My psychiatrist wants to switch me from Ativan 1 mg to clonazepam .5 .

Hi, I understand that your doctor wants to take you off Ativan 1 mg. and switch you to Clonazepam 0.5 mg., I’m not very successful with this option because I know that Clonazepam stays in your system longer than Ativan but you are reducing the dose by half and that’s the reason I didn’t succeed with this option. I also think that there’s a risk of experiencing withdrawal symptoms even though they are both benzodiazepines because they work differently. If you want to get off this medication, there are many options available, i.e., a book called The Ashton Manuals which is available online and YouTube is also amazing with many helpful resources. I noticed that you have only been using the medication since February, this is very helpful for your success because there is a big difference with long term usage. Always remember to go very slowly when reducing and if your doctor has experience with this it would be beneficial to listen and see what they suggest, good luck.

The Ashton method does recommend switching from a short acting benzo to Valium as it is longer act and thus results in a smoother transition off benzos entirely. There is other information in support of switching to a longer acting benzo such as Valium which is too lengthy for this forum. You can easily download the manual and save it to the cloud to review at your leisure.

i was on low dose .125 of klonapin, once a day. i was getting off and my hearing started to diminish. there are articles that said hearing can get worse after tapering from klonapin.

I have a really good suggestion. I am 74 and wear hearing aids. If it causes hearing loss to get off it stay on it.
Hearing loss has a strong genetic component but also unfortunately in my job as a print salesperson I had to take my clients to the press room floor. I should have worn ear plugs like everyone down there.
Long story short if there is any truth to the fact that tapering off Klonopin causes hearing loss stay on the Klonopin. Just don’t abuse it.
Good luck to you.

ty🩷

It was so long ago I don't recall, but I wasn't taking the Xanax daily, but too often as I knew I may not get a refill and I wasn't taking a high dose, like some I see hear. So I can't answer you correctly, but knowing myself, I went very slowly. With you I would take 1/2 the second dose and see if you can handle it....like can I just go for a walk to soothe uncomfortable feelings. I would do this for a week, maybe two, then I would skip the whole 2 pill and start on a minimum amt of Valium....and do this for maybe a month....and so on. I would definitely be joining an exercise class or do yoga at home, etc. Does require discipline, but if you feel too uneasy, you will do it. I would also continue daily positive self-talk using Youtube as there are hundreds of excellent guides. Hopefully there are others on here who may have a more similar experience. You will find a way.

I’m very aware that Valium has a longer life than Ativan, the other benzodiazepine that also has a longer effect is Klonopin. I started early on in my life with Valium and I had a terrible time with it, I never felt the benefits of longer effect so I ended up increasing my dose quite often, it didn’t help having a doctor who gave them out with no concerns about addiction. I did get off them when I became pregnant and I was afraid for my baby so I went through a really bad experience but my strength was really good so I lived to talk about it and my son was born healthy. I stayed away from benzodiazepine for many years and relied on other medication for anxiety and ptsd., sadly the urge to go back to them came along as I got older, I truly believe that they never leave you completely, for reasons I don’t know I think they stay in your body, I compared it to alcoholism or illegal drug addiction, these people sometimes get off the drugs or alcohol and they can never take them again because the addiction will be back. It’s a different journey for everyone and some people are very fortunate to get rid of their addiction and for some it is a lifelong struggle.

ty🩷