vintagefleur Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 Hey everyone. Today my pdoc decided to prescribe Klonopin. I'm not sure the dose yet (I won't be picking it up until tomorrow), but I was just wondering if any of you found it beneficial/if you experienced extreme drowsiness and/or weight gain? Those two side-effects are always my biggest concern, so I thought I would come here and ask. Thanks if any replies! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humanoid Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 Is it going to be a daily med or prn? I take it prn at .5mg, have had drowsiness but no weight gain at all. I hear if you take it regularly, drowsiness becomes less of an issue after adjustment...no idea about weight gain as a side effect, though. I really like it, helps a lot with anxiety and can be nice if I'm having trouble going to sleep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vintagefleur Posted August 18, 2012 Author Share Posted August 18, 2012 I'm suppose to take it daily, and he said I can take it more or less, depending on the situation. He said not to take it at night for sleep, though. I'm only suppose to take it in the morning, and later in the day if I start feeling extremely anxious again (I have been known to vomit because my anxiety gets so high ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wj74 Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 I get a little sleepy sometimes but it's not too bad, no weight gain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Emperor Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 No weight gain, drowsiness wore off in time. Great pill. I miss it as the Valium I'm taking now makes me really tired Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vintagefleur Posted August 18, 2012 Author Share Posted August 18, 2012 I'm sorry you now have to make a pill that makes you really tired. I really hate that. I'm glad the drowsiness from the other meds have worn off for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranecop Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 Same as The Emperor for me, when I took it I was taking 1.5mg daily, and it made me drowsy (I'm a lightweight though), but my body got used to it over time, then not so much drowsiness anymore. But that's the only side effect that was even noticeable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 bid Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 The klonopin doesn't give me a buzz that addicts look for, but its halflife is twice as long. So as said before, as you take the med, you should get used to it. I titrated off xanax bout 4 years ago. The k is a good pill for me. I'm rockin a high dose, 1.5mg 3 tid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 No weight gain with me either. Once it was taken regularly (one in AM, one in PM), it gave me a steady state, and drowsiness was not a factor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vintagefleur Posted August 18, 2012 Author Share Posted August 18, 2012 Thanks everyone! This is really reassuring me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antigone Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 I have been taking the same dose for four years. I have not gained weight. I am supposed to take it throughout the day to keep my blood levels up, but my body has never habituated to either the drowsiness or dose. So I use it prn. If you use it that way, the key is to take it when your anxiety is a 5, not an 8. A long acting benzo like Klonopin is a great choice for those with daily anxiety, and Klonopin is far less addicting than Xanax or Valium. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vintagefleur Posted August 19, 2012 Author Share Posted August 19, 2012 Thank you so much! I'm really hopeful about this drug now . I was really concerned because he said it can have addicting qualities, but everyone has given good feedback so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimpmaster Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 No weight gain. With the half life being so long its ideal for daily or PRN dosing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crtclms Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 Just so you know what to look out for, this is a rare-ish side effect, but it happens. I had "Klonopin Rage," which in my case meant exactly two hours after I took a dose, I threw a shit fit, including breaking and throwing things. Again, rare. But now you know. Klonopin is a good med, my husband takes it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antigone Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 That's a paradoxical effect, which is possible with all benzos (my show cat fucking freaked on Xanax when I was trying to take him through airport security; I have large scars on my arms from his bites to prove it). But, like Crtclms said, it is very, very rare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
llama44 Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 I take 3mg of the K a day. I do not get sedated and definitely no weight gain. I used to take 2mg a day but my dose was recently increased during an IP stay. It really is a good med IMO. Nothing has saved me from my hellacious anxiety like K has. I used to not be able to leave the apartment at all. Now I can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnxietyGirl74 Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 I take .5 mg of Klonopin before work and 1 mg of Klonopin at night with my night meds (otherwise, I often wake to panic attacks). The .5 does not make me drowsy at all, but the 1mg usually, but not always, makes me really tired. I have not had problems with weight gain because of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirazh Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 Yeah, I had a paradoxical effect from valium when a dentist gave me a bit for a procedure, but I was so hyper/wired and AnXiOuS that I couldn't have the procedure that day at all. I have .5mg clonazepam that I can take up to two of PRN. It's rather slow to act for a PRN but I hold it under my tongue until it mostly dissolves before swallowing (yes, pdoc knows.) I don't get drowsiness, I've noticed no weight gain, etc. Apparently 1mg can knock me on my ass in a pleasant way, not euphoric and no buzz but... it was unexpected. BAD anxiety though. After it kicked in I worked through the trigger thoughts in my CBT workbook. I, personally, really feel the effects