Looking for help with a 0.25mg Clonazepam taper ...

Three weeks ago, I attempted a cold drop of my Clonazepam with the support of my doctor and failed miserably. At about a week in, the withdrawal symptoms became unmanageable and made my working life impossible. Muscle tremors, insomnia (barely an hour of sleep a night), chest pains, dizziness ... the worst of it was a weird "buzzing" and tingling feeling in my arms and legs that left me shaky and disrupted a lot of motor function. After having to call out from my job multiple days in a row, I caved to taking them again and felt better within a day.

 

My current dosage is 0.25mg at night "as necessary" for anxiety/panic attacks/sleeping, which works out to 4-5 times a week on average. I'm looking to make a plan to taper, but I'm feeling somewhat overwhelmed, especially with my doctor's reluctance to continue prescribing a medication that he feels I should already be working my way off of. His opinion is that since I'm on the lowest dose prescribed, it should be an easy jumping point. I want to go in armed with the best information I can, so this time I can succeed in leaving behind this awful drug, but do so in a way that doesn't disrupt my life to the point of being nearly incapacitated.

Its imperative he allow you to taper at a rate where you can be functional, you have to be able to work, I hope you can impress on him what's at stake here.  You're not drug seeking, you're asking his help to keep you employed and if that means supplying you with enough medication to do that, he should do it.  I can't see how he can justify you losing your job.

 

You might show him this. Colorado Consortium Benzodiazepine Deprescribing Guidelines

 

 

Thank you Pamster, something like this is exactly what I was looking for! 

 

I've read a few mixed reports, but I'm wondering if there is any anecdotal experience about CBD Oil interactions while going through the tapering process. My original plan was to start using that as a means to manage my anxiety once I've finished with the Clonazepam, and I'm wondering if it might help take some of the edge off during withdrawal.

 

Does are there any thoughts on that?

If you click on this link and scroll down, you will see several threads members have started regarding CBD:

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?board=110.0

Hello.  I am currently about 10 days into my taper which is .125mg klonopin morning and night.  Prior to that I tried what you did and also got the "buzzing" white noise very bad.  With the help of friends and this forum, I went back to my last dose and took it regularly.  The noise was much less and most importantly, I am able to function.  I used to use "as needed" but it never worked out well, at least for me.  A rigid schedule has worked so much better.  Maybe it would be good to get on a schedule and work from that point.  Trust me, .25 may be a low dose according to your doc, but there is nothing easy about getting off it.  Maybe it would help if you have your doses written down in an organized way and you can share that with your doctor.  Could help for he/she to see that you are taking this seriously.  Keep the faith, you can do this!