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#81777 - 03/24/04 02:03 PM
Re: Clonazepam - Klonopin
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Listvoer
Veteran
Registered: 01/14/04
Posts: 546
Loc: New America
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I"ve been down the benzodiazepine road to he11 more times than most, and can say that IME clonazepam IS far safer than xanax, valium, and some of the others because it doesn't seem to give the same strong 'buzz' that so many people learn to equate with relaxation, or the drug working. I'm on a much higher dosage of clonazepam, 4 MG 3x daily & 2 MG at bedtime, after 10-15 years of bouncing from one med to another, and can say that after being addictied to ativan, xanax, and valium, klonipin just has a 'feel' to it that makes much less mentally addictive. Actually, compared to the others I must admit that IME clonazepam basically has *no* feel to it so I have no desire to take more and abuse them. I take what is medically necessary and am content as can be with it, and my tolerance does not seem to keep escalating as it did with the others. I realize that to many, my dosage is a huge amount and absolutely not what they should attempt but under a doc's supervision a proper dose can be worked out. For once, I feel 'safe' with this benzo and not compelled to "take one, then just one more, then just one more.. then 'did i take one?' lets take 1 more just in case" as the others always tempted me to do. I"ve been stabalized on this dosage for some time, and I must say it has been a miracle for me. I know FAR TOO WELL the dangers of stopping benzos w/o a long taper and know it will take quite some time to work down from this regimen if I ever decide to, but for now they are doing nothing but helping me and I have no intentions of "fixing what ain't broken anymore."
You want to talk about he11, lets discuss a 3-year 50-100MG daily valium regimen that had to be tapered to zero with only 30 pills, over 2 weeks due to idiotic reasons...
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#81779 - 03/29/04 12:14 AM
Re: Clonazepam - Klonopin
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Tantalus747
Stranger
Registered: 11/18/03
Posts: 6
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Quote:
Should I just continue on 2mg since I likely already have a tolerance? Would less perhaps do nothing at this point? The pills are 2mg and scored and it isn't easy to break into fours (into .5 mg dosages) without crumbling it into bits.
Three nights isn't enough to develop too much of a tolerance. Klonopin has a long half-life, so it should be still having an effect the next day -- keep that in mind if you're trying to track its effect on you.
Imo, why quarter your current dose? Halving it would be what I'd try, but you and your doctor should decide what's best for you.
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#81784 - 03/30/04 09:21 AM
Re: Clonazepam - Klonopin
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radiometer
Veteran
Registered: 12/09/03
Posts: 717
Loc: California
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I'm still puzzled about the dosage schedule. K-pin's average half-life is about 24 hours. Taking 1 mg every 4 hours daily without breaks should lead to a very high steady-state plasma concentration and tolerance. If you need to dose every 4 hours you might as well be on alprazolam - four hours after a clonazepam dose, you're still at the peak from the last dose.
I am definitely not a doctor  but that sounds excessive to me. This line here:
Quote:
this dr is saying you can take this all your life and never have problems
really makes me wonder...call me a cautious benzo user I guess. I know for sure I wouldn't be able to function on the equivalent dosage of alprazolam, which has a much shorter half-life (I do currently take .5mg alprazolam 3x daily for GAD).
Edited by radiometer (03/30/04 11:40 PM)
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#81785 - 03/30/04 11:28 PM
Re: Clonazepam - Klonopin
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radiometer
Veteran
Registered: 12/09/03
Posts: 717
Loc: California
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For those in this thread with an interest in reading about benzo-related problems, and extensive info on tapering:
http://www.benzo.org.uk
They are obviously a bit anti-biased, but their info on how to withdraw from benzos seems quite solid.
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#81793 - 04/10/04 11:32 PM
Re: Clonazepam - Klonopin
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Listvoer
Veteran
Registered: 01/14/04
Posts: 546
Loc: New America
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I'm with gondola on this one. I, too, am an insomniac so most days I take anywhere between 4MG & 8 MG depending of what kind of day it's been. I don't seem to have many of the side effects that i've had in the past with diazepam, alprozolam and lorazepam, and even bromazepam to far lesser degree. Nitrazepam and Clonazepam are the only 2 i've been able to handle for the long-term without it turning ugly or having to keep upping the dosage. My average day is that i'd take 2-4 MG with breakfast, then probably 2mg but possibly 4 more MG about 5 hours later, after lunch, then another 2 or 4 MG 4 or 5 hours later after dinner. That's about it until bedtime, where I will probably take 2mg along with 3 mg of melatonin and maybe (heaven forbid) a sip of wine or grey goose if the insomnia is out of control, but NEVER alcohol in even a moderate quantity. A couple sips and that's it. I've had this routine for quite some time and it's done wonders for leveling me out without zombifying me or totally messing with my memory like the SSRIs and tricyclics did to me. My regimin isn't for everyone, but after a decade of trying to find the right solution, I think i'm at least on the right track. Maybe winning the lottery would help with the insomnia and stress and i'd not need the clonazepam, but until then.... just ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS have a more than adequate taper supply if you intend to or have had a long-term useage of the stuff. As long as you can taper sloooooooooly there's usually minimal trouble. Don't taper and you take your life in your own shaky hands...