of benzos in my body, sometimes to a degree quite noticeable to others (it was really bad with the valium.) It can effect my muscle control and sense of balance in a 'drunk' way but alcohol never did it to me like that. However it is quite manageable, and likely I suspect it would go away if I had to take clonazepam regularly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizmo Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 For awhile, I tried klonopin. My type of anxiety works best with a faster acting, shorter life benzo. I took 2 mg twice daily (but I take high doses of all my meds, that's just me) and I didn't experience any fatigue, drunk-like feelings, or excess hunger or weight gain. I was on it for about three months at a time, and I tried it twice. Now, I did feel fatigue and drunk-like "supremely relaxed" feelings on Xanax, but once again I took 2 mg at a time 2-3 times a day. That's a big reason I haven't touched the drug in a long time. I refuse to be prescribed it, and my pdoc knows how it made me feel, so he doesn't even bring it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrankyMe Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 I'm supposed to take 2 mg daily, 1 in the AM, 1 in the PM. I often forget my PM dose. If I do that several days in a row, I notice a change in my mood. It has definitely helped me a lot with daily anxiety levels. Like llama, I couldn't leave my home before I started taking it. Now I can (most of the time). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirazh Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 To clarify: the 'drunk like' feelings for me only hit with 1mg kpin, .5 less of an issue, neither as bad as Valium. No fatigue. No hunger cravings. The kpin helps kill the anxiety in my body, dead flat, but it doesn't entirely eliminate it in my brain though it slows my anxiously-sped-up thoughts quite significantly. During that time I try to either distract with comforting things like kitty cuddles and Spongebob or Invader Zim cartoons, or else I try to work through my thoughts like in my workbook. A lot of my anxiety apparenly stems from untreated ADHD, so is reduced significantly from my stims. I only use the kpin maaaaybe once a month at the most frequent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LemonHead Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 I have taken Klonopin 1 mg t.i.d. for about 6 months. No drowsiness, no weight gain (despite the fact I'm taking Seroquel as well). In my experience, Klonopin is a fine drug for anxiety because it lacks the anterograde amnesia effect that I experienced with Xanax, and when I got desperate and took more than prescribed, there were no toxic effects (e.g., dysphasia, hypersomnolence, ataxia). Although, having said that, for me exceeding the prescribed dosage offers little benefit; in my experience the anxiolytic effect of Klonopin "caps out" at the max dosage recommended for panic/anxiety, about 4 mg in divided doses. Any dosage higher than that for anxiety for me is likely a waste of pills. The maximum daily safe dosage for Klonopin is 20 mg in divided doses (see http://www.drugs.com...e/klonopin.html), but these high doses are used for their anticonvulsant effects, rather than for anxiety. Disclaimer: this is all based on my personal experience; Klonopin and Xanax may affect you differently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crtclms Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 Xanax causes retrograde amnesia? Could you source that? I can only find experiments on rats and mice, and I thought cognitive effects were dose dependent. I don't tend to trust (other) peer-support sites, and I can't find anything on pubmed relating to this particular issue. I'm not trying to be a bitch. If everyone knows this, and there are a bunch of sources I am not seeing, that's fine, please point me towards them. But I'm on Xanax, and this has not been my experience *at all.* Unless I forgot it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizmo Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 I had amnesia for the couple of hours after I took Xanax three times. All were associated with taking more than one dose at once (keep in mind, I took 2mg tablets, so a double or triple dose for me is a LOT bigger than someone taking 0.5 mg tablets.) Since I had a demonstrated issue with Xanax (and, interestingly enough, only Xanax) I talked to my pdoc about it and it was quickly taken off the treatment options table. While I have no scientific proof about this occurance (especially at standard recommended doses) I would simply recommend that if you have amnesia from taking Xanax, then you are having a reaction to it and should talk to your pdoc so that you can get a different benzo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crtclms Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 That makes sense. And I actually do not have trouble with Xanax at all, but I know what you mean. As I told you, Fioricet is the med I have had to consciously avoid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antigone Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 Just an aside, I get retrograde amnesia with Ambien (hypnotic, not benzo, I know). Totally off point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crtclms Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 Oh, Ambien, totally. I used to always come back to Crazyboards the next day and find long lucid posts I had made, often with no recollection of even the thread I was responding to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LemonHead Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 Xanax causes retrograde amnesia? Could you source that? I can only find experiments on rats and mice, and I thought cognitive effects were dose dependent. I don't tend to trust (other) peer-support sites, and I can't find anything on pubmed relating to this particular issue. I'm not trying to be a bitch. If everyone knows this, and there are a bunch of sources I am not seeing, that's fine, please point me towards them. But I'm on Xanax, and this has not been my experience *at all.* Unless I forgot it. I said anterograde (not retrograde) amnesia, which means you forget stuff which happened after you take pill and before it wore off. