Need help to tapet of Clonazepam 2.5 MG

Hi everyone, i realtime need Some advise. I m a 34 male. I was addicted to Cocaïne and alcohol for a few years. I’m there months sober now. Still have a lot of stress and anxiety. I want to collie a day treatment, but i have to quit Clonazepam as well. I really want to and i know i can. I was using 3 mg of Clonazepam. Now I m at 2.5 mg a few days ago I went to 2.25 mg and was shaking insiders. Now my psychiatrist Made a shedule to quit monday with Clonazepam and start tuesday  with 40 mg diazepam and go to 0 mg in 6 or 7 weeks. But i m so afraid. I did read Some horror Stories, that it is to quick for your brain to adjust. And i m also afraid that i Will het Some brain damage if intapet it to quick, is it possible to quit this fast? I know it s not recommanded. Any advise is welcom.

 

Sorry for my english

Hello Bms88, Welcome to BenzoBuddies!

 

Congratulations on getting off of the cocaine and alcohol, you're doing great, now comes your next challenge!  I think it's great you're planning to come off of the Clonazepam and have found a Dr to help you do this with a crossover to Valium, but it would be much more helpful if your Dr understood that a slow, safe taper is the best way to go. Perhaps you could show him The Ashton Manual, you would do so much better if you can go slow.  The taper schedule in the manual gives you a plan to taper off the Clonazepam while tapering onto the Valium and when you get all the way over, you begin to taper directly from the Valium.

 

I can tell you that if you do have to taper too quickly, you will heal, I quit cold turkey and I'm doing just fine.  It's easier on your body to go slowly, it minimizes symptoms so you can function, but not everyone gets that choice.

 

I do have one question, is there a reason why you want to get off of the Clonazepam now, sometimes it's better to allow your body to heal from the previous trauma, such as discontinuing from alcohol and other drugs. 

 

Let us know how we can help you.

 

Pamster

 

Thnx for your fast reply! I have to quit because i want to live in a soberhouse and follow a program 3 times a week. And you can’t use any benzo’s in the sober living house. Hé wants to convert the 2.5 mg to 40 mg diazepam and than taper it in 6 of 7 weeks. Because he says that in a setosus facility people are doing it in 30 days. I allready have a lot of stress and the idea makes me crazy. I never expedities to get symptoms from 2.5mg to 2.25. So the plan is to thake Tomorrow 2.5 mg Clonazepam and sunday quit the Clonazepam and take 40 mg of valium and reduce it Every week. ( the valium ) But all the Stories are making me so stressed out. I do have the say quitting benzo’s is harder than cocaïne and alcohol. I m also afraid that i Will damage my brain if i go to fast. I have an 8 week option as well. But what i don’t understand is how you can just quit the Clonazepam in a day and go to valium the next day. He says it s easier. I m really in a dilemma.

Hello Bms88, Welcome to BenzoBuddies!

 

Congratulations on getting off of the cocaine and alcohol, you're doing great, now comes your next challenge!  I think it's great you're planning to come off of the Clonazepam and have found a Dr to help you do this with a crossover to Valium, but it would be much more helpful if your Dr understood that a slow, safe taper is the best way to go. Perhaps you could show him The Ashton Manual, you would do so much better if you can go slow.  The taper schedule in the manual gives you a plan to taper off the Clonazepam while tapering onto the Valium and when you get all the way over, you begin to taper directly from the Valium.

 

I can tell you that if you do have to taper too quickly, you will heal, I quit cold turkey and I'm doing just fine.  It's easier on your body to go slowly, it minimizes symptoms so you can function, but not everyone gets that choice.

 

I do have one question, is there a reason why you want to get off of the Clonazepam now, sometimes it's better to allow your body to heal from the previous trauma, such as discontinuing from alcohol and other drugs. 

 

Let us know how we can help you.

 

Pamster

 

Did you quit 6 mg cold turkey? Respect! That must have been hell..

