I have been suffering from severe panic attacks for 15+ years now. For awhile, low dose SSRI's worked okay, but then I started getting bad side effects from those.

My dr has put me on 0.5 to 1mg of Klonopin for the past few months to take as needed (Not daily). It is working quite well and I only take it once a week typically, twice at most, when I feel a panic attack coming on. The Dr told me herself this is highly addictive and she wants to find me another drug as soon as possible that will work. Thats my problem, finding something that helps the panic attacks w/ side effects I can tolerate.

Is Klonopin always addictive at this amount and when not taken daily? Will my body get used to this dosage and feel it needs more to work even if i only take it once a week? I would rather not go down the road of becoming addicted. I was on Paxil, and even getting off of that took me 4 months w/ bad withdrawls--I know Klonopin is worse. Are there other Benzo's that might work for anxiety but not quite as addicting?

Not sure what to do.

I regret that I am not the resident expert on benzos...but I, too, am prescribed Klonopin---fifteen pills a month at 0.5 mg strength. Again, I take them about as often as you do. In the three years I've been on them, I have not developed a tolerance and have not had to alter my dose. I take half a pill when I'm very anxious (though if I were having panic attacks I would take a full pill.) I know that benzos are highly addictive...but I have never felt the need to take a higher dosage..or take it more often. Hopefully, others on the board (one woman, who is missing this week) who are more expert than I am can tell you about the addiction aspect of it. Not having tried to go off the Klonipin, I do not know how I would react.

I'm sure having to choose a new anti-anxiety drug is enough to induce ANOTHER panic attack in you. But there may be others here who can help you. I'll be back on the Boards tomorrow. Try not to worry (easily said, I know!!) :-)

Lynn

thanks Twinlynn,

My dr has so far only refilled me one time. Considering how against she is w/ me taking this, I do not know if she will continue to refill my prescription, even at the low dose it is. She tried putting me on Lexapro (SSRI) last week, which I was leary of since I really disliked Paxil. Well I disliked Lexapro even more, as it made me throw up for 5 hrs after my first small dose.... uhhhh ..


I regret that I am not the resident expert on benzos...but I, too, am prescribed Klonopin---fifteen pills a month at 0.5 mg strength. Again, I take them about as often as you do. In the three years I've been on them, I have not developed a tolerance and have not had to alter my dose. I take half a pill when I'm very anxious (though if I were having panic attacks I would take a full pill.) I know that benzos are highly addictive...but I have never felt the need to take a higher dosage..or take it more often. Hopefully, others on the board (one woman, who is missing this week) who are more expert than I am can tell you about the addiction aspect of it. Not having tried to go off the Klonipin, I do not know how I would react.

I'm sure having to choose a new anti-anxiety drug is enough to induce ANOTHER panic attack in you. But there may be others here who can help you. I'll be back on the Boards tomorrow. Try not to worry (easily said, I know!!) :-)

Lynn

Hi I am Stacey, I Have been on and off klonopin for the last two years I just switched to adivan I take it for sleep but the highest dose of klonipin I have taken is 10 mg. every night. I am a recovered herion addict and I have to say and this is my opinion only. I have never had any w/d from coming off it and I take a month break every three months. I was on paxil for almost three years and when I stopped it I had a h--- of a time and they say that it is not addictive but I had bad w/d's from it. If you need an anti-depressent try Celexa I have been on well butrin, and prozax and all had side effects I have been on celexa for about 1 1/2 years and it has been really good for me. brain chems are different and each phsyc med acts different on different people. okay any way I have to say that if you areee taking that low of dose of klonipin I wouldn't worry about it to much Taking it once or twicee aa week is not an addiction if you have panic attacks it is probly the best thing for you remember my opinion.
if it works talk to you doc and do some more research.
Best of luck
Goddess Bless
Stacey

