# Anybody taken clorazepam



## firoz786 (Feb 5, 2011)

Hey there so I finally decided to go to the doctor and tell them what I feel. I got a referral to a Mood Clinic at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, BC. I am waiting on a call back for this appt. I was prescribed Clorazepam to help me through. I was curious to know what people have to say about this med. I took .5mg lastnight. I think it helped me sleep a little better but I really have no problem sleeping. ****, I could sleep for days if I got the chance he he! Any hoo, I feel a little tired but not really anything. (mind you I have an 18 month old and a 5 month old boys so that could be why I am feeling a little tired !) I guess its hard to tell cuz I havent went out today and I guess the real test will come when I do, right? (being around a lot of people, etc. . ) The doc told me to start off by just taking a half a pill before bedtime, but I was thinking tonight I will just take the 1mg (1 pill). Has anyone taken it during the day ?? Cuz really I will be needing it mostly in the day when I need to go out or something ya know?


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## TTB (Mar 10, 2011)

You'll feel tired on it alright it's a benzo. Why were you prescribed it for exactly?


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## Foh_Teej (May 5, 2004)

I guess you mean clonazepam. .5 is a typical, albeit low dose. I don't give a **** what your doc said, don't take it at night. Although klonopin has a half life of a day or more, its anxiety relieving effects last just a few hours. You'd sleep right though it all while building a lovely thing called tolerance. On that note, dont even take it everyday. ONLY when you need it. Find what dose works to reduce you anxiety- the lower the better. Dont just take a .5 because a doc said so. It may only take .5 to kill your anxiety and thats great.... however, 1-2MG is typical with upwards of 4mg. Most all docs are super reluctant to up the dose much. I find benzo management is done best in stockpiling smaller doses and using them prn rather than having a 30 day supply of the dose that works. This forces you to use better judgement as to when you really need them. Its much better to make 15 or less doses out of a 30 day script than to take the prescribed dose everyday. Its ok to take 2 to 4 .5mgs at once or spread out in a day but this forces you to pace your supply. This is key to reduce and even negate tolerance and dependence. I stress this as it can be a nightmare to come off and theres plenty of horror stories about benzo withdrawal on here to hopefully dissuade you from using it everyday.


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

Foh_Teej said:


> I guess you mean clonazepam. .5 is a typical, albeit low dose. I don't give a **** what your doc said, don't take it at night. Although klonopin has a half life of a day or more, its anxiety relieving effects last just a few hours. You'd sleep right though it all while building a lovely thing called tolerance. On that note, dont even take it everyday. ONLY when you need it. Find what dose works to reduce you anxiety- the lower the better. Dont just take a .5 because a doc said so. It may only take .5 to kill your anxiety and thats great.... however, 1-2MG is typical with upwards of 4mg. Most all docs are super reluctant to up the dose much. I find benzo management is done best in stockpiling smaller doses and using them prn rather than having a 30 day supply of the dose that works. This forces you to use better judgement as to when you really need them. Its much better to make 15 or less doses out of a 30 day script than to take the prescribed dose everyday. Its ok to take 2 to 4 .5mgs at once or spread out in a day but this forces you to pace your supply. This is key to reduce and even negate tolerance and dependence. I stress this as it can be a nightmare to come off and theres plenty of horror stories about benzo withdrawal on here to hopefully dissuade you from using it everyday.


Agree about everything he said.

I would like to add that for your FIRST ever dose of a benzo, you should try it on a day where you dont have anything to do and dont have anywhere to be to see how you will react to the drug before you use it for its intended purpose (or drive or operate heavy machinery). Based on how you react to your first dose can help give you a hint of what a therapeutic dose is for YOU. No one can tell you exactly what dose is gonna work for you, you have to try it out yourself. Start small, work your way up.


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## firoz786 (Feb 5, 2011)

thank you foh teej. You have made some excellent points. I took half the first day and slept soooo good, not that I have sleeping problems. The whole day I felt just tired. Then the the night after that I took 1 to see if it will help me any better. During the day I felt extremely fatigued and withdrawn but VERY relaxed and just not letting the things that normally get to me. Lastnight I went back to just .5 pill and today I feel EXTREMELY fatigued and I look so sick. I have dark circles like I got punched in the face or something! I dont know. I mean, it helps me feel calmer during the day but nothing too much ya know. I might as well just be taking nothing. Or like you say, I could take 1 pill if and when I need it (going to a place with lots of people cuz that's what is my problem . . . social anxiety) Thanks for the tips! I'm not gonna bother taking them tonite thats for sure!


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## 49erJT (Oct 18, 2010)

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## Foh_Teej (May 5, 2004)

49erJT said:


> Why not?


Doctors have absolutely no idea what dose will work for any given situation. I don't even know what dose will "work" from day to day. I cant imagine how a 20 minute (or less) office visit will provide even the most well inform doc with enough insight to manage a very mutable, individualized illness such as anxiety.



49erJT said:


> It's very strange to me how reluctant people are to take their psych med's as prescribed by a doctor....


You infer a fallacy of defective induction. It totally revolves on how informed a person is about their condition/experiences and how one weighs benefits to drawbacks associated with a particular medication.



49erJT said:


> Obviously, it seems rational to assume that the less medication one has to take the better....but that may be an incorrect assumption.


I agree 107%. Infact, I actually said that.



49erJT said:


> Many people who take medication for their depression discontinue it or take less once they feel better without their doctors approval and then put themselves at risk for relapse.


Please dont compare depression with anxiety. Regardless, the nature of benzos does not lend well to maintenance treatment. Whether one relapses is irrelevant to any advice I gave.



