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Tapering from Clonazepam - accidentally took one extra dose


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I've been taking 1 mg/day clonazepam for about 2 months.

 

Started a week ago tapering.  Tapered down .125 mg/per day for the past week.  Last night I think I took and extra .50mg tablet.

 

Will this impact the tapering I've done so far?

 

I was planning to go down another .125 tomorrow.

 

Should I stay at my current dosage or wait a couple extra days before reducing .125 again, since I took the .50 extra tablet.

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That extra dose isn't likely to have any effect at all.

 

During my previous taper (cut-and-hold) I had oral surgery.  The anathesia cocktail included a bigger dose  of V than my full daily dose at that time.  I felt no effects from it all.

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Hi Disney Girl,

 

One extra tablet should have no effect on your taper, I've done this myself in the early days of my taper and there was no repercussions.

 

You are tapering quite quickly. It might be an idea to slow your taper rate down a little particularly as your dose gets lower, certainly dont be tempted to push through strong symptoms.

 

I hope this helps,

 

Debbie x

 

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Thank you both for your input.

 

Deborah, by slowing down, do you mean staying at my current and upcoming cuts for a longer period of time (longer than a week)?

Or do you mean, decreasing by a smaller amount than .125?

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hi Disney Girl

 

i'm certain that Deborah means to slow your taper by waiting longer between each cut.

it seems most people wait 1 to 3 weeks between cuts, sometimes longer.

last year i took 6 months getting from 1mg clonazepam to .5 mgs.

your body needs time - more than a day or 2 - to adjust to each reduction.

good luck :)

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Thank you both for your input.

 

Deborah, by slowing down, do you mean staying at my current and upcoming cuts for a longer period of time (longer than a week)?

Or do you mean, decreasing by a smaller amount than .125?

 

 

Hi again Disney Girl,

 

You are reducing quite quickly. As you have only been taking the klonopin for a relatively short time you may tolerate the big cuts but as your dose gets lower it might be an idea to make smaller cuts especially if you are feeling symptomatic at the time.

Harmoni is right most members do wait about 2 weeks between cuts but again as a short term user you might be able to tolerate weekly cuts. Listening to your body is a very good guide where tapering is concerned. If you feel that the symptoms are getting stronger then I would reduce the size of the cuts and /or wait longer between each cut.

 

Debbiex

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Thanks everybody!  Your input is so valuable.  I truly appreciate.

 

Any other input or tips are welcome.

 

I'll wait till next Monday before I make another .125 cut.  Right now I feel like I could go ahed and make another cut, feeling pretty good, but might be best to wait another week.

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Another question.....is back pain a withdrawal symptom from clonazepam?

 

I have had two back surgeries in the last year, and have had continued back pain (muscle spasms/tightness, mostly) even before starting to taper, and I'm noticing a bit more of it now.  Could this increased discomfort be from tapering?

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Another question.....is back pain a withdrawal symptom from clonazepam?

 

I have had two back surgeries in the last year, and have had continued back pain (muscle spasms/tightness, mostly) even before starting to taper, and I'm noticing a bit more of it now.  Could this increased discomfort be from tapering?

 

 

Hi again,

 

Quite possibly the back pain could be withdrawal related. Muscle pain and spasm is a common withdrawal symptom. However if you are in doubt and in view of the fact that you have had back surgery it might be an idea to get a medical opinion. If your doctor finds nothing which hopefully he wont you can then safely chalk the symptom up to withdrawal.

 

Here is an excerpt from The Ashton Manual where Muscle symptoms are discussed :

 

Quote 

 

 

Muscle symptoms. Benzodiazepines are efficient muscle relaxants and are used clinically for spastic conditions ranging from spinal cord disease or injury to the excruciating muscle spasms of tetanus or rabies. It is therefore not surprising that their discontinuation after long-term use is associated with a rebound increase in muscle tension. This rebound accounts for many of the symptoms observed in benzodiazepine withdrawal. Muscle stiffness affecting the limbs, back, neck and jaw are commonly reported, and the constant muscle tension probably accounts for the muscle pains which have a similar distribution. Headaches are usually of the "tension headache" type, due to contraction of muscles at the back of the neck, scalp and forehead - often described as a "tight band around the head". Pain in the jaw and teeth is probably due to involuntary jaw clenching, which often occurs unconsciously during sleep.

 

At the same time, the nerves to the muscles are hyperexcitable, leading to tremor, tics, jerks, spasm and twitching, and jumping at the smallest stimulus. All this constant activity contributes to a feeling of fatigue and weakness ("jelly-legs"). In addition, the muscles, especially the small muscles of the eye, are not well co-ordinated, which may lead to blurred or double vision or even eyelid spasms (blepharospasm).

 

None of these symptoms is harmful, and they need not be a cause of worry once they are understood. The muscle pain and stiffness is actually little different from what is regarded as normal after an unaccustomed bout of exercise, and would be positively expected, even by a well-trained athlete, after running a marathon.

 

There are many measures that will alleviate these symptoms, such as muscle stretching exercises as taught in most gyms, moderate exercise, hot baths, massage and general relaxation exercises. Such measures may give only temporary relief at first, but if practised regularly can speed the recovery of normal muscle tone - which will eventually occur spontaneously.

 

 

Debbie x

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I'm dry cutting.  I use a pill cutter.  When I cut the .50mg pill in half, it's pretty easy, but when I cut a 1/2 of a 1/2 (to get .125mg), it's not always even.  I try to get it as even as I can, but the pills have a tendency to get crushed a bit, so I divide them into what looks like 2 even piles, and then moisten my finger and pick up the crumbs and take them.

 

What if I'm not getting the .125 mg exactly each?  Will this affect my taper?

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