Klonopin

I am taking Klonopin as needed but how much do you take and how often? My doctor says its not addictive but benzodiazepine are very addictive so I might need a new doctor.

I used to take .5 mg as needed, my DR warned me that taking more than this at one time and driving would be considered driving under the influence of a narcotic. But that probably differs from state to state. And my understanding it is addictive and you shouldn't suddenly stop taking it, instead you should taper down your usage.

It absolutely can be addictive if you take it regularly. I'm on a fairly high dose - I take 1 mg 3X / day and another 2 mg at night. If I miss a dose I start to get really bad withdrawal symptoms.

splitimagee

I have taken it for years. 2mg at bedtime & 1mg in afternoon if needed.
Wouldn't sleep & would have anxiety attacks without it.
Is definently addictive & need to taper down if you want to stop taking it.
Good luck.

My doctor said its not addictive because I don't have an addictive personality. I don't know why he would say that when it's clearly an addictive substance. It's good to know if tapering correctly one can get off it.

Not only is it addictive, it causes dependence too. Ask a pharmicist if you don't believe me; they know more about meds than doctors do.

I can't legally tell you how to NOT get addicted or dependent, but I can definitely tell you HOW TO get addicted/dependent on Klonopin.

step 1: take your medication on a schedule. this will get your body used to it.
step 2: take the medication according to the medication's half-life. this will ensure that your blood will have a constantly increasing supply of the drug.
step 3: take the medication longer than a few days. this will help cause a physical dependence.
step 4: use klonopin in higher dosages to feel even more sedated. that will ensure you begin to become addicted.

here's a little quote from wikipedia which is consitent with the package warnings.
"Clonazepam has an unusually long elimination half-life of 18–50 hours, making it generally considered to be among the long-acting benzodiazepines.[3] Clonazepam is a chlorinated derivative of nitrazepam[4] and therefore a chloro-nitrobenzodiazepine.[5]
Clonazepam has a slow onset with a peak four hours after ingestion. It has high effectiveness rate and low toxicity in overdose but, as most medications, it may have drawbacks due to adverse reactions including paradoxical effects and drowsiness. Other long-term effects of benzodiazepines include tolerance, benzodiazepine dependence, and benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome, which occurs in a third of people treated with clonazepam for longer than four weeks.[6] Clonazepam is classified as a high potency benzodiazepine."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clonazepam

If it were me, I would take it no more than 2 times a week for panic or akathesia, to have a better chance of not getting hooked.

The "addictive personality" is a fallacy. Klonopin is a benzo and carries a risk of addiction to anybody. Like most other meds, your body will become acclimated to it, so you will have taper off when stopping to avoid withdrawal effects.

I think the tapering process would need to be very gradual though.

By the way how long does Klonopin work for once taken and how long till it kicks it once the wafer dissolves?

Although the info I posted from wikipedia claims that it peaks in 4 hours, from my experience it it very rapid acting and helps panic attacks very quickly like within minutes, depending on how you take it. Also, in my experience, it lasts about 8 hours until your body becomes used to it, then it last a shorter amount of time. I was once on 16mg a day because I developed a tolerance. After being off it for a while I went back on and only took 4-6mg/day. It took me over 6 months to taper off. Now that I have not had the meds in a year, my doctors will not fill the medication for me. And I NEED IT!!! So you know, it's not super dangerous as directed. There is no need to go on suffering without it. Just don't take it unless you need it, and if you need it all the time... well that is better than suffering.

Oh I know Klonopin way too well. I go on binges where I take an excessive amount of 2mg tablets, and then I stop for a few months. Then, I do it again. It is addictive, alright.

There is noting wrong with taking Klonolpin as long as you follow the Doctors prescriptions.

It is a long acting calming medication and works wonders for anxiety attacks.

Make your own mind up on taking it or not.

Benzo's have been demonized over the years. If it works for you then don't feel guilty.

Don't know why it helps me focus more...

I was on klonopin for years and years, and instead of my depression lifting as I was also on prozac and other BP meds, I was extremely depressed most of the time. It was as if dark clouds of gloom and sadness would envelop me. Never once did I consider that it might have something to do with the meds.

Finally, after years of horrible side-effects I went off the meds--klonopin being the last I got off of. I was amazed at how much less depressed I was!!! I never gave any thought to the fact that maybe my depression was a side-effect of what I was taking.

