2 Year's 6.0 Klonopin PTSD Rapid Drop/Soft Landing

                                           

                                                                                              Rapid Drop/Soft Landing

 

My body and Mind were not OK so I decided to drop the Klonopin. MD wanted to take me Higher but I got Altitude Sickness. With out any regret I began my drop from 6.0mg K. Did not take long to get out of the clouds and hit Turbulence LOL! 5.0 K   I began to look to see which way the wind blow (researched on the internet). Pulled my main chute (added Insositol 500mg, Q-10 100mg, B-6 200mg, Fish Oil 2400mg, Magnesium Glycinate 400mg/Day. Tart Cherry Powder (Body Calm) 1064mg 8x/Day, Passion Flower (Body Calm Supreme) 200mg 3X/day. Valerian Root Extract,Green Tea & American Ginseng Tea 4x/Day or as desired. Night time Melatonin 6mg & Valerian Root Extract & Passion Flower 400mg or Benadril & Passion Flower 400mg for Sleepy Time! Free Fall slowed to .25mg K/Day AH Better! Drop less rapid but still hit turbulence (anxiety, insomnia, Depression etc.). Spread Eagle at .125mg K trying to find a soft landing ( razor blade cuts & lines of 1mg K). Looking for a soft landing found Benzo Buddies!!!!! Plan to glide in at .0625 then .031=.62mg diazepam. Hey Benzo Buddies let me know what you think is .031K a soft landing? Should I float around a few weeks to stabilize then land? Looking for a way to end this Wild & Crazy trip with a soft landing! Don't want to bounce when I land! Any help would be welcome!

 

                                 

 

                                                                                                           Thanks for your help!

 

                                                                                                                 Teakettle

Hi Teakettle, Welcome to BenzoBuddies!

 

We're glad you found us, it sounds like you've made some amazing progress in reducing your dose from 6 milligrams of Klonopin?    Wow, that's a hefty dose, I know because I was taking that much when I quit cold turkey.  The way you're doing it is much better.

 

You're sure added a lot of supplements to your diet, how's that working for you?  Let us know how we can help you, we'll be around to answer any questions you might have.  Again welcome.

 

Pam

Pamster: the supplements help! I think! I notice the anxiety drops after taking the valerian, passion flower & tart cherry powder. When I wake up at night and have trouble going back to sleep I take more valerian, passion flower & tart cherry powder and find that it reduces the inner vibrations & helps me to relax and go back to sleep. The green tea, american ginseng &

valerian help with anxiety during the day! The other supplements I found on various sites indicating they helped with benzo withdrawl so I am just including them to hopefully make things as

smooth as possible. I found the tart cheery powder & passion flower in the book How to Get off Klonopin Safely by James Harper 2009. James recomends a slow direct taper with no cross over. He has many recomended supplements. I just chose to a couple which I also found mentioned on some internet sites.

 

Teakettle

I'm glad those supplements worked for you, Teakettle.  Some supplements help some people some of the time and some people have an adverse reaction to them.  Also, supplements are not really regulated so it can be hard to know if  you are getting what the package label says.  You seem to be one of the lucky ones when it comes to supplements. 

 

For others reading this thread and considering this book, I found this review on Amazon.com:

 

"There is some good advice here: you can succeed if you taper off of Klonopin slowly. However, the book is largely focused on promoting a line of dietary supplements that one company markets at exorbitant prices, leaving me to wonder if the author has an interest in the company. I tried some of the supplements, but even one month's worth is well over $100, and I didn't find that they made any significant difference in how I felt. Admittedly, I couldn't take all the supplements because I can't tolerate gelatin, which is the coating for many of his products, but those I could take didn't appear to affect my symptoms.

 

In addition, the factor the author suggests you use to compute the incremental reductions in Klonopin (.25) is high compared to what I have found recommended elsewhere (generally, .1), and high compared to what my doctor is using. All in all, I don't think that this book is useful, since it is primarily a shill for proprietary supplements and it establishes too rapid a withdrawal compared to other recommendations. "

 

I am familar with Harper's writings, I actually own on of his books too.  I found his taper rates outlined in the book I own to be pretty conservative. I believe I own the book he wrote before he wrote the How To Get off Klonopin safely book, but he does address benzos on the book I have read.  In that book, he recommended a rate of 5 percent every two weeks for a slow taper and I believe the other rate for a "Faster" taper is 10 percent every two weeks.  He may have revised these for the new book, I have yet to read it, but if he has excellerated the taper rates I am disappointed.  I never tried any of his supplements, I know he sells a bunch online, but I am glad you found something that worked for you.  I tried adding simple fish oil in during the inital stages of my taper, and it really reved up my symptoms, I think supplements work differently for everyone.

 

Good luck for the rest of your taper....sounds like you have a great handle on things..and have  found supplements that are working for you....

