Ashton Manual

[Richaf]

Hello all,
Over there at Benzobuddies someone recommended that I read the Ashton Manual mainly as a guide to get off of Klonopin.
What a great and informative read! Highly recommended.

Has anyone here used this as a guide to get off of Klonopin?
How did it go for you? I know everyone is different but curiosity is king for I am going to contact my doc to start this process and am pretty pumped about it although I may take a year or more for my withdrawal due to the duration I've been taking this dose.
Thank for any feedback.

[Dahila]

What does of Klonopin are you? why you want to get off, and why should you have any problems with it. I quit benzos without weening off and I survived, more than once. You just lower your does once a week till you are off. You do not need Ashton guide for that , :))

[Richaf]

What does of Klonopin are you? why you want to get off, and why should you have any problems with it. I quit benzos without weening off and I survived, more than once. You just lower your does once a week till you are off. You do not need Ashton guide for that , :))

Hi Dahila,

I take 3mg of Klonopin daily, as I mentioned since 1988, and do not feel all that great anymore. Actually I haven't been feeling great for years, but I guess I've been fooling myself to consider this to be "normal".
I don't know what benzos you were on, and for how long, but through research I've found that Clonazepam (Klonopin) and Alprazolam (Xanax) are among the hardest to taper off of since they are 20x more potent than Diazepam (Valium) with a much shorter half life.
The reason that I want to get off of the Klonopin is that the reason that I feel like crap is most like contributed to the fact that I've been on this benzo for so long that Tolerance Withdrawal can cause some of the same symptoms that I it was originally prescribed for, such as anxiety and panic, then pile on some withdrawal symptoms like fuzzy headed and inhibited concentration...not good!
The Ashton Manual also explains the fact that Benzos were originally meant to be prescribed for a max of 2-4 weeks. Not as a maintenance drug, unless of course you are taking it for trauma or other medical reasons.
If you haven't read this manual I recommend it. I get into the hows and whys.

[Dahila]

Yes, I am on klonopin and I was on lorazepam aka ativan for years, but I am on 0.5 mg a day of clonazepam which is low dose. Taking 3 mg a day is too much in my opinion. You need to slowly ween of it i.e one or two weeks on 2.75 mg then two weeks on 2.5mg, next 2.25 if you need more than two weeks on each dose is ok. With high doses you absolutely need go slow. Use Lemon balm tea at least three times a day
I am on Klonopin for over 3 years and I do not up the dose. I know someone who is on low dose of xanax for 18 years. He is not upping it. In my life I probably was on everything, I am old woman :)
I probably could write the guide too:))
Do not forget to drink enough water it is important :)