Here to learn

I myself have never taken benzos, but I am here for the sake of my 68-year-old SO who is in the process of tapering and is not feeling clear-headed or energetic enough to design a plan.  For about 10 years, he took 2 mg alprazolam and 3 mg clonazepam (plus an AD--citalopram 40 mg), all daily and all by prescription.  In the course of aging, he is showing increasing signs of being overmedicated, and the more I researched online about his drug regimen, the more alarmed I became.  All of the mysterious stomach and sinus symptoms he has been suffering from for the past 8 or 9 years finally make sense in light of these pharmaceuticals. 

With his doctor's guidance, he weaned off the alprazolam by 1 mg, holding for two weeks, then 0.5 mg the 3rd week and 0.25 the final week.  That went smoothly.  He then started doing the same with the clonazepam, going from 3 mg to 2 mg by 0.5 mg increments every two weeks.  No significant problems.  Then we was advised to go from 2 mg to 1.5 mg for 4 weeks.  It did not go well, even after holding for a total of 6 weeks.  Consequently, he was advised to revert to 2 mg.  That put him in an intolerable stupor, and after 2 days, my SO made the decision to reduce to 1.75 mg.  That was about three days ago, and he and I are waiting to see how that shakes out.

At this point, he is going to need to take his tapering more slowly--not something his doctor or pharmacist seem to be well-versed in--and I have started designing a spreadsheet for him and am ordering a scale.  I know I will have questions and hope you will allow me to learn from the  members of this forum. 

Hi Koko.

I’m glad you’re looking for proper tapering methods...that in itself is a game changer when one is trying to discontinue benzodiazepines.  In my opinion your SO’s clonazepam cuts were not too rapid but were too large.

We’re here to help, but first we’d like you to choose a username that allows you to remain anonymous if this is your real name. If it is not your real name, just let us know and we’ll approve your account.

Thanks,

Challis

Administrator

Thank you, Challis!  No, Koko Lee is not my real name.  It's in honor of a pet chicken we had many years ago.   

And yes, I agree that the steps (esp the last one) are too large rather than too slow.

Hi koko,

sorry to hear about your SO but you have come to a safe place to consult others on their experiences. i have personally been struggling with brainfog for the past 4+ years before i felt like my brain felt completely broken

You can find information regarding tapering down in hopes to minimize side effects of coming off here

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?board=163.0

You can fine withdrawal support here

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?board=145.0

When you or your SO get down or question the chance of recovery, read some success stories!

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?board=89.0