TryingHard: tapering clonazepam

[Tryinghard]

Hello All

I am mother of 5, turned 40 this year Ihave been on anti deps and anti anxiety meds since 2002 multiple trials of weaning off led me to reduced meds fron 2014 -2017 but not a day I have been completely off meds since 2002

I am on so many meds that I feel there is no hope of getting off completely but even lowering dosage will do

Start of April I tried to reduce clonazepam just by 0.15mg and started having anxiety and brain zaps had to go to same dose

I have to try again in May guided by my psychiatrist but Brain Zaps throw me off literally and I start having panic attacks I feel it is totally impossible hence i was searching for success stories on google and landed here.

Right now after being stable I haven't done any changes to my dosage and since two days getting brain zaps

Any help,advice,support is much appreciated 

Love and prayers

 

[Frogie]

@Tryinghard

 

Welcome to SA. We are a volunteer ran site helping people taper off of psychiatric medications, or have tapered off and are now in the healing process.

 

This is your introduction page where you will receive information, ask questions and meet other members. We ask that you only have one introduction page so we can keep all your information in one place.

 

First, why do you take Escitalopram, Lamotrigine and Effexor twice a day? So you take a total of 20 mg Escitalopram, 50 mg Lamotrigine and 150 mg Effexor a day? The take 0.75 mg Risperidone and 0.75 mg total Clonazepam a day? I just want to make sure that we have the correct information.

 

We don't suggest tapering more than 10% a month, and some people go a lot slower than that.

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

 

NEVER SKIP DOSES TO TAPER

 

Dr. Joseph Glenmullen's withdrawal symptom checklist

 

Brain Zaps

 

 

We recommend tapering the SSRI first. Please see:

 

Taking multiple psych drugs? Which drug to taper first?

 

 

Pay close attention to the concept of "brakes and accelerators" - that will explain why it's best to taper the escitalopram first.

 

Here is a link that may help speak with your dr about this:

 

How do you talk to a doctor about tapering and withdrawal?

 

I'm going to give you some links to read on tapering off everything else you are currently on:

 

Tips for tapering off escitalopram (Lexapro)

 

Tips for tapering off lamotrigine (Lamictal)

 

Tips for tapering off venlafaxine (Effexor)

 

Tips for tapering off risperidone (Risperdal)

 

 

We don't suggest supplements on here as they can be stimulating to the nervous system. We have found that magnesium and omega calming to some. If you want to try them, try one in a small amount and wait a few days before introducing the other.

 

Magnesium

Omega-3 Fish Oil

 

I hope I have answered some of your questions. Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have.

 

 

[Tryinghard]

Why: 2002 had severe depression, nervous breakdown due to some family issues, loss of my grand mother 

2018: severe anxiety attacks had to go almost cold turkey due to first trimester of unexpected pregnancy( it was unexpected also contributed to this as mentally I was all done with family) my psychiatrist was not available went to multiple but no one could do anything except introduce new meds like prothiaden, mirtazipine and effexor. .e.t.c my condition deteriorated and I went mute.when I finally had access to my psychiatrist he weaned me off additional meds and now this is what I am at 

Correction: RISPERIDONE 1Mg i take 3/4 qt night and half in morning, CLONAZEPAM 0.5 mg(rivotril) I take half at night and less than qtr in morning all rest is correct sorry for my calculation error

All the guide and links you have sent seem super helpful I will go through them all

Tapering PLAN: my psych wants to reduce my 10 mg escitalopram in morning to 3/4 from MAY 3 According to his plan I should have reduced my 1mg risp from half to qtr in morning from April 3, I tried but started having zaps and anxiety so I went back

This all is so confusing

Oh and I have hashimotos hypothyroid

Sometimes I can go one month with WS sometimes not even one day

I was looking at my file on 6/18/20 I was at 15 mg escitalopram at night which has now been reduced to 10mg at night

It's risperidone and clonazepam that seem to hit me hard and instantly

Finally Thank You just having the feelingnof being heard means a lot

[Frogie]

@Tryinghard

 

I hope you read the links provided before you have the dr taper you the way they know. Unfortunately, they don't know anything about tapering and most likely you will have bad withdrawal symptoms.

