Tranquilizers, Klonopin, Dose, Frequency

I have been on benzos for about 10 yrs. now (I have no idea why any of the psychiatrist I have ever worked with have not advised to discontinue. I have always been honest with them about my benzo use).

I have taken Xanax, Ativan, and Klonopin. I have been on Klonopin for about three years now.

I used to take .25mg. Then it was raised to .5mg. Now I take 1mg pills. My pdoc wrote the prescription for two pills per day.

The problem? I have developed a serious tolerance for this medication. Today I took three milligrams at once and I was able to write a paper for school and drive to the store. Later on in the night, I took my 250mg of Lamictal, and then took another .5mg of Klonopin.

I also took 2mg early this morning (very early-- about 1am or so). So if you add it all up, I technically took five and half mg. of Klonopin in one day-- including taking 3mg at one time.

I have this urge to keep increasing the amount of Klonopin because I have been going through so much lately, particularly in terms of grief. Sometimes the Klonopin lifts my mood and I don't have to think and feel so much of the bad stuff.

For those of you on Klonopin, how much do you take? What mg? What is the frequency? Am I taking way too much?

After all of this, it is 1:39 AM, and I am still very much awake.

pinksoil,
I'm weaning down from 1mg twice a day in order to stop taking it. It's for my seizure disorder--my new med for it is Lamictal.

Jmo, but it does sound like a large dose.
You've said you are going through a rough time right now, and numbing out with Klonopin. Please be careful, pinksoil.
This is a highly addictive drug and you may find yourself with problems you had not counted on...

Perhaps you can talk with your physician about it? She/he may be able to redo your treatment protocol...different drugs, etc..

Best wishes for you to get the answers you need,
Cap

Pinksoil,

I was on Ativan for about 3-4 years, don't remember exactly but started abusing it, taking 7-8 mg a day and sometimes more to knock myself out.

I talked to my pdoc about it and she switched me to Klonopin which is less addictive as it's longer but slower acting and you don't get the same rush that you get with Ativan.

I've now been on it for 2.5 years. My starting dose was 1 mg 3 times a day, and 2 mg at night. So I was taking a total of 5 mg a day.

I have abused it a couple of times and taken up to 6 mg at a time, but I'm scared to take more than that, and I always feel bad after doing it, so like I said I've only done it a couple of times.

I've been weaning myself off of it, as I'm having less problems with anxiety so now most days I only take 1 mg a day and then another 2 at night. Very occassionaly I'll take another mg at noon, but that's like maybe once every 6 weeks.

It sounds to me like you're developing a tolerance to it. That's dangerous, as it pushes you to keep taking more to get the same effect, that's what happened to me initially with the Ativan. I'd be very careful about going over your prescribed dose. It may be physically safe to do so, from the sense of you're not approaching OD territory, but you are running the risk of addiction, and trust me you don't want that. I'd talk to your pdoc about the developing tolerance and see if they can maybe switch you to another med.

I know all about tolerance to Benzo's, when I was detoxing from alcohol one time, I think it was the 3'rd time, I was doing a medically supervised withdrawl over 5 days and the first day they gave me 100 mg of Valium, in stages - not all at once. I was still alert and talking - could even read. My doc and the nurses were all stunned and said I should be asleep. But trust me tolerance for the Benzo''s is not a good thing.

--splitimage

Dear Pinksoil.....

I take 4mg of Klonolpin at night and 40mg of Aropax in the morning.

I have been taking Klonolpin for four years and it is very easy to develop a tolerance to the drug. Last August I was in hospital and on 10mg per day for two months and I was still very functional.

Since then I haven't needed to be that sedated. So I dropped it to eight for a month and then 6mg for another month.

I am now down to 4mg and if I get very desperate I will take another 2 during the day but thankfully it isn't that often.

It was very easy to take 10mg per day. So you could wind up there. I am really quite reluctant to take more than 4mg now as sometimes that doesnt seem to do much but it really probably is but I am not aware of it. I try not to increase it as I really dont want to become even more dependent on it.

So now I try deep breathing, or listening to music to help take the edge off. Or I try coloring or writing to my shrink and tell him what is bothering me.

Maybe you could try alternatives to increasing medications.

Please take care.

Possum

.5mg Klonopin 2/day....some days I skip a dose...Im trying to get off all medications, then again who knows