Referred from another board for help with taper schedule

Hi. I'm so happy to have found you all. I was on the benzowithdrawal board and someone said that I can find help on this board to titrate off of a low dose of klonopin. I suffer from chronic fatigue and other types of illnesses, but think that my 2 plus years of Klonopin use may be contributing to the dizzy spells, palpitations, etc. I'm only on .25, but that apparently is enough to really affect me because I was off for six days last week and got so ill. So yesterday, based on my doc and someone at a detox center, I went back on. But I really want to taper off.

Thanks,

Susan

Hi Susan

Welcome to Benzo Buddies!

For detailed information on titration check out the titration section of benzo Buddies.

You could do the 100ml method or a modified way by mixing your .25mgK in a cup of liquid and removing 1 tablespoon the first day followed by an additional tablespoon for each further reduction.

I have been doing the 100ml cylinder method and have found the withdrawal quite tolerable as compared to dry cutting.

I see you have Chronic fatigue which is speculated to be the same thing as Fibro which I have. My experience has been that at best the medicines give temporary relief and often soon

become the source of additional symptoms.

Dizzy spells and palpitations are quite common to those tapering off benzos.

I will look forward to seeing you around the Buddie Forum.

Teakettle

Hi Teakettle,

Thanks for your note. Can I really it do it so simply? That is fantastic. I read a lot about titration schedules and just got so confused. So I just take my 1/2 a pill and smoosh it in water, then dump out 1 tbsp and then two weeks later do two tbsps, etc.?

Wow. That would solve all the problem for me! No cylinders, math, etc. And I don't need to go crazy trying to find a doc to help. My psych doesn't think stopping .25 is a problem, so will only prescribe the regular doses, not a titrated dosage.

Yes, I have fibro too. My worst symptoms lately are migraines, dizziness, brain fog, palpitations. I am actually on a short term medical leave from work due to this. So even on the medication I have those symptoms. I'm starting to believe that, as you said, the medication itself is causing a lot of these problems. Being off the six days just made those symptoms worse.

Thank you so much!

Susan

Hi Susan

16 tablespoons=1 cup.

I slice the pill on a 4"x4" piece of paper and then crush with a knife blade (be careful to not have chips fly off).

Then I dump the crushed pill in the measured liquid (I use whole milk).

Agitate well with a spoon for about a minuet.

Remove reduction amount for the day. I then add back liquid to the mix and agitate so that I have the same original total volume of liquid. This makes it easier to make multiple portions of the dose as you get lower.

Divide the remaining mixture in however many portions you want to take your daily dose(I take 2 daily portions of my K dose to avoid interdose withdrawal symptoms).

Store portions in containers with lids in refrigerator.

Enjoy!!!

P.S. You could be done in 16 days or cut every other day and go slower to be done in 32 days. ( I tend toward the slower route). If  symptoms become intolerable just hold or go slower.

Teakettle

Sorry for being dumb. I'll blame it on the brain fog.  

So I'm already at 1/2 pill. I get that I should always use 1 cup for my amount. I can only drink water. I hope that is ok.

What I don't get is this: wouldn't I just need to drink that one cup - 1 tbsp before bed? I only take the medication once a day. So why would i have to divide it up? And why would I need to add more liquid if I'm just drinking it all then?

And then, every other day, just reduce by another tablespoon? So on day three, take the mix minus two tablespoons?

And then, if I feel withdrawal symptoms, do I go up a tablespoon or just stay at that level wherever I am until it passes?

Thanks for your help (and patience),

Susan

Lyonsden55-You've got it exactly right. If you are only dosing once a day you will not be dividing it up. Just drink the whole thing at once, minus the number of tablespoons you are taking out. If the symptoms become bad, don't remove any extra tablespoons until you stabilize.In other words,stay at the same dose until you feel better.. If 1 tablespoon reductions seem to be ramping up withdrawl symptoms to excess,you can always reduce by a 1/2tbsp or 1/4tbsp or what ever works for you. Hope this helps.

..............JIM

Thank you both so much. I am so happy and relieved about this. This is manageable.

Question:

Because I am experiencing all this dizziness even taking the K, maybe I should split the dose morning and night? For instance, the detox lady said maybe my body has started craving more even though I don't take a higher dose. It is profoundly uncomfortable. What do you think?

I took it earlier tonight and the dizziness reduced a bit. But maybe I need to keep the single dose.

Thanks again,

Susan

Hi Susan

Many Buddies find that when taking a short half life (means your drug blood level drops fast) benzo that symptoms can be reduced in intensity by trying to maintain a steady drug blood level.

This can be accomplished by splitting the dose in 2-3 portions daily.

Every one is different and if you find symptoms are mild during your taper no reason to complicate things and spit your dose.

I have never tried one dose per day. When I was at 6mgk I took 2mgK 3X per day.

I did notice an increase in symptoms when I switched to 2 doses/day but not so much that I felt motivated to go back to 3.

Now I take 2 doses per day and do feel an increase in symptoms just prior to each dose time.

What ever helps you to make it through the taper is GOOD.

Teakettle

I thought klonopin has a long half life. But is it possible that by splitting the dose my symptoms will reduce for now even before starting the taper?

I will try splitting my normal dose in two tomorrow and see if that helps my dizziness. It is really wearing me down.

I also think I will reduce by teaspoons and not tablespoons to go slower. But if I can get this dizziness under control with twice daily dosing, that would be a complete miracle in itself!

Thanks,

Susan

I thought klonopin has a long half life. But is it possible that by splitting the dose my symptoms will reduce for now even before starting the taper?

 

I will try splitting my normal dose in two tomorrow and see if that helps my dizziness. It is really wearing me down.

 

I also think I will reduce by teaspoons and not tablespoons to go slower. But if I can get this dizziness under control with twice daily dosing, that would be a complete miracle in itself!

 

Thanks,

Susan

It does relative to most benzos, Susan, just not when compared to valium/diazepam.  That is probably Teakettle's reference point.  A lot of people on the really short acting benzos, like xanax or ativan, are switched to klonopin to taper off of due to it's longer half-life.

Lyonsden55-I originally just dosed twice a day but found three times a day was much better. Klonopin  is actually a moderate half-life benzo but shouldn't be a problem with water titration. I think that just withdrawing by a teaspoon is a wise decision at first. See how your body reacts. The dizzyness you experience is a withdrawl symptom.

JIM