Mild Clonazepam .5 mg

I am brand new here.  I couldn't find the place to fix my signature thing, so my apologies.

 

I have tinnitus, a really serious case, that when I'm not on medication, I don't function.  It almost cost me my life, enough said.

 

I was on sertraline for like 3 years, and it worked perfectly.  Then that changed.  My belief was that stress (I am an entrepreneur) caused the initial tinnitus, and the shift in the sertraline not working caused that as well.  One of my counselors told me I am a Highly Sensitive Person, so I'm not your average bullet-proof guy.

 

Anyways, I changed to Duloxetine, and that worked for about a year, then I had to up my dose from 2 to 4 (max) capsules.  I still had some anxiety that was troubling me, so I dipped into my old stash of clonazepam.  I knew the dangers, but tought if I only took it 3-5 times (.5 mg) per week, I'd be OK.  It's been about 6 months since I've been on 3-5 .5 mg per week. 

 

I told my wife about it, and she made me taper down.  So she had me take .25 mg per day every day for a week.  I supplemented it with ashwanga, and it worked perfectly for a week.  Then the next week (this week) was not as great, so I dug into this forum, and it was recommended to taper 10% every weeks, so we compromised, and I'm taking .375 every day. 

 

So that's where I'm at.  I need help with correct tapering, recommendations for how I can handle the extra anxiety, and manage my stress better.  I've started looking into psychiatrists to see if they can get me on the right med that is not a benzo, but I always get scared with med changes.  It really sucks!

 

Thanks for reading and caring 

Since it seemed like you were asking for support rather than actual taper advice I moved your post to withdrawal support but we'll be happy to help you with your taper as well. I'm glad you made a correction to your taper, a 50% cut is far more than we recommend so I'm not surprised symptoms have continued to build.  And I'm glad you're taking it every day, sporadic use can create a whiplash effect of symptoms when we don't keep our blood serum levels constant.  A slow, methodical taper will hopefully mean less symptoms.

 

I'm sorry to hear about your tinnitus, I've heard cases like yours are horrific.

 

You mentioned your stash of Clonazepam, it sounds like you've taken it before, what was your experience?  It can have bearing on your present situation, that's why I ask.

Thank you so kindly for your reply and support.

 

The clonazepam works extremely well for me.  It's what got me to 'normal' while the sertraline took its time to set in (6 weeks).  I didn't use it for like 5 years until now.

 

I'd use it again if/when the duloxetine stops working.  I'd much rather deal with withdrawals of clonazepam than deal with the hell of not having anything for help (comatose).

If I understand your situation, you're interested in tapering because you want to preserve its effectiveness in case you need to use it again or am I mistaken?  Benzodiazepines can cause tinnitus when we become tolerant to, withdrawing from or recovering, I worry the Clonazepam could make your situation worse.  But I understand you're trying to achieve a delicate balance here.

 

Will the Duloxetine work for you after it stops being effective, what are your options?  Here are the instructions for adding your signature. Add  your history/signature

That's an excellent question.  My wife is adamantly against them (due to online cases like Jordan Peterson) and can cause Alzheimer/demensia later in life.  But that doesn't solve my problem now.  I'll slowly taper, and use Ashwanga or other natural ways - and see how it goes.

 

I don't know what my options are if the duloxetine stops working, hence why I'm getting scheduled for a psychiatrist to prepare for that possibility and sort out the Clonazepam conundrum. 

 

Clonazepam has saved me from the bad side of tinnitus, but at what cost???

Its truly a miracle drug, but you're right, the cost for many of us is too high, I hope it won't be for you, I just wish there were better options.  I worry about kindling with your on and off again use of the drug.  Its just a theory since its been studied more in regard to alcohol than benzo's but I believe it applies to benzodiazepines as well.  Kindling

 

 

 

Thanks again for that insight!

 

What would you recommend for me?  I saw another thread where you mentioned "Typical jumping point for Clonazepam users I believe is .05, .125 is too high.  We can help you figure out how to make your doses smaller if you're interested"

 

How does one shave off 5% and for how many days?

Good question and one I've never done myself but some members will use a file to shave off some of the pill, kind of eyeballing their dose, others will use jewelers scales, still others will plop it in a liquid.  There is typically some math involved but if you put a post on the titration board someone can give you pointers. Titration  FAQ’s

 

As for how many days between reductions, I'm told most members begin to feel symptoms between days 2-5 and they begin to resolve around day 10 but you'll have to see where on the timeline your symptoms are.

Hi!

 

Tinnitus is no joke. I got prescribed Benzos due my inability to cope. Years later and to me Benzo withdrawal is even worse. I'm still tapering, but I'm doing really well.

 

Long story short: I can deal with my tinnitus just fine, but I did have to make lifestyle adjustments. Sounds easy, but back then popping a Benzo was easier.

 

If you ever need someone who has tinnitus to talk to hit me up. I am seeing more and more people getting Benzos for it.

 

Regardless, best of luck!

Naf1983

 

Thanks again for that insight!

 

What would you recommend for me?  I saw another thread where you mentioned "Typical jumping point for Clonazepam users I believe is .05, .125 is too high.  We can help you figure out how to make your doses smaller if you're interested"

 

How does one shave off 5% and for how many days?

Yes, to me it was accidental. I was going to CBT for tinnitus and as I was not sleeping well (also due to unexplained cortizone withdrawal hyperness), they recommended me rivotril for sleep as a safe thing... That awful therapy center was actually just artificially lowering my tinnitus instead of really giving me the chance to deal with it naturally like I wanted to so their therapy seemed more effective. A professor audiology NOT worth his doctorate!