Hi LaurenMarie,

I suffer from depression and severe anxiety. After the birth of my first child (who is now 5) I was put on Paxil (hated it) but quickly became pregnant again, therefore stopped the Paxil. After my third child was born (have a 4 and 1 year old as well) I had to be put back on an anti-depressant (Lexapro) which works well for me but did nothing for my anxiety. My OB gave me a small amount of Xanax (a benzo similar to Klonopin) because of its addiction properties but it worked GREAT for me! She recommended me seeing a pscyhatrist and he did seem to think I needed the Xanax on an as need basis (he actully prescribes me 90 tablets a month). I have been on them a year and my dose is actually decreasing rather than increasing and I can sometimes go a day or so (if I am experiencing no anxiety or worries) and be just fine!

Some people seem to get addicted to this type of drug rather easily and some people just flat out abuse it- there are those on this board who are very much against any type of benzo's. On the other hand, there are others who can take it occassionally, do not abuse and have no desire to abuse it, and have no problems when they stop taking it.

I have never abused this drug- it does not make me "high-" just calm and normal. If this works for you, you may want to look around for a doctor who would be willing to prescribe this. If you feel "worried" about its addictive properties and think this may be a problems for you, I would steer clear of any type of benzos. You know yourself best.

I probably wasn't much help- just kind of giving you my experience. Good luck and keep us posted with you progress. God bless,
michelle

[QUOTE= I, too, am prescribed Klonopin---fifteen pills a month at 0.5 mg strength. Again, I take them about as often as you do. In the three years I've been on them, I have not developed a tolerance and have not had to alter my dose. I take half a pill when I'm very anxious (though if I were having panic attacks I would take a full pill.) TwinLynn/QUOTE]

Hi LaurenMarie! I am TwinAlice...TwinLynn's twin. {Twins are kinda like cockroaches...when you see ONE, you always know there is 'another' lurking about! :) } Lynn and I have almost identical medical problems. And very similar reactions to meds. Like Lynn, I have been prescribed Klonopin and take it only on the rare occasion...i.e., when I am dealing with a highly stressful situation and feel panic attacks on the way. Right now, I have not taken a Klonopin in weeks. But when I HAVE taken this medication...maybe two or three within a month (only half a pill each time)...I have had zero withdrawal reactions (and had no noticable side effects). The pills were so helpful at the time...'bringing me down' from bad panic attacks. I would like to emphasize here that we all, as individuals (even twins!), have different body chemistries. What helps/harms one, may have a totally different effect on another. PARTICULARLY, concerning antidepressants. You need to work with a learned and patient doctor, preferably a psychiatrist (pharmapsychiatrist <sp??>) well-versed on medical drugs, who will 'try you out' - and MONITOR YOU! - on a drug(s) that most corresponds to your specific needs. (Antidepressants, as you may know <unlike Klonopin>, take a few weeks to reach their full therapeutic range.) Your own 'job,' along the way, is to diligently report back to your doctor, your reactions...i.e., any side effects...and, then, after a few weeks, any detection of the desired change in mood. Sounds like your doctor (regarding Klonopin) is quite prudent...erring on the side of caution. My psychiatrist (who I go to primarily for my Prozac [for OCD...Lynn and I both suffered from this disorder and were helped] and for my anxiety issues) is the same way. But he 'tried me out' on Klonopin and, together, we have determined that it is therapeutic for my panic attacks. You might want to talk to your doctor about his/her 'issues' with Klonopin and find out if it is the drug, itself, your doctor is concerned about....or if he/she thinks it is not 'right for you.' Is your doctor a pharmapsychologist/psychiatrist? Many 'regular' doctors, I have found, are not as up-to-date on brain chemistry and the meds out there that can help us. I lived the majority of my life 'mucking through" before these "brain" medications were invented. I didn't even know what a "normal" relaxed brain felt like! Now, because of the 'miracle of chemistry,' I live 'happier' and more at peace within myself, in a way that I never even knew existed. Okay...I know...it's pretty ironic 'swearing to the beauty of drugs' on an 'Addiction and Recovery" Board. :D ... but, as the expression goes, "don't throw out the baby with the bath water." Much good luck to you! :wave:
TwinAlice, still tapering (along with TwinLynn) off the "bad" drugs :0

