Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 282821

Shown: posts 1 to 18 of 18. This is the beginning of the thread.

 

Klonopin Taken Daily - Or As Needed?

Posted by curiousmama on November 23, 2003, at 11:15:53

Hi all,
I have read many of your posts regarding Klonopin, and have found your information so helpful and interesting. However, I have some questions regarding how often to take it. I personally just started taking 1mg/day of Klonopin in the evening and it really seems to help with my anxiety that seems to creep up as the sun goes down. At this point I haven't needed to take it during the day because I take Effexor in the a.m and that seems to help. I am curious to know what would happen if I only took it on an as need basis at night when I am feeling really anxious. I know that it is used as an anti-seizure med as well, so I fear that if I use it one day, and then not the next, if that is something that will bring on a seizure (even though I am not seizure prone). Taking Effexor, I know that if I miss a day of that I am in big trouble with withrawl symptoms. Just curious if anyone out there has had experience using Klonopin here and there, vs. every day. Any response or suggestion will be appreciated. Thanks!

 

Re: Klonopin Taken Daily - Or As Needed?

Posted by BackOfClass on November 23, 2003, at 12:28:46

In reply to Klonopin Taken Daily - Or As Needed?, posted by curiousmama on November 23, 2003, at 11:15:53

I woudn't worry about seizures at such a low dose. That only happens if you take a higher dose. I can take 6mg one day and 1mg the next with no problem. It just depends on the dose a the frequency taken. If you only need 1mg then consider yourself fortunate.

 

Re: Klonopin Taken Daily - Or As Needed?

Posted by KXo on November 23, 2003, at 12:38:55

In reply to Klonopin Taken Daily - Or As Needed?, posted by curiousmama on November 23, 2003, at 11:15:53

I take Zoloft 50mg everyday and used to take Clonazepam 0,5mg every night before sleep as told by the doctor. I never had trouble to sleep even taking Zoloft, but he told me to take it because I would sleep better.
I stopped these medications and I am back again to the same after some time.
Now I have insonia many nights and I am taking Clonazepam that I still have from the previous treatment. It is working, but I am afraid of getting adicted.
I will ask my doctor for more Clonazepam, but I would like to know why the doctor gave me that before when I had no insonia and didn´t give me this time.
KXo

 

Re: Klonopin Taken Daily - Or As Needed? » curiousmama

Posted by Kristen_03 on November 23, 2003, at 12:50:14

In reply to Klonopin Taken Daily - Or As Needed?, posted by curiousmama on November 23, 2003, at 11:15:53

Hi
I was prescribed Klonopin about a month ago,
.5 mg,and I dont take it everyday.If I feel really anxious or or having a rough time I will then take it...I may not have to take another one for a week or longer.My prescription states to take as needed,not on a dailey basis.Hope this helps...
Kristen_03

 

Re: Klonopin Taken Daily - Or As Needed?

Posted by curiousmama on November 23, 2003, at 12:57:58

In reply to Re: Klonopin Taken Daily - Or As Needed?, posted by BackOfClass on November 23, 2003, at 12:28:46

> I woudn't worry about seizures at such a low dose. That only happens if you take a higher dose. I can take 6mg one day and 1mg the next with no problem. It just depends on the dose a the frequency taken. If you only need 1mg then consider yourself fortunate.

Thank you so much for replying. I appreciate your input more than you know, as it seems like I can't ever get a straight answer, if any, from my doctor. Thanks for taking the time, and take good care.

 

Re: Klonopin Taken Daily - Or As Needed?

Posted by curiousmama on November 23, 2003, at 13:01:16

In reply to Re: Klonopin Taken Daily - Or As Needed?, posted by KXo on November 23, 2003, at 12:38:55

> I take Zoloft 50mg everyday and used to take Clonazepam 0,5mg every night before sleep as told by the doctor. I never had trouble to sleep even taking Zoloft, but he told me to take it because I would sleep better.
> I stopped these medications and I am back again to the same after some time.
> Now I have insonia many nights and I am taking Clonazepam that I still have from the previous treatment. It is working, but I am afraid of getting adicted.
> I will ask my doctor for more Clonazepam, but I would like to know why the doctor gave me that before when I had no insonia and didn´t give me this time.
> KXo

Maybe the doctor felt that the Zoloft may keep you up? It seems like this is the way it can happen with these medications. At first you may not need them, but once you do take them, it seems as if you will NEED to take them.

 

Re: Klonopin Taken Daily - Or As Needed?

Posted by curiousmama on November 23, 2003, at 13:03:51

In reply to Re: Klonopin Taken Daily - Or As Needed? » curiousmama, posted by Kristen_03 on November 23, 2003, at 12:50:14

> Hi
> I was prescribed Klonopin about a month ago,
> .5 mg,and I dont take it everyday.If I feel really anxious or or having a rough time I will then take it...I may not have to take another one for a week or longer.My prescription states to take as needed,not on a dailey basis.Hope this helps...
> Kristen_03

Thank you so much for your input. This makes me feel much better. I hear so many people talking about becoming dependent on Klonopin, and since I have a tendency to take things that make me feel better, I don't want to get into the habit unless it is necessary. My prescription does state to take it everyday, but I think I may try to take it as I need it, and see what happens. Thanks again!

