Still afraid of Clonazepam...

I still can't get past my fear of taking clonazepam, i read about peoples horrible withdrawals and i know i SHOULDNT read that and I'm NOT like everyone else, however I'm still afraid oh what to do.. im at such a loss... panic attacks vs med that *might* help... *****. i just don't know, im so stuck, how does one get past the fear of meds... argh so so so so so frustrated. New year is coming and Im sick of panic attacks, sick of being afraid to go anywhere, sick of being afraid to be alone, sick of fearing my own health and sanity. sick sick sick.

i take a very small dose of xanax and it took forever for me to consent to take it. now i am very grateful that i finally gave in...........xoxoxo pat

i dont want to become addicted all i read is how addicted people get and how they cannot get off of them, if i take the drug and bypass all side effects etc, it seems inevitable that one would become addicted and woul dhave to deal with side effects/withdrawal. if its such an addictive med then why the hell do docs suggest anyone use em? i dont get it, i hate this, i hate being afraid, agh!

I'm sorry you are having a hard time with this . I am saying this as this is the meds I take. Paxil cr ( time release ) welbutren xl ( time release and for me I had to do this. It took me a year to feel the way I do now. Some of the problems are when trying to get off the meds I would have to work with my pdoc, and start lowering doses. For me I had to do it this way. Or I would explode and if that happened I would go to jail. This I know I did not go to a pdoc or any thing I self med myself getting off that was very hard. This time I will do what the pdoc tells me. This is me You have to take the way that fits you best of wishes go with you.

I was on the same dosage of Xanax for 20 yrs. with no need to increase & didn't get addicted. I recently had a hypo manic episode where I wasn't sleeping so my doc changed me from Xanax (short acting) to Klonopin (longer lasting) to help with my sleep. I have had no side effects of withdrawal...just quit taking the Xanax & started on the Klonopin. I know some people must get a "high" from these drugs. All they do is relax me & put me to sleep. I rarely need to take one during the day. I'm afraid it would put me to sleep, but other people seem to be able to take it during the day if needed. Talk to your doc some more to see if you are a candidate for getting addicted & what to watch for. Good luck.--Suzy

I've been taking clonazepam for several months and first of all, have found it a lifesaver, calming my anxiety and allowing me to sleep very restfully, and secondly, have been able to go a few days without taking it at all, so I don't see how there can possible be an addiction problem unless you take massive doses of it everyday.
Think about it...anything can be addictive if you take too much.
Why deprive yourself of the help this drug can give you???

I agree with journeyman.
I was on it for awhile and when I felt I wanted to start to try to sleep without it again. I asked my P and she said that I could stop taking it. No withdrawls here. Maybe each person is different, but IMHO-it won't hurt to try it.

Hi! I have been taking clonazepam for about 10 years. I take 2mg per day at night before bed. I have occassionally tested myself to see if i would suffer from withdrawal..by stopping the medication for several days.I, personally, did not suffer any withdrawal symptoms. I believe one would have to take a much higher dose to become addicted. Please give this medicine a chance to help you. Take good care!

Anything can become an addiction - even the computer ! Sure, there are many sites that will tell you how addicting this medication is - I ran up on one years ago, and the stories were horrible........however, the majority of the people on that site had past addictions to street drugs. I have taken the same doseage of Klonopin for 17 years , never increased the dose, and it gave me my life back. Am I addicted ? I dont know. I sometimes forget to take them and have no ill effects, but I guess I decided I would rather take a chance of needing a medication the rest of my life, over not having a life. There is nothing worse than suffering for the years that I did with undiagnosed panic disorder - except perhaps having suffered ONE MORE DAY than I did by not starting a medication that in the majority of people will help.

Hi Parker,
I could have written what you posted word-for-word plus 7 more years! I too took Klonopin and was very thankful for it early on. Unfortunately, the long-term use caused addiction and depression. After withdrawing from the medication (inpatient as I did experience seizures) my life has dramatically improved I'm thankful to report. Here again, when it comes to pharamaceuticals, it's going to be different for every person. The other interesting thing I found out is that I no longer had the horrible panic attacks I had when I was first prescribed. Go figure.
Take care,
Okie

I came off of the drug but it took me 4 months. It is possible.

I've been on both Xanax and Klonopin for the last 21+ yrs. Can't say as I've ever been addicted to either one of them. Both have been life savers for me! ... and I DO have an addictive personality.

Hi there,
I wish that you had someone to be with you while you take the first dose...try breaking it into bits and take a bit of it to see how you respond.
this is a very safe way to try them.
STart taking it on a friday or when ever you may not have to go to work if you do that...try it over the weekend to give yourslef some time to see how your body reacts.
You may not need a large dose...
If you really want your life back then you do need to do something different.
No one can take this step but you.
I wish you well.
((((HUGS))))
bizi

Has anyone found that klonopin helps to "organize" his or her brain? I find it mobilizes me... maybe the de-stressing effect allows me to get my act together so I can be more organized. I only take .5/day but debate going higher... Don't have panic attacks at all but it seems to serve as sort of a adhd drug. Anyone else?

Thx!

Thanks again to EVERYONE who took the time to encourage me with the Clonazepam however irionically my long months of fearing it may have saved me... I have s condition called 'complex migraines' meaning they are a migraine but they mimic a stroke, i ended up going off to the ER via ambulance end of december because 1/2 of my face dropped and i started to drool, anyhow, no blood clots so no stroke, had a CT scan on monday and now I'm waiting til Feb to see a nuerologist regarding this. I've also quit smoking, quit caffiene, and had to go off the pill. ANYHOW my point is that i was also informed that this med (had i have taken it) may have added to my risk to actually having a stroke- as apparently because of these migraines that alone makes me high risk. im not old enough to have these problems but hopefully i will find a way to deal with this w/o psych meds (for now at least) and just councelling etc... and ill focus on controlling the migraines/lowering my risk for strokes, etc...
Thanks again though to everyone I appreciate ALL of you, your time, your effort, your thoughts and kind words. Everyone here at PC is amazing and I am grateful to have been accepted into the community.

that must have been very scarey for you.
wow!
glad that you are starting to learn about your body and finding help along the way.
keep in touch as you heal.
(((HUGS)))
bizi

I have been taking 1 mg Xanax XR for about 6 months now and It seems to help wit Anxiety a lot. And it really doesn't make me sleepy either. I do notice though that if I miss a dose I feel bad