinstatement, did you get the relief you hoped for? 

This is a big question for many folks here who have terrible w/d, and are considering it, even as a temporary measure,

such as yourself.

I think your comments one way or the other, might be helpful.

Also, I read many of your old posts, and just wanted to say that I have not had the same problems with the beta blocker for blood pressure

that you had previously taken.

I have started and stopped it on several occasions, with little or no problems, but I guess that just shows how different we are.

I am sorry for all your suffering up to now, and I hope you continue to be able to deal with this difficult process.

You sound like a very determined and caring mother, who is surely trying to do the right thing for herself and her family.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!

Thanks,

David

Hi Kristin,

I am sure Colin will be along shortly to help with a formal titration schedule.

I can tell you we have a similar experience.  I had to reinstate after tapering too fast the first time.  I ended up reinstating at half my inital dose.  I waited a few weeks to stabilize then began taper 2.0.  I have slowed my taper considerably this time around and the w/d effects still occur, but they are not nearly as bad as during the first taper.  I think the key is to try to minimize them the best we can, and a slower taper certainly can help.

The great thing about titration is that you control the rate of taper.  You aren't held to specific cuts, you can hold when you feel you need to and then move along at your own pace when you feel ready.

Tim

See answers below behind the questions

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.  January 2 start date

Dose: the dose you anticipate you be taking at the start date (in mgs).  .25mg twice a day so a total of .5mg per day

Tablet dose: the dose of your individual tablets.  tablet dose is .5mg

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).  I use .5mg tablets and split them in half one in morning the other half at night

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.  I would like to start with 1% taper rate

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.  I plan to purchase a 100ml cylinder with 1ml increments

thanks for the help

Hi Kmarie,

I'll look at this tomorrow.

Hi all,

Well I tried to use 250ml water titration taking out 1ml water and cutting the remainder in 2 doses and wham on day one withdrawal symptoms started the major one spaciness and depersonalization.  Is this normal???  It was like I went c/t so I reinstated again to .25mg twice a day and can feel tolerance setting in already.  Help anyone please ....Kris

Ann,

You are correct with how I was tapering.  I think I am just so scared it might be mental.  I went thru 6 months of torture after a c/t and even when I reinstated I didn't get much relief.  I tried to dry cut also and got hit with s/x on day two which is today.  I think I just need to make the choice and go with it and not back down.  Maybe I just like pity parties I dont' know.    I just feel so sorry for my daughter.  I wish my mom would have smacked that pill right out of my hand when I was 6 months off but she didn't so here I am back to square one.  I think I will try to water titration again.  Anthea from yahoo group said she had about 5 people not be able to do water titration as it metablized to quickly in their bodies so she suggested that I put my .5mg in 250ml water don't take any water out and split into 2 doses and see if I still have w/d symptoms if I don't then the 1ml cuts are fine and it's just my mind getting the best of me.  If it does bother me then I might have to dry cut and just do it as slowly as possible and suffer thru the w/d.

Hugs

Kristin

Ann,

My daughter is 5 and she gets upset when I cry or can't play with her.  I try to explain it to her but she just gets a kleenex and says dry your tears it will be alright.  I live with my mom and she supported me before but doesn't really care to really understand what's going on.  She said to my doctor "I just don't get all this head stuff it makes no sense" so needless to say she went with my doctor when it came time to put me back on the stuff.  So now I have to try and hide any symptoms I might have or I'm afraid she will get upset with me.  Anyway hopefully I can do it slowly and minimize the symptoms.

Hugs

Kristin

Well I took my .25mg evening dose in the water and feel horrible.  I thought it would work and it was just my brain not wanting to do this but I think it is actually my body.  I am highly sensitive to medications I only have to take one tylenol to settle an oncoming migraine so I'm thinking that my body is actually not absorbing the klonopin when it is in water.  :'( I don't think there is any easy way out for me except the hard way of dry cutting.  I even tried knitting and keeping my mind busy and still having interdose w/d. Thanks for listening it's just going to be a very long road. 

Hugs

Kristin

Kristin,

Many people here do dry cutting, (including me) and it's not the "hard road" you describe, it mainly has more to do with accuracy.

Wet or dry, meds are meds, and the process of w/d, just means getting the dose into your system in the most tolerable way possible

and then suck it up until you're off. 

Sometimes things in life are hard, but everyone here at BB knows what it's like, and they are coping thru the pain just like you will do.

You are not alone.

Many tears have been shed while going down this road, but your tears are like little raindrops on your garden of recovery.

Keep knitting (I wish I could) and keep coming back here.

If you don't want to, or can't, burden your Mom, then don't, just dump it all right here.

You are young and think that this needs to be over today, but that's not realistic, so you have got to get tough again to beat this.

Cold turkey didn't work, but this will, and you will need to have some patience. 

You eventually are going to be successful, (statistics say so) and you're going to be the mom and daughter you really want to be.

I see the tv ads for the kids at St Jude's Hospital who are suffering with terminal cancers, and scary treatments every day of their lives.

Yet they still manage to have smiles on their faces, and I am embarrassed that I have the nerve to complain at all.

Think about it.

-David

Wow David you have a way with words and really put things into perspective for me.  I will recover and some of those young ones won't and I've lived way longer then they have.  It's people like you David that helps us all get thru this.  I am actually doing the water titration and did my first cut last night and this morning was feeling it. I think I'm just going to be one of the people who might take a bit longer to recover but that's ok because I will do it right this time around.  Thanks again!!!  

P.S.

I will be re-reading your message alot.....

David,

Good luck with your taper as well.  You are a brave soul!!!

K marie, see you are starting your taper, and don't worry if you want to go slower than some you read about here.  Its not a race,which you'll hear on this site often.  If you need help with anything, just ask and someone will jump in with a suggestion or an experience they have had to help you make your own decisions.

st.

Hi Kristen,

I know it hurts, but it's the only path we can take to be well again.  David is right, come here and talk to us, let us help you through this.  I've watched hundreds of people make it to the other side, there's no reason why you won't be one of them.  If you need a success story to follow, listen to softtail, he did it right!

Pam