I thank you all for your replies to my post. You seem like a very supportive grp here. I started on the other board more related to social anxiety, and had gotten no response, so I'm glad I came here.

my issues with meds and psychs has been a long one. Ive dealt w/ anxiety/depression since I was a young child, and have had VERY bad yrs with it, some ok yrs, and good yrs. Now at 25yrs old, its an ok time--as in Im not debilitated by my problems like I was as a teen. However my problems are still greatlly interefering with my life, and I avoid many situations due to my anxiety (Mainly dating--if I want a major panic attack, send a new guy my way and put me on a date w/ him!).

I currently only see an Internist dr who has prescribed my meds. she is very supportive and is trying to get me to see a psych because she feels they do know more than her on this issue, and she really wants me too be in some sort of counseling. I have a long time fear of any sort of counselor or psych, as the majority Ive seen either made me worse or had no clue what I was dealing with it seemed. There is also the insurance issue. Altthough Im open to loooking around to find a good psych, my insurance covers a very small amount of sessions, and I simply cant even afford ONE session a month, let alone more.

HOW do people pay for their counseliing? I believe if i found the right person, familiar with the issues Im dealing with, that it could really help. the only time I ever received free sessions was when I was a teen and suicidal, so then the county paid for it, however it was the worst most untrained psychologist i think Id ever seen.

thanks again for the help. i think ill stick around this board :wave:

I have depression and anxiety as well... but severe anxiety! I have tried about 5 different anti depressants. I was on Serzone for over two years and it worked great for me. At the same time, I was prescribed .5 mgs of klonopin each day. Then, my doc took me off of serzone because there was some law suit about it causing severe liver damage in the people that took it. Anyway, I've tried everything else and the only thing that works for me now is Lexepro and xanax. Xanax, ativan, klonopin, is all the same thing. They are all benzos. Anyway, this drug can be very addicting but at the rate you are taking it, you shouldn't have any problems at all. Let me add, that when I started on lexepro... the side effects were so horrible I didn't think I could do it. It made me so tired, I just couldn't stay awake at all and my eyes were so droppy that people at work were asking me what drugs I was taking. I decreased the dose and started VERY slowly on trying to get it into my system because as you know, the side effects mostly go away after you start taking them for a period of time. I went from 5 mgs each night for about 3 weeks up to 7.5 and then finally 10mgs. It works really well for my anxiety too. If you can, you should try to find an antidepressant that will take care of the majority of your attacks. If you HAVE to have a benzo, try to only use it once a month or so. Just to be on the safe side. They really are addicting and if you can find something that will work just the same, I would try to. Just like Yinsky says... benzos are only supposed to be prescribed for 2 - 4 weeks at a time and no longer. This is probably why your doctor is freaking out about you taking them. Anyway, you have to do what's best though and if you find it's the only thing that works, then it's fine, just be careful and know that addiction could develop as well as tolerance. However, taking them once a week... I seriously doubt anything will happen. If you start to take them more frequently, then there is a prob and you would need to go try to get on something else. Anyway, I hope you are doing o.k. and we are all here for you.

LaurenMarie,

Finding a good counselor/psychiatrist is like shopping for a car- you have to test drive them and see if you like them (infortunately, you have to pay, too)! I saw three psychs before I found my current psychiatrist. I just did not "click" or felt uncomfortable with the first three I saw but, I love the doctor I have now. You want to find someone you are comfortable sharing things with and to me, it was important that they were a Christian (which is my faith).

About fees, do you have insurance? My insurance will only pay for one visit every three months. At first, I had to see him every four weeks, which was heck on our bank account, but now, I only see him every three or four months.

