Taper - temporary crash?

Hello,

I'm new to BenzoBuddies and am relieved to have found you.

I've been on Klonopin for ten years at 0.5mg, and the past two years at 2mg. I have a general health condition of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and was prescribed K for severe insomnia.

Earlier this year I began a taper, as I feel lousy on this drug. Over a period of about three months I got down from 2mg to 1.25mg. At that point I plateaued for five months, as I couldn't face the effects of further tapering for the time being.

Over Christmas, certain stresses made me increase back up to 2mg for about ten days. I'm now freaking out, because when I tried to revert to 1.25mg (with the stresses over), I've found that I can't sleep for even one minute at that dose.

Can just ten days at the higher dose (2mg) ruin five months holding at 1.25mg? Any ideas on how to get back on track without going through months and months of tapering again would be really appreciated. Surely the brain chemistry can't have got acclimatised to the higher dose in just ten days?

Hello DeepPurple,

 

 

Welcome to BenzoBuddies!  You'll find a lot of information and support here.  Our members have been through a wide variety of withdrawal experiences.

 

Congratulations for deciding to taper off klonopin.  You were on it for 12 years, which is a long time.  I was on xanax for 13 years, and tapered off quickly in March 2012.  I still have some symptoms, but much less than before.

 

I'm sorry you're having problems with your taper.  Tapering is a very individual thing, and it can be a hit and miss process that has to be adjusted as one goes along.  I know it's frustrating, but you probably will have to taper down again, possibly faster than last time.  Here's a link to The General Taper Plans Board.  That's the place to post this question, and where you'll get the most answers/suggestions.

 

Please take a look at The Ashton Manual.  It describes what to expect in withdrawal.  Ashton's recommended taper rate is 5/10% every 10/14 days.  This is a general guide for everyone but short-term benzo users.

 

Lastly,  please Create a Signature.  This will let others know at a glance where you are in the process, and make getting support easier.

 

Again, welcome

 

Hi,

Using the Dr. Ashton Protocol and c/o to valium worked  wonders for me.  Once crossed over, I sleeped llike a baby and the anxiety and agoraphobia were gone.  I was so happy to have my appetite back too.  Was tapering beautifully  with hardly no symptoms when was put on a bad drug (Gabapentin) after surgery and am back to starting over after stopping that drug cold turkey.

I just want you to know that I was anxious about switching Benzos and it was life saving for me.  Look into the Aston protocol and talk to your doctor.  It may be for you.

 

Best of luck, and we are all here for you what ever you decide.

Hanging in there

Thanks for your replies, Megan and Hanging in there. It's good to know there's support out there.

I'll look into the Ashton Manual. Crossover does make me a bit nervous. Top priority just now is to try to stabilise on the K. Not sure what my dose level should be at the moment, having possibly blown my taper out of the water. 

DeepPurple,

    If you were on 1.25 and doing well then I would consider that a good dose level.  How many days have you given yourself to start feeling better since you dropped back down?

DeepPurple

As I understand it you tapered from 2mg of K to 1.25mg, went back up to 2mg for 10days then back to 1.25mg and are having problems with sleeping. Another way to stabilize is to start tapering UP from 1.25mg until you feel better and can sleep. I would expect this to happen before you hit 2mg. You can then start back down. Earlier in my taper I tapered up for a while from a rough spot and it worked out. Some people taper directly from K and others c/o to Valium.

Don't forget about over the counter sleep aids like melatonin. Some people benefit from them. Good luck.

Hi Jessiccarabbit,

 

I was holding at 1.25mg for five months, but for ten days over Christmas went up to 2mg due to stresses at that time. Now I'm desperate to get back down to 1.25mg, but finding it difficult because the brain has presumably got used to the higher dose, even in just ten short days.

 

I see you quit K cold turkey, which is quite an achievement. Did you have awful symptoms doing this, eg insomnia, or maybe the other drug you were on cushioned the adverse effects?

If the xanax helped when I ct K then I would have hated not to have had it.  For about three months after I did that I was in physical pain constantly, my eyes dialated to the point i looked like I was on crack, I was constantly sick and having stomach issues, I was dizzy, I could not trust myself to drive a car for the first 6 weeks because my dr/dp was so bad, I ran constant fevers and had chills, overall.... I would say it was hell.  I shook to the point I could barely pour coffee in the mornings.  Oh man... it was not good.

I did the same thing over the holidays and am having a rough time getting back to the .75 regimine.  Very shaky and feeling like crap most days.  I decided to stick it out at .75 though bc I am not real sure updosing really helps.... These meds suck...lol

Hi Bart,

 

Tapering up - thank you, that's brilliant advice. It's kind of what I've been hesitantly experimenting with the past few days, so it's great to hear it confirmed as a method. Touch wood, I'm just about doing ok at 1.5mg at the moment, though it feels a bit precarious. How long do you think I should stay at the "tapered up" dose of 1.5mg before trying to get back to 1.25mg? I was wondering if it might be a quicker process than the usual recommendations, given that I was only up at 2mg for ten days.

Wow you've been through hell Jessiccarabbit. I gues I'll drop any notions of trying to quit c/t then  I read somewhere that updosing is ok while you're still on the drug, but not so good once you're off it completely. But everyone seems to react differently. I really hope you manage to break through soon. These meds sure do suck...lol

I updosed in the past and it did help.  Yeah, unless you want to go into the pits of hell I would avoid ct.  In fact had i known it was going to be that bad I never would have done it.  See where you feel ok and then start again... there is nothing wrong with that.  If you feel good at 1.5 then stick with it for awhile in my opinion. I can function pretty well at .75 and figure I will resume tapering when ready... but, that is just me.  Good luck

Hi DeepPurple

Nobody knows how long you should stay at the up-tapered dose. When I did it I started tapering back down right away. I was able to go down pretty fast for a while and actually blew through the dose I had been having problems with. Later I had to slow down. Just listen to your body and it will let you know how fast you can taper. The times I've had persistent problems have typically been from "pushing" my taper.

Thanks for your advice and support Jessicarabbit and Bart.

 

I don't feel very stable yet at 1.5mg, so guess I'll stay on that dose until the body is more ready for a reduction.

 

Interesting you blew through the dose you'd been having problems with, Bart. Maybe a small up-taper gives the body a "breather", so making it easier with subsequent tapering for a while. I'll try to resist the ever-present temptation to "push" my taper too hard though.