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Benzos Alternative ways to withdraw from clonazepam/Klonopin

K

Kdeem

Greenlighter
Joined
Nov 24, 2014
Messages
14
In a nutshell: prescribed, current daily single dose of 2 mg. As a muscle relaxant ! Horrible mistake.
Taken for over 5 years. Physical dependency.

Difficult to tolerate, even more difficult to discontinue. Much more so than in the past.
Mixed properties, for example stimulation/sedation. When tapering withdrawal symptoms are very physical, physically 'destabilizing'.

In my experience this is a very unique benzodiazepine. Although about every benzo is unique, some more so than others, this one has some energizing properties others don't seem to have.

Diazepam was hard to tolerate. MAJOR insomnia, intestinal distress and more.

Librium has been suggested as an alternative. Is it really appropriate ? In other words, does it have the right properties/benzo subunit affinity ?

An addiction doc I talked to (not my doc!) suggested oxazepam, two or three times a day. Long acting ? I checked, and while sources vary it has been described as short/intermediate acting, with a highly variable half life (reason?) Also, it seems to be a very different drug.

Again, these two drugs are very different from clonazepam.

Are there any other options ? Major factors are duration of action and half life. 'ask the doc' ? My GP doesn't know and doctors are scarce.
 
google "ASHTON Taper" ;)

edit:
"MAJOR insomnia with diazepam" hmm maybe not the ashton taper then, give it a glance though...

Oxazepam, yeah why not, you can start quite high, and taper gadually, medium half life

Librium, long half life, but not very "effeciant" benzo for most unless at very high doses...

Diazepam is really the best benzo to taper with, maybe you'll temporarily need a Z-drug... hmmm

Hope you get some more info... you don't have ethyl loflazepate marketed where you are do you?
 
Last edited:
No, no ethyl loflazepate here.

Could Librium work at the doses listed in the conversion charts ? That would be 100 mg. it has also been described as mild, and aside from my experience that clonazepam is a very unique drug it is anything but mild.

What's the deal with oxazepam ? The various charts come up very either very different or highly variable half lives. And it has been described as either short acting or intermediate.

Any other options ?
 
L-theanine, valerian root, magnesium supplement, Kava Kava, slow taper.

Those are some alternative options for you. :)
 
You could always go to detox but that might be kind of harsh.

If your doctor sucks so bad he/she cannot get you off a medication they put you on maybe see a physchiatrist about a benzo taper.

I would elect for a taper if I had to come off benzos but I don't want to due for the reasons I have a rx for them.

Clonodine is what is used in detox and jail here. I did have librium for alcohol in detox once and that got me off booze easier than valium.
 
I truly believe that any doctor that prescribes a benzo for longer than a month or two, especially if they fail to describe the agony, not to mention the mortality rate of cold turkey w/d, seriously needs to have their DEA # up for review.

That goes above and beyond, 'Do no harm'
 
If diazepam is a no no, then yeah maybe lLibrium (stolen from wiki regarding librium) "Half-life 5–30 hours (Active metabolite desmethyldiazepam 36-200 hours: other active metabolites include oxazepam.)" Which would make it a good candidate.

Tranxene (Clorazepate) might be worth mentioning, taking a look at, it's no longer on the market here i think though, depends on what country you're in...
 
The usual method is to switch to diazepam as has been already stated. 2mg isn't too high a dose (compared to some)

If Diaz is a no go then you could go the liquid titration method. Titrating off of clonaz can be tricky because of the pills sizes compared to Diaz. There's lots of info on sites like benzobuddies and many others.

Maybe your problem with switching to diaz was that the switch dose wasn't right? Theres a lot of variables involved.

The Ashton manual really is a good place to start but tailor it to your needs everyone is different.
 
I've had a hell of a time finding a doc who is at least a little knowledgeable about benzo withdrawal.

Doctors are scarce here. I have to deal with the GP. I already ditched the guy who prescribed the stuff over so many years. In retrospect, many not the smartest move. He got off easy.

Unfortunately, my experience with clonazepam is that it is a very unique drug. That it has a long half life doesn't help.
I could try Librium, but the pharmacokinetics of the various metabolites are 'messy'.
 
The half life of oxazepam seems to be highly variable. About the same for the duration of action.

What about the following benzodiazepines for a taper: clobazam, lorazepam, alprazolam ?

Would Lyrica be useful in situations like these ?
 
Insomnia and intestinal distress sounds like benzodiazepine withdrawal to me. I doubt diazepam would cause either one. I think it is likely your starting dose of diazepam was just too small. How long did you take diazepam before (I assume) going back to clonazepam?
 
I tried diazepam for no more than a few days at most. The diazepam was added to the clonazepam.
Adding diazepam to the clonazepam, and lowering clonazepam while adding the diazepam: it didn´t work.
Major insomnia (inability to fall asleep) and intestinal distress. I don´t remember the starting dose but it must have been at least 10 mg, maybe 20 mg, maybe more. For me, diazepam used to be a good muscle relaxant but that was all.
 
When i detoxefd from alprazolam in a medical facility i was given librium 50mg 4 times daily then 3 then 2 then one then one every other day and i felt pretty good for coming off of 4mg of zanax a day for 6 months. I'm afraid to say that do to the high seizure/ death risk associated with benzo withdrawal i really must recomend going into a detox or doing it under the supervision of a PCP. Good luck stay safe.
 
Kdeem said:
I've had a hell of a time finding a doc who is at least a little knowledgeable about benzo withdrawal.

Doctors are scarce here. I have to deal with the GP. I already ditched the guy who prescribed the stuff over so many years. In retrospect, many not the smartest move. He got off easy.

Unfortunately, my experience with clonazepam is that it is a very unique drug. That it has a long half life doesn't help.
I could try Librium, but the pharmacokinetics of the various metabolites are 'messy'.
Click to expand...


I agree with you that benzos in specific so few prescribing docs tend to have a real handle on all the consequences. Maybe people aren't honest about the symptoms? who knows.

But if something works. it works. You can only try your best for the given situation
 
I currently take 2.5 mg a day. But over the years I have come of it twice,but to many panic attacks I would start by taking away .5 mg. When I felt ok would do it again. Or follow a doctor's taper plan is probably the best route,but you know how your feeling,better then anything. Sometimes getting other drugs involved makes a mess. Just my expierence. We are all very different people in this world.
 
I have been on clonazepam for over a year and at first it used to just relax me no sedation now it does fuck all other than keep me awake. I saw my doctor about this and he said it wasnt prescribed for sleep but for restless leg syndrome which it still works for. I guess I am in benzo limbo I have even gone to the RC market for a benzo that helps me sleep bad idea now I am coming off the flubrmazepam which is great for sleep but I am worried that I am using a toxic benzo just for sleep I hope to be off them by xmas. I am doing a taper as these are not cheap
 
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