 

I was just asking why you took the medications twice a day, and not just once a day?

 

Please let me know if you have any other questions I may be able to help you with.

[Tryinghard]

As prescribed by psych I have no idea why he put me to twice 

So I was reading the links how will I go about cutting 10% of 20mg daily escitalopram will it be same as taking 3/4 in morning and 1 at night (each 10mg)

He wants me to be on this dose for 2 months meanwhile I will have cut down my risperidone for 1 month so do I wait for risperidone and clonazepam

Do you want to see my prescription it is all too confusing

 

[Tryinghard]

Also since 2 days I have not cut any meds but i am having brain zaps, and I am scared that maybe it is a signal I need more meds?

[Frogie]

@Tryinghard

 

Brain zapps are a very normal wd symptom. Especially when you are tapering too fast.

 

No, taking 3/4 in the morning and 10 mg in the evening is not 10%, it is 25% and way too fast.

 

If you take 10 mg in the morning, tapering 10% would mean you would take .90mg, not .75 mg (that would be 3/4).

 

It all on weighing and measuring also. 

 

Using a scale to weigh and measure doses

 

The Brassmonkey Slide Method of Micro-tapering

 

Help with math for tapering

Edited April 25, 2022 by Frogie

[Tryinghard]

Now when I look at prescription I think my dr is going way too fast and multiple at once

So I have established the fact that he is going by qtr and not by percentage which is not good

I don't have a weight scale and don't think Gemini is available here 

So first I have to decide which one should I do first? The thread you sent me had mixed views

Please help me decide should I go multiple like doc suggested but by percentage 

Or should I do escitalopram first and then ridperidone and clonazepam 

GOD I am like all kinds of meds at once!!

this seems impossible to me

 

 

[Tryinghard]

If I plan to cut clonazepam 0.125 in morning by 5% it will be 0.00625 mg

What pill weighing machine would you guys suggest

First step to order pill scale

[ChessieCat]

Brassmonkey did his whole taper using a Gemini 20 scale and got down to very low doses.

[Tryinghard]

Thank You!!

[Tryinghard]

I have gotten rid of 0.125 morning clonazepam it is second month now

I have started cutting the night dose of 0.25 clonazepam since jan 15 2023

 

My question

My dr wants me to cut risperidone, clonazepam and escitalopram simultaneously with a gap of 3 weeks and 25% cut

 

I am thinking first get off clonazepam then move to risperidone then escitalopram?

 

Because risperidone withdrawals I can't handle and keep going back

 

Any help is much appreciated

[Tryinghard]

How long after benzo?

 

How long after benzo can you be sure you have successfully withdrawn?

 

I have withdrawn from my morning dose of 0.125 mg clonazepam been 2 months , I am still on 0.25 clonazepam at night

How much time does it take for withdrawal symptoms to appear I mean do 2 months without side effect mean I have successfully withdrawn the morning dose?

Hope am making sense

Thank You

Edited January 16, 2023 by Shep
added title after merging from benzo forum

[Shep]

@Tryinghard Please note I moved your last post from the benzo forum.

 

Please keep posting here in your intro thread so all your information is in one place.

 

2 hours ago, Tryinghard said:

How much time does it take for withdrawal symptoms to appear I mean do 2 months without side effect mean I have successfully withdrawn the morning dose?

 

This sounds really good, Trying. You likely would be feeling upticks in symptoms by now if your taper was too fast.  And if you're not feeling upticks in symptoms during the day, you likely aren't experiencing interdose withdrawal. So once-a-day dosing is enough. This is great to read.