 

Re: Klonopin Taken Daily - Or As Needed?

Posted by 34 male on November 23, 2003, at 16:45:18

In reply to Klonopin Taken Daily - Or As Needed?, posted by curiousmama on November 23, 2003, at 11:15:53

everyday -anxiety fixer

 

SEX? Re: Klonopin Taken Daily - Or As Needed? » curiousmama

Posted by Franz on November 23, 2003, at 21:04:53

In reply to Klonopin Taken Daily - Or As Needed?, posted by curiousmama on November 23, 2003, at 11:15:53

Hello,

I was taking a very low dose klonopin at night, but now I am taking it only on stressful days.

I do not get habituated, meaning I still feel the sedative effects (at 2-4 hours it is more deep as it is supposed to be) after several months of use.

If you take it everyday the sedation is supposed to diminish.

I would like to call your attention on this. Today I took a small dose a couple of hours before a date.

The result: it killed my sexual excitation and I felt like I could not perform right. Maybe I messed because I drank beer too or the relation wasn´t so good, I am not sure.

It did not happen before, but I think I took the dose of Klonopin at early morning or the night before in those times.

So be careful. 1mg would be too much for me, but I think timing and use of alcohol and coffee at proper times is important for all doses.

If anyone has suggestions please post.

Thanks

 

Re: Klonopin Taken Daily - Or As Needed? » curiousmama

Posted by mtdew on November 23, 2003, at 23:43:52

In reply to Klonopin Taken Daily - Or As Needed?, posted by curiousmama on November 23, 2003, at 11:15:53

It's a good question. I started out with the intention to take "as needed," but since it helped me so much, it was nearly impossible not to take every day. I guess that's why they say it's addictive. If your problem is sporadic, you should take it only when needed for as long as possible. Tolerance develops more quickly when a drug is taken continuously at a low dose, than when it is taken sporadically at a high dose. I wouldn't worry about withdrawal when used this way. The most you may feel is some minor excitation as it wears off (which takes a couple days).

> Hi all,
> I have read many of your posts regarding Klonopin, and have found your information so helpful and interesting. However, I have some questions regarding how often to take it. I personally just started taking 1mg/day of Klonopin in the evening and it really seems to help with my anxiety that seems to creep up as the sun goes down. At this point I haven't needed to take it during the day because I take Effexor in the a.m and that seems to help. I am curious to know what would happen if I only took it on an as need basis at night when I am feeling really anxious. I know that it is used as an anti-seizure med as well, so I fear that if I use it one day, and then not the next, if that is something that will bring on a seizure (even though I am not seizure prone). Taking Effexor, I know that if I miss a day of that I am in big trouble with withrawl symptoms. Just curious if anyone out there has had experience using Klonopin here and there, vs. every day. Any response or suggestion will be appreciated. Thanks!

 

Re: SEX? Re: Klonopin Taken Daily - Or As Needed? » Franz

Posted by Elle2021 on November 24, 2003, at 5:53:33

In reply to SEX? Re: Klonopin Taken Daily - Or As Needed? » curiousmama, posted by Franz on November 23, 2003, at 21:04:53

It's not a good idea to mix alcohol with any psychiatric medications.
Elle

 

Re: Klonopin Taken Daily - Or As Needed?

Posted by Viridis on November 24, 2003, at 12:39:57

In reply to Klonopin Taken Daily - Or As Needed?, posted by curiousmama on November 23, 2003, at 11:15:53

I think the main thing about taking it as-needed (as someone else mentioned) is that you may experience drowsiness, clumsiness, etc., whereas with regular use these side effects generally go away. But if occasional use is all you need and the side effects aren't a problem, that's great.

Klonopin is very unlikely to be "addictive" in the true sense (most people who use it regularly just experience anxiety relief, not euphoria, cravings for higher doses etc.). But, of course, regular use is likely to result in dependency, which means that you have to reduce your dose gradually if you discontinue it, just as with many other psychiatric (and non-psychiatric) meds.

 

Viridis, can you read my post above re sex? » Viridis

Posted by Franz on November 24, 2003, at 19:13:43

In reply to Re: Klonopin Taken Daily - Or As Needed?, posted by Viridis on November 24, 2003, at 12:39:57

Viridis, can you read my post avobe re sex?

I would appreciate any comment if you have any.

Thanks

 

Re: Klonopin Taken Daily - Or As Needed? » curiousmama

Posted by Emme on November 24, 2003, at 22:14:33

In reply to Klonopin Taken Daily - Or As Needed?, posted by curiousmama on November 23, 2003, at 11:15:53

> I personally just started taking 1mg/day of Klonopin in the evening and it really seems to help with my anxiety that seems to creep up as the sun goes down..... I am curious to know what would happen if I only took it on an as need basis at night when I am feeling really anxious.

