Major hiccup in clonazepam titration

I have been liquid tapering from clonazepam, dry cut from my initial dose from 3 mg per day until .25 mg per day. Have been cutting .01 mg/day while using the liquid taper. Yesterday, my dose was .04 mg, so I am almost done. My symptoms have been moderate to at times fairly significant, but I understand that I am probably tapering a bit fast. Unfortunately, it is dictated by the supply of clonazepam that I have left because I lost doctor support as my doctor did not believe I could have such intense withdrawals from such a low dose. Her suggestion was to just jump at 0.25 mg.

 

My question comes in here: last night, for the first time in my liquid taper, I had a debilitating panic episode. I was completely unhinged, and I did not know what to do. I took one 0.5 mg pill of alprazolam that I have left from an earlier script, and was able to calm down. I worry that this was a major mistake. All of my clonazepam is in liquid solution and there’s not much left, and I have 2 0.5 mg alprazolam left. That’s it.

 

Did I reset my tolerance or anything major like that? Is it safe to continue my taper? I took .03 mg today, and feel pretty horrible- but I want to just finish this out if I can especially given I am basically out of benzos.

 

Thanks

Do you think you could find another dr to support you while you taper slowly? If you bring them the Ashton manual, I would imagine they would be sympathetic. Otherwise, I have heard of people jumping at .03. I'm considering doing it myself. Maybe someone else will have better advice.

Try to avoid using the Xanax its so so potent. Clon has a long half life so if you can continue a slow taper if you find a decent doc.

How confident are you about a jump? Its so much up to how you have coped with benzos in the past

Good luck

D

 

Welcome:

 

I goofed up one night and took too much clonazepam and was super stressed.  I had no help then but I went back to my last taper dose and I was fine.  It takes

longer than a one time dose to destroy brain cells I believe.

 

Don't panic.  There is information you can take to even your stubborn ignorant doctor from Kaiser Permanente that strongly advises taper plans for withdrawal of benzos.

KPWA benzodiazepine and z-drug safety guidelines PDF.  I can't seem to pull up the link but it is a printable document.  The doctor cannot ignore this warning.

 

My withdrawal symptoms did not become too much worse until I got to .25 mg out of 2 mg that I was on for 18  years.  I have had to adjust my taper to smaller increments as I go but know I won't really heal until I get this drug out of my system.  The key is to never (unless you just goof) go back up.  I will pray you

can push through this.  Hopefully you can find a dose where you feel like you did when you started your taper and go from there.  I'm tapering at .004 per day and

it will have taken me about 5 months to taper off this last .25 but I am feeling better for the most part as I taper. 

 

Good luck new friend,

Klonkar

Thanks everyone, I continued tapering at .01 mg per day and have not dosed xanax since my last post. 4/25 was my first day with no benzos and so far my symptoms are significant and problematic, but I am hopeful they will begin to improve in time.

Wishing you well

Dick

Dear Strongenough.

 

You are very courageous and I hope this message finds you still optimistic today.  I wish I had been as smart as you many years ago to understand what was happening

to me in my early years of taking clonazepam.  I really wasn't aware that I had become an emotionless zombie.  The only thing I knew was that I had to have it to sleep.

It certainly wasn't providing a euphoric high.

 

I have read often that the first couple of weeks after jumping off a benzo or z-drug is tough no matter how long or how much one has used.  Please be kind to

yourself and give yourself permission to rest, sleep and enjoy anything you can.  Heather Ashton had so much experience in treating hundreds of patients and she

said "true recovery cannot really start until the drug is out of the system". Whether this drug is attached to neurons, stored in the brain fatty tissues or that maybe

we just don't have as many neurotransmitters as we used to, our bodies have a miraculous way of healing themselves.

 

Eat a good diet, drink lots of water, breathe deep often, exercise as much as possible and look forward to the days when you know you are healing.

 

Be well friend and know I am thinking of you.

 

Klonkar