klonopin long term

morphine4mysoul

morphine4mysoul

Member
What is everyone's opinion on taking a benzodiazapine on a long term basis. I used to take .5mg Klonopin 3X daily. I stopped and feel horrible I was pressured to quit by my social worker. I'm going back on it starting Thursday, the chronic anxiety is too much for me right now.
 
SilentType

SilentType

Banned
I've been taking them for 5 years now. I'm up to 6mg/day of Klonopin. I have panic disorder so my panic attacks can come at any time, therefore the doc says to keep the benzos in my system. I've had no negative effects whatsoever with Klonopin. That's about all I've got to say on long term klonopin use.


Peace
 
Noca

Noca

Banned
For long term use you build up a large tolerance such as 6mg of Klonopin a day. When you want to get off that high of a dose, good luck cause it will be hell on earth!

My method is just to use benzos PRN 4-5 times a week max. That way I never form a dependency on them nor an addiction. Also my tolerance keeps at a reasonable level too.
 
SilentType

SilentType

Banned
its really not that bad for me. Klonopin doesn't give me that bad of a withdrawal. I could easily taper off at -.5mg/month or however safe they can do it the fastest. It could be a physical problem anyways, and that's also why the doctors want me to take them all the time. When I say physical, I mean it's in my body not my mind. My body triggers impulses that send triggers to the mind, yes but the problem with panic attacks is probably in related to a genetically ****ed up autonomic nervous system, not whatever part of your brain deals with anxiety. At least that's the direction my treatment has been going lately.

Peace
 
U

uriel

New member
For me, Benzos work great for curbing anxiety. I've been on Klonopin (clonazepam) before, but opted to move to Xanax (alprazolam) because I found it to be more effective due to its fast reaction time and short duration. The drug itself works well, but the knowledge that I have a pill that will quickly help restore mental equilibrium in times of panic is really what helps me.

As far as long-term use, it's kinda iffy. I'm not specifically sure about clonazepam, but I know that I developed a strong tolerance to alprazolam VERY quickly. Be responsible with your doses!
 
Noca

Noca

Banned
uriel said:
For me, Benzos work great for curbing anxiety. I've been on Klonopin (clonazepam) before, but opted to move to Xanax (alprazolam) because I found it to be more effective due to its fast reaction time and short duration. The drug itself works well, but the knowledge that I have a pill that will quickly help restore mental equilibrium in times of panic is really what helps me.

As far as long-term use, it's kinda iffy. I'm not specifically sure about clonazepam, but I know that I developed a strong tolerance to alprazolam VERY quickly. Be responsible with your doses!
Click to expand...

Yeah just having a bottle of Xanax or Klonopin on me is enough to kill my anxiety sometimes.
 
Z

zonebie

Member
I have been on clonazepam for 2 years then they stopped working. I still took 2 mg a day for 6 months now I am down to 1 mg with no effects. I plan to go down to 0.5 mg for 5 days then break that in half take that for 5 days and get off the stuff. When you first start taking it, it works great!
 
LadyWench

LadyWench

Well-known member
I don't take it on a daily basis, but I have .5MG and 1MG of Clonazepam (I take whichever one I feel is necessary at the time, depending on the severity of my anxiety). I've been taking it since 2007. I haven't noticed any negative effects from it whatsoever. It's helped me quite a bit.
 
lyricalliaisons

lyricalliaisons

Well-known member
I've been taking Klonopin on a nearly daily basis for over a year now & have had no negative side effects at all. I was on the lowest dose 0.5mg until just recently when I was raised to 1mg. I have always taken it twice a day, every day &, although it barely helped at all when I was on 0.5mg's it helps much better on 1mg. I said nearly daily basis because there were a couple times when I ran out of it & was too afraid to leave the house to go pick it up, so there were a couple of times that I went 3 weeks to a month or longer without it & I never felt an withdrawal symptoms, even though my therapist said I should.

If you need Klonopin & feel better while on it, take it. I've already decided that even if I do get dependent on it, it's worth the risk, especially if it helps me lead a decent life.
 