That should work oaky. But, your post suggests that you may have late-day anxiety pretty regularly. Do you get it every day? Worse some days than others? What I'm getting at is that if you are anxious at least to some degree every day, you might not want to only take it when you feel *really* anxious. See what your pdoc has to say. My pdoc has tried to make sure I don't undertreat my anxiety. I have taken clonazepam almost every day, but float the dose up and down quite a lot according to need. As the others have said, if you take it regularly, you'll keep the benefits and lose some of the sedation.

>I know that it is used as an anti-seizure med as well, so I fear that if I use it one day, and then not the next, if that is something that will bring on a seizure (even though I am not seizure prone).

I wouldn't worry about that if your use is sporadic and not a super high dose. Even after being on it every day for a long time, I don't worry about missing doses.

 

Re: Klonopin Taken Daily - Or As Needed?

Posted by curiousmama on November 24, 2003, at 23:13:18

In reply to Re: Klonopin Taken Daily - Or As Needed? » curiousmama, posted by Emme on November 24, 2003, at 22:14:33

Thank you Emme. The more I think about it, the more reasonable it seems to take it everyday just to keep the anxiety more manageable. I do get it everyday, and it always seems to start in the early eve. Yes, some days are worse than others for sure. I like the idea of being able to adjust the dose as you said...depending on the day and the level of anxiety. I really appreciate your input.

> > I personally just started taking 1mg/day of Klonopin in the evening and it really seems to help with my anxiety that seems to creep up as the sun goes down..... I am curious to know what would happen if I only took it on an as need basis at night when I am feeling really anxious.
>
> That should work oaky. But, your post suggests that you may have late-day anxiety pretty regularly. Do you get it every day? Worse some days than others? What I'm getting at is that if you are anxious at least to some degree every day, you might not want to only take it when you feel *really* anxious. See what your pdoc has to say. My pdoc has tried to make sure I don't undertreat my anxiety. I have taken clonazepam almost every day, but float the dose up and down quite a lot according to need. As the others have said, if you take it regularly, you'll keep the benefits and lose some of the sedation.
>
> >I know that it is used as an anti-seizure med as well, so I fear that if I use it one day, and then not the next, if that is something that will bring on a seizure (even though I am not seizure prone).
>
> I wouldn't worry about that if your use is sporadic and not a super high dose. Even after being on it every day for a long time, I don't worry about missing doses.
>
>
>
>

 

Re: Klonopin Taken Daily - Or As Needed?

Posted by KXo on November 25, 2003, at 17:24:02

In reply to Re: Klonopin Taken Daily - Or As Needed?, posted by curiousmama on November 24, 2003, at 23:13:18

After taking Clonazepan 0,5mg before sleep at night, everyday for about 1 year, when I didn´t take a dose I felt nervous the following day.
I am taking it again and I am very worried about addiction. Zoloft that I also take, seems not to be helping with my anxiety as it did when I took it before. The worst problem for me is being hard to breath... I don´t fell satisfied after a breath, like if my lungs were not full.
KXo

 

Re: SEX? Re: Klonopin Taken Daily - Or As Needed? » Franz

Posted by Viridis on November 25, 2003, at 22:28:48

In reply to SEX? Re: Klonopin Taken Daily - Or As Needed? » curiousmama, posted by Franz on November 23, 2003, at 21:04:53

I haven't noticed any problems sexually, but the alcohol could definitely be a factor. You seem to be especially sensitive to Klonopin, and alcohol could intensify this.

I haven't experienced any interaction between alcohol and Klonopin, but I take a fairly small dose of Klonopin in the AM and if I drink at all, it's at least 12 hours later. Plus, I've been taking Klonopin regularly for a pretty long time, and avoided alcohol completely at first.

In general, mixing benzos and alcohol isn't recommended (and could even be dangerous). If you suspect there's a problem, there probably is. I'd be very cautious, and at least test your reaction before having to perform (whether it's sex, driving, or whatever). If you're still experiencing sedation from the Klonopin, either you're not used to it yet, or maybe that's just how you respond to the med.

Have you ever tried Xanax (alprazolam)? It seems to be somewhat less sedating for some people and is very good for anxiety relief (with a shorter duration of activity). It is more of a problem in terms of tolerance etc, but you really don't sound like someone who's likely to get into trouble with benzos.

Good luck!

 

Re: Klonopin Taken Daily - Or As Needed? » KXo

Posted by Viridis on November 25, 2003, at 22:36:44

In reply to Re: Klonopin Taken Daily - Or As Needed?, posted by KXo on November 25, 2003, at 17:24:02

I probably sound like a broken record, but "addiction" to Klonopin is very rare. Dependency is common, which means that if you discontinue it you have to cut down gradually. But dependency and withdrawal problems are more common with SSRIs like Zoloft than with Klonopin, so if you're worried about getting "hooked" on anything, the Zoloft would be a greater concern.

Dependency is common with all sorts of meds and can be a problem with many blood pressure drugs, insulin, etc. too. It just goes with the territory and generally is manageable. To single out benzodiazepines as a special case doesn't make sense, and could deprive you of a medication that may improve your mental and physical health.


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