Prescribed Clonazapam PRN, what can I expect?

[Odetta]

My pdoc does not like to prescribe benzos for chronic use.  However, because of some temporary (I sure do hope it's temporary) stress, she has prescribed clonazapam for PRN use.  

 

I've never had a benzo before, so I don't know what to expect.  I have a couple of things that I need to face and just get done, and it's giving me tons of anxiety so I'm avoiding them, which is why my pdoc gave me the script.  Will the benzo calm me down enough so that I can face and get those things done without totally freaking out, or will they numb me so much that I forget what I'm supposed to do, or mess it up because my mind isn't quite there?  

 

How tired will I get?  She told me to take it at bedtime so that I can calm down and sleep, but I need something to calm me down to do those two things.  

 

Anyway, I've read all the drug material, but it doesn't really tell me anything about real life experiences.  If you have taken clonazapam this way, and would like to share your experiences, I would greatly appreciate it.  

 

 

[Wooster]

If you've not had benos before, you might find that they make you quite sleepy the first bit. It's safer to take them at bedtime for that reason.

 

Wish I could offer you more, but I was taking clonazepam scheduled after taking up to 6mg lorazepam scheduled and prn (as needed), so I don't have the prn experience of klonopin.

[iamnotafish]

I took Klonopin, 0.5mg, as needed for a few years. The thing about it is that it takes a little while to kick in (usually a little under an hour for me) but lasts much longer than say Xanax. Because I needed it to calm me down, which sounds like what you need it for as well, it did not make me tired right off the bat. I would say 3-4 hours in, I would start to get tired, but not to the point of passing out, just a general fatigue.

 

I never lost focus while taking klonopin, it just relaxed and pretty much eliminated the physical sensations of anxiety for me. My mind was very much still intact and I was able to work/read/study or what have you. I was never forgetful that I can recall (is that ironic? ha).

 

I know I've read that other members on here take it on a regular basis for much longer than I did, so I hope they'll chime in as well. I just wanted to give my personal experience for someone who was on it short term. I did end up switching to Xanax after awhile as the fatigue I felt, again, 3-4 hours after taking the klonopin, was not helping the general fatigue I already had during the day. It's hard for me to distinguish how much was the klonopin and how much was the fatigue I already suffered from.

[San]

I found with clonazepam, at first it made me really tired, so I only took it at bedtime, about an hour or two before I went to bed. It is longer acting, and you'll get a good nights sleep.

If you find it too strong you can get a pill cutter, or ask the pharmacy to cut the pills in half. You'll notice being more relaxed, a bit drowsy at first. Don't drive after taking it at first, until you know how it affects you, and definitely do not drink alcohol with it. 

 

Only take it when you need it. If you need less, see above about cutting pills in half. Less is good with benzos, less dependence.

You'll definitely feel calmer, more relaxed. I didn't lose focus, but you might at first if it makes you drowsy. Some people have more tolerance than others. If you shake when you're anxious, you might also notice that stopping.

 

If you find it numbing, which you shouldn't, get ahold of your prescribing doctor immediately and get a dose decrease or switch medications. It should NOT be numbing.

[MisterJoshua]

I've taken clonazepam off and on as a prn medication for the last ten years. I frequently took it before going to class when I was in graduate school and it really helped me get past the anxiety and participate. That said, I take it now mostly to aid me with sleep. It does take forever to kick in though, so I usually take it two hours before bed. As others have said, it is long lasting unlike some of the other benzos. It can be habit forming, so only take as little as you need. It has been a godsend for me, but I've only used it if I really need it so I don't become dependent upon it or build up a tolerance.

[melissaw72]

I find Klonopin to be more helpful for me when I take it everyday on a schedule (not as needed).

[Butterflykisses]

Klonopin did not help me very much. I took it everyday 3x a day and did not notice a difference in my anxiety. I noticed zero effect. Nothing negative, nothing positive. I hope it works for you when you need it.

[The Emperor]

I found it very helpful. Initially I was given .25mg and it didn't work well at all for my anxiety so we bumped it up to .5mg as needed. 

 

It got me through many situations in which panic attacks would have rendered me useless. It was very helpful in the beginning. It didn't make me tired. That one never did. But everyone is different. I'm on Valium now, and that shit's always made me tired.

 

Good luck with it! 

[Chimako]

I take one every morning for my high stress job.  It works very well with no side effects for me.

[Horizons]

Klonopin did not help me very much. I took it everyday 3x a day and did not notice a difference in my anxiety. I noticed zero effect. Nothing negative, nothing positive. I hope it works for you when you need it.

This was my experience with Klonopin as well. I was in an extremely stressful situation at the time and the Klonopin was just like sugar pills against the stress, even when I doubled the dose to 1mg twice a day. I got slightly more benefit from Ativan, which at least let me sleep at about 2mgs, though didn't help much during the day except for making me kind of tired and unfocused. At least I didn't get any side-effects to go with my lack of benefits, though.

[peacelizard]

Everyone's different obviously, but I found that it made me fairly tired in the beginning, so if you take it at any time other than bedtime please be careful. I also found that waking up in the morning was more difficult. I felt foggy and hung over. Depending on the dosage and how your body responds to the medication, you might also feel buzzed and/or drunk. I know I felt that way the first time I took it (started at 1 mg and found the dose too high). And much like any medication, long half-life or not, it'll have a peak dosage period and then it'll start to decline (but it'll still be working, it just might not be as noticeable).

 

Unfortunately, you'll probably have to play around with it to see what works best for you.

Edited May 12, 2014 by peacelizard

[AnxietyGirl74]

I take Klonopin 1 mg as needed for panic attacks and when my anxiety gets severe. I am very careful to only take when needed and not abuse it. I find I do better with the Mylan generic than Teva. With Teva, it completely knocks me out almost right after taking it and I fall asleep almost immediately. It makes me feel drugged and I do not like this feeling, so I always go to Walgreens now where they have Mylan. With it, it eases the anxiety, but does not make me feel drugged and just helps me to feel more relaxed. It feels very natural, not like you have taken anything.