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#81795 - 04/24/04 07:07 PM
Re: Clonazepam - Klonopin
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kandi
Pooh-Bah
Registered: 05/07/02
Posts: 1117
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Quote:
I"ve been down the benzodiazepine road to he11 more times than most, and can say that IME clonazepam IS far safer than xanax, valium, and some of the others because it doesn't seem to give the same strong 'buzz' that so many people learn to equate with relaxation, or the drug working. I'm on a much higher dosage of clonazepam, 4 MG 3x daily & 2 MG at bedtime, after 10-15 years of bouncing from one med to another, and can say that after being addictied to ativan, xanax, and valium, klonipin just has a 'feel' to it that makes much less mentally addictive. Actually, compared to the others I must admit that IME clonazepam basically has *no* feel to it so I have no desire to take more and abuse them. I take what is medically necessary and am content as can be with it, and my tolerance does not seem to keep escalating as it did with the others. I realize that to many, my dosage is a huge amount and absolutely not what they should attempt but under a doc's supervision a proper dose can be worked out. For once, I feel 'safe' with this benzo and not compelled to "take one, then just one more, then just one more.. then 'did i take one?' lets take 1 more just in case" as the others always tempted me to do. I"ve been stabalized on this dosage for some time, and I must say it has been a miracle for me. I know FAR TOO WELL the dangers of stopping benzos w/o a long taper and know it will take quite some time to work down from this regimen if I ever decide to, but for now they are doing nothing but helping me and I have no intentions of "fixing what ain't broken anymore."
You want to talk about he11, lets discuss a 3-year 50-100MG daily valium regimen that had to be tapered to zero with only 30 pills, over 2 weeks due to idiotic reasons...
I must agree with you wholeheartedly. After being on 4-6mg. of Xanax a day for almost two years, I am now on 2mg./day of Klonopin with great results. My PCP had no problem prescribing them for me, and like you, I feel no need to increase the dosage at all...unlike with Xanax. Since it is long-acting, I take the 2mg. about an hour before bedtime, sleep well, and feel fine all through the day. He feels that it is a great drug for longterm management of anxiety..as do I.
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#81796 - 04/24/04 07:15 PM
Re: Clonazepam - Klonopin
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kandi
Pooh-Bah
Registered: 05/07/02
Posts: 1117
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Quote:
I'm currently taking 1 mg of Klonopin in the morning and 1 mg of Klonopin in the evening (at bedtime). I've only been on it for about 10 days now.
My question is, how long will I be able to stay at this dose without becoming extremely depressed/agitated - and will I be able to stay at this dose for at least the next several months without increasing it?
I use it as an adjunctive therapy with an antidepressant for anxiety and insomnia (in place of the antipsychotic Risperdal which I used to take for my insomnia). Anyone who has been on Klonopin long term before with positive results, please let me know.
I have been on it for several months now, and find it to be a much better drug for longterm management of anxiety than Xanax. I take 2mg/day, but I take the entire dose about an hour or two before bedtime. It makes me sleep well, and since it has a long half life, it's anti-anxiety properties get me through the day without any problems...never wanted more than the prescribed dose either, unlike Xanax.
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#81799 - 07/22/04 11:44 AM
Re: Clonazepam - Klonopin
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Eeyore27
Veteran
Registered: 07/05/04
Posts: 600
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On the subject of weird side effects from taking Klonopin, mine just happened to include compulsive spending, if that makes any sense at all.
I was taking 1 mg Alprazolam prior to that, and I guess because my doctor was coming under heat for prescribing it too much (I wasn't the only patient she was prescribing it to), she decided to switch me to 2 mg Klonopin instead. I was taking half in the morning and half at night, as directed by my doc. That lasted for about a month, and in that month, I managed to drain most of my bank account and maxing out my credit cards ordering stuff off of ebay that I most definitely didn't need. That's not even getting into the strange, vivid dreams I was having while I was on it, either.
After coming out of my Klonopin induced haze, I went back to her and demanded to be put back on Alprazolam. She was pretty accomidating with that for me, but then I lost my job/medical insurance. Life's a "female dog" when you're dealing with anxiety disorder, let me tell ya.
~Eeyore
_________________________
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. ~Dr. Seuss
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#81800 - 08/07/04 10:22 AM
Re: Clonazepam - Klonopin
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Laurelolo23
Journeyman
Registered: 02/24/04
Posts: 52
Loc: D.C.
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Hi Mermaid,
Yes, any benzo will make you "feel stupid," i.e. short-term memory loss, problems remembering words when you used to be a walking thesaurus/dictionary, etc. What I don't get is your doc having you take it every four hours--its one of the longest lasting benzos available. I take 0.5 mg in the morning, 1 mg eight hours later and 2 mgs before I go to sleep. No problems with that dosing schedule.
As far as what your doctor is saying about the addictiveness of the drug--it definitely is true. Those with shorter metabolic half-lives like valium or xanax are very addictive, and should really only be used for short periods of time; while klonopin can be taken for long periods (seizures and PTSD), quite safely, but still need a tapering period if you are going to stop taking them.
How long have you been taking clonazepam? It should only take a week or two for all the side effects to go away, like the tiredness and feeling spacey. And remember--doctors don't know everything; especially if their medical training was in the 60's and 70's---I've had to explain what some of the newer drugs and what they were for to 'old docs.'
This is not a drug to take your entire life--just until the seizure disorder calms down, or six months of PTSD counselling finally works. Unless its insulin, nothing should be taken your entire life!
word,
Lolo
_________________________
The last time somebody said, "I find I can write much better with a word processor," I replied, "They used to say the same thing about drugs."-Roy Blount Jr.
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