 

2 hours ago, Tryinghard said:

My question

My dr wants me to cut risperidone, clonazepam and escitalopram simultaneously with a gap of 3 weeks and 25% cut

 

I am thinking first get off clonazepam then move to risperidone then escitalopram?

 

 

Here is our advice for dealing with multiple drugs:

 

Taking multiple psych drugs? Which drug to taper first?

 

If the .25 mg of clonazepam is helping with sleep, you may want to hold it until you've tapered off your other drugs. 

 

Does risperidone help with sleep?

 

2 hours ago, Tryinghard said:

Because risperidone withdrawals I can't handle and keep going back

 

What type of symptoms have you had in the past when you tried to come off? 

[Tryinghard]

Risp withdrawals start with shortness of breath moving on to panic and then feel like crying but as soon as I go back to same dose symptoms disappear

 

Sleep is good so have no idea which one is working for sleep 😕

 

thank you so much for replying it feels good to be heard and understood

much love

[Shep]

On 1/16/2023 at 12:41 PM, Tryinghard said:

Risp withdrawals start with shortness of breath moving on to panic and then feel like crying but as soon as I go back to same dose symptoms disappear

 

Did you keep any notes from your earlier experience with any details, such as how much you were reducing and what the dose was where the shortness of breath started? It may have been from tapering too quickly. If that's the case, then you'll want to taper extra slowly, perhaps even a micro-taper when you get to this drug. 

 

On 1/16/2023 at 12:41 PM, Tryinghard said:

Sleep is good so have no idea which one is working for sleep 😕

 

No worries. By the time you get to tapering the night drugs, you may be off the daytime ones, so you may not have as much trouble sleeping. A lot of us end up on benzos and antipsychotics to deal with the insomnia caused by the antidepressants. 

 

On 1/16/2023 at 12:41 PM, Tryinghard said:

thank you so much for replying it feels good to be heard and understood

much love

 

You're welcome, Trying. 

[Tryinghard]

10 hours ago, Shep said:

 

Did you keep any notes from your earlier experience with any details, such as how much you were reducing and what the dose was where the shortness of breath started? It may have been from tapering too quickly. If that's the case, then you'll want to taper extra slowly, perhaps even a micro-taper when you get to this drug. 

From the dose of 0.25 mg i was cutting 0.31g every month i think when i reached 0.93 g cut i started having symptoms

[Shep]

13 hours ago, Tryinghard said:

From the dose of 0.25 mg i was cutting 0.31g every month i think when i reached 0.93 g cut i started having symptoms

 

Do you happen to remember how much active ingredient (in milligrams) was in the 0.31 g and 0.93 g? It looks like you're posting the gram weight of the pill with filler (as opposed to the milligrams of the actual drug).

 

No worries if you don't have that information, but if you do, it may help you figure out if you were tapering too fast so you don't repeat that again. 

[Tryinghard]

Ah yes! This is weight of pill and not actual drug, I don't have that info unfortunately:(

 

 

 

 

 

[Shep]

On 1/19/2023 at 3:13 AM, Tryinghard said:

Ah yes! This is weight of pill and not actual drug, I don't have that info unfortunately:(

 

No worries. You may want to just assume the taper rate was too fast and when you reduce this drug in the future, go with a micro-taper to start out. 

[Tryinghard]

On Jan 25 I was prescribed

Eosemperazole 40 mg and ganaton(itopride hydrochloride) 150 mg daily in morning for gastritis

 

On Saturday FEb 11 Missed my morning dose of anti deps and anti anxiety meds which were

Venlafixine 75 mgXR

Escitalopram 10 mg

Risperidone 0.5 mg

Lamotrigine 25 mg

 

Brain zaps started sunday morning Feb 12 have not subsided as of Feb14 Tuesday

 

Is it because of gastritis meds or missed dose. These zaps are becoming unbearable any way to control these?