 

Tim

Beeper: You got me to check my "How to Get of Klonopin Safely" book. ******On page 134 2009 edition James Harper recommends a .125 reduction every 14 days.********* He does in the fast taper section suggest 3 .125mg reductions over 14 days each followed by no more than a maximum of .25mg reduction every 14 days. I agree he does promote his expensive supplements. Most of them can be purchased at a health food store or drug store. I have found the passion flower and tart cherry very helpful with anxiety,insomnia and inner trembling. I found my last .25 reduction to be the worst. (some body jerks, insomnia and anxiety) after about 3 days as in the past the problems became less noticeable. I plan to stretch my next drops of .0625 and .031 out to two weeks to try to heal my body (earlier reductions were rapid). At 6mg a .5 reduction was only 8%, at 5mg a .5 reduction was 10%. At 4mg .5 reduction was only 13%. I found the .5 and .25 reductions easy to dry cut. 10% is harder to dry cut. So I did 9 weeks of .5  then dropped to .25, .125 and now .0625. The valerian (natural valium according to some internet sites) works quite well for anxiety,inner trembling & insomnia. Thanks for answering my post!

                                           

                                                                                                        Teakettle

 

The book I own had different taper rates, I think the book is called "How to get off of Psychiatric Drugs Safely"...looks like he revised his rates for the new book.

 

Tim

this gives me hope to see you doing so well after being on such a high dose, thanks for sharing!

TC: Thanks for the support. 24 hrs after cutting .0625mgK from .125mgK. Mild body jerks last night & a little trouble getting to sleep. Still have inner trembling. The depression is almost gone. Think I will hold for two weeks at .065 to heal more then probable drop to .031mgK wait another two weeks and then either drop or go to .0156 for two weeks ( cutting with razor and doing lines of k from 1mg tab) at that point I think the crumbs will be so small further reductions dry cutting would be to hard to measure so I will jump when the cuts are to small to measure with my eye. Thanks for the forum!

 

                                                                                                      Teakettle

Hi Teakettle,

 

Can you get the .50 mg tablets?

 

Pam

Hi Pamster! Thanks for the suggestion. I tried with my MD also asked about cross over to valium. He insists I need the K maybe more and or other drugs due to my sever PTSD. I would rather try natural ways of dealing with it and be drug free. I have resisted suggestions to try other drugs. I am almost free. At .0625mgK split in two doses/day (cutting with razor & doing lines of K from 1mg tab) not the best but doable. I think I will hold two weeks maybe 3 or 4 then go to.031 hold a week to 3. Then ..0156 a week or two maybe 3 and then .0156 every other day maybe followed by

.0156 ever third day. At that point or sooner the cuts are so small I can not measure so its jump time. Hopefully soft landing & uneventful healing!

 

                                                                                                                        Teakettle

I have no idea how you're cutting your doses so small, but my hat's off to you!    Glad you're not listening to your Dr, no one NEEDS benzo's.  Gees, the manufacturers only suggest using them from 2 to 4 weeks MAX, and they did the research.  I'm not sure why Dr's seem to think a lifetime on these things is acceptable. 

 

I'm not sure about the dosing every other day, or third day.  I didn't taper, but from what I've seen around here, most folks say it's best to keep things on the steady downward trend, it seems like erratic dosing would send some strange messages to your brain.  But, as we say quite often, this is your taper, your way.  We're just here to offer suggestions and support. 

Hi Pamster! Thanks for the thoughts. I think I will just stick to every day dosing and jump when the cuts get so small I cant measure. Your right alternate day dosing might just keep shocking

my body. I got the idea on some other website but think I will stick to daily dosing.

 

                                                                                                      Teakettle

 

                                                                                       

Hi TeaKettle,

 

I think Pam gave you some pretty good advice on the daily dosing.  I have seen a few members try the every other day dosing and wind up in trouble near the end of the taper.  The daily dosing seems to help because it keeps the level of the drug in the bloodstream more even.  Congrats on being almost done with your taper.

 

Tim

I am glad that you joined BB, Teakettle.

 

I know that, here, you will find the support and information that you either want or need.

 

I think that you have done incredibly well, all things considered.  I know that you had to have had some rough spots.

 

You are the very person I have "met" who has experienced benefit from the use of supplements.  That is really something.  I am very glad that they are of help to you.

 

You are so close to being a zero.  What an accomplishment!

 

I don't think that anyone can guarantee a "soft landing".  I wish that, across the board, that one has a "soft landing" at zero.  Some people seem to do quite well after being off of a benzo; some continue to have w/d symptoms.  The length of time is so varied.

 

I hope that more people reply to your post.  I hope that there are members who will tell you that they, indeed, had a very "soft landing".

 

In my reading, I have found that most people just keep feeling better, the lower they go.  I am hoping that this is so for you.

 

I am nowhere near zero.  I'm still tapering.  Your "story" was of help to me.  I will come back to it to read your "signature".  Your tapering schedule was most interesting to me.

 

So, keep posting and replying.  Soon you will get to know the members and they you.

 

Thanks for the post. I sincerely wish you all the best.

 

- ajay -

 

 

Hi TC! Thanks for the suggestions about dosing daily vs every other day at the end. I will follow your advise and end my taper with what ever small dose I can cut to daily!

                                                                                                           

 

                                                                                                                Teakettle

Hi ajay! Thanks for the Warm welcome. I appreciate your support. It sure does help to communicate with others on the same journey!

 

 

 

                                                                                      Teakettle

Hi Iseetheforest! Thanks for the support! I hope you have a smooth trip and a soft landing!

 

                                                      Teakettle