manny Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 I have been taking a benzo of some type for about 1 1/2 years now. I remember life without it sucked, plus i turned to alcohol. I am constantly worried that someday my pdoc will say no more Klonopin (he already said no more Xanax). Just curious about this topic. Thanks, Manny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brenagirl Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 I've been taking Kolonopin since June of 2005. It sucks. It doesn't work anymore. From what i've read, you're not supposed to be on most benzo's for a prolonged period of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jen5276 Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 Been on Xanax since November of 2004. It's still works for me. I don't take it everyday, but during the week (when I have to work) I take between .25mg and .5mg at night. I am terrified of becoming addicted/dependant. I am even more terrified of it not working anymore, so I keep the dose small. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borzage Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 Manny, why would your doctor say no more Klonipin if it's working for you? Why did he stop giving you Xanax? I've been taking Xanax for about 3 years, 2-4 times per week. I take the lowest dose that is effective for me, which in my case is 1/2 of a .25 pill (at night), or 1/4 of a .25 pill if I need it during the day. That would be .125mg and .0625mg - and that is what works for me! Granted, I am pretty med-sensitive, but I have a hunch that a lot of benzo-takers would do better to find the smallest effective dose for them, instead of taking "1-3mg per day as needed" which is the shocking amount my doc prescribed when I got my first prescription. Benzodiazepines are extremely addictive, but the worst part of it is that you won't feel "addicted". You won't crave the drug, it will just "stop working" and you'll need it just to feel normal. This is called tolerance. Benzo addiction sneaks up on you. A few points of advice: - Take the smallest effective dose, even if you have to break the pill up into ridiculously tiny bits - Try not to take it every day. - NEVER mix benzos with alcohol!! - If your benzo is not working anymore, you may have developed a tolerance. Instead of taking more, it's best to start taking less, or stop taking it altogether. - Explore new, healthy, non-alcoholic ways of becoming calm. It is my observation that doctors are in part responsible for people developing benzo addictions, by overprescribing and not adequately informing patients of the risks and symptoms of tolerance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel1 Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 I have been taking klonopin for about 3 years, same dose, somethimes it works and somethimess i need to learn how to type. I don't even know if the dose i'm on is still on works or if it is a placebo pill, because i don't know if i have developed a tolerance . who knows? I know and i think you do, that mixing alcohol and meds. can be a not so good thing. But I'm sure you will find the strength to do what you need to do to feel better. Take care of yourself, you really deserve it. You are a great person who deserves to feel good. love, melissa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wake me when i'm dead Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 i've been using clonazepam for about a year now. before that about six months of diazepam. before that nothing. sometimes i take 4mg a day. sometimes i take .5mg a day. there are weeks, nay months that i don't take any at all. it seems like there are fewer people who use a benzo as sporadically like me than take a small dose but more frequently. or perhaps i am way off base. *shrug* I have been taking a benzo of some type for about 1 1/2 years now. with what frequency? Been on Xanax since November of 2004. It's still works for me. I don't take it everyday, but during the week (when I have to work) I take between .25mg and .5mg at night. not every day ... is that like a few times a week? a few times a month? wmwid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penny Century Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 I was on klonopin from 2002-2004. I've been on xanax xr since 2004. (with only one dosage raise on the xanax, oddly, happily.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Xanax XR daily (1 mg) for almost three years. Fortunately I've developed no tolerance (no increase in dosage), but I've tried going off it several times and it feels awful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IHeartAAPs Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 I've been taking clonazepam for 7 years (2mg daily) and long ago developed a tolerance to it. I need to taper off it but have been too lazy to do so and/or my mood has been too out of whack to even think about it. I plan to bring up this issue with my doc on my next visit. I see no point in shelling out $23.46 every month at Wal-Mart for a med that is only marginally (at best) effective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manny Posted January 10, 2008 Author Share Posted January 10, 2008 Thanks everyone! I have been taking a benzo of one type or another for 2 years now and am always worried that my Dr. will cut me off. I have not felt so worry free and free from rumination for those 2 years, don't want to go back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oohshinyobject Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 began Xanax back in late 2006...stopped it sometime during 2007.....and recently started taking Ativan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jen5276 Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 not every day ... is that like a few times a week? a few times a month? wmwid I take it Sunday-Thursday, at night when I get home from work usually. If the anxiety is really bad, I'll take it during the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mejeba Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 i have been taking