I would also prefer the Ashton manual, but it will take me about 5 months. Maybe I can ask for at least 10 weeks.

I agree that quitting alcohol was easier than benzo's, I've done both.  It sounds like this is the way it has to be for you, and if you want to live in the sober house bad enough, then you can do this.  It's going to be difficult, you already know this, but you're not going to be brain damaged as a result.  You're going to hurt and no one in the house, including your Dr will understand what you're going through, but if you're able to have internet access, we can help you through this.

 

I didn't do a crossover but I've seen members say that Valium is a totally different animal than Clonazepam so it's likely you'll feel some unpleasant symptoms at first, but hopefully after you get used to it, it will be an easier taper.  You could start a thread on the  Withdrawal Support (during your taper) board asking other members how they felt when crossing over to Valium, you may get some feedback.

Hello Bms88, Welcome to BenzoBuddies!

 

Congratulations on getting off of the cocaine and alcohol, you're doing great, now comes your next challenge!  I think it's great you're planning to come off of the Clonazepam and have found a Dr to help you do this with a crossover to Valium, but it would be much more helpful if your Dr understood that a slow, safe taper is the best way to go. Perhaps you could show him The Ashton Manual, you would do so much better if you can go slow.  The taper schedule in the manual gives you a plan to taper off the Clonazepam while tapering onto the Valium and when you get all the way over, you begin to taper directly from the Valium.

 

I can tell you that if you do have to taper too quickly, you will heal, I quit cold turkey and I'm doing just fine.  It's easier on your body to go slowly, it minimizes symptoms so you can function, but not everyone gets that choice.

 

I do have one question, is there a reason why you want to get off of the Clonazepam now, sometimes it's better to allow your body to heal from the previous trauma, such as discontinuing from alcohol and other drugs. 

 

Let us know how we can help you.

 

Pamster

 

Did you quit 6 mg cold turkey? Respect! That must have been hell..

I would also prefer the Ashton manual, but it will take me about 5 months. Maybe I can ask for at least 10 weeks.

 

Yep, cold turkey, it was ugly but I survived and so will you! 

 

Ask your Dr for as long as you can get, but if he's not on board, then just do your best, a sober house is such a good place for you since you so recently quit drugs and alcohol, hopefully he'll take pity on you and give you a longer taper schedule. 

I agree that quitting alcohol was easier than benzo's, I've done both.  It sounds like this is the way it has to be for you, and if you want to live in the sober house bad enough, then you can do this.  It's going to be difficult, you already know this, but you're not going to be brain damaged as a result.  You're going to hurt and no one in the house, including your Dr will understand what you're going through, but if you're able to have internet access, we can help you through this.

 

I didn't do a crossover but I've seen members say that Valium is a totally different animal than Clonazepam so it's likely you'll feel some unpleasant symptoms at first, but hopefully after you get used to it, it will be an easier taper.  You could start a thread on the  Withdrawal Support (during your taper) board asking other members how they felt when crossing over to Valium, you may get some feedback.

 

Will follow your advise;) I have internet access, but I have to be clean before the sober house and the therapy. You can only stay in the sober house if you are also benzo free. How long did the worst period last, i mean allmost unbearable in your situation?

Hello Bms88, Welcome to BenzoBuddies!

 

Congratulations on getting off of the cocaine and alcohol, you're doing great, now comes your next challenge!  I think it's great you're planning to come off of the Clonazepam and have found a Dr to help you do this with a crossover to Valium, but it would be much more helpful if your Dr understood that a slow, safe taper is the best way to go. Perhaps you could show him The Ashton Manual, you would do so much better if you can go slow.  The taper schedule in the manual gives you a plan to taper off the Clonazepam while tapering onto the Valium and when you get all the way over, you begin to taper directly from the Valium.

 

I can tell you that if you do have to taper too quickly, you will heal, I quit cold turkey and I'm doing just fine.  It's easier on your body to go slowly, it minimizes symptoms so you can function, but not everyone gets that choice.