Best of luck to you in your search. There are some good ones out there (but whacks, too)! :) Hang in there until you find your "match."
Take care and glad to have you here,
Michelle

My dr who prescribes my meds is on the board at a local free womans health clinic. she actually has asked me to volunteer there because I recently got my bachelors degree in social work and they dont have a social worker.....she also said if I receive their services, in the least I could get counseling at a reduced rate when my insurance wont cover. I think I may try this. I have honestly been putting off finding a counselor or psych for yrs, not only due to the fees, but because I know how hard it can be to find one, but, I know the riight one can help me sort through my issues more---cause lets face it, even the simplle aspect of me avoiding something such as dating just cannot go on forever--unless i want to be singlle forever! :)

also saidLaurenMarie,

Finding a good counselor/psychiatrist is like shopping for a car- you have to test drive them and see if you like them (infortunately, you have to pay, too)! I saw three psychs before I found my current psychiatrist. I just did not "click" or felt uncomfortable with the first three I saw but, I love the doctor I have now. You want to find someone you are comfortable sharing things with and to me, it was important that they were a Christian (which is my faith).

About fees, do you have insurance? My insurance will only pay for one visit every three months. At first, I had to see him every four weeks, which was heck on our bank account, but now, I only see him every three or four months.

Best of luck to you in your search. There are some good ones out there (but whacks, too)! :) Hang in there until you find your "match."
Take care and glad to have you here,
Michelle

OOhh...that sounds like a good set-up! Worth a shot- what do you do now? Twenty five, right? I am thirty and am a stay home mom of a 5,4, and 1 year old, hence, my massive anxiety! :) Just kidding (NOT)! :)

Speaking of children and anxiety, I better hit the sack so I will have my "guns loaded" in the morning- LOL!

Chat with you tomorrow,
michelle

Yep, Im 25...I only received my bachelors degree in December and am now living at home w/ mom and dad until I go to graduate school in the fall somewhere in the Bay Area, Calif --where I live now (yes, added stress living w/ mom and dad, and not having a job!)...I'm hoping to do something working w/ disabled children and their parents as a 'career' someday, or in medical social work, but really, would be perfectly happy to live my life as a stay at home mom like you (I guess Im asking for more anxiety, huh?) --- but consideriing my huge anxiety problems related to dating/men, I need to find the good man first before I can do the mommy thing. And I used to think that by the time I hit 25 Id be married and at least thinking about kids---uuhhh, so this last birthday was a bit of a milestone, since in reality, the family is what i really want most--yet getting there scares me to death ......wow, isnt this turning into a counseling session! :)

OOhh...that sounds like a good set-up! Worth a shot- what do you do now? Twenty five, right? I am thirty and am a stay home mom of a 5,4, and 1 year old, hence, my massive anxiety! :) Just kidding (NOT)! :)

Speaking of children and anxiety, I better hit the sack so I will have my "guns loaded" in the morning- LOL!

Chat with you tomorrow,
michelle

(Supposed to be in bed, but...)

I did the same thing...got my BS in childhood development/elementary education and moved back home with my parents. Taught school for three years before I got married and pregnant with my first- actually, I thought I would be a little older before I had children (sometimes to think I am just 30 with THREE children is a little surreal), but life has a way of suprising you!

I don't know what brings on more anxiety...living with mom and dad or children? :)

Okay, I really am going to bed now! I am going to be dragging in the morning- it's midnight here!

Chat later,
michelle

Listen - I love my children more than anything in this world but I think I would absolutely LOSE it if I stayed home w/them. There is no way I could do it. I just don't have the patience. No way!!! I have so much respect for stay at home moms... Especially, with a 5, 4 and 1. Although, having an 8, 5 and almost 2 just about kills me sometimes. I'm amazed that I even am able to arrive at work. Once I get there, I feel like I've run a marathon, getting them all ready and taking them everywhere. It's tough, no matter how you look at it.

