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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by NewHampshireGuy on July 5, 2008, at 9:10:41
Hello,
I am starting to taper off of 1.5 mg of klonopin that I have been on for about 5 years
Does anyone know a good tapering schedule for this dose that I have been on for this long?
I have been down to 1mg for the past 10 days and only felt slight anxiety one day, not sure if from the withdrawal or my anxiety to begin with
Should I continue to go down by .5mg every 10 days? Too fast? I am thinking go down by .25mg as I start to get close of completely going off it
Opinions? thanks
Posted by Quintal on July 5, 2008, at 10:38:18
In reply to Klonopin withdrawal questions, posted by NewHampshireGuy on July 5, 2008, at 9:10:41
I think 0.5mg every 10 days is much too fast. If you've been taking it for years I can't see any problem with tapering over a number of months. Because Klonopin is long acting you might not feel the full effects of lowering your dose for up to a week or longer, and they can persist for quite some time until your body has adjusted. Here is an *emaxmple* of a Klonopin taper from 1.5mg. The author states that these figures are firmly supported by research, but will vary considerably between individuals; it is vital that patients tailor their withdrawal schedule towards their own individual needs and reactions. There can be no absolute withdrawal schedule that will suit everyone.
http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/bzsched.htm#s5Q
Posted by Phillipa on July 5, 2008, at 12:55:33
In reply to Re: Klonopin withdrawal questions, posted by Quintal on July 5, 2008, at 10:38:18
Docs idea or yours as I'd imagine he would have provided a schedule if his idea. Good luck. Phillipa
Posted by bleauberry on July 5, 2008, at 18:49:50
In reply to Klonopin withdrawal questions, posted by NewHampshireGuy on July 5, 2008, at 9:10:41
I guess you can use your gut instinct to tell you how fast or slow to wean down, depending on what you are feeling along the way.
As a general guide, try reducing dose no faster than 10% per week.
I've read about the diazepam substitution weaning protocol and it looks well thought out and reasonable to me. I did a similar thing getting off zyprexa, except the substitutes I used were herbals, with a rare crumb of xanax thrown in if things were really crazy. Passionflower, valerian, skullcap.
Klonopin's long halflife, as well as the time delay for actual biological changes to occur in the absence of the drug molecule, could be deceiving. That's why I prefer to go plenty slow and in tiny increments. Several times I thought I was doing fine after a healthy drop in dose, only to be hit with firecrackers about 3 or 4 days later that told me I went too much too fast.
Posted by NewHampshireGuy on July 6, 2008, at 9:22:38
In reply to Re: Klonopin withdrawal questions, posted by bleauberry on July 5, 2008, at 18:49:50
Thank you all for your responses
I will definitely go slower
what are some side effects I might notice from going down to quickly? I only noticed slight anxiety for a day when I went down .5mg. definitely going to slow down now though
This is the end of the thread.
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