[jbarr16]

Hi ive come here to ask all of you a couple of questions about the benzo klonopin since ive been stressing about this for a long time and my psychiatrist wont truly give me a straight answer.

Im prescribed .5 pills and when i first took them 3 years ago one would knock my anxiety out for an entire day. I take them as needed, but now 1 mg isnt really taking away my panic/anxiety as well as .5 did when i took it the first few times ever. I just wanted to know about how often do you think it would be ok for me to take 1 mg of klonopin? I feel like i need it every single day just to get by right now, and im really scared that it seems as my need for it keeps going up. Ive take .5 or 1 mg the past 6 out of 8 days for instance. Not only have i taken them at this frequency but i also didnt feel "total relief" like i used to. What should i do like how liberally can i use it and how often and such?

Thanks for the input everybody

[Travelinglady]

I've taken the same level of Klonopin for years, and I suspect it's not doing much for me anymore either. In fact, I've mentioned to my psychiatrist about trying to get off of it, but then I get under a lot of stress, and she and I decide it isn't a good time to do so....

I suspect that it is one of those drugs that sort of peter out over time, and higher levels are needed for the same effect. I suggest asking a pharmacist about that.

I do not suggest you just play your own doctor and ramp up the level on your own, though. Personally, I want to get off the stuff at some point, not take more. (I take three .5 a day.)

I do wonder why your psychiatrist is so close-mouthed about it. My thinking is that the doc doesn't want to increase it, for whatever reasons. I believe it might be addictive, actually.....

Hello It would be hard for anyone to give you a straight answer on this. None of us have the same exact chemistry or metabolism. And our own personal levels probably fluctuate. I was prescribed .5mg clonazepam per day almost 15 years ago. I still take it but seldom take the entire .5mg although some days I may take .75 or 1mg.
One thing is for sure... you can't take more than your doc prescribes And dependence is a legitimate concern.
Are you going through a particularly stressful time? It could be that and you may need less when things get back to "normal." Or you may be developing tolerance to the med. I'm curious about your thoughts on this.
Do you have other ways of countering anxiety?

Please discuss this with your doctor. I'm experiencing something similar and I am going to talk to my doctor about it.

[BlessedRhiannon]

I'd say talk to your doctor about trying something different.

I was started on klonopin and a low dose did very little for my anxiety, even taking it daily. going to the next higher dose made me feel super spacey. It just wasn't the right drug for me.

[elliemay]

Over time people develop tolerance (increased metabolism) to the benzos. It's a widely known occurrence with these drugs. Alcohol and other things also make you metabolize them faster.

In fact, it's almost guaranteed to happen in most people with regular dosing. Nothing to be concerned about.

I also have days where the anxiety is so profound that the klonopin doesn't even touch it. Just have to wait it out.

Talk to your doc about a klonopin holiday to let your system return back to baseline.

[Squaw]

This may sound ridiculous but I experienced it first hand..and it wasn't recognized until the bad symptoms occurred..I cannot take just any brand of klonopin; it has to be TEVA only..! I experienced problems with my gall bladder and had to go for a full cardio workup as a result of just 1/2 of one 1.mg tablet.! When my pharmacy and most others changed to different manufacturers I was forced to find some pharmacy somewhere, about 25 something miles away from me, to fill my rx.. That's hard to do when you don't own your own car anymore. As well as others have said, I can't recommend that you change your dosage, but your doc needs to address this problem for you. Good Luck with this.....!