Can you say which state you live in? I live in Ca. Because of my mental illness I am on S.S.I. and resive medi-cal which pays everything for me. But befor I got these benifits the county took care of my pills and my shirnk. do you have a dose your county have a mental heath unit? if so call them talk to them there is allways a way just do some reserch. keep us in toouch.
Goddess Bless
Stacey

Staceyy,

It is interesting you bring this up. I do live in Calif (the bay area), AND am also on SSI due to a severe lifelong disability (Muscular Dystrophy) that has me using a wheelchair. I do have medi-cal, but currently am able to use my parents insurance, blue cross, because I am disabled and going to be going to graduate school in the fall (So I wont be working). Because I do have medi-cal though, could I receive free/reduced counseling? I have honestly never really looked into it (kinda dumb, i know) cause I have gone through the county before, as a child, and HATED it, but hey, maybe there is somebody who could be of help to me, and at least now at 25yrs old I wouldnt have my parents forcing me to go to a place that was making me worse if I decided i disliked it.
Lauren

Can you say which state you live in? I live in Ca. Because of my mental illness I am on S.S.I. and resive medi-cal which pays everything for me. But befor I got these benifits the county took care of my pills and my shirnk. do you have a dose your county have a mental heath unit? if so call them talk to them there is allways a way just do some reserch. keep us in toouch.
Goddess Bless
Stacey

Yep, Im 25...I only received my bachelors degree in December and am now living at home w/ mom and dad until I go to graduate school in the fall somewhere in the Bay Area, Calif --where I live now (yes, added stress living w/ mom and dad, and not having a job!)...I'm hoping to do something working w/ disabled children and their parents as a 'career' someday, or in medical social work, but really, would be perfectly happy to live my life as a stay at home mom like you (I guess Im asking for more anxiety, huh?) --- but consideriing my huge anxiety problems related to dating/men, I need to find the good man first before I can do the mommy thing. And I used to think that by the time I hit 25 Id be married and at least thinking about kids---uuhhh, so this last birthday was a bit of a milestone, since in reality, the family is what i really want most--yet getting there scares me to death ......wow, isnt this turning into a counseling session! :)

Hi again, LaurenMarie. You think 25 is a MILESTONE?? Try 58! :eek: (Of course, my 'inevitable' NEXT line is: "But I really don't LOOK my age!" Ah yes...where'd we hear THAT one before?!? But..."No! REALLY!...I DON'T look 58...HONEST!" :bouncing: ) Oooookay..., anyhoo,...back to the dating issues that you mention...issues I can well identify with:

[QUOTE]...cause lets face it, even the simplle aspect of me avoiding something such as dating just cannot go on forever--unless i want to be singlle forever! [QUOTE]

LaurenMarie, if you believe that "'not dating' just cannot go on forever," you apparently haven't lived in NYC as a 'grown-up' single woman. ;) In my NYC apt. building alone, there must be a dozen unattached, never-married women. As for moi....Like you, at age 25-ish, I assumed I'd 'someday' find a 'good man. ' I'd have a moppet or two and raise the little tykes in 'your basic pastoral manor house' (grin). WRONG! I met maybe one or two "good men" - but marriage never panned out - and by my late 20s/early 30s, in a stroke of luck, I got a chance to pursue 'another' dream. I got the lead role in a touring company of 'Barefoot in the Park' and embarked on a most amazing (FUN, that is!) 15 years of my 'other' dream...acting...a theatre career. (Well...SORT of a 'career"...much of the time was spent PURSUING that career! :D ) But, still, it was a pivotal point in my life. It totally changed my self-perception...and boosted my self-esteem about 110 percent! I was doing something I loved and had dreamed about...and was getting positive feedback. I had found my "arena" -- I was living my passion and had 'landed' in a place I was obviously meant to be....that is, surrounded by people who seemed 'like me'...whose mutual struggles and dreams were an affimation that I was not 'alone' ....(Kind of, I suspect, like us all finding each other, here, on this Board.) That newfound self-esteem from my career...plus...FINALLY, finding my 'own crowd,' carried over to ALL aspects of my life. And now, as I grow older, I often wonder,...IF I had followed my "assumed" path...IF I had not been forced to reassess my future...would I have EVER found the sense-of-self I had lacked until then...the strength to look people in the eye and say, "THIS is who I am...take it or leave it, because the only "approval" I'll ever need from hereon is from my family and from my TRUE friends." :) But, going back to you, LaurenMarie, and your honesty about the dating anxiety,... in retrospect, I'd have to say that I was so much like you. Dating was fraught with anxiety. (And probably still WOULD be if the occasion arose! Lol!) This post is "To Be Continued." It is getting late and I've got to tend to the boys...my Little Men...my 3 Shih Tzu Sons...Aubrey Von Aubrey, Milo Irish and Garson Gossip. (Their names are a WHOLE OTHER post!) Will get more into the "dating anxiety" issue in my next post...you are not alone. :wave:
Twin Alice

