What is slowest way to taper clonazepam?

[mammie494]

I am on clonazepam 0.5 mg 3 times a day for anxiety triggered by Levaquin I took for bronchitis almost six months ago.  I think I am ready to start tapering the dose.  The psychiatrist said to decrease 1/4 pill a day each week.  I tried this for two days and started shaking again.  I need to taper more slowly.  Please tell me the slowest way to taper this drug.

[mammie494]

I talked to my p-doc's nurse who discussed the wafers with her.  She has decided to call in a prescription for me to try.  They don't have them in stock at Walgreens but will order them.  I'm just wondering, after you cut the wafer apart, what do you do with the piece that you don't use for your dose?  The nurse said they disintegrate very easily if moisture gets to them.  Do they come in a bubble pack or a regular pill bottle?  Thanks so much for your help :)

[lynn57]

One of the biggest reasons I agree with Greenlydia is that in the end it's your doctor who has to work with you.  We can share our experiences and opinions, but we are not physically there for you.  You should be able to call your doctor with any concerns, at any time.  He knows your medical history and usually what will work best for you.  If you don't have that kind of confidence in your doctor, find one that you can better communicate with.  The patient-doctor relationship is very important.

[RubyWitch]

While lynn was quite specific about her taper method, view that as simply an example of what one persons taper was like. We are all different in how we react to meds and that includes how we react during a withdrawal. I have strongly urged you to attempt a taper ONLY under the guidance and supervision of your p-doc and I'm reinforcing that advice again. Lynn has now ALSO backed this advice up.
Withdrawals can be complicated, difficult, frustrating and scary which is why you need to go through it with the help of your p-doc.
Be smart and safe, OK?
Peace
Greenlydia

[mammie494]

Thanks for  all your help.  I'll discuss everything with my doctor and she what she says.  Right now I don't feel the dose I'm on is helping me, as I'm still anxious, shaking often, can't eat much and depressed.  I was feeling better for a while but now worse again.  Very confused and  feel terrible most of the day.  But thanks for your help and support.

[mammie494]

I just checked with  my Walgreens pharmacy to see if they carried this wafer form, and they said no.  So I guess I will just have to stick with the pill form.  I'll speak to the doctor and see if she can suggest some type of slower taper, like maybe reducing by 1/4 pill the first day, then take the full dose for four days, then reduce 1/4 the next day, then take full dose for three days, then reduce 1/4 the next day, then full dose for two days, then reduce 1/4 one day, then fulll dose for next day, then maybe go back and forth between reducing 1/4 and full dose every other day for a couple weeks to get started.  I don't know . . . it's really confusing for me to figure this out, especially when I don't feel good.  And you said you're back on the drug again because your anxiety slowly returned?  What is your dosage now?

[lynn57]

The wafers are equal to 1/2 of the .05 mg tab.  The wafers instruct you not to break or cut them, but my doctor said it would work and it did.  I used a pill cutter.  It wasn't always a uniform cut but it worked out in the daily total.  I started by taking two wafers=.05 mg per dose. I took away a quarter wafer from my daily total(started w/ am dose).  I stayed at that amount for two weeks and then took away another quarter wafer and so on.  Your doctor has to prescribe the wafers.  They are now generic.  This worked for me but took a long time.  Everybody is different.  Your Doctor has different methods than my doctor.  This is only sharing what I did.  I am not advising you in any way.  You need your doc for that.  Run it by him/her.

[mammie494]

So is a .25 wafer the same as 1/4 of a .5 mg tablet?  Do you cut these in quarters with a knife or just how?  And how often did you cut the dose, every week or two weeks, or what?  I'll have to find out if my pharmacy carries the wafers or not.  Thanks for your reply.  

[lynn57]

You need to set the pace yourself.  I took almost a year to taper off Klonopin.  I now take it again because my anxiety slowly returned.  I tapered 1/4 of a .25 wafer at a time.  Mine had to be the slowest taper ever, but it worked without withdrawal symptoms.  Greenlydia is right, only your doctor is qualified to help you with this.  After all he is writing the script.

[RubyWitch]

Sorry, but we are not qualified on this forum to tell you how to manage your medications. You need to talk with your p-doc and let him know the taper is too fast for you. He should have absolutely no objections to slowing it down to make the process as comfortable for you as possible.
Let us know how it's going, OK? And good luck.
Peace
Greenlydia