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Can withdrawal symptoms be delayed for several months?


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Hi everyone,

 

I've learned a lot since I joined this community.  Thanks to everyone for sharing so freely.

 

I've been taking clonazepam for about 20 years or so.  About a year ago, my psychiatrist and I agreed that I would decrease my clonazepam dosage.  I was taking .5 mg three times daily.  He suggested that I start with the middle dose (noon) and decrease it by .25.  Within a few days, I knew that it wasn't going to work.  I decided on my own to decrease the noon dose by .125 - basically I cut one half of the scored pill in half and took 3/4 of the pill.  It wasn't easy, but I tolerated it.  I checked in with my psychiatrist during this time.  A few months later I decreased the noon dose to .25.  I was uncomfortable, but gutted in out.  Things seemed to even out a bit, or I learned to tolerate it.  Basically, no energy, confused thinking, difficulty concentrating, etc.

 

Over the past 6 months or so, I've been experiencing dizziness, tinnitus, and fatigue.  I checked in with my primary, who said that my blood pressure is too low.  So we lowered the dosage of my blood pressure med.  I'm still having all of these symptoms.

 

My question is this - is it possible for withdrawal symptoms to get worse over time?  I'm not inclined to decrease my clonazepam dosage at this point.  Maybe I cut the dosage too quickly and am just noticing it more because of all the folks here who have shared about their experiences.  Would it be smart to pause at this point?

 

Any other thoughts would be appreciated.

 

Peace.   

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Hi everyone,

 

I've learned a lot since I joined this community.  Thanks to everyone for sharing so freely.

 

I've been taking clonazepam for about 20 years or so.  About a year ago, my psychiatrist and I agreed that I would decrease my clonazepam dosage.  I was taking .5 mg three times daily.  He suggested that I start with the middle dose (noon) and decrease it by .25.  Within a few days, I knew that it wasn't going to work.  I decided on my own to decrease the noon dose by .125 - basically I cut one half of the scored pill in half and took 3/4 of the pill.  It wasn't easy, but I tolerated it.  I checked in with my psychiatrist during this time.  A few months later I decreased the noon dose to .25.  I was uncomfortable, but gutted in out.  Things seemed to even out a bit, or I learned to tolerate it.  Basically, no energy, confused thinking, difficulty concentrating, etc.

 

Over the past 6 months or so, I've been experiencing dizziness, tinnitus, and fatigue.  I checked in with my primary, who said that my blood pressure is too low.  So we lowered the dosage of my blood pressure med.  I'm still having all of these symptoms.

 

My question is this - is it possible for withdrawal symptoms to get worse over time?  I'm not inclined to decrease my clonazepam dosage at this point.  Maybe I cut the dosage too quickly and am just noticing it more because of all the folks here who have shared about their experiences.  Would it be smart to pause at this point?

 

Any other thoughts would be appreciated.

 

Peace. 

Hi,

I have deep sx and also volatile or short sx.. The deep ones go in years and are more mental, the short in months or even weeks/days, and tend to be more physical(ish)...

Taper style might play a role, I pill split valium, so my general holds were months in the end.. In this time symptoms took on a window/wave pattern, the worst tending to be at the end...

Took a bit of working out, but we got there... I had other problematic meds in addition..

 

Holding seems to work well for dose/healing discrepancy but can take some time... Dose correction is another option for general consideration if things get too much...

We tend to have to suffer some symptoms no matter what, and its a personal choice as to where to draw the line...

Pushing through severe and increasing sx in order to reach 0mg and suddenly “start” healing doesnt tend to end as well as one might hope, though there are a couple of considerations there, like true addiction and “reactions”... Tapering through tolerance might also add some sx pressure that can be hard to avoid, particularly at the start if it comes with existing symptoms...

 

So yeah, Pill Splitting the more potent benzos might come with some good slaps, but it depends on ones sensitivity levels... Holding the appropriate time for ones self and perhaps a bit extra in the “bank” for the next cut, should help...

And for the more sensitive cases we tend to see here, low dose, esp on potent benzos, might need some pill manipulation (liquid or dry powder) to get smaller reductions...

 

Just some general thoughts...

:)

 

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