# Klonopin/Clonazepam, is it my magic pill?



## kitterbug (Oct 25, 2007)

I tend to jump around a bit, bare with me.

My bf (whom i met on SAF) came to visit during Christmas break. And we had a wonderful time btw. A few days before he left, he introduced me to his Clonazepam.

Back in March i was spending a lot of money (because i didn't have health insurance) seeing a psychiatrist who was prescribing me anti-depressants. I was extremely depressed at the time. I also told him about my social anxiety. He was convinced my SA was caused by my depression. I was put on Celexa, Zoloft, and then Wellbutrin. All of which gave me bad enough side effects that i didn't stay on them for very long, and i didn't feel any different as far as it helping me. I was still depressed, and started having suicidal thoughts. I decided to discontinue all meds and stick with seeing my therapist. The psychiatrist visits and the wasted money on meds that didn't work, was digging me more into debt. Since then, Over time my severe depression went away, i became "content" with life. But my SA stayed. My anxiety stayed just as bad as it always did.

So back to the Clonazepam. My bf has a script for 1mg. He offered for me to try one. Well why the hell not i thought. And I'm not on any medication at all so i didn't have to worry about weird reactions. Yeah taking someone elses meds isn't exactly a great idea but i did it anyway. I took one pill. It made me goofy and tired. I wasn't pleased. My bf offered i try half a pill the next day. It made me slightly tired but i didn't feel the amount anxiety i usually feel. When he left, he left me 15 pills i was welcome to chop in half and could take when i felt i could use them.

For 4 days in a row, I've taken .5 mg of it a day. And this is whats been happening:

Every time i drive, i get anxiety. I get nervous whenever someone is behind me, increasingly nervous the closer they are behind me, even if they aren't exactly tailgating. I get paranoid. Frustrated. And i get too distracted by it. After taking the pill in the morning, i don't get that feeling what-so-ever. Driving has become stress free. And all 4 of those days, i was singing in my car to my music. I was SINGING! I NEVER do that. I always want to, but never do, because people might be watching me. But i just didn't care. I sung. And it felt good.

Every time a customer would walk through the door or the phone would ring, I'd feel a slight jolt of stress. I've gotten used to suppressing my SA while at work, it's gotten easier the longer I'm there and the more i know. But i haven't been feeling anything what-so-ever. I don't get nervous, i don't get stressed, it's easier to look at the customers eyes when i speak.

Usually when i get home, i lock myself into my room and i do nothing. I've been more productive these past 4 days then in a months worth of time. I've done things I've been putting off for months simply because of anxiety and not having any motivation because of it. I've called to cancel two credit cards. MAde other phone calls to help sort out my debt. Completed my FAFSA forms for school. Researched and gathered things together to go to this place on Wed that will help me get health insurance. All these things I've needed to do but avoided like the plague because it involved seeing/talking with people. Now i'm getting these things done and i feel GREAT.

Today i stayed home from work because I'm sick. I started feeling better halfway through the day. I didn't take the Clonazepam because i felt there was nothing that'd happen today that'd give me much anxiety. After i felt better, i was still moping around the house. Took a nap i really didn't need. I was bored. I was unmotivated. I was going crazy. I took half a pill. Within an hour, i went and got some paint and touched up my walls in my room. My new posters came in the mail so i hung them up. I went out and shoveled the snow. A did the dishes and took out the trash (which i don't do 99% of the time cause i'm too lazy/unmotivated). I responded to a message a friend left on Facebook 9 days ago (i typically don't respond much to people at all). And i went and got my clothes out of the dryer that have been sitting in there for over a day and folded them. If i hadn't had this sudden boost of motivation, my clothes would've sat in there til Sunday when my dad would do his laundry and get mad at me for leaving my clothes in the dryer. AND i've come on here and wrote this! I actually wrote something.

Whats going on? Is this the Clonazepam? It's gotta be. This is unlike me. To be productive. To be rid of a **** load of anxiety. To feel this good.

Makes me dread the moment i take the last of what i have.

Makes me mad i spent hundreds of dollars on those doc visits and anti-depressants.

