Clonazepam (Klonopin, Rivotril)

Is anyone on this medication? How do you find it in helping your anxiety? I have been on it for some time and I am worried about addiction because I am developing quite a bit of tolerance to it.

I'm on it, and have been since 2007. I find it helps, although to be honest I'm not sure how much it's doing for my anxiety vs just preventing withdrawal. I also have a fairly high tolerance for it, and am very physically dependent on it. If I miss a dose, I get quite ill.

I want off it, but my Dr. doesn't want to change any of my meds, until I'm more stable.

I find seroquel is actually much more effective for anxiety.

splitimage

My experience with Klonopin is very similar to splitimage's, except I've been on K-pin for about 20 years and my doctor is weaning me off. Benzos help treat anxiety really well for a few months...then you're taking the med more to stop the awful withdrawal than for any other reason.

I've been on Klonopin for a long time (so long that I can't remember not taking it) and I feel it normally works really well for my anxiety. There are times where it doesn't seem to do as much and I worry I my be developing a tolerance for it but it still works most of the time.

Klonopin is the only thing keeping me from self injuring and near constant panic attacks right now. Seroquel did nothing for my anxiety and I had a horrible reaction to it.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you for your response! Just wondering, do you take it daily? I take it daily and that is what mostly concerns me.

i took it for epilepsy for 5 years and anxiety 4 mg's a day, it worked great but i slept until 3 o'clock everyday i wasn''t working. Taking it with a psycho-stimulant will counteract the 2 due to cross tolerance and the two drugs trying to cancel each other out causing tolerance over a medium period of time. 2-3 months.

That makes sense, no wonder I need high doses of stimulants. I am on 60 mg of Vyvanse twice per day, but that is only because I am off school for the summer. Normally, I have to take 80 mg twice a day.

It definitely helped me for a while then my tolerance went up & up. Klonopin worked amazingly well for me when I was in a Constant state of panic. I never got above 1 mg daily because I didn't want to become addicted. I'm having to learn to deal with high levels of stress without meds and I'm still struggling.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

I've been taking it for about 3 years. I've had the dosage upped twice. Now I take 3mg a day. I don't know how much is helpful and how much is addiction at this point. I didn't pick it up once for two days and bam! Withdrawals. :-/

Thank you for responding! Just a question, what exactly do you experience when you get withdrawal? Because I am wondering if my situation when I do not take Klonopin is just anxiety or withdrawal.

Cold sweats, nausea, migraines. It only took once for me to swear to never be lazy about picking it up again. I thought I had the flu at first.

3rd tier withdrawl from a long acting benzo is withdrawl seizures when taken for a long time, I have had a few withdrawl seizures from a short acting one, xanax but the risk stands for any really. klomopin has a 30 hour half life so remember that.

Withdrawal is AWFUL. If I miss one dose of Klonopin I feel withdrawal symptoms...the first of which is a severe anxiety, so bad that it feels like my body is flying apart. Depression usually accompanies the anxiety. If I miss two doses, oh wow. VERY sick, like a bad flu in addition to the anxiety and depression. I will find myself rolled up in my bed, physically ill and emotionally a mess.

I've been on klonopin for a few months now. It was recommended years ago but I resisted because, like you, I am afraid of becoming addicted. In general I'm just easily addicted to things. But my anxiety was getting so bad, particularly at work, that I had to do something. I was getting easily agitated, becoming sensitive to noise; and when I got really angry the back of my head would tingle. Then all that tension would end in a crying meltdown. My doctor thought I was having panic attacks and recommended klonopin. I'm still wondering if it is panic attacks or possibly a mixture of stress, a crappy job, and pms.

Anyway, so far I'm doing really well on it. I take one pill 1mg in the morning only on workdays. I don't know if it is helping with my anger problems. But it is doing wonders for my anxiety. The best part is my hyperconsciousness is completely gone. As an extremely shy person that feels great.

Good luck to you.

Withdrawals ... why do doctors give this stuff out? (WITHOUT WARNING)

I'm on Xanax, 2mg, 4/day. My doctor never warned me they were highly addictive. So every time she wanted to up my dose, I said if it'll help. Now she's quitting in the next two weeks and no other doctor wants to prescribe this amount, even though I've been on it for almost 5 years. I've been trying to wean myself down while I still have my normal amount but I managed to throw my body into withdrawals. I woke up drenched in sweat and freezing last night. The air feels like it's Antarctic air blowing on me. I took my normal dose before bed and shortly after I woke up but not much has changed. Benzo's need a black box warning on them.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

In my long experience with p-docs I remain shocked at how much they deny the realities of medication withdrawal, how severe and damaging it can be.

I'm on effexor. I hope I never have to go off of that. The withdrawal symptoms are immediate and awful.

I only take it as I need it. Since it's usually an insomnia issue, I alternate with ambien to sleep. I like it. It helps. I trust my psychiatrist to help me keep addiction in check.

I think we need to differentiate between 'addiction' and 'physical dependence'. I have never abused Klonopin, nor am I addicted to it. I take it exactly as prescribed. I don't have addiction issues, just don't have that tendency. I do, however, have a physical dependence upon Klonopin. That is, my body is so used to the daily Klonopin that if I don't take it, I have physical withdrawal symptoms. Therefore, I am weaning myself off the medication very slowly.

This is a good source: Is there a difference between physical dependence and addiction? | National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

This. Thank you!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If you do have a dependence to a medication is it really that big of a deal if it can give you a functional quality of life? I am on Paxil and I cannot come off of it - I end up in a fetal position in bed 24/7 if I don't take meds - I recently even had to increase my dosage - I tell you what - each day on my med without praying that I get cancer and die a quick death, beats any day off my meds wishing for cancer so I can die a quick and natural death- I can't image how may people's lives were spared and improved by ssri's and benzos - we only get to do it once - lets enjoy it

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've taken it for a long time, and it's thought that's why I have trouble with my memory. I have gradually cut by dosage down by half, but my therapist says she thinks I should stay on it.

Seems like it all depends upon who you ask that question of. In my experience most of us who are patients would rather have the benefits of the medication and live with the dependance. But MD's seem to find reasons to pull patients off meds when the patient is dependent. Some of the reasons my p-doc has stated are cognitive issues (true) and the concern that there is a potential for accidental overdose because of tolerance to the Klonopin (I think that's absurd...for one thing, I never mix benzos and alcohol). What it seems to me that MD's ignore is the very real danger of benzo or ssri withdrawal syndrome. The syndrome being a chronic state of disability due to withdrawal.