Hiya,
I also have panic attacks, severe anxiety, and depression. I have tried a few different anti-depressants for the depression and anxiety/panic. None of them really did anything for me. I refuse to take them anymore. I just don't like the fact that they are basically playing a guessing game with the meds and your brain chemistry. Doctors don't even know the exact cause of depression, so I don't really feel comfortable taking these brain-altering medications that didn't even help me.
As far as the klonopin goes, I wouldn't worry about it. The dose you are taking is so small. If it is helping you, then I would stick with it. From what I understand, klonopin is one of the least addictive benzos. At least that is what the doctor told me. She said that it is a lot easier to get off of than xanax is. Even though it is supposed to be stronger than xanax, the calming effects last longer, therefore you don't need to take as much and you don't get the between dose jitters that are associated with xanax. I am currently prescribed to xanax because that is what works best for me, but I was on klonopin for a while and i had no trouble stopping. I was prescribed .5mg's 3 times a day.
As for the depression, and anxiety for that matter, there are other ways to get better without any prescription medications. There is an herb called valerian that works well for anxiety. For depression, there is st. John's wort which has had good results for many people with depression. I tried it and it didn't work for me, but it has helped many other people. On occasion, I take an herb(I think its an herb, either way its over the counter) called 5-HTP. That really helps me to relax and it also helps me get a good night's sleep when I would otherwise be up all night tossing and turning. It works in a similar way to SSRI medication and is widely prescribed in other countries for depression. From everything I've read on it, and from the herbalists and others I've talked to, 5-HTP has had great results for depression. Eating the right foods is much more important and more helpful than any anti-depressant I've tried. A lot of these conditions such as depression are caused by improper diet and/or poor health. The right diet and vitamins/supplements etc. along with regular exercise and a fulfilling hobby and/or job can treat your depression better than any medication in my opinion. It will help the anxiety also. Meditation and/or Yoga is also extremely helpful for the anxiety. I have been doing the things I described above and have really been trying to stick with it, and I have noticed a huge difference in my mood. Honestly, it really has helped 10 times more than any of the medication I have been prescribed for the depression. I hurt my leg severly at the end of Dec. and I am still laid up, so that has put a big cramp in my exercising and even my eating habits due to the fact that the pain takes my appetite away regularly. I can really notice myself falling backwards with the anxiety and depression. I strongly suggest that you do some research on the proper diet you need and a good exercise routine etc. Talk to your doctor about it, or someone in the natural health field. It won't hurt to try the natural way right? I am just still amazed at how much it helped me which is why I feel so strongly about it. I really truly believe that it would help you. I have a book on the natural treatments I have been talking about. I let a friend borrow it though, but as soon I I can get it back I will type out all the information for you if it is something you would be interested in trying. I have been taking courses on natural health and I plan on becoming a natural health doctor, but practicing mainly as a chiropractor. So, if you would like, I would be happy to help you with planning your diet and exercise routine. I also know a good number of breathing techniques and yoga/meditation exercises that I'd be happy to share.
OK, I am going to stop typing now. Sorry about being so long-winded and off topic. Just let me know if I can be of any help to you.