Ativan then Clonazepam for 2 1/2 yrs. i still take Ativan for quick relief, and the Clonazepam is 1.0, split morn and night. I worry about the tolerance but i'm afraid to taper off b/c it allows me to sleep. I don't know what the morn. dose does for me. i've experimented with not taking that for a few days and started feeling pretty shitty but how to know if it was that or other BP symptoms that cycle very rapidly? i don't want to be taking this stuff unnecessarily either. guess i'll bring it up with the doc again. so far he's said that this amt. for this length of time is okay. anxiety is a daily problem for me in some form or another so i don't know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katerina Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 I have only been on it for a month now. it's great for when i want to go to the mall and i dont freak out haha. yes...no worries. life is ladeedaa when it works and i know ahead of time to take it, but otherwise, it's hard to know when I freak so i'm up to 1 mg. 2x a day. Lets see... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 I've been on klonipin since September 2005, with occassional changes in dosage between 2.5 and 4 mg. per day in four doses. Last Friday, my pdoc said it would be OK to reduce it it to .5 mg. 4 times a day because my anxiety was much better. No bad effects so far from the reduction. Tommy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breeze Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 I've been on Klonopin for years. I have gone up, down, and off - but it works for me and so I continue to use it. I will say that I live a healthy lifestyle and get a lot of exercise which seem key. I no longer take it in the daytime unless under extreme duress. I only take it at night to help "turn off" the day so I can sleep. Two benzos don't make a lot of sense, you can take half a Klonopin if you need an Ativan. Granted, not exactly the same but I was on Ativan in addition to Klonopin and she pulled me off of Ativan and upped the Klonopin. If it works for you and you use it in a responsible way, your p-doc will most likely let you stay on it. Bleeze Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pixie_b Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 I have been on and off xanax and tranxene since 1984. I have taken each for as long as 2 years and as short as 1 month. Just depends on how I am coping. I am thankful I have a doc that understands and is willing to work with me. Right now I am only taking tranxene and it is working great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kst7488 Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 i have been on ativan for 3 years and am currently addicted sadly. i take 2 mg 2 times a day. if i miss a dose by a coupel hours i start to feel super sick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinnpop Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 I started taking Ativan in 1994. Took 1mg off and on for years usually went a felt like a panic episode was coming. Then I got really depressed, tried to od on ativan and ended up in psych hospital. Now I take Klonopin 1mg three times a day (at least im supposed to but im afraid to get addicted or develop a tolerance). Ive been taking Klonopin since June or May 2007. I dont think it works as well as ativan but my pdoc so no to ativan because of my past. I dont want to try switching meds and feeling horrible so im trying to just deal with my anxiety and take klonopin off and on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest connect4 Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 I've been on/off clonazepam and zopiclone for 12 years. Longest time on was 5 years with lots of rebound anxiety and flu-like feelings due to stopping cold turkey. I find that if I cut the dose down to 1/2, 1/4, 1/6, 1/8 of a pill over a 6 week period, the withdrawl is almost nil. I had a harder time stopping Elavil after 2 months usage (vomiting, anxiety, muscle aches). I'm trying a new mixture as of late to avoid tolerance. Zopiclone Sun-Thurs night for sleep onset Clonazepam (I take it at bedtime and it stays in my system the next day) 4 days in a row then switch to Elavil (half of a 10mg at bedtime) for 4 days in a row. All meds loose effectiveness for me over time and negative side effects emerge. Hopefully this will keep it at bay. Almost forgot....Elavil helps with my sleep issues, but I've also noticed that I feel calmer the next day after taking it before bed. Some people have had success taking Seroquel for anxiety. Wasn't for me, but could work in a alternating mixture for someone else maybe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelanor Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 I've been taking ativan since 2004. I take anywhere from .25mg to 1mg as needed...mostly depending on how bad a panic attack it is. I was really afraid to take it for a long time, because I didn't want to get addicted. But after realizing that it actually does help, and that I am not addicted I felt better about taking it. Ironically once that happened, I stopped needing to take it as often. I carry the bottle with me everywhere, and usually knowing that I have it if I need it makes me feel better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faroutwest Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 I've been on Klonapin 1mg three times a day now ( fewer earlier) for eight years now. I've had a few panic attacks recently and my doc thought the Klonapin must surely be doing nothing for me by now and put me on Neurontin ( Gabapentin) I love it. It really kills the anxiety for me in an over-all way. So she wanted me to taper the Klonapin and I did and immediately started to get manic and especially couldn't sleep. All the red flags were going up..a lot more going on than just withdrawal. I said screw this and went back on the Klonapin. Apparently it was still helping me a lot even after eight years. A lot more than I realized. Apparently in addition to being antianxiety ( more a PRN than the Gabas) it had it's sedative properties still that were keeping a lid on my manic tendancy ( which is my most dangerous state....pre-hospital) So I'm sticking with it. A bit of Klonapin is a lot better than a major tranquilizer antipsychotic brain bomb! Way too heavy at this point. So that's it on my benzo experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maceo Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 I took Valium a few times when I had to do oral presentations at school in 2006 (I'm 17). 