Re: Advice on Clonazepam taper
Originally Posted by
ta333
I've taken Clonazepam 0.5mg 2x a day for just over 7 years.
...I had figured out a tapering plan to go down 0.25mg every week until I'm done. In doing some research online, I've seen that people on it this long don't generally taper this fast & I might run into some issues. So far I'm 3 days into my taper & all seems to be well so far.
I think this is too big a cut and too fast a taper. Imo, cutting back by 0.125mg every 3 weeks would make life easier. The rule of thumb on decreasing doses (also increasing) is to to cut back no sooner than 5 times the half-life of the med which for clonazepam can be up to 80 hours, so at no sooner than 17 day intervals and I'd take the additional 4 days to build extra confidence in the process. Doing it earlier may significantly increase any withdrawal symptoms.
The other thing to be aware of is withdrawal can be as much about psychology as chemistry and this can be even more so when an anxiety disorder is a factor. An anxious mind can deliver our worst nightmares if given half a chance so be prepared to modify, or extend the taper if things start to become more than mildly unpleasant. You've been on clonazepam for 7 years so an extra few weeks or months is neither here nor there. No one is going to award you a gold star for getting off it in record time.
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The opinions expressed above are based on my observations and, where applicable, interpretation of cited data and are general in nature. Consult your physician before acting on anything stated.