 

I do have one question, is there a reason why you want to get off of the Clonazepam now, sometimes it's better to allow your body to heal from the previous trauma, such as discontinuing from alcohol and other drugs. 

 

Let us know how we can help you.

 

Pamster

 

Did you quit 6 mg cold turkey? Respect! That must have been hell..

I would also prefer the Ashton manual, but it will take me about 5 months. Maybe I can ask for at least 10 weeks.

 

Yep, cold turkey, it was ugly but I survived and so will you! 

 

Ask your Dr for as long as you can get, but if he's not on board, then just do your best, a sober house is such a good place for you since you so recently quit drugs and alcohol, hopefully he'll take pity on you and give you a longer taper schedule.

 

I will ask for 10 weeks I think, I only agreed to seven weeks because I didn’t do any research:(

I agree that quitting alcohol was easier than benzo's, I've done both.  It sounds like this is the way it has to be for you, and if you want to live in the sober house bad enough, then you can do this.  It's going to be difficult, you already know this, but you're not going to be brain damaged as a result.  You're going to hurt and no one in the house, including your Dr will understand what you're going through, but if you're able to have internet access, we can help you through this.

 

I didn't do a crossover but I've seen members say that Valium is a totally different animal than Clonazepam so it's likely you'll feel some unpleasant symptoms at first, but hopefully after you get used to it, it will be an easier taper.  You could start a thread on the  Withdrawal Support (during your taper) board asking other members how they felt when crossing over to Valium, you may get some feedback.

 

Will follow your advise;) I have internet access, but I have to be clean before the sober house and the therapy. You can only stay in the sober house if you are also benzo free. How long did the worst period last, i mean allmost unbearable in your situation?

 

Okay, I understand now, you have to quit the Clonazepam before you enter the sober house, well you have a very good incentive to get off of the benzo then. 

 

I think the acute stage was only about 3 weeks, where I couldn't move, sleep, eat or so it seemed breathe, but after that I was able to go back to work.  After that, I just endured as the months dragged on until I realized I was finally healed. 

I m currently on 22.5 mg from 2.5 mg (50 mg)  of Clonazepam in six weeks, I asked for another month so i have to quit on the 15 th of April. Four days ago I was doing better.. I could function a little. Now I feel so tired and depressed. I went to fast with tapering. I m afraid I will have a relapse with alcohol/cocaïne. Have butterflies in my stomach and never been so depressed. Every bit of stress you feel 50 times harder than usual :'(

I'm so sorry, I know what you're feeling, but alcohol and cocaine are going to make you feel 100 times worse, not the 50 you're feeling now.  Nothing can stop the way you feel except two things, one is time and the other is going back on a benzo and the only option you should look at is time.  Your brain is trying to repair the damage the drug has done, this takes a long time, benzo withdrawal is like no other drug withdrawal, and not many people understand it, to include many in the medical profession.

 

You can do this, you've done well so far and I know how determined you are to get your life back together.  This is going to be the hardest thing you've ever done, but the reward will be greater than you can know right now. 

Thank you so much for your message! I really needed this

Keep coming back, okay, we want to know how you're doing. 

Thank you so much for your message! I really needed this

 

So I had a relapse with a binge while tapering:( with alcohol and cocaine for 2 weeks.. I m 2 weeks sober and I m on 17.5 mg diazepam. And you were right my symptoms are so bad!! During my relapse I was very paranoia and breathing was difficult. Also I had days that I did not take any diazepam at all. I will never use again I hope certainly not during tapering.  Than I slept for a week, but the last few days I have hyperventilation. I talk a lot, hyperventilating also I m very scared the last 3 days I have some kind of depersonalization. It s like I m on a automatic pilot, like my mind and body are not together? Can this be a withdrawal symptom. I m very scared. It s not a psychosis;)

I'm sorry to hear you had a relapse, life can be so good when you leave this stuff behind, I hope you can find a way out of this cycle.  For now though, you need to read chapter 3 of  The Ashton Manual, it will list your symptoms and why you feel them, so try not to be afraid of psychosis, they're just symptoms.