-Imthatguy

I have a friend who was significantly helped with her anxiety and other things by hypnosis--it was the ONLY thing that enabled her to quit smoking as well, and she had tried them all! Just another thing to consider... I don't think your intake of klonopin is anything to worry about, but it seems to me that anti-anxiety meds only treat the SYMPTOMS of the problem, without ever really getting to their root cause--? But that's just an idea--I could be totally wrong...

I have been on klonopin & it is VERY addictive, at least for me. Tried to get off of it & had horrible withdrawal symptoms which I'm still fighting although I had to go back on it for a while.

i have a long depressing story i wont even tell on this thread. Just thought id tell u how i feel about benzos. had PD really and wouldnt leave the house at 13. Paxil & .5 klonopin was a miracle. Benzos are wonderful cuz they work very well. i got 2 taking it every/ every other day and was normal 7 years. tried stopping at 20. It was hell n i was conviced k-pin was evil practically convusing, but i did it without a drs supervision in under a month (VERY stupid) and i did it. pregnancy hormones relapsed me im in hell and tried attivan. itz different but simmilliar. all benzos are great but addictive. addictive doesnt meen itz the end of the world. just stay on em itz better then debilitating anxiety. if u can ride it out thatz better but not possible 4 every1. give yerself plenny of time 2 ween off if it becomes a daily thing. my opinions are conflicted. good luck ya'll... itz hard!

2435647787

Hi, I read the earlier posts from 2004, and the amounts that person and the way she was taking it probably would not cause any physical addiction to Klonopin.

I, however, am an addict, and I am right now going through the Hell of my Life trying to get off of Klonopin. The highest dose I was prescribed was 2 mg per day (I had a nervous breakdown due to a very serious car accident my only son was in), being an addict, I certainly abused the Klonopin, I agree with one poster, it does not get me a "high" feeling or a "tranquil" feeling (like Valium or Xanax does for me), it just kind of "blunts" everything for me, helps with anxiety, and pretty much left me like a Zombie, but I was abusing it. Some days 4 mg, 5 mg, I think 6 mg is the most I ever took, some days I would take as prescribed, etc.,

Needless to say, I becamse both mentally (easiest to deal with through therapy and a 12-step group), and my body became PHYSICALLY ADDICTED to this drug. This drug changed my Central Nervous System. When you are trying to get off of a benzo, and you have an exaggerated symptom of the reason you took it, a "rebound" syptom, "anxiety if you took it for anxiety", "insomnia if you took it for insomnia", there is that kind of withdrawal, some dr.'s prefer to call this type a "discontinuation syndrome."

I am having "real" withdrawal symptoms, when you have symptoms you did not have BEFORE taking the Klonopin, like Migraine Headaches, severe, stabbing stomach pains, insomnia, muscle aches (some days it hurts to just walk), flu-like feeling, cannot concentrate, I feel like I have had brain surgery some days, I cannot read or think, I do have a good job in scientific publishing that I have had for 19 years, it requires very intensive brain/reading/editing/computer work, there are days I do not know how I have even gotten through the day, and I Literally Drive home with my left finger stabbed into my temple to stop the headache, get home, walk my dog, take care of my dog's needs, and then crawl into bed and just die, just lay there, because that is all I can do.