49erJT said:


> Same thing with anxiety medications....Many people who withdrawal from benzodiazepines do it without their doctor's consent (often times go cold turkey which is very dangerous and is a major reason for the benzo horror stories).


how a person arrives at the decision to quit a medication -ill-informed or not- is irrelevant to my post. I simply offered effective advice in the prevention of dependence to benzos.



49erJT said:


> My point is that a well informed doctor should be able to put all of the pieces of the puzzle together and eventually match each patient with the right medications and dosages.


I'd love to think so, however, theres a pit full of **** between wishful thinking and reality.


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## 49erJT (Oct 18, 2010)

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## Foh_Teej (May 5, 2004)

49erJT said:


> Maybe I'm a wishful thinker but I do trust my doctor.


it has nothing to do with your level of trust. Given benzos general pharmacodynamic/kinetic profile, their uses suit certain situations better than others. Take using them as sleep aids for example. Using them for sleep is a completely acceptable use that some doctors do. However, not always the best choice when several other meds have better efficacy vs. risks.



49erJT said:


> In your first post you said, "I don't give a **** what your doc said, don't take it at night"....The point I was trying to make is that doctors are medical professionals and telling someone to ignore their advice does not seem smart for a variety of reasons.


I made a valid reason not to take it at night. I never said nor implied to ignore a doctors advice for the sake of being maverick.



49erJT said:


> No harm no foul. I did not mean to come across like a **** but I take Klonopin every day and have been for many years. In your first post you are saying you should not do this and I simply think it should be the doctors call. There are some of us who do very well on daily benzo maintenance for anxiety.


Because you do this has no bearing on whether others should follow suit because your doc or any other doc _*said*_ so. If you personally understand and accept the known risks with dependence and maintenance therapy works for you while improving your quality of life, thats awesome. However, even long term low dose use has been known to cause adverse effects for many months to years even when tapered slowly. The outcome is so unpredictable that its best to strongly consider alternatives to long term use of benzos.


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## slightlyawkward (Feb 16, 2011)

I THINK I took clonazepam during the day...But I can't remember. I think that says a lot about this particular medication right there. It sedated me so much that everything that happened during the months that I took it seems a little hazy. I would definitely not recommend it for daytime use! It could have just been my personal experience with it. Everyone's body chemistry is different, so there's no knowing how you'll react to it if you take it during the day.


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## firoz786 (Feb 5, 2011)

I decided not to take it lastnight and man . . . I felt soooo good in terms of having energy. I have a 5 month old and an 18 month old and I tell ya, you gotta have energy LOL!! I am being referred to the Mood Clinic to see a psychologist and I will ask him if there is anything else because if I do take this when I really need it (i.e. there is a wedding to go to mid April, which by the way I am dreading hehe!) I dont want to feel sleepy or tired. I mean, it definitely relaxes me . . . I feel calmer than normal. Mind you I only tried it a few times and again only at nighttime cuz that was my GP's advice. I tell ya this much . . . it was the best darn sleep I have gotten in a real long time (since my baby has been born) hehe! I cant imagine what it will do to me if I took it during the daytime! Thanks everyone for their input.


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## Noel45 (Mar 16, 2011)

hi guys,,,
A few months back i was suffering from a great bit of anxiety and depression.I visited the nearest health care center and the doctor prescribe me clorazepam.This medicine is for relaxation of the muscles.
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## 49erJT (Oct 18, 2010)

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## peytonfarquar (Feb 8, 2011)

I just started Clonazepam (Klonopin) today. First time ever being on a benzo so I have no tolerance. Took 1 0.5mg in the morning. It took about a half hour to kick into effect. I knew it kicked into effect when I felt lightheaded and dizzy. Nothing major, mind you. I felt tired and the world was slightly surreal, maybe I was "90%" all there. It honestly felt like the effects of sleep-deprivation. It was not euphoric, but more sedative. My mood was unaffected but I felt as if some criticisms were to be hurled my way I could brush them off, which is a huge plus of course. This state lasted about an hour.

Took another 0.5mg in the middle of the day it was the exact same effect as described above. Half hour to go into effect. Lasted around an hour.


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## peytonfarquar (Feb 8, 2011)

Today I took 1.0mg at once. Took about 45 minutes to take effect. The drowsiness was slightly more this time. Again, it's like sleep deprivation. A certain part of the brain that overanalyzes things gets slowed down in this state and, thus, fear of rejection is diminished to a degree. This time the effect lasted about 2 hours (and I actually fell asleep for a little bit as it was wearing off). My mood, which was slightly below average beforehand, remained unaffected. This is not looking like a long-term solution pill but more like a short-term fix at best. I really want to try this stuff in a moderately intense social situation. I plan on taking this Klonopin on an as-needed basis in the future and will not be taking it 1.0 mg a day per doctor's orders since I hear loud and clear the horror stories of benzo withdrawal. (Why use benzos when I'm going to stay in my comfort zone for the day and risk developing dependency?)

I am not on any other medication at this time.


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## 49erJT (Oct 18, 2010)

There are plenty of benzo horror stories out there for sure.


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## 49erJT (Oct 18, 2010)

duplicate post.


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## mark4848 (Jun 9, 2011)

*benzos*

I have worked in substance abuse facilities for 8 years. Currently I work in a center where we use neuro-toxin removal and holistic handlings to reduce and eliminate pscyh. meds. Benzos are the hardest drug by far to come off of, much worse than even Heroin or heavy ETOH dependance. They are very effective for acute anxiety or psychosis but any person considering staying on them for longer periods of time should be warned you will be come someone you never want to be and have to go through a real difficult withdrawal if you ever want to become drug free. Many doctors who use this class of medication will never tell you that. However not all doctors engage in these practices, it is good for the consumer to be informed.


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## 49erJT (Oct 18, 2010)

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