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crtclms Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 Oops, sorry. But I don't remember (heh) having that experience either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alien Navel Cord Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 I found that klonopin made me sleepy, and I took it PRN (by the way, I know the definition of PRN but do not know what the letters stand for. Does anyone know, and want to tell me?). It did not cause any weight gain, however. I do have a memory problem that I think may be caused by the benzos (now I take Ativan), but I don't think that is a side effect that is widely reported, so I may just be a special snowflake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LemonHead Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 Oops, sorry. But I don't remember (heh) having that experience either. No problem, I get the two types confused as well. And, everyone reactly differently to the same drug at different dosages, as goes the mantra here. Please let me reiterate if it wasn't clear, I was speaking to my own experience with Klonopin and Xanax. In no way did I mean to imply that you or anyone else should or will have the same experience. If that was the impression I gave, I apologize. You maybe already familiar with it, but Dr Heather Ashton's webpage seems to be a good resource for benzos. See http://www.benzo.org...l/bzcha01.htm#7 for a listing of the 5 primary therapeutic actions of benzos. The anterograde amnesia of Versed (midazolam) is useful for minor procedures, such as esophageal endoscopy (i.e., not recalling the discomfort of the procedure is tantamount to not experiencing it at all, although some people dislike the feeling of loss of self-awareness that comes from not being able to recall what happened). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wooster Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 PRN = "pro re nata" "in the circumstance" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Xanax causes retrograde amnesia? Could you source that? I can only find experiments on rats and mice, and I thought cognitive effects were dose dependent. I don't tend to trust (other) peer-support sites, and I can't find anything on pubmed relating to this particular issue. I'm not trying to be a bitch. If everyone knows this, and there are a bunch of sources I am not seeing, that's fine, please point me towards them. But I'm on Xanax, and this has not been my experience *at all.* Unless I forgot it. I agree with having a type of amnesia with xanax (if I am on too much of it). I was curious too. I looked up retrograde amnesia under ask.com, and read a bunch of links about it. Not all are specific to xanax, but other reasons in general that can be correllated with it. It makes sense to me if I apply this to xanax after taking it. Some may or may not experience this. I hope these help: http://www.ehealthme...rograde amnesia http://www.ask.com/h...estic-disorders http://www.ask.com/wiki/Amnesia http://www.medicalne...ticles/9673.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 One more that helped me understand it: http://www.treatment4addiction.com/drugs/depressants/benzodiazepines/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LemonHead Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 It makes sense to me if I apply this to xanax after taking it. Yes, the amnesia after taking it is called anterograde. Retrograde would be if you took the Xanax, and as an adverse effect, forgot something that occurred before you took the pill. Anterograde occurs when you cannot recall something that happened after you took the Xanax, as an effect of the Xanax. But like I mentioned previously, in some contexts this amnesic effect of benzos is considered therapeutic (for "forgetting" the discomfort of minor surgical procedures). But it is also used in malevolence; Rohypnol (a benzo) is the "date-rape" drug, which causes the victim not to recall what happened while under the influence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 It makes sense to me if I apply this to xanax after taking it. Yes, the amnesia after taking it is called anterograde. Retrograde would be if you took the Xanax, and as an adverse effect, forgot something that occurred before you took the pill. Anterograde occurs when you cannot recall something that happened after you took the Xanax, as an effect of the Xanax. But like I mentioned previously, in some contexts this amnesic effect of benzos is considered therapeutic (for "forgetting" the discomfort of minor surgical procedures). But it is also used in malevolence; Rohypnol (a benzo) is the "date-rape" drug, which causes the victim not to recall what happened while under the influence. Thank you for the clarification ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix12 Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 I was just prescribed Klonopin .25 twice a day and .5 at night. Anyone have any experiences where it helped with anxiety with taking these doses everyday? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 I was just prescribed Klonopin .25 twice a day and .5 at night. Anyone have any experiences where it helped with anxiety with taking these doses everyday? I take .5 mg AM and PM every day, and it works well for me as a regular med. For me it doesnt work well as a PRN. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix12 Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 Ok sounds like it will be good for me then. It will be nice to not feel crazy anxious everyday all day long. I just want the repetitive thoughts to stop! wish I could make them stop on my own but for now I'll let the Klonopin do it's thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix12 Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 Does the Klonopin stop the anxiety for the most part? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 Does the Klonopin stop the anxiety for the most part? It keeps it at bay. I still sometimes feel anxious, but I think everyone feels some sort of anxiety whether they have MI or not. But overall I am a lot less anxious on it than when I was not taking it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix12 Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 Wow I feel a huge difference with anxiety after taking the Klonopin .25 twice a day and .5 at night. I feel very mellow and relaxed. Still have some thoughts but they easily roll off instead of overtaking my mind for hours at end. Lifesaver!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 I'm glad it is working! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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