2007- I was on it for a couple of weeks 10mg/day when I started a new school and took it a few times later that year when I had a new job. This year I've taken it a couple of times too. I get tolerant to benzo's VERY quickly so I leave the Valium in the drawer waiting for a real bad panic attack or having to face a situation which scares me (have SAD). I have quit high school and work due to social anxiety and now in my life I'm not encountering much of it. The only way to keep my tolerance to Valium down enough for it to work is to try not to take it. If I needed it right now I'd probably need quite a few of the 5mg tablets when I'm only prescribed 1 PRN Tolerance sucks but at least it stops me getting addicted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
another one ... Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 I've been taking Klonopin .5-2.0mg PRN since 2002. But I only take it for my "fullblown" panic attacks, not for my every day anxiety, I am afraid of dependancy on meds--stupid I know!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
openembrace Posted June 1, 2008 Share Posted June 1, 2008 Klonpin since 2006. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayray1 Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 Been on Xanax since November of 2004. It's still works for me. I don't take it everyday, but during the week (when I have to work) I take between .25mg and .5mg at night. I am terrified of becoming addicted/dependant. I am even more terrified of it not working anymore, so I keep the dose small. Do you know the diff between Xanax and Klonopin? Is one stronger? they're both benzo's btw..excellent Alice in Chains quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LunaRufina Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 Klonopin is a little stronger than Xanax but it could depend on who you are. It also stays about three times longer in your system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 Klonopin since 2005. Dosage has varied from 5 mg./day down to 2 mg./day, but I have experienced no problems with it. Tommy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mejeba Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 i tried going off my morn dose of Klonopin recently cuz i've been feeling really well (somewhat high) for the last couple of months and thought i didn't need it anymore. after a few days my anxiety and depressive symptoms were returning and when i obeyed my pdoc and went back on it, i climbed back up. he said that 1 mg/day is not too much to worry about re dependence when the anti-anxiety and mood stabilizing benefits are more important. it seems i'm not as stable as i thought. i've been taking Ativan, then Klonopin for 3 yrs now and not had to increase the doseage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manny Posted July 9, 2008 Author Share Posted July 9, 2008 Thanks everyone. This really makes me feel much better knowing others have gone through what i am going through... Thank you ALL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Faustus Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 Xanax steady for about a year. Considering asking the doc to switch to klonopin due to a longer half life for those times when you run out. I don't know about my body, but they save my mind and nervous system on a daily basis......which for me makes all the difference between being functional and being a basket case...... Just my two cents cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manny Posted July 19, 2008 Author Share Posted July 19, 2008 I take my Klonopin 2x a day 1mg in morn and 2 - 2 1/2mg at night. I keep Xanax for emergencies. My Dr. gave me xanax again for emergencies only. I have about 2 bottles stashed in case. I just know that before I got xanax I was horrible and it was painful. The Klonopin works ok, but I sometimes still need the X. I kinda wish that I could just have xanax as needed. My last DR. (in another state) gave me 30 xanax every month and just said "Hey I have professors at the U that use this when they are about to give a big presentation etc. If you feel you need it just take it" He was a good DR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryPoppins Posted July 19, 2008 Share Posted July 19, 2008 I've been taking Lorazepam and Clonazepam for one year now. I take the Clonazepam 1 mg when I wake up, at 1:00p.m., and then at night before bed. I take the Lorazepam, 1 mg. at 10:00a.m. and 4:00p.m. It works for my paranoia and anxiety quite well and doesn't make me a zombie or stupid at all. I never have really thought about the addiction factor. I guess I imagined my Doc would help me out with that if it became an issue. Now I hope I'm right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jen5276 Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 Been on Xanax since November of 2004. It's still works for me. I don't take it everyday, but during the week (when I have to work) I take between .25mg and .5mg at night. I am terrified of becoming addicted/dependant. I am even more terrified of it not working anymore, so I keep the dose small. Do you know the diff between Xanax and Klonopin? Is one stronger? they're both benzo's btw..excellent Alice in Chains quote I do think Klonopin is stronger and longer lasting. I'm thinking of asking my doc if I should switch to this because lately, I've been needing my Xanax on the weekend too, which never used to happen. Actually my anxiety and panic in general seems to be coming back with a vengeance. Maybe it's time to start a new med. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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