• BASIC DRUG
    DISCUSSION
    Welcome to Bluelight!
    Posting Rules Bluelight Rules
    Benzo Chart Opioids Chart
    Drug Terms Need Help??
    Drugs 101 Brain & Addiction
    Tired of your habit? Struggling to cope?
    Want to regain control or get sober?
    Visit our Recovery Support Forums
  • BDD Moderators: Keif’ Richards | negrogesic

Tapering off 1mg clonazepam

A

abcxyz

Greenlighter
Joined
Apr 10, 2013
Messages
7
I decided to taper off my 1mg daily clonazepam. I’ve been taking it for less than a year but was on lorazepam for almost 2 years before that (max dose on that was 4mg). I asked my psych to stop and she is having me taper 1mg for 10 days then .5 for 10 days then .25 for 10 days (she said we could go faster if my body is handling it). Does that sound too fast? The max I took (per my prescribed amount) was 1.5mg and that was probably for about 2-3 months. I went down to 1 from that almost a week ago and so far seem fine. I am easily freaked out by everything I read online. Thoughts?
 
It might be too fast, I think if I were on your dosage for that amount of time, personally, I would aim for three months of weaning time, it usually took over a month to get almost completely used to a dosage drop.

Exercise helps, black seed oil might help, cbd might help, but you should be careful using anything with thc.it could make the anxiety a lot worse temporarily, though it might also help you a lot, just depends on your individual chemistry.

I cannot give you a plan that will definitely work, because everyone’s a little different. A month might be fairly doable for you, i would do what he says, and if it gets unbearable, slow down, go back up to a dosage that keeps you at baseline, take a week or so, sleep, relax, recover, then start lowering again.

Good luck, if you need any more advice/emotional support, let us know

Oh, and I don’t think I made this very clear, I’ve been on and off benzos many times over the years, I’ve probably detoxed over a dozen times from them, so I am experienced with them.
 
abcxyz said:
I decided to taper off my 1mg daily clonazepam. I’ve been taking it for less than a year but was on lorazepam for almost 2 years before that (max dose on that was 4mg). I asked my psych to stop and she is having me taper 1mg for 10 days then .5 for 10 days then .25 for 10 days (she said we could go faster if my body is handling it). Does that sound too fast? The max I took (per my prescribed amount) was 1.5mg and that was probably for about 2-3 months. I went down to 1 from that almost a week ago and so far seem fine. I am easily freaked out by everything I read online. Thoughts?
Click to expand...
I've stopped cold trukey, it reminds me of heroin you get sick and a big rise of anxiety but it's bearable. Just ask your doctor to be safe.
Try reading Rational Recovery. It will explain that the real reason people go back to drugs is addiction to the scene. The
media lies and fearmongering about drugs is a big ratings killer and keeps us watching
 
CrimsonandClover86 said:
I've stopped cold trukey, it reminds me of heroin you get sick and a big rise of anxiety but it's bearable. Just ask your doctor to be safe.
Try reading Rational Recovery. It will explain that the real reason people go back to drugs is addiction to the scene. The
media lies and fearmongering about drugs is a big ratings killer and keeps us watching
Click to expand...
I don’t know about the second part that crimson wrote, but I should have mentioned that you could probably just stop without risk of death, the whole seizure from withdrawal thing USUALLY doesn’t ever happen when your addicted to less than I think about 5 mg a day. I meant that it would probably be horribly uncomfortable to wean too fast, but who knows, maybe your one of those people who would prefer to just get it over with.
 
polarthedog said:
I don’t know about the second part that crimson wrote, but I should have mentioned that you could probably just stop without risk of death, the whole seizure from withdrawal thing USUALLY doesn’t ever happen when your addicted to less than I think about 5 mg a day. I meant that it would probably be horribly uncomfortable to wean too fast, but who knows, maybe your one of those people who would prefer to just get it over with.
Click to expand...
Yeah good luck on that just realize your anxiety will spike but it's worth it to quit. It sounds cheesy but I recently had a short relapse and I feel so stupid. You're gonna feel great about yourself when you get clean
 
It’s definitely not too fast. As you are likely to experience some down period however fast or slow you stop it I’m always for jumping of or very rapid tapper when doses are low. Polarthedog is right that there is no real danger with stopping doses that are usually prescribed.