I m currently on 16 mg Valium, it s so hard! I did read the Ashton Manual and the symptoms. But I need some advice, when I was 19 I used I also had a lot of “psychosomatic symptoms and was perscribed 4 x 0.5 Clonazepam after 3 years i did taper it in 3 months and did not really have that much difficulty with it. Maybe my nervous system was stronger and also did not use other drugs alcohol. I m still sober from the the drugs and alcohol after a relapse a month ago during my tapering. Could it be that my nervous system is so out of balance that I become crazy if I continue. I m so hyperactive talk all the time and it is escalating. Also I m constantly in a “haze” it like my mind and body are not one. Yesterday I was calling someone and was searching for my phone and had the phone in my hands!! Is it maybe better to switch to 2 or 3 times a day 0.5 mg and when I m 3 or 4 months sober from alcohol/cocaine. Then start to taper the clonazepam. To calm my nervous system down. Also Valium makes me so foggy. Or do I have to pull through?

Do you still need to get free of the benzo's so you can go to the sober living facility, or has that opportunity disappeared?  This would be helpful for us to know in order to advise you on a taper.

Yes, i still have to be benzo free. I asked for 3 more months. So I have to be benzo free. By the end of may. But the way I’ m feeling now is so strange, that I don’t know if it is the withdrawal or extreme disfuctional nervous system. In the morning I feel Ok, but as the day progresses I become so hyperactive. Talk all day and become more more in a sort of haze, like I m observing my self. And I tapered from 17.5 to 16mg, so That s not rapid imo. I m thinking about switching back to Clonazepam. And just start tapering off Clonazepam and maybe move the sober house to August. But then I have to quit my treatment and come back again in June. I m just too afraid my nervous system won’t heal and that I will stay like this forever.

I don't know if cocaine affects GABA receptors but I know alcohol messes most members up royally, I feel you've added an extra layer of misery to your condition.  I don't know if delaying your taper by switching back to Clonazepam is a good idea because of your history, perhaps the sooner you can get into the sober living house the better.

 

No matter what benzo you decide to taper from, you're going to have pain, this is because of your previous use and your sensitized central nervous system, but this doesn't mean you'll be like this permanently.  If you get off of the Valium, recover from it and stay clean and sober, I don't see why you can't heal from this.  The human body is amazing, it's always working to right the wrongs we do to it, so if you let it do it's job without poisoning it, you'll be fine.

 

 

I talked to a Herbalist, he knew a lot about the benzo’s, he said my doctor made a mistake my switching Clonazepam to diazepam 50 mg in one day and I tapered it to 16 mg in 2.5 months that s why I m full of adrenaline And hyperactive, I think if I continue I m just will go crazy:( he also said I m going to fast. And that my adrenaline levels are through the roof that s why I am hyperactive all the time and have hyperventilation, I should taper at a much slower rate. He recommended some relaxation herbals.. just took them and feel sedated, the hyperactivity is less but the anxiety is worse! The last week has been a hell I’m still on 16 mg Valium. Did not taper for the last few weeks and it s getting worse and worse especially if I m in a crowded place it s like I’m in a fog, IMO also act weird because my self confidence has become so low. And constantly in a confused state. So I have a few questions.

- I asked for a few more months with tapering I think I can still do the soberhouse even if I finish my taper in July.

- 2 Should I switch to the same dosage of Clonazepam would be around 1 mg ? Or is that a shock for the Brain?

