Afraid/anxious to take clonazepam

[redstar312]

My psychiatrist has prescribed clonazepam (klonopin), one tablet in the morning and two at night for regular use. But I am afraid to take it because it may make me unable to function, though my psychiatrist has promised me that it will simply help me calm down (I have anxiety issues) and that one tablet will not make me sleepy. I keep visualizing taking the medication and then getting into a car accident or falling down stairs and hitting my head. Can anyone advise on what effect one tablet will have? What about half a tablet? The anxiety regarding this medication is so bad that when I go to take it I get nauseous and then put the pill back in my organizer.

Edited May 11, 2014 by redstar312

[tryp]

It can make some people sleepy - but not everyone.  I don't remember clonazepam making me sleepy, but everyone is different.  Certainly I wasn't staggering or falling.

 

If taking the full dose is a problem for you, perhaps you could consider taking a small dose at night and seeing how you react - if it makes you sleepy at night, you would be going to sleep anyway.  Another alternative is to try a dose on a weekend or another day when you don't have anything to do.

[MisterJoshua]

Like tryp, I have never experienced any sleepiness or drowsiness from taking klonopin. I take some in the evening and it helps me sleep, but mainly because it stops my oppressive anxiety, not because it makes me tired. I think the ideas tryp suggested are really good. I especially would encourage you to try it at night when you would get tired anyway. You might be surprised how well you sleep when your anxiety is more controlled.

[Wonderful.Cheese]

I sleep better with controlled anxiety as well. It doesn't make me tired or unable to function. It makes me able to leave the house and not have so much crippling anxiety. I take half (0.5) in the morning and a whole one at night (1mg). I've been on up to 3mg. But I've been taking this current dose for years now. I do not have any problems with it. I hope you are able to try it at a safe time, as the others have said. It could really help you.

[Savannah]

When I go manic my pdoc puts me on 2mg At bed time as well as increasing more Prolixin.

I usually seyyle in to 1mg in the am and one in the evening. It doesn't put me to sleep during the day . If you are concerned, try it on a weekend first or take .5 and see how it goes

[malachite]

I take klonopin. I waited until a day I didn't have to drive to make sure it didn't make me sleepy or wacky. It didn't. I agree with the others that if you are having anxiety about it, perhaps take half a pill. Then see how you react. Or, take it at night. It's really helped my anxiety far more than ativan which I was taking before.

[Mirazh]

I take clonazepam PRN (as needed) for anxiety, and when I am hypomanic (it increases my anxiety) I take it practically daily.

 

Initially I was incredibly anxious to take the medication.  My concerns were different from what you've listed here, but from what I see it's typically very common to have anxieties about anti-anxiety meds in particular.  Y'know, given our predilection for such thoughts and feelings.

 

The effects based on dose are going to vary based on physiology, neurochemistry, your weight, the size of the tablets, and more.

 

Even though I take it rather sparingly, most of the time, I have gradually built up a tolerance for clonazepam.  This, too, will vary from person to person.  1mg used to have a very noticeable effect for me, at least mentally, though it took more than that to make me a bit wobbly or sleepy.  These days my standard PRN dose is 2mg, though I can take up to 4mg in a day and I have indeed taken 4mg on multiple occasions - when my anxiety is high, even when not hypomanic, well it still works to help calm me down but I'm definitely far more tolerant to it now.

 

Building up a tolerance for the medication is perfectly normal.  I've been taking it for two years, and from most others I've seen who take this medication it would seem my quickly-built and long-term-remaining high tolerance isn't entirely typical.

 

I find it is a good idea to try and arrange at least one day, preferably a few days (like a weekend,) when starting a new med, especially something with sedative effects.  Basically, give yourself a little bit of a grace period to see how it effects you.  You may also find that even just a few days is more than enough to get used to the med - not to the point of needing a higher dose, you understand, but rather it will let you know things like how it effects you, you'll get used to compensating for any potential effects, you'll learn how long it takes to kick in, that kind of thing.  Starting your meds in an obligation-free grace period also means that if, on the off chance the med is more disruptive than is tolerable, you can speak with your medical professional(s) about the effects and potential dosage adjustments.  While I can't say whether or not this will be a factor in your own case - sometimes the dose needs to be adjusted higher, not lower.  (or, yes, lower.  It all depends.)

 

Generally I find clonazepam slow to kick in, and it lasts a very long time.  Well, that's the nature of this particular benzo anyway.  In fact my use of it as a PRN isn't very typical, though I know a few others who take it as a PRN too - the slow-acting/long-lasting nature of clonazepam is why it is typically utilized more as a daily medication rather than a PRN.  But I have found ways (doctor-approved) to work with it for my needs.

 

So, again.  Start taking it during a couple/few days of obligation-free grace period.  Communicate with your doctor(s) about any effects that concern you - whether too much or too little.  Remember that if there are initial side effects, many of them go away or at least reduce greatly within your first few days or first couple weeks of taking the medication (of course, if it alleviates your concerns, report any noticeable effects to your doctor(s) anyway - I prefer to let my doctors know everything, even if I'm pretty certain it's negligible, because then the doctor decides for me if it's something to be concerned about.  It takes the pressure away from me.)

[melissaw72]

It made me sleepy in the beginning (first few pills), but all that wore off fairly fast and now it just maintains anxiety for me.  Maybe try taking it before you go to bed the first week or so just in case it does make you sleepy, as others have said.  Then at least you won't be sleepy during the day.

[peacelizard]

Sometimes it makes me sleepy, sometimes it doesn't. I think it all depends on how much rest you got the night before/how tired you are in general and if it's a standing dose or PRN. If it's a standing dose and you've been on it for at least a few days, I think your body's more used to it and might not make you as tired. If it's a PRN that you take only occasionally, it might be harder for your body to adjust to and therefore might make you more tired.

 

All in all, as other people have said, try experimenting with it. Take it on a day when you don't have much to do. See what it does to you. If it doesn't make you tired the first time, you're probably okay. And even if it does make you tired, unless you're taking a huge starting dose and your body can't metabolize it quickly enough, it's not like you're instantly gonna go into a coma or becoming narcoleptic. Also, after you try it a few times, if you find it still too sedating, talk to your doctor. See if he can write you for a smaller dose or tell you it's okay to break in half.