Hi, @flow65 No one should look to Mayo Connect for medical advice. All we can do is to share our own experience and acquired information.
That said, I've had the same experience trying to taper off Clonazepam. I cut the pills so that I could reduce an eighth of a gram every 4+ weeks, working down from my 2mg per day. Now, six months after starting, I'm continuing to take 1.5mg, and plan to stay there unless I learn of a compelling reason to titrate further. A few years ago I tried to taper off by .25mg, at a time when I was taking only 1mg, but I couldn't sleep, etc.
Some people who have posted about this have said that it can take a year or more. There are titration recommendations that I've seen posted on Connect, but the bottom line is that every person is unique, so don't go any faster than your body permits. I suppose that every time you lower the dose, you can expect some level of discomfort, and if you're OK with the discomfort, give your body time to adjust before lowering the next notch.
We always say that you should taper down with a doctor's supervision. It's unfortunately true that a doctor may tell you to taper faster than your body can stand, so you might have to tell them you need a slower titration pace. It's your body, your mind. It's your right to be in control of your medical care, so if you can't make your doctor listen to you, maybe you need to find a different doctor. Nobody knows your body better than you.
II would be very helpful to keep a pain journal, noting everything - pain level, time, date, dosage, change in dosage, level of anxiety, appetite, physical symptoms...everything. Document it all. As a nurse would do, chart everything.
Don't worry about what someone else thinks. Listen to your body. Stay in touch.
Jim
Thank you for your advice. The dr knew way ahead of time of my sensitivity. I’ve known him for years. Then for awhile he stopped seeing patients. I think I was doing fine without any drugs. I took myself off one drug back in 2020 and did fine. Then I noticed I seen he was taking patients again. My husband thought I made a mistake seeing him again. He tried to put me on different drugs I had problems with. I wanted to get on the original one but at a slow rate. Like 5mg then 10mg then 20mg. With all these different medications we can’t remember if we tried. But now I’m at splitting the 25mg according to him. And I’ve been suffering. I can’t remember what I wrote previously. I’ve been on Pristiq for about 5 weeks. Gradual. 25mg once a day. Then 25 mg twice a day. Then 50mg once a day. Then 25mg in am and 50mg in pm (75mg that only lasted 2 days). I told him since I was on 50mg I wasn’t feeling good most of the time. He kept saying it was my anxiety. My husband and I think it’s the medication fueling my anxiety. What is strange I’ve haven’t been on it that longIf I knew this was a harsh drug I wouldn’t of taken it. He doesn’t know what to give me because of my sensitivities. Wanted me to go to the ER. It’s a 5-8 hr wait. Not good with anxiety and withdrawal symptoms. Sorry for such a long reply. I would appreciate other info. Then to find a new dr is very scary too. Thx
Flo