Posted by 4WD on April 27, 2008, at 20:02:30
In reply to Question about Klonopin, posted by ncrainbow on April 27, 2008, at 18:43:45
I am in the midst of coming off Klonopin. The trick is to do it very slowly. Actually, I am replacing Klonopin with Valium. I go down on the Klonopin by .5mg a day every two weeks. Like for the last two weeks I was taking 1.5mg a day. Starting Wed. I will go to 1mg a day for two weeks. If I don't feel ready I will stay there for three weeks. My pdoc says the trick is to go very very slowly. Two months ago I was taking 6-8 mg of Klonopin a day and now I'm taking 1.5 plus 15mg of Valium. That's equivalent to 2.5mg of Klonopin a day according to the Ashton manual. The reason I was able to taper so quickly, though (the first month of tapering was done rapidly) was because I started Nardil and for the second and third weeks of therapy it really reduced my anxiety so I could get away with reducing it quickly.
So the answer is "it depends." The major problem is not the tapering. The major problem is the possible return of symptoms. Do you have an anxiety disorder that will make you scared again if you discontinue Klonopin? Or are you taking it solely to help you get off Celexa?
The length of time you are on it makes a difference too. How long do you plan to be on it? k The shorter the time you are on it, obviously the easier it will be to get off it.
Hope this helps a bit.
Marsha
poster:4WD
thread:825913
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080420/msgs/825944.html