- 3 I also bought some sleep herbals mix GABA/L theanine and Ashwaganda 10 mg in one pill? Is that ik? ( Should have asked it first here )

Your herbalist is right, this has been too much too fast, but you were on a timeline not prescribed by your body as it should have been but prescribed by a timeline set by your hope to get into a sober living house.  Many people don't handle a cross to Valium well, especially if it's not done right and the person is not warned up front that its not a magic bullet, there is still pain associated with it.  Benzo's are not like any other drug withdrawal, it can't be rushed and when it is, there is more pain. 

 

Your symptoms are normal for someone who has tapered too quickly and for someone who has introduced other toxic substances.  I would caution you to be wary of adding any other substances to include the herbals you mention.  I don't have anything against supplements, but I've seen enough members react negatively to them to know your central nervous system is hyper sensitive right now, so there is no way of knowing how you're going to react to them.  I'd do a search on the Alternative Therapies & Supplements board to see what others have had to say.

 

Crossing back to Clonazepam is an option, but it will be difficult to find the correct dose.  The equivalencies aren't set in stone, but more to know is that once your body goes into withdrawals, it's difficult to find a stable dose in which to taper from.  You may not stabilize on 1 mg which is roughly equivalent to 20 mgs Valium, what will be your plan if you still feel terrible, will you taper or go up higher in dose, what will your Dr support?  July isn't a very long taper from 1 mg of Clonazepam, it's still too fast.

 

I'm sorry this is so rough, and I know I've not given you the hope you probably need right now.  Have you checked out the Ashton manual lately, read chapter 3 to know your symptoms are common?  https://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/bzcha03.htm

The last 5 weeks, I did not taper down. I m still on 16 mg for a month . But the strange thing that I react very differently than in the beginning, i really feel the Valium “kick in” become sort of sleepy/drunk and act strange it’s like my personality changed!  I did read the manual. But what I don’get is why I become more and more tired. I did not taper it for a month. And feel extremely tired. And what I’m anxious about is that also getting more and more hyperactive, I talk then think. Everyone think that I have ADHD.. but I don’t have that..I m doing everything so fast! And what if I have a burn out and start tapering further? I allready see light flashes.. so I’m in a dillema switch back to 1.25 mg Clonazepam hold for 3 weeks and than taper. Or just continue to taper from the 16 mg mg of Valium. But if i don’t go take Valium for 3 more months even 5mg makes me tired.

The doctor says it s up to me. Sometimes I just want to quit C/T.

Also Clonazepam works very different l. It s a categorie 2. So you can’t drive for a day. Diazepam is Cat day 3. You can not drive for 3 days. Clonazepam does not have the active metabolics ( they make you tired as well)

It sounds like you've decided to stay on the Valium even though it's making you feel tired but hyper, I wonder if you'd feel less tired if you started a taper?

It sounds like you've decided to stay on the Valium even though it's making you feel tired but hyper, I wonder if you'd feel less tired if you started a taper?

I want to try it but I m afraid to get a psychosis, I m was feeling less tired at 30 mg about 9 weeks ago, but never liked Valium. I think the hyperactive state is also partially stress. And what if I become even more hyperactive. That s why I want to switch.. or do I have to pull through. I also had the problem with alcohol/cocaine. But the relapse did scare me so much especially during the withdrawal. I think the alcohol/cocaine made me also hyper. There are a few layers.. I m just wondering what if I m so stressed that it is not responsible to quit. What if I get a nervous breakdown? And I think the doctors don’t really get the whole benzo problem and are not informed enough. You give me more advise than the doctors;)

There are so many if's, I can see why you're stuck, but the way I see it you have two choices.  One is to taper from the Valium and hopefully enter the sober living house or two, stay on the drug with an unknown future.

 

Yes, if you taper the Valium you'll likely feel terrible but you'll be benzo free and on the road to the life you want.  No one will understand your pain but you'll be given opportunities in the sober home that you won't get if you stay on the drug.  Losing this opportunity because of fear is understandable but I hate to see you do it when you need it to help you with your other issues. 

 

I know about addiction, it takes a lot of work to get past it and it takes being honest with yourself.