About 9 months after going off klonopin I decided to go back on it for my crazy sleep disorder where I jerk as I'm going dozing off. Klonopin is one of the only meds that controls it, and since my insomnia was horrific, I figured it was a small price to pay for some sleep. Within 3 days of being back on klonopin, I was crying uncontrollably for no known reaon--everything was fine, but I was more depressed than I'd ever been. I started giving some very serious thought to committing suicide, and realized this wasn't me so I googled 'klonopin, side-effects, suicide ideation,' and found that that is a side-effect along with depression. I immediately stopped taking it, and was back to my normal self within 3 days. Fortunately I realized what was happening before it was too late.

Looking back on my years of taking meds, I'm convinced the meds themselves made me more depressed and anxious than I normally would have been.........

Ehh.. The weird thing is I felt like that Withdrawing from Klonopin not while taking it. Doesn't make sense..

Klonopin is a "sedative" and it "is" addictive. Each person is different in how they are affected. Some people are more sensitive than others and need very little, some people who can tolerate more alcolhol, can tolerate more Klonopin.

Keep in mind that it is a seditive and it "does" lower the "metabolism" to where you can gradually "gain" weight. I gained a lot of weight on Klonopin and I didn't eat a lot either.

I used it mostly at night because I had night terrors and flashbacks in my sleep which deprived me of a good nights rest. But the following morning I was hung over and by around 11am I could feel the anxiety building up and because I didn't want to take it during the day because it made me sleepy, I struggled during the day.

It is also known to affect the short term memory, which it did with me as well.

I finally decided to stop taking it after taking it a few years. I did it gradually and it was a challenge. But honestly, I am glad I stopped taking it. I only take it if I have a really bad day, otherwise I am working on managing the anxiety on my own and I am gaining on that.

My therapist told me that it has the same affect as alcohol on the brain, the brain cannot tell the difference. I was surprised to hear that tbh.

It is a personal choice and each person is different in how they react to Klonopin.
Yes, it can increase the "depressed" feelings, after all, it is a "sedative".

Open Eyes

When I tried it I thought it was a joke. It was like taking nothing.

Get a new pdoc.! Your doctor should not be prescribing medication that he/she knows nothing about. All benzodiazepines have the possible issues of physiological tolerance, addiction, and withdrawal. That is why they are generally rx'ed as a prn. and at a low dose. Say with clonazepam .5- 1mg prn. I'm sorry but your doctor needs to go back to school.

IMO, works for Severe anxiety, panic, social anxiety... so its a double edged sword.

I take clonazepam for involuntary movements and to help with sleep. At the very low dose I am on (0.25 mg), it is usefuless for the former but it is great for the latter.

At higher doses it does make me feel "slower", but compared to other drugs, it's easy-peasy as far as side effects go. At least for me.

I just started taking it. My doctor put me on .5 mg in the morning and 1 mg at night, and it seems to work wonders. However, benzos are addictive, so do NOT take more than prescribed. They are helpful, though, if you absolutely need them.

Really? Because I can tell a huge difference. Ativan did nothing for me, though, and Xanax was TOO strong.

Yeh, same when I tried Valium. I take Xanax now and it's OK. Never tried Ativan. Tried oxazepam but it more had a sedating effect and less of a calming one.

I stopped cold turkey after using it for over a year without any untoward effects, and I do not have an addictive personality - not at all, not with any substance.

I compared the effectiveness of cardiovascular exercise and Klonopin for my anxiety and exercise won. I encourage everyone to test for themselves. I do not use benzos any more. Not using benzos allows me to drink wine in moderation as a health enhancement measure. It is important to me.

I don't think I have an addictive personality, but still, taking a low dosage of Xanax every day for the past years causes a kind of dependence, but a dependence on feeling OK, you know life will look slightly better after you take the med, so you struggle on. Also it creates withdrawals if stopped. I've quit it (mostly because I forgot to get refills, I'm still way below what I'm allowed to take), and I get this physical feeling like I do when I have a silent migraine. I feel kind of shaky inside and I have visual stuff going on. Also, I might have ringing ears. It's not a very nice feeling, but I sort of learned it's not the usual benzo withdrawal feeling. So even withdrawals can vary a lot. I had much worse withdrawals from my SSRI, it also gave me the silent migraine feeling but also a feeling of darkness and some aggression to boot. Still one med is seen as addictive and the other not. When in fact the SSRI has worse withdrawals for me. Makes me feel they need to sit down and discuss what stuff they want included in the word addiction. Because using the word loosely just creates confusion.