is it still a "cold turkey" if you 'jump off' at either .25 or.125 Clonopin?

I am currently at .25 clonopin and doing reasonably well. If I stop now is that 'cold turkey'? If I go down to .125 for 1-2 weeks and then stop, is that cold turkey? or does the cold turkey thing mostly apply to higher doses? Thanks for feedback...

I don't think it's Ct but I think it's very risky.  You have been tapering, right? 

If not, it is Ct.  What imo, you are risking, is how rough the withdrawal symptoms maybe on the other side.  That's just mo.  Mary 💜

Also, if it is Ct, you may be risking a seizure. 

It's funny how people on here praise Dr. Ashton as some type of god of benzo wd's but then routinely dismiss her work. According to Dr. Ashton it is not only safe but recommended to jump off at 1mg of Valium. .125 mg of Klonopin is equivalent to 1mg of Valium. This is coming from the Ashton manual. So yes it is safe by all known standards, here on BB you will find that people routinely never come off by their own design.

I jumped at .5 (highest prescribed dose was 4 mg). I did taper but it was fast. The withdrawal was awful when I jumped - but a year out I feel amazing. I’m not sure I would recommend jumping from that dose but I’m so glad it’s all over and I’m fine. My life is exponentially better than when I was on k. Best of luck.

Day, most of us on here have had a rough taper and I will admit we can be overly cautious.  However, we are just trying to keep you from problems  .  Good luck, whatever you decide!  Mary 💜

dagored

from my understand per Dr. Ashton manual In the US .125mg of Klonopin is equivalent to 2.5mg of Valium.

In the US 0.5mg Klonopin is equivalent to 10mg of Valium.

 

Mary, I jumped off of Klonopin at .02mg and still had lots of systems then 1 month later had to reinstate.

Big mistake to reinstate thought I was dying ended up in the ER and they said to reinstate.

now back to weaning off Klonopin.

I would go down if possible just to make sure. No it's not cold turkey.

Wishing you the best.

 

dagored, I don't think this is true:

 

It's funny how people on here praise Dr. Ashton as some type of god of benzo wd's but then routinely dismiss her work. According to Dr. Ashton it is not only safe but recommended to jump off at 1mg of Valium

 

I don't think anyone regards her as "some type of god". She was an important, ground-breaking pioneer in this area. Indeed, has there been another?

 

Nor do we "routinely dismiss her work". Even she admits that her tables and schedules are just guidelines for us. As the risk of uttering a cliché, everyone's different. If we have to deviate from her schedule a bit, I don't think that's dismissing her work.

 

I followed her withdrawal schedule for valium and it was way too fast for me. The schedule I followed stopped at .5 mgs . . . not 1 mg. She has spoken about not prolonging one's taper below .5 mgs.  don't recall her advocating stopping at 1 mg. But of course, I could be wrong. I haven't read everything she's written.

 

I think Mary adequately answered the OP's question.

 

Personally I would not jump from .25 mgs of clonopin. That's the equivalent of 5 mgs of valium. And .125 is 2.5 mgs of valium. Again, personally, I think that's too high. But that's not the question the OP posted. That's just my opinion on his dosage and his wondering when/where to jump.

 

So, Day, I wouldn't do it, but that's up to you. As Mary said, most of us have had rough tapers and are pretty darned cautious.

 

Wishing you the best, whatever your choice.

 

Katz 

 

 

 

 

I am currently at .25 clonopin and doing reasonably well. If I stop now is that 'cold turkey'? If I go down to .125 for 1-2 weeks and then stop, is that cold turkey? or does the cold turkey thing mostly apply to higher doses? Thanks for feedback...

 

It is going to depend on you.

I quit 8 mg a day clonazepam in 6 weeks.

So it can be done.

Off over 1.5 years ago.

Feel fine.

 

The psych nurse practitioner who is advising me said 'you can just quit right now if you want to.' When I said no, she said ok then 1 week at .25 and 1 week at .125, then off and throw the pills away. From the responses here that sounds dangerous, but my problem is that even at low doses the clonopin now makes me hyper alert and unable to sleep, plus I'm getting some breathing problems from it, so I'm very motivated to get off (as everyone is I know). I have considered trying to switch to valium but that seems to be a bad idea too. I haven't really been tapering consistently, so I guess that needs to happen first or it is a cold turkey. I came down pretty fast from .5 mg and did have some ugly symptoms. Two months seems like an eternity but I guess that's the best option... I know the decision is up to me but I appreciate the various points of view...

I chose a faster route. I know myself - I’m the ‘rip the bandaid off type’ - and I’m so grateful to be done with benzos. It wasn’t pretty. It was terrible actually. But it’s done - and I’ll never go back. I think slow is good. I went fairly slow -  although not that slow by standards here.  I jumped at .5. I’m fine. I’m better than fine. I’m happy, so happy to be done with it. One year for me on a August 18th!

 

I say all of the above to really say this - quitting klonopin was one of the hardest things I e ever done. The withdrawal was terrible. I felt terrible. For a while. But then one day - the fog in my eyes literally lifted. And it was all worth it. So insanely worth it.

 

Bottom line - there really are no hard fast rules. Everyone is different. You have to decide what’s best for you. There are so many people here to hold your hand along the alway.

 

*typed on my phone so I apologize for the autocorrects and typos.