What to do

 

[Shep]

16 minutes ago, Tryinghard said:

Eosemperazole 40 mg and ganaton(itopride hydrochloride) 150 mg daily in morning for gastritis

 

By "Eosemperazole," do you mean "esomeprazole"? Please see this thread for more information on this class of drug:

 

Tips for tapering off stomach acid blockers or PPIs (esomeprazole, lansoprazole, omeprazole)

 

Please also see the links in that thread for alternative ways of handling digestion issues without adding in more drugs. 

 

Here are the side effects of these drugs:

 

Esomeprazole Side Effects

 

Itopride (brand name Ganaton)

 

I just placed all of your drugs except Ganaton (which wasn't listed) into a drug interaction checker. There are a number of dangerous potential drug interactions, including some MAJOR drug interactions. See:

 

Drug Interaction Checker Report

 

Quote

Interactions between your drugs

Major

risperiDONE  escitalopram

Applies to: risperidone, escitalopram

Using escitalopram together with risperiDONE can increase the risk of an irregular heart rhythm that may be serious and potentially life-threatening, although it is a relatively rare side effect. You may be more susceptible if you have a heart condition called congenital long QT syndrome, other cardiac diseases, conduction abnormalities, or electrolyte disturbances (for example, magnesium or potassium loss due to severe or prolonged diarrhea or vomiting). Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. Your doctor may already be aware of the risks, but has determined that this is the best course of treatment for you and has taken appropriate precautions and is monitoring you closely for any potential complications. You should seek immediate medical attention if you develop sudden dizziness, lightheadedness, fainting, shortness of breath, or heart palpitations during treatment with these medications, whether together or alone. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

Switch to professional interaction data

 

Major

venlafaxine  escitalopram

Applies to: venlafaxine, escitalopram

Using escitalopram together with venlafaxine can increase the risk of a rare but serious condition called the serotonin syndrome, which may include symptoms such as confusion, hallucination, seizure, extreme changes in blood pressure, increased heart rate, fever, excessive sweating, shivering or shaking, blurred vision, muscle spasm or stiffness, tremor, incoordination, stomach cramp, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Severe cases may result in coma and even death. You should contact your doctor immediately if you experience these symptoms during treatment. In addition, combining these medications can increase the risk of an irregular heart rhythm that may be serious and potentially life-threatening, although it is a relatively rare side effect. You may be more susceptible if you have a heart condition called congenital long QT syndrome, other cardiac diseases, conduction abnormalities, or electrolyte disturbances (for example, magnesium or potassium loss due to severe or prolonged diarrhea or vomiting). Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. Your doctor may already be aware of the risks, but has determined that this is the best course of treatment for you and has taken appropriate precautions and is monitoring you closely for any potential complications. You should seek immediate medical attention if you develop sudden dizziness, lightheadedness, fainting, shortness of breath, or heart palpitations during treatment with these medications, whether together or alone. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

Switch to professional interaction data

Moderate

clonazePAM  risperiDONE

Applies to: clonazepam, risperidone

Using clonazePAM together with risperiDONE may increase side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, and difficulty concentrating. Some people, especially the elderly, may also experience impairment in thinking, judgment, and motor coordination. You should avoid or limit the use of alcohol while being treated with these medications. Also avoid activities requiring mental alertness such as driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how the medications affect you. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

Switch to professional interaction data

Moderate

clonazePAM  venlafaxine

Applies to: clonazepam, venlafaxine

Using clonazePAM together with venlafaxine may increase side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, and difficulty concentrating. Some people, especially the elderly, may also experience impairment in thinking, judgment, and motor coordination. You should avoid or limit the use of alcohol while being treated with these medications. Also avoid activities requiring mental alertness such as driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how the medications affect you. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

Switch to professional interaction data

 

