Posted by cubbybear on December 24, 2004, at 0:10:52
In reply to Cubbybear can I ask you a question?, posted by Lucylooo on December 22, 2004, at 13:01:00
> > You raise some very good questions. I myself found Valium terrific for weaning off the final minuscule amounts of Klonopin last year (i.e. taking the equivalent amount).
>
> ~~~~~~I'm curious to know what you mean by miniscule, and how long you'd been on the klonopin? I've been given 10 pills of clonazapam, .5 mg each, and directed to take half a pill twice a day for a week, then half a pill a day, and no refills. I'm concerned about setting myself up for possible withdrawal at the end of 2 weeks, I've never taken this drug before. Do you have any idea? Thanks, LucyYou didn't say how long you've been taking the Klonopin, and this is a crucial factor. If you've been on it for several weeks or months, then you might have a problem coming off of it this quickly. But it wouldn't be you who'd be setting you up for withdrawal problems. It would be the doctor who, for whatever reason, may be jumping the gun and forcing you to withdraw too fast. That happened to me at one point during decrease in dosage and the doctor refused to allow me to go slower. I had no choice but to change doctors to someone who was sympathetic and knowledgeable about a reasonably-paced decrease.
As for me, I had been on Klonopin all told for about 1-1/2 years, coming down from a high of about 3.75 mg./day. I don't recall the exact number, but it was at around the .375 mg. mark that I switched to the equivalent amount of Valium. I used the tapering schedule provided on the website www.benzo.org.uk (I think that's the address) and followed it with total success. Don't get frightened off by all the material on that website regarding dangers of benzodiazepines. Just focus on the tapering charts for the withdrawal and you shouldn't have any trouble. I'd even recommend copying the schedule and presenting it to the docto. If the doctor refuses to go along with this, then cut your session short, and try to find someone else.
poster:cubbybear
thread:432861
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041223/msgs/433653.html