Thanks for listening.


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

You should publish your post as a novel


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## Dreamer'sHideaway (Jan 8, 2009)

Its great to have days with motivation when you're used to feeling like everything takes too much effort. Last January (finishing up high school; 3 years to finish grade 12 lol) I felt pretty motivated almost every day - I was doing exercises at home while eating really healthy AND I was studying (instead of just doing homework). 
This year I haven't had many days of good motivation. Comes and goes. My best friend is at the same university as I am and she says "when you don't feel motivated you just have to push yourself". I never know what to say to that because I end up crying and sleeping and spending time on the internet instead. I have to actually be in the mood to motivate myself.

Anyway, I appreciate the days where I feel motivated - yesterday I did a bunch of laundry. Its all sitting - cleaned- in a laundry bag now and I haven't had the energy to put it away today. Nor do I have the willpower to tackle an online assignment I'm supposed to do. Guh. *Disappears into guilt-free internet land*

I start on Zoloft next week. I hope I start to notice those motivation peaks etc.


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## Bob Slydell (Oct 23, 2008)

Klonopin (or any benzo) is NOT a magic pill. If you take them everyday for long enough you WILL become dependent and likely will grow tolerant. 

I only say this because I am prescribed 4mg/day Klonopin for the past two years. I have taken it everyday since I was first prescribed and it doesnt work at all for me anymore so I am slowly weening off of it. 

I know exactly the first "honeymoon" phase of being on Klonopin. Its absolutely wonderful for the first couple months and then it starts to work less and less. 

For me, taking Klonopin everyday for 2 years was beneficial but only because I knew the risks before taking it. I knew how horrible withdrawal would be and I knew I would need to keep increasing the dose. I had said to myself that once the risks outweigh the benefit then I will go off Klonopin which is exactly what im doing. 

I recommend benzo usage only taken as needed. I know its hard for people with SA because they have anxiety everyday. The fact is that most people grow tolerance very rapidly to any benzo. 

This means that you must pick your battles wisely when taking benzos. I know you said you took .5mg and it made you more motivated to get up and do things. This may seem good at first but in the end it contributes to increased tolerance/dependence with long term use. 

I think you probably should be on a benzo because all of those anti-depressants didnt work. They didnt work for me either. I had to go on the "medication merry-go-round" with just about everything before I was prescribed Klonopin regularly. 

If you do get a benzo, I urge you to take it PRN if you can. This way it will keep on working just as good as it is now. If you feel that you must take it everyday then make sure you know all of the risks before doing it.


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## DMBfan (Aug 29, 2008)

Bob Slydell said:


> Klonopin (or any benzo) is NOT a magic pill. If you take them everyday for long enough you WILL become dependent and likely will grow tolerant.


Tolerance is not common based on the research. Benzo withdrawal can be very difficult and you must understand this before taking them regularly. I agree benzos are not magic pills but tools to help cope with anxiety disorders. PRN is better than daily use but not all of us have anxiety that conveniently accommodates taking one or two benzos a week to avoid physical dependence.


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## CopadoMexicano (Aug 21, 2004)

believe whatever you want but if taking clonazepam makes you happy than take the med. Ive been on clonazepam for three years daily.


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## cbc15156 (Dec 10, 2008)

hey ya'll idk if im in the right forum or not but im currently thinking of switching from 6 mg of xanax xr per day to clonazepam(about the same dosage per day) and was just wondering if anyone has any experience with this. sorry if i interrupted the thread


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## DMBfan (Aug 29, 2008)

cbc15156 said:


> hey ya'll idk if im in the right forum or not but im currently thinking of switching from 6 mg of xanax xr per day to clonazepam(about the same dosage per day) and was just wondering if anyone has any experience with this. sorry if i interrupted the thread


Can't comment on the switch itself but the textbooks say the equivalent doseage of klonopin is 1/2 to 1/4 of xanax. So you should probably start around 3-4mg a day and adjust up or down as needed.


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## Lateralus (Oct 28, 2007)

Yeah, I'm fortunate enough so far to only need my klonopin once a week or less. