Help with tapering clonazepam

I need help figuring out my second cut! 

If you give me your taper history and current doses then I can put it in your signature for you. We need it to help you and that way we don't have to keep asking. 

I tapered off. 25mg  sometime in 2019/2020 that was before I knew the consequences of long term use! Anxiety want so bad. Then tolerance hit like a bear!

Dose 1.25mg.    schedule .25  9 a.m.   

                                              .25  2 p.m

                                              .25  6 p.m

                                              .5    10 p.m. (no longer helps with sleep, suffering insomnia)

 

12/26/2021  first cut.    10% off 6 p.m dose

1/26/2022.    1.125mg  holding

Hi Nanaquits, thanks for providing your history, I've put it into your signature.  Do you still need help figuring out your next cut?  Can you tell us how you're feeling now, it looks like its been about a month?

I don't know if I'm stable or not because I have been totally non functional  for the past year and a half. I almost feel like I've been going through wd even though I've been on med. It's like something snapped in my brain overnight and I haven't been the same since. I have spent most my time in bed all day for over a year because I just don't know how to do life anymore. I have lost weight and so much muscle mass I look terrible and very weak!  I am 60 years old and up until 6 years ago hasn't been on any meds for over 20 years. I had a lot of things happen in my life and Superiore ended up on clonozepam not knowing the risks. I don't even know if I should be tapering with my anxiety still so severe but I feel like they don't help anymore.  I was offered a switch to Valium. ..do you u know if I switch will I have a tolerance to Valium too or will it give me some stability while I taper from it.?

Yes I still need to know my next step. Thank you

From what you've described it sounds like you're in tolerance. Generally when tolerance hits the only way to get out of this state is to either start tapering or to increase your dose.

 

Personally I would not increase the dose as you would hit tolerance again and it just becomes a vicious cycle you can't escape.

 

It sounds like you've been in tremendous  pain. How do you feel about the possibility of crossing over to valium?

Would crossing over give me any relief? Do you think switching to Valium would help stabilize me some ?Doctor tried doing a direct switch and it didn't go well, but would be willing to try again or I think I have enough of Clonazepam and Valium to do a cross over.

 

It looks like you dose the Clonazepam 4 times a day so Valium may be a good option for you so you won't have to deal with interdose.  If done right a crossover by slowly withdrawing the Clonazepam while adding in the Valium can be helpful.  You should be aware that crossing to a different drug can be challenging, Valium is known for its sedation and depression properties but I'm told these will go away when your body adapts to it, does this sound like something you can deal with?

Not sure about the sedation and depression part as I suffer both these already. If I knew it would give me some relief I'd be very interested. I am having a hard time with figuring and cutting my clonazepam and I know Valium comes in much lower doses for tapering.

It looks like your first cut was 10% off your 6pm dose?  You could rotate the 10% cuts between your doses every two weeks or so - longer if necessary.  This is how I did it with my dry taper, at least initially.

We can help you with your cuts, there are many methods you can use to get smaller reductions, I think Kate's suggestion is a good one.

It looks like your first cut was 10% off your 6pm dose?  You could rotate the 10% cuts between your doses every two weeks or so - longer if necessary.  This is how I did it with my dry taper, at least initially.

 

 

 

At the risk of sounding stupid, what do you mean by rotate?  Take 10% of another time and then next cut go back to the 6p.m and cut?

It looks like your first cut was 10% off your 6pm dose?  You could rotate the 10% cuts between your doses every two weeks or so - longer if necessary.  This is how I did it with my dry taper, at least initially.

 

 

If I'm figuring my numbers right my next cut would put me just barely over 1mg. Is that right?  My pills are. 5mg so could I just divide two pills in half since I dose 4 times a day or since I took that 6p.m cut would it mess me up because that would put that back up to .25mg and would reduce my night dose by .25mg which might be too big a cut on that dose. I'm sorry for asking so many questions is just this is all new to me and I don't have a psychiatrist to help me right now. The one I was seeing didn't like me because I wouldn't go on some of the meds she was trying to get me to take like antipsychotics. When I told her I wanted to start tapering of benzo at 10% she said no we do 20% and I disagreed. Was seeing her monthly then she says she'll see me in a couple months! Can't see new doc until March 17th. Thought about stopping the taper until I see what new psychiatrist is all about but I don't know.

If you struggle with math, you can use this free online calculator to figure out percentages:

 

https://percentagecalculator.net/

It looks like your first cut was 10% off your 6pm dose?  You could rotate the 10% cuts between your doses every two weeks or so - longer if necessary.  This is how I did it with my dry taper, at least initially.

 

 

If I'm figuring my numbers right my next cut would put me just barely over 1mg. Is that right?  My pills are. 5mg so could I just divide two pills in half since I dose 4 times a day or since I took that 6p.m cut would it mess me up because that would put that back up to .25mg and would reduce my night dose by .25mg which might be too big a cut on that dose. I'm sorry for asking so many questions is just this is all new to me and I don't have a psychiatrist to help me right now. The one I was seeing didn't like me because I wouldn't go on some of the meds she was trying to get me to take like antipsychotics. When I told her I wanted to start tapering of benzo at 10% she said no we do 20% and I disagreed. Was seeing her monthly then she says she'll see me in a couple months! Can't see new doc until March 17th. Thought about stopping the taper until I see what new psychiatrist is all about but I don't know.

 

So you're thinking your next reduction will be about 10% taking you to 1 mg or maybe just a little bit over?

 

You can arrange your doses for what works for you.  You're taking 10% off of your total daily dose so as long as you take your entire dose in a 24 hour period you'll be okay.  If you're worried about one dose being too light and the other too heavy, get out your razor blade, grinder or pill cutter and make another cut to that half a pill and add it to another time.  Are you understanding and it's okay if you're not, this is all new stuff and your cognitive abilities are compromised right now, keep asking questions and I love that calculator tool, it helps me too. 

 

 

It looks like your first cut was 10% off your 6pm dose?  You could rotate the 10% cuts between your doses every two weeks or so - longer if necessary.  This is how I did it with my dry taper, at least initially.

 

 

If I'm figuring my numbers right my next cut would put me just barely over 1mg. Is that right?  My pills are. 5mg so could I just divide two pills in half since I dose 4 times a day or since I took that 6p.m cut would it mess me up because that would put that back up to .25mg and would reduce my night dose by .25mg which might be too big a cut on that dose. I'm sorry for asking so many questions is just this is all new to me and I don't have a psychiatrist to help me right now. The one I was seeing didn't like me because I wouldn't go on some of the meds she was trying to get me to take like antipsychotics. When I told her I wanted to start tapering of benzo at 10% she said no we do 20% and I disagreed. Was seeing her monthly then she says she'll see me in a couple months! Can't see new doc until March 17th. Thought about stopping the taper until I see what new psychiatrist is all about but I don't know.

 

So you're thinking your next reduction will be about 10% taking you to 1 mg or maybe just a little bit over?

 

You can arrange your doses for what works for you.  You're taking 10% off of your total daily dose so as long as you take your entire dose in a 24 hour period you'll be okay.  If you're worried about one dose being too light and the other too heavy, get out your razor blade, grinder or pill cutter and make another cut to that half a pill and add it to another time.  Are you understanding and it's okay if you're not, this is all new stuff and your cognitive abilities are compromised right now, keep asking questions and I love that calculator tool, it helps me too. 

 

Thank you for the link to the calculator. Yes I think I understand now. ..hard figuring some of this out when your brain feels like mush 

That is okay Nanaquits, it took me a while to settle down and figure out the tapering thing too!  Glad you are getting your feet under you.