Wanting to start taper soon

Hello.

My story with Benzos began innocuously with a General MD prescription.  At the time, I was married to a Sociopath and I was stressed out all the time.  I was prescribed Klonopin and took as needed from about 2008 till this year.  I went periods without taking any, but always came back.  My dose was always 0.5mg.  I probably averaged about 3 doses/pills per week for most of those 10 years.  It was generally very effective for a window of 2-6 hours, but I experienced a range of symptoms due to not keeping a constant amount in my system, at times completely leaving my bloodstream.  I took it as needed (as directed), meaning I never took it daily, until this year.  This year a therapist suggested for me to stop struggling and take more of the drug.  I talked to my NP Physiatrist about it and he reluctantly agreed.  0.5mg everyday. 

For 2 solid months, I felt that all my problems were solved.  No more highs and lows.  Lowered stress and very positive.  That changed after about 2.5 months. 

After a bit over 3 months, I've found the dose is no longer effective.  Sometimes I increase the dose and it isn't working as well either. 

It seems that I have built up a tolerance and the 0.5 daily is no longer effective.  I am now experiencing everyday my usual symptoms when things are bad- increased anxiety, negative thoughts, redness of skin (neck), and sometimes prickling in the same area- these last 2 causing the most distress.  Its very uncomfortable and causes a lot of negativity/frustration.

I am determined to come off of it in 2019.  I bought a 100mL cylinder and 10mL syringes to start titration.  My plan is to use whole (organic) milk. 100 days.  This is somewhat faster than the recommended...Ashton recommends tapering no more than 5-10% every 2-4 weeks.  While this is a general rule, I don't think the same math need apply to both situations: a person taking 5mg/day and another 0.5mg/day.  Even 2mg/day is 4x the quantity of 0.5mg. 

I have a meeting with the NP in 2 weeks to review my taper plan.  But he really doesn't understand what I go through, and he hadn't even heard of the Ashton Manual.  He suggested previously on my low dose I could just stop without much problems.  I think he is wrong.  My main questions are 1) should I start immediately - therapists say winter is bad time to do med changes...but what i have is not working 2) Should I increase the dose before starting so that I get symptoms back under control 3) Is my taper schedule of 100 days too fast  4) It isn't so convenient to dose twice a day with titration method, is this necessary on a 100 day schedule, or what other things do you recommend?

Your help will be so valuable!  2019 is my year to break free of this awful dependence.

Welcome to BenzoBuddies!  We are glad you decided to join us.  You'll find a lot of support and information on this forum, which is the only one of its kind online.  many doctors and medical people don't know much about the realities of benzo withdrawal.  This is just a general welcome to the forum, you can ask specific questions about titration on our specialized boards.

For those starting a taper, we generally recommend starting out at a rate of 5 to 10% every 10-14 days, then adjusting the taper to suit your own needs.  Note: very short term users may be able to taper faster.

Withdrawal symptoms, which vary widely but commonly include anxiety and insomnia, often occur during a taper, but these are temporary and will get better in time.  In general, first tapers are easier, but cold turkeys or multiple withdrawals may be more severe and longer lasting.  Here are a few links to get you started:

The Ashton Manual, a concise reference for tapering and symptom issues.

Titration Taper Plans

Once again, welcome!