Think of it like this, jump of 1mg in a rapid fashion or prolong benzo use for 3 more months. In cases when person is taking benzos for X time, if X ain’t really long time, stopping X + 3 months of tapering can in fact be harder than simply stopping rapidly. I’m talking about long term effects and not easier time you get by prolonging tapper. One other thing I really find a better option to long tappering with benzos, when dose is not huge, is switching to other drug and than tappering that. Switching to medium dose of pregabalin would likely feel great and proceeding to 0 from there depends on how prone to addictions you are generally. So there are surely quite a few that should not try that route. You and your doctor probably know what’s best for you anyway.
 
Thanks. Yeah my psych said we could go slower if I felt like I needed to during the taper. I told her I’d let her know. I don’t want to be on a benzo on a daily basis anymore because I hate the idea that if a miss doses or just don’t want to take it, I could end up in the hospital. I was on lorazepam years ago but at 8mg and then asked at that point to taper off. I would say even from there (which took much longer to taper) the side effect I noticed was insomnia. But to be honest I’ve had sleeping issues long before I was taking anything for the anxiety. I was thinking my dosage was low this time. And to the second part of the commenter about addiction I’ll say this: my body has tolerated it but I am not psychologically addicted to it. I never have been. I don’t abuse it. I take only the amount I’m prescribed and for awhile I was taking less. I figured with the thc thing I’d just wait until I was done with the taper because I’d like to try that as a potential natural help to my anxiety and panic disorder.

One other question: I should continue to avoid alcohol while I’m tapering off/taking clonazepam right?
 
Yes. Wouldn’t hurt if you continue to avoid it even after reaching 0. Taking benzos for years and not have psychological addiction to same is rarely seen. One may persuade himself that it’s so and than proceed to use alcohol instead, still continuing to believe it’s not addiction. 1mg of clonazepam can be replaced with a few beers and if one has no tolerance to alcohol might so get more smashed than from clonazepam, but what’s the point than?
 
SpiralusSancti said:
Yes. Wouldn’t hurt if you continue to avoid it even after reaching 0. Taking benzos for years and not have psychological addiction to same is rarely seen. One may persuade himself that it’s so and than proceed to use alcohol instead, still continuing to believe it’s not addiction. 1mg of clonazepam can be replaced with a few beers and if one has no tolerance to alcohol might so get more smashed than from clonazepam, but what’s the point than?
Click to expand...
No I’m not trying to replace clonazepam with alcohol. I don’t have a problem with alcohol or drinking excessively. In the past I may have a glass of wine every now and then but I stopped when I started taking anxiety meds. Also I am the one who asked to stop taking clonazepam because it feels like you’re stuck with it. I don’t want to keep taking medications that I’m stuck with because if I stop cold turkey I was told that could be deadly. I’m not good with any of that and the longer I’ve taken it the less I’ve wanted to. Again I don’t abuse my medication and didn’t abuse alcohol.
 
abcxyz said:
No I’m not trying to replace clonazepam with alcohol. I don’t have a problem with alcohol or drinking excessively. In the past I may have a glass of wine every now and then but I stopped when I started taking anxiety meds. Also I am the one who asked to stop taking clonazepam because it feels like you’re stuck with it. I don’t want to keep taking medications that I’m stuck with because if I stop cold turkey I was told that could be deadly. I’m not good with any of that and the longer I’ve taken it the less I’ve wanted to. Again I don’t abuse my medication and didn’t abuse alcohol.
Click to expand...
SpiralusSancti said:
Yes. Wouldn’t hurt if you continue to avoid it even after reaching 0. Taking benzos for years and not have psychological addiction to same is rarely seen. One may persuade himself that it’s so and than proceed to use alcohol instead, still continuing to believe it’s not addiction. 1mg of clonazepam can be replaced with a few beers and if one has no tolerance to alcohol might so get more smashed than from clonazepam, but what’s the point than?
Click to expand...
But again just because you’re prescribed a benzo doesn’t equal you’re an addict. That’s a false equivalence
 