Moderate

risperiDONE  venlafaxine

Applies to: risperidone, venlafaxine

Using risperiDONE together with venlafaxine can increase the risk of an irregular heart rhythm that may be serious and potentially life-threatening, although it is a relatively rare side effect. You may be more susceptible if you have a heart condition called congenital long QT syndrome, other cardiac diseases, conduction abnormalities, or electrolyte disturbances (for example, magnesium or potassium loss due to severe or prolonged diarrhea or vomiting). Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. You should seek immediate medical attention if you develop sudden dizziness, lightheadedness, fainting, shortness of breath, or heart palpitations during treatment with these medications, whether together or alone. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

Switch to professional interaction data

Moderate

clonazePAM  lamoTRIgine

Applies to: clonazepam, lamotrigine

Using clonazePAM together with lamoTRIgine may increase side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, and difficulty concentrating. Some people, especially the elderly, may also experience impairment in thinking, judgment, and motor coordination. You should avoid or limit the use of alcohol while being treated with these medications. Also avoid activities requiring mental alertness such as driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how the medications affect you. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

Switch to professional interaction data

Moderate

risperiDONE  lamoTRIgine

Applies to: risperidone, lamotrigine

Using risperiDONE together with lamoTRIgine can increase your blood levels of risperiDONE. This can cause side effects such as excessive drowsiness, dizziness, increase in heart rate, seizures, and tremors. Talk with your doctor before using these medications together, and report any side effects promptly. You may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely take both medications. Avoid driving until you know how these medications will affect you. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

Switch to professional interaction data

Moderate

venlafaxine  lamoTRIgine

Applies to: venlafaxine, lamotrigine

Treatment with venlafaxine may occasionally cause blood sodium levels to get too low, a condition known as hyponatremia, and using it with some anticonvulsants can increase that risk. In addition, venlafaxine can cause seizures in susceptible patients, which may reduce the effectiveness of medications that are used to control seizures such as lamoTRIgine. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. Your doctor may be able to prescribe alternatives that do not interact, or you may need a dose adjustment or more frequent monitoring to safely use both medications. You should seek medical attention if you experience nausea, vomiting, headache, lethargy, irritability, difficulty concentrating, memory impairment, confusion, muscle spasm, weakness or unsteadiness, as these may be symptoms of hyponatremia. More severe cases may lead to hallucination, fainting, seizure, coma, and even death. Also let your doctor know if you develop seizures or experience an increase in seizures during treatment with venlafaxine. Additionally, because these medications may cause dizziness, drowsiness, and impairment in judgment, reaction speed and motor coordination, you should avoid driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how they affect you. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

Switch to professional interaction data

Moderate

clonazePAM  escitalopram

Applies to: clonazepam, escitalopram

Using clonazePAM together with escitalopram may increase side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, and difficulty concentrating. Some people, especially the elderly, may also experience impairment in thinking, judgment, and motor coordination. You should avoid or limit the use of alcohol while being treated with these medications. Also avoid activities requiring mental alertness such as driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how the medications affect you. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

Switch to professional interaction data

 

Moderate

lamoTRIgine  escitalopram

Applies to: lamotrigine, escitalopram

Treatment with escitalopram may occasionally cause blood sodium levels to get too low, a condition known as hyponatremia, and using it with some anticonvulsants can increase that risk. In addition, escitalopram can cause seizures in susceptible patients, which may reduce the effectiveness of medications that are used to control seizures such as lamoTRIgine. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. Your doctor may be able to prescribe alternatives that do not interact, or you may need a dose adjustment or more frequent monitoring to safely use both medications. You should seek medical attention if you experience nausea, vomiting, headache, lethargy, irritability, difficulty concentrating, memory impairment, confusion, muscle spasm, weakness or unsteadiness, as these may be symptoms of hyponatremia. More severe cases may lead to hallucination, fainting, seizure, coma, and even death. Also let your doctor know if you develop seizures or experience an increase in seizures during treatment with escitalopram. Additionally, because these medications may cause dizziness, drowsiness, and impairment in judgment, reaction speed and motor coordination, you should avoid driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how they affect you. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

