Clonaz - faster taper? Crossover?

I have been working to get off of 0.5mg clonazepam for years. I was in tolerance for about 5 years before I started the taper. I didn’t know what I was doing at first and I spent a lot of time chasing “health issues.”

6 years ago I was doing triathlons. Now I have absolutely no endurance, I panic at my own shadow. I’m so freaking weak physically. I got rolled by this med.

I’ve been tapering since 2018. Original taper was to take 1/4 less of a tablet one day a week (full tablet rest of week) for a few weeks, then 2 days a week, etc. I spent an absolutely awful year getting from 0.5 to 0.25mg using that method. Almost lost my job, and marriage was on the rocks. I had vertigo, panic, health anxiety, tachycardia, bradycardia, heart palps, nerve pain, vision problems, the works.

I went to neurologists, ENT, ophthalmologists, TMJ dentists, Lyme-literate MDs, myofascial release, , craniosacral osteopathy, a functional nutritionist,  a dietician, I had SIBO and GI scopes, c.diff, gastritis. I got braces hoping to fix TMJ pain and vertigo, the stress lead to reactivated EVB.

I have been slow tapering for another year. It’s so slow and it’s awful. Symptoms suck but most days I can go to work (I am the breadwinner in the family, husband is medically retired disabled military)

If I keep going at this rate I will have 40 more MONTHS of tapering. I can manage 2% in 2 weeks (first 2 weeks of cycle) then I hold 2 weeks for hormone cycle. It has been 5 years of absolute heartache and perseverance. At this rate I can work, with roughly 7-10 very rough days per month.

I need to accelerate this. I have interdose withdrawal now that starts about 5 hours after my last dose. (0.085mg every 12 hours)

I don’t like that this has been such a big part of my life that it’s my identity now. I need to be done sooner than 40 months.

Options I’m considering:

1. Crossover to Valium, stabilize and work on a 2-3 month taper from here. I think I would need to go to part time if I speed anything up. This may be an option, I’m looking into it.

2. Stay ok K and do a rapid taper (like Bob7) of .001mg per day to knock it out (~150 days) - will need PT work or FMLA, etc.

3. Keep on the current track and be mostly miserable for 40 more months, then begin the post withdrawal healing.

Bob7 I’m inspired by your approach to your last 0.125mg.

At this point would Valium help - given its much longer half life?

I know accelerating taper is going to dive me into a horrible place, but I’ve been dancing the edge for 5 years, I need this med out of my life.

Somebody talk to me.

I know there are no definitive answers, what are your opinions?

Crossover? Direct taper?

Hi Treelover!

I don't see the benefits of a crossover to diazepam outweighing the risks at this point in your journey. I have similar questions about what I'm going to do when I get down to near your doses; I don't think I'd stick with a percent-based taper at clonazepam doses below 0.125mg/day. While it's a long ways off for me, I'm expecting I will take linear reductions similar to Bob7.

If I was in a situation like I imagine from your description, I would be exploring two things. 1) A linear reduction, starting with 0.001mg/day, holding and adjusting this if necessary, and 2) I'd be looking for ways to improve my neurological stability with non-medication options. This second exploration I'd consider most important because it appears fundamental to the goal of the first.

It's my humble opinion that slow, symptom-based tapers get stuck for lack of skill-building. Long term users especially seem to lack key strategies and decision-making patterns that are needed to support them in down-regulating their nervous system naturally. I've noticed that removing the medication seems to reveal these deficits (which can also be severely exacerbated by the tapering process itself), and ignoring the need for skill-building often forces taperers to rush or stall.

These are some of my thoughts on the topic of skill-building...

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=259937.msg3287164#msg3287164

I hope you find a way forward that works for you.