CrimsonandClover86 said:
Yeah good luck on that just realize your anxiety will spike but it's worth it to quit. It sounds cheesy but I recently had a short relapse and I feel so stupid. You're gonna feel great about yourself when you get clean
Click to expand...
Ok so I hear that it’s worth it. I feel like I need to emphasize that I am prescribed it, I don’t abuse it, I take it EXACTLY as prescribed. I am the one who didn’t want to take it anymore for the reasons I stated above and knowing that my body will tolerate it and the dosage will have to be increased. That’s pointless to me. And in the long run not helpful. Just because you’re prescribed a benzo doesn’t mean you’re not “clean”. I feel like a couple commenters are making a TON of assumptions about me and about my usage of a prescribed medication. I appreciate the perspective but please be careful not to assume something that isn’t necessarily true. At no point did I say I was an addict or had any addiction issues. And just because I’m saying that doesn’t equal me being in some sort of denial. I have worked regularly with my psychiatrist for a good period of time and am in regular contact with her. I don’t abuse it and never have. I just don’t like being stuck on a medication.
 
You sure got some weird ass definition of addiction I’m not aware. Millions of people are on prescription drugs and addicted to same. Being prescribed some drug or not isn’t measure of being or not being addicted to it. If you weren’t addicted to clonazepam you could just stop it and have no WDs.
 
SpiralusSancti said:
You sure got some weird ass definition of addiction I’m not aware. Millions of people are on prescription drugs and addicted to same. Being prescribed some drug or not isn’t measure of being or not being addicted to it. If you weren’t addicted to clonazepam you could just stop it and have no WDs.
Click to expand...
Disagree. If you are prescribed a medication that inherently will cause your body to tolerate it the longer you’re on it doesn’t mean you are a drug addict. Even my antidepressant requires a taper to go off of it because of the same reasons lol. Does that make me an addict? No. Psychological dependence and physical dependence are not the same. My body is physically dependent on my antidepressant and I have to take it every single day. Does it mean I’m an addict? No. Am I struggling with my taper? Nope. Do I have cravings to use more? Nope. Again instead of listening to understand you have pushed your own ideas down my throat and attempted to make me feel like I’m something I’m not or that I’m not clean because I take a prescribed medication AS PRESCRIBED.
 
abcxyz said:
Disagree. If you are prescribed a medication that inherently will cause your body to tolerate it the longer you’re on it doesn’t mean you are a drug addict. Even my antidepressant requires a taper to go off of it because of the same reasons lol. Does that make me an addict? No. Psychological dependence and physical dependence are not the same. My body is physically dependent on my antidepressant and I have to take it every single day. Does it mean I’m an addict? No. Am I struggling with my taper? Nope. Do I have cravings to use more? Nope. Again instead of listening to understand you have pushed your own ideas down my throat and attempted to make me feel like I’m something I’m not or that I’m not clean because I take a prescribed medication AS PRESCRIBED.
Click to expand...
You are literally naming multiple requirements for someone to be qualified as addicted to something as opposed to being casual drug user.

If being addicted to pharmaceutical product makes you feel better than being addicted to illegal drugs, cool, I’m glad when people feel good. I’m not in any way trying to associate you with some “junkies” if that’s what you got out of my words. Imho it’s not about what and how much you use is most important but how you behave toward world and yourself. I’ll take any day associating with daily I.V. heroin user who’s a decent person than with someone who drinks once in a blue moon but than beats up his family.

I previously wrote how I don’t think you have a big problem being on 1mg clonazepam and if you wish could and even should jump of it cold turkey/or as fast as you can handle but why be so sensitive about whether you are “clean” or not. In my part of the world someone on multiple meds, smoking weed and drinking booze ain’t really considered drug free, tho many, many, many like to present such lifestyle as if it’s somehow superior to occasionally taking recreational drugs or self medicating somewhat responsible. If psychiatrist approval makes you feel better about drug use, fine, but to say you are “clean” while testing positive on multiple drugs is just...funny….but that’s just my opinion.
 
