Posted by Rob L. on April 17, 2003, at 3:39:55
In reply to Re: new to klonopin » Denize, posted by Viridis on April 13, 2003, at 17:39:36
Your belief is well founded. I will try not to get off on too long a post here, but klonopin and all benzodiazepines are dangerous drugs. I have been trying to get off of klonopin for years now and am just now making progress. I started off on a low dose of valium over ten years ago. Benzodiazepines can be really cunning drugs but I am not codeming there use either. It is just that benzodiazepines destructive nature and addictive properties are too commonly underestimated.
Although the recreational value of klonopin is little or nothing, if used on a regular basis a physical/psychological dependence will develop. This is not a drug you can just cold turkey either. If you have been on an average dose, say 0.5mg 2(perhaps even 1) times a day for more than a week or two then expect some trouble getting off it. The last three psychiatrists that I have seen didn't give much thought to prescribing me klonopin for regular use. It was two years ago when I met my fourth doctor (the third went to work for the government) and he had some problems with prescribing me the klonopin for daily use at 1.5-2.0 mg daily(3 or 4 .5mg pills daily). After letting him know that I had been on it for 7-8 years, he reluctantly wrote the prescription. He has been prescibing it since then. It was a definite wake up call from God. I had been a zombie for over 8 years and life was just floating right by me. I cared little to interact much in life at all. Since that time I have slowly been struggling to work down the dose. It is still hard for me to initiate tasks. However, I am, finally coming back around. Praise God:)
This is one drug you want to be very careful with. I would never again let a doctor prescribe me klonopin on a daily basis unless I was in consistent unbearable anxiety 24/7. If I needed to take a daily dose or any at all, I would try to get away with the smallest possible dose, say 1/4 of a .5 mg tablet.
Who know's how many people out there have lost ambition and drive and are floating through life... I know what happened to me. Thank God I havn't lost hope.
It is a wonderful drug if used wisely. Take breaks from it, use only when absolutely necessary, use the lowest dose, but whatever you do avoid dependency at most any cost. This may seem obvious but klonopin can give a person a care free additude away from concern of the addiction. A high anxiety life event occurs, make some excuse like "deserving a break from all this horror" and in many or most cases one will have a dependency. I have successfully quit heavy drinking, smoking, using cocaine and many other drugs. My breaks from adderall are literally enjoyable even if I do get slightly down and unorganized in comparison to two-three days without klonopin. The times I have tried to quit klonopin too quickly were a living hell(not days either but weeks, I believe the longest I ever held out was two weeks and this type of withdrawal makes the flu look like disneyworld). All other drugs that I have used were not nearly as hard to quit as klonopin.
Try to keep a close eye on the use especially daily doses so that you don't end up going too long without a break If you do need to use klonopin regularly then the least that I would do(I would do this even if use were occassional) is chart my activities, moods, accomplishments, etc. and use these references while determining the best dose. Afterall, if the drug is needed then the anxiety is causing problems wether it be mood, motivation, social interaction, depresion, etc. I believe that a person on a proper regular dose would see improvements in their anxiety affected areas of life. Use 1/4 of a .5 mg tablet interval increases or less. This is actually equivalent to half of a common 5mg tablet of valium(every .25mg of klonopin=5mg valium). If one uses medicines, why not finely tune them as much as you possibly can. This may be common sense to many but then again if I look at myself and many others I have to wonder how common it is. I didn't have much sense at all until I started studying the Bible. Use klonopin with much care and "Proverbial" common sense.
In addition, you may want to check out Stevie Nicks' story on her trouble with klonopin. Stevie Nicks had a horrible time with it too.http://www.benzo.org.uk/nicks.htm
Sleep trouble? Consider ambien. If one is female they might want to discuss trazadone with their doctors especially if dependency is a issue. My doctor prescribes me ambien for sleep and I take regular breaks from it without incident. Even though I am male, I have used and would use trazadone again if I needed too. (priapism which can cause impotency although very rare is a risk in males using trazadone and I don't have a problem taking ambien breaks, so for now, it is ambien for me)
BTW: I am much happier person now even with the klonopin problem. My drug addiction problems would be gone if it weren't for klonopin, though. Slowly, with the help of God I will get off of the klonopin. Thanks for reading.
Sincerely,
Rob
poster:Rob L.
thread:218979
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030411/msgs/219994.html