Moving myself over to here-- input please on best way stabilize, then taper more

Hi, posted in Titration but guess that is not hte right place.

Think some of you know my story by now (sorry about that... I'm sure it gets old):

Am on 3 things:  bit of klon, low valium, and ambien.  I am stuck, afraid to make a mood and dr. said do not taper until stable.  I am not much functional.

I'm on:  .03 g of .171 (weight) which is the Klonopin, and that is a .5mg pill. 

And .13 of .169 valium, the 2 mg pill.

And approx 2/3- 3/4 ambien.

I got over to valium, ok, but then such deep deep depression could not stand it.  So was going back to klon.  But my decision making ability seems to have gone out hte window in all of this... don't know what happened to my 'follow through.'  So, here I am on bits of stuff.

Was put on these for severe sleep disorder, pre-benzo.  Worst symptoms are agoraphobia, vibrating, inability to follow thorugh with about anything, insomnia, hopelessness, fear. 

I tend to take the klon during the day and the rest at night... not that it is enough to make me sleep.  It isn't.

Thanks for your thoughts and help.

The Klonopin dose that you are on is about the equivalent of 3.5 mg of valium: .03 g divided by .171 then multiplied by 20 to figure out the valium equivalent for crossover purposes.

".13 of .169 valium, the 2 mg pill" = about 1.54 mg of valium.

That puts you on a total of about 5.5 mg of valium per day, not counting the Ambien.

I would leave the Ambien for last to taper off of.

How long have you been holding at this level?

Also, how do you cut the medicines that you take?  Do you crush the pills and weigh the amounts?

I think I remember that you mentioned that you tried crossing over to valium but it made you depressed.  I don't want to be prescriptive or disregard anything about your condition, but valium is easier to taper off because it has a longer half life and because since you are taking a larger dose of it to equal the amount of Klonopin, you can taper off it by smaller amounts, which makes the reductions easier.

Normally I would say to consider gradually transitioning over to liquid valium diluted with water at a ratio of 1 ml liquid valium to 9 ml of water, and then tapering very slowly. 

Hi, confused!

Um, it was many months ago someone figured out the dose of klon and val and showed me what a 1/4 crossover might be (to klon) vs. half, etc.  I was basically on same does just half klon.

So if it is 5.5 valium, totally I am at twice what I was...  I don't think that is possible??  I mean at that time I understood the conversion and since have not upped or down at all significantly they should be about 50/50 still.

??

As for valium probs (depression;  hot/cold sweats; host of others) ,  could this be because of the metabolites?  A dr. mentioned to me valium not so good for older people.  I recall reading somewhere that not so long acting ones were perhaps better for the old.

Thanks.