I personally used loads of drugs, recreationally, quite often for many years and didn’t get into any problems with such lifestyle, until I got addicted to etizolam. Tho looking back, daily smoking of weed could be also defined as addiction even it had less requirements to be defined addiction; as in when I stopped once in a blue moon I had no WDs, didn’t continuously increase dose, it didn’t interfere with my life in a negative way etc...but I have no problem with facing that as weed addiction I accepted as stoner lifestyle (and sure as fuck self-medicating with same). But now when I’m using just tiny amount of diazepam and some pain-relife (including strong NSAIDs), yes I’m addicted to that shit and trying to get rid of it. I’m looking forward to day when I’ll get back to recreational use of psychedelics, weed and dissos instead needing benzos. So I would gladly any day trade “heavy weed addiction” and recreational use of other drugs for current mild (physical or psychological) prescription habit and when life deals me a bit better cards, I sure will. In no way I think I’m any more or less worth than someone “clean” or some “junkie” cuz I have paper proving I need my meds as opposed to just loving them or whatever.
But feel free to consider me unclean or junkie, I’m always glad to make people feel better.
 
SpiralusSancti said:
I personally used loads of drugs, recreationally, quite often for many years and didn’t get into any problems with such lifestyle, until I got addicted to etizolam. Tho looking back, daily smoking of weed could be also defined as addiction even it had less requirements to be defined addiction; as in when I stopped once in a blue moon I had no WDs, didn’t continuously increase dose, it didn’t interfere with my life in a negative way etc...but I have no problem with facing that as weed addiction I accepted as stoner lifestyle (and sure as fuck self-medicating with same). But now when I’m using just tiny amount of diazepam and some pain-relife (including strong NSAIDs), yes I’m addicted to that shit and trying to get rid of it. I’m looking forward to day when I’ll get back to recreational use of psychedelics, weed and dissos instead needing benzos. So I would gladly any day trade “heavy weed addiction” and recreational use of other drugs for current mild (physical or psychological) prescription habit and when life deals me a bit better cards, I sure will. In no way I think I’m any more or less worth than someone “clean” or some “junkie” cuz I have paper proving I need my meds as opposed to just loving them or whatever.
But feel free to consider me unclean or junkie, I’m always glad to make people feel better.
Click to expand...
We are not going to agree and that is fine. I do have a question. Would you then consider someone who has to take antidepressants everyday and in order to stop they would have to taper for similar reasons, would you call them an addict as well? Because a high percentage of antidepressants require a taper to stop just like clonazepam. At what point do you consider someone not an addict then? Is it only if they are taking scheduled drugs or illicit drugs? Or all people who take medications that require a taper due to the tolerance your body has built to it and the side effects of stopping cold turkey? Again at the end of the day we aren’t going to agree about this and that is ok.
 
Depending on how many factors that are taken in consideration for diagnosing addiction are fulfilled I would or would not consider that person to be addicted to antidepressant. Is drug illicit or not doesn’t influence diagnosis. Is drug abused or not isn’t only factor in diagnosing addiction either. Depending on definition 2 or more factors should be fulfilled so some drug use is considered addiction, exact factors also depend about definition. So if WDs would occur, if same dosage stops functioning as good, if person is using daily, if dosage tends to escalate, if effects of use are profound on users life, if he/she is denial of having a substance problem etc. sure, he/she is addicted as fuck to prescribed antidepressant as are millions of people, and nothing wrong about that (well depending on ratio of negative side-effects and positive impact on life; a lot of people realize that their addiction to antidepressant is a bad thing and try to stop). Still some decide they gonna call it needed medication that causes discontinuation syndrome or whatever, but that’s still being addicted to prescription medicine by proper medical standards.
 
And I’m sure you already know that benzos are not to be prescribed for longer than 3 weeks (or in extreme cases 3 months) of continuous use to avoid benzodiazepam addiction in patients. Fact that same recommendation is often ignored doesn’t mean addiction doesn’t form. For very reason other meds, less addictive, but still hardly ever really non-addictive, are favoured when longer use is needed.
 
It’s simply up to whether you live in the part of the world where you can identify as clean even if you have some dirt on yourself or not.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top