Clonazepam

[lost weekend]

Should someone change to diazapam if trying to taper off clonozopam especially if they have a absolutely ridiculous tolerance .would a doctor in the UK help.my friend is worried they will ignore him and think he is trying to obtain benzos to abuse them as he dosnt have a proper prescription for existing clonozopam as he is abusing them .he is scared they will send him to cbt which in his opinion is a bad joke when he cant sleep for 2 weeks solid after quiting cold turkey .in his experience uk doctors are cold and disintrested in your plight ,plus it takes upto 4 weeks just to speak to a doctor on the phone but that is the nhs ,unless your pregnant ,elderly or been in a car wreck they want nothing to do with you ,I am trying to help him but it's near impossible.any help or someone who has been in a similar situation in uk would be much appreciated.
Thank you

 

[4DQSAR]

In the UK doctors use The Ashton Manual which swaps everyone to diazepam and detox at around 10% per week. How your friend's doctor would respone will largely be based on your friend's relationship with their GP.

If a person doesn't sleep for long enough, eventually they will have tonic-clonic (Grand Mal) seizures but often myoclonus (muscle jerks) are the warning sign. I don't think you can fake either and both are painful and potentially fatal.

But gone are the days when an NHS doctor would prescribe 2mg clonazepam TID based on either symptom or indeed on both. You get 28 x 0.5mg tablets and a referral to a specialist clinic. That takes time.

Depending on the dose, in-patient detoxification may be safest then in descending order of cost and safety is:

1)Pay for a private in-patient detoxification. Costly and time-consuming but the safest. Admission within 24 hours is common. NHS in-patient treatment can see big delays.

2)Pay to see a private doctor who can diagnose and provide a private prescription but more importantly, can write a letter to your friend's GP who then cannot be sued as they were instructed by someone more senior.

3)HR agencies. I'm uncertain what the current line is but you don't need to provide ID to ASK. They might be able to help.

4)Go to the GP, admit fault and hope they are prepared to take a blood-sample (to confirm amount of benzos being consumed) and prescribe based on genuine risk to life if untreated.

5)Taper with clonazepam. Don't rush - 10% a week is FAST.

 

[lost weekend]

Thank you for your reply I will urge my friend to seek help down the private sector as I belive he would be wasting his time seeing un unsympathetic gp which is a travesty.im sure if he was addicted to heroin it would all be streamlined and he would be set on a program much faster .thanks again