I

ianpeterson

Banned
I know that long term regular use of any benzos is not desirable: tolerance, addiction, problems with cognition and memory, etc. A Klonipin was prescribed to me some time ago as I had a habit of girding teeth at night. At least for now I know I need it, and it may be forever, I just want to know is it ok to take long term for the reasons I'm taking it.
 
seafolly

seafolly

Well-known member
Now this thread is something I need!

I started Clonazepam at 0.25 mg a day in 2001. Now I'm at 1 mg a day. It could be higher/worse but my body's pretty darn sensitive to drugs and this was the only thing that didn't make me ill. I wish I had known more. But at age 16 I put my full trust in my psychiatrist, and the one following her when I left feeling like her only solution was the increase the dosage. I'm HIGHLY uncomfortable being on it still but I know the past year has been ridiculously challenging and it's not a good time to wean yet. It's true that get really psychologically dependent (having extra with me always helps even if I never take it). The physical dependency terrifies me though. I've heard nothing but horror stories when it comes to weaning off after so long.
 
SilentType

SilentType

Banned
Yeah I'm 22 and got put on it at 17, .5mg 3x daily. Now I take 2mg 3x daily but they arent exactly doing anything for me and I'jm ready to get off em. For the past week i've cut back to 1mg 3x per day, and I plan on halfing the dose monthly til i'm done. I have the refills to do so and when I'jm off em I'll tell my shrink he ccan shove his prescription pad up his ass I'm not one of his cattle anymore. Bastard...

Peace
 
seafolly

seafolly

Well-known member
SilentType said:
Yeah I'm 22 and got put on it at 17, .5mg 3x daily. Now I take 2mg 3x daily but they arent exactly doing anything for me and I'jm ready to get off em. For the past week i've cut back to 1mg 3x per day, and I plan on halfing the dose monthly til i'm done. I have the refills to do so and when I'jm off em I'll tell my shrink he ccan shove his prescription pad up his ass I'm not one of his cattle anymore. Bastard...

Peace
Click to expand...

Whoa, okay so apparently you're the one I need to talk to. How did you do it? Did you use another drug to balance any seizure risk? Everything I'm reading about the withdrawal, even slow and gradual, is terrifying me to the point of wanting to cry.
 
Remus

Remus

Moderator
Staff member
seafolly said:
Whoa, okay so apparently you're the one I need to talk to.
Click to expand...

It is always best to talk to a doctor about weaning yourself off meds, as they are more knowledgable ablout potential risks as they know your medical history, none of us here are qualified to advise in a clinical sense. We can only comment on our own experiences
 
SilentType

SilentType

Banned
Except in this case I'm giving u the same advice a doctor would give you, that is unless you have some kind of seizure disorder or something. Anyways, listen to king remus and go to the doctor.
 
seafolly

seafolly

Well-known member
Oh, gosh, I wouldn't dare attempt such a thing on my own, not with a benzo! I think what I meant to say was I need to start finding stories of hope. Everything I've read regarding weaning off Clonazepam (even though I'm only on 1 mg) is absolutely terrifying. I'm hoping to find people who've done it and didn't feel like their world was caving in while doing so as I'm confident the experience will be worse if I believe that will happen.

I did actually go to "the best" psychiatrist the city had to offer in 2007. His plan was to get me on Trileptal, to the highest dose I could manage, stabilize, then very very slowly wean me off Clonazepam. Only he never felt "it was the right time" so I went to him on one drug and left him on two. I haven't been able to find a well reputed one since.

(I weaned myself off that second drug with zero trouble but remain on the Clonazepam)

Point is I know the actual deed needs to be done with a professional's aid. I just need success stories to know it's possible. :/

Edit: no seizure disorder here, just generalized anxiety and agoraphobia!
 
ronniemexico

ronniemexico

Member
Most people build up a tolerance to benzos pretty quickly, and they can be highly addictive. My brother became dependant on clonazepam and it was a nightmare getting off of it.
 
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