Switch to professional interaction data

Moderate

esomeprazole  escitalopram

Applies to: esomeprazole, escitalopram

Esomeprazole may increase the blood levels and effects of escitalopram. You may have an increased risk of developing side effects, including irregular heart rhythm and a rare but serious condition called the serotonin syndrome, which may include symptoms such as confusion, hallucination, seizure, extreme changes in blood pressure, increased heart rate, fever, excessive sweating, shivering or shaking, blurred vision, muscle spasm or stiffness, tremor, incoordination, stomach cramp, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. You should contact your doctor immediately if you experience these symptoms while taking the medications. Your doctor may be able to prescribe alternatives that do not interact, or you may need a dose adjustment or more frequent monitoring to safely use both medications. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

Switch to professional interaction data

No other interactions were found between your selected drugs. However, this does not necessarily mean no other interactions exist. Always consult your healthcare provider.

 

 

 

 

 

[Shep]

@Tryinghard Please note in that section above on drug interactions that adding in esomeprazole may increase the blood levels of escitalopram. 

 

This is what you have in your signature:

 

Quote

From 2018 and current

escitalopram 10 mg twice daily, lamotrigine 25mg twice daily, effexor 75 mg twice daily, risperidone 0.75 mg at night and 0.5 mg in morning and clonazepam 0.25 night and 0.125 morning daily

 

As of january 16 2023

escitalopram 10 mg twice daily, lamotrigine 25mg twice daily, effexor 75 mg twice daily, risperidone 0.75 mg at night and 0.5 mg in morning and clonazepam 0.25 night 

 

 

 

The only change you have here is you were taking 0.125 mg of clonazepam in the morning in the "from 2018 to current" list and you no longer have that in the "as of January 16, 2023" list.

 

Is the reduction of the morning 0.125 mg clonazepam the only change (in addition to adding in the drugs for digestion issues)? When did you stop taking the morning 0.125 mg clonazepam? 

[Tryinghard]

I stopped taking the morning clonazepam in November 2022

 

The drug interactions are scary and I am trying to wean off these one by one it is such a long process and so many withdrawal symptons and there are so many! Sometimes I just want to give up!

 

I have gastritis and the case was so severe nothing alternate would work however my gastroenterologist have said he has put me on it for a short term and will gradually stop these

 

I have so many health issues I am so embarrassed to discuss I would come out as a whiner 

 

I am taking no supplements only vit D

 

I really appreciate your support 

Edited February 16, 2023 by Shep
removed extra spaces at the end of the post

[Shep]

7 hours ago, Tryinghard said:

I stopped taking the morning clonazepam in November 2022

 

Did your symptoms get worse after stopping the morning dose? 

 

7 hours ago, Tryinghard said:

I have gastritis and the case was so severe nothing alternate would work however my gastroenterologist have said he has put me on it for a short term and will gradually stop these

 

Have you tried any changes to your diet, such as an elimination diet to see which foods are aggravating your stomach? 

 

Please see these helpful links:

 

Digestive problems: nausea, diarrhoea, bloating, GERD

 

Food sensitivities

 

Histamine food intolerance

 

Eating as an activating factor (increasing anxiety or symptoms)

Edited February 16, 2023 by Shep
fixed link

[Tryinghard]

No I did micro taper so I had no withdrawal symptoms

 

good news the zaps seem to have gone so it might be probably the missed dose 🙂

 

I have had Gastritis since I was in my teens and now I am 40 yes occasional fried or spicy food seem to aggravate it cauliflower cabbage also

Edited February 17, 2023 by Shep
removed extra spaces at the end of the post

[Shep]

@TryinghardVery glad to read you had no withdrawal symptoms.

 

Have you tried an elimination diet for the gastritis issues? The Low Fodmap Diet can be helpful. If you haven't already tried that, you may want to google the foods that are low fodmap and give it a try. Withdrawal can definitely make GI symptoms worse, even for problems you had before the drugs. 

[Tryinghard]

Thank you I will try definitely