Right now, I have been trying to withdraw since mid-April. I only admitted to taking 2.5 mgs, so my dr. told me to start at 2.25 mg, and cut .25 mg every 2-4 weeks, or even longer if I needed. WELL, that first drop almost killed me, I did cut down to eventually 1.625 mg, then could not even live, was in a ball in a fetal position on the couch with a migraine headache, called my therapist, and told me it was my choice, but I could go back up on the mg if the pain was too much, which I did, then I had to try to get back down, I am literally cutting .50 mg yellow bags into 1/4s, cutting .125 mg, on July 4, I said ENOUGH, I need to just do this and get through this, it has been hell, let me tell you, I Mean Very Hard, I do not know were I am getting the strength to do this (well I do know, I believe it is through Prayer and God and my boyfriend's unending and unwavering support). My last cut was 16 days ago, from 1.625 to 1.5, and today is the first day I feel "half normal." It usually takes about 20 days at a time.

But, I am an addict, I abused this drug, my body became physically addicted to this drug, I became emotionally dependent on this drug, so I am not at all like the earlier posters. They used the drug how it was supposed to be used,
AS NEEDED FOR PANIC, where I was just popping them however I wanted, and half the time IT MADE ME SICK, but addict that I am, I just kept at it.

I will get off of this, I am still in my taper, it could be another year, but I have Hope I can do this.

Just my 1 cent about benzos and addicts (I am NOT including anybody but ME, every one and every body is different, I just happen to be one of the lucky ones to be suffering from Protracted Withdrawal Symptoms :) :)!!)
Navy_Sub_Mom

I am very well-versed in Klonopin and benzos in general.

Yes, Klonopin is addictive, very much so. You WILL become physically dependent -- your body will "need" it even if you dont -- within a few weeks or even sooner.

I was on Klonopin at about 1 mg. daily for years. I then tapered off it because to do otherwise, you will suffer horrendous withdrawal symptoms for months if not years. I tapered very gradually over a period of time and still had a rough time (mood swings, muscle tightness, increased anxiety and panic, etc). This was in 2002 or so. I somehow managed to get all the way and suffered rebound anxiety, muscle tightness, extreme sensitivity to noise and light and was just very "jumpy" for at least a month after this.

Fast forward to Spring of 2005. I suffered through a very, very horrible tragedy unlike anything I had ever before been thru (and trust me, I had been thru hell on earth already). I started taking the Klonopin again after not taking it at all for a couple of years. I took it "as needed".... but I started noticing, after a few weeks, that I was having pretty bad anxiety symptoms on days I wasnt taking the K. To make a long story short, I had become physically dependent AGAIN, because i had forgotten about the half-life of the drug. The half-life is the length of time a drug stays in your system. Klonopin's is 50-60 hours or something like that.

So by not taking it every day.... every other day, every 3 days, etc, I thought I wouldnt have to worry about becoming dependent. Wrong. The drug was in my body still, building up each time I took it. The days I didnt take it, I would be Ok for a while, til the drug levels started dropping, causing the anxiety symptoms. It was withdrawal that was making me feel very anxious, NOT some anxiety disorder re-rearing its head.

You are not safe by taking it "as needed" as I found out the hard way. I did take it as often as 4 days a week though. If u take it like once a week or something... even for months, I cant see how thats going to get your body needing it. Anyway though, I had to start taking it daily, even tho I didnt want to at all, to level out the levels of the drug in my body/system. From there I started tapering very gradually off the med... for a 2nd time.
It takes many months (or years, for some people on high doses) to get off. It just takes a long time and must be done very, very gradually. I do not want to get into the withdrawal symptoms but they are very numerous and very horendous. NEVER EVER cold turkey off a benzo!

Everyone is different and some people do seem able to get off Klon or Xanax with minimal tapering and time. For the majority though, this isnt the case. I could recommend some excellent and helpful websites about all this but I dont think we're supposed to post links on here...? (Why is that, if true??).

I am currently tapered down to about .29 mg. of Klonopin. I taper using something known as a water titration method, where you grind up the pill and mix it with a certain amount of water, then extract a certain amount of mls from that water mixture. Then, you drink it, each day sucking out a little more water.


Peace,

FG