The psych nurse practitioner who is advising me said 'you can just quit right now if you want to.' When I said no, she said ok then 1 week at .25 and 1 week at .125, then off and throw the pills away. From the responses here that sounds dangerous, but my problem is that even at low doses the clonopin now makes me hyper alert and unable to sleep, plus I'm getting some breathing problems from it, so I'm very motivated to get off (as everyone is I know). I have considered trying to switch to valium but that seems to be a bad idea too. I haven't really been tapering consistently, so I guess that needs to happen first or it is a cold turkey. I came down pretty fast from .5 mg and did have some ugly symptoms. Two months seems like an eternity but I guess that's the best option... I know the decision is up to me but I appreciate the various points of view...

Now that I look at the numbers people have given, it's more like 5 months to actually get to .5 mg equivalent valium, as Ashton suggests as a'jump off' place, and that is if all goes well. I see that I am 10x too high at .25 clonopin. Wow, that is truly a nightmare. How would I cut the .5 clonopin pills that small? So, it has to be titration or. a drastic jump... no easy answers, to say the least...

Now that I look at the numbers people have given, it's more like 5 months to actually get to .5 mg equivalent valium, as Ashton suggests as a'jump off' place, and that is if all goes well. I see that I am 10x too high at .25 clonopin. Wow, that is truly a nightmare. How would I cut the .5 clonopin pills that small? So, it has to be titration or. a drastic jump... no easy answers, to say the least...

 

Benzo's suck! 

Now that I look at the numbers people have given, it's more like 5 months to actually get to .5 mg equivalent valium, as Ashton suggests as a'jump off' place, and that is if all goes well. I see that I am 10x too high at .25 clonopin. Wow, that is truly a nightmare. How would I cut the .5 clonopin pills that small? So, it has to be titration or. a drastic jump... no easy answers, to say the least...

 

Benzo's suck!

  -simplicity at its best, Mary M

 

Hi Day,

Yes, I would probably look at liquid titration for low dose tapering..

 

Best wishes..

I know it's different for everyone, but just wondering in general, with a titration taper of 10% per two weeks, how bad do the withdrawal symptoms tend to be, relative to larger cuts... can a person expect to be somewhat functional at least some of the time, or does it still tend to be daily misery?

I know it's different for everyone, but just wondering in general, with a titration taper of 10% per two weeks, how bad do the withdrawal symptoms tend to be, relative to larger cuts... can a person expect to be somewhat functional at least some of the time, or does it still tend to be daily misery?

 

Your mind never stops  .

I know you are in a hurry, but imo, yes, I said those damn words again  . Start out at 5%, see how you do, if you are feeling ok, move up to 7%, how are your symptoms, if you are still tolerable, kick it to 10%, that way you can catch any symptoms revving up before you get in trouble.  But always be monitoring those symptoms.  Does that sound like a fair plan? 

Mary,

Wise words ---- agree !

Mary,

Wise words ---- agree !

 

I expect the next post in an hour  :laugh:  just playing with you, believe me, my mind never stops either.  And your questions make sense

Thanks for responding to all my questions. Much appreciated. I am trying to sort this out. this is all pretty new to me. Unfortunately I was incredibly naive getting stuck in this. One more question if I may. Would I be considered a "short-term' user based on my use of about 4 1/2 months.... I suspect not-- that short term would apply maybe to 2-4 weeks-- and so only need a shorter term taper. Know it's not good to be in too much of a hurry and will heed your wise words. Thanks again.

Thanks for responding to all my questions. Much appreciated. I am trying to sort this out. this is all pretty new to me. Unfortunately I was incredibly naive getting stuck in this. One more question if I may. Would I be considered a "short-term' user based on my use of about 4 1/2 months.... I suspect not-- that short term would apply maybe to 2-4 weeks-- and so only need a shorter term taper. Know it's not good to be in too much of a hurry and will heed your wise words. Thanks again.

 

Actually, you could be a short timer in actual time frame, however if you are sensitive to the benzo, that time frame in your body could seem much longer, so that is kind of a slippery slope and back to the everyone reacts differently, does that make sense?

Yes, many thanks...

You can look but I believe Ashton said short term users can get off faster and for many, faster is better especially if the benzo is causing you problems.  I still think 4.5 months is fairly short and that possibly, you could taper over a couple of months or less.  Many have dragged out a taper according to a longer term use and it's come back and bit them.  As Mary said, everyone is different.  Each of us can only say what we would do and if it were me, knowing what I know now, I would still get off as quick as I safely could if I were in your shoes. 

 

*Am I a short term user, -thus, can/should I get off faster..??*

 

This question probably has half a dozen main “considerations” for an individual...

 

Perhaps apply some caution, but not needless over caution, or more, be prepared to adjust ones tapering if needed, as things unfold..

 

Just my morning blurt, and not specific to anyones situation.. -That takes a LOT of reading (ones posting history), usually over a period of time.. One of the hard parts is attempting to “gauge” how intense someones symptoms are, how they have/are changing, and why..

 

Hope that helps.. when added to the mix of replies..

 

-oh ok, -Shortish term perhaps.. -BUT...??

 

And the main thing I would try to avoid is shocking ones CNS with intense symptoms or changes..

 

 

can...good point !

can...good point !

Thanks Never...

-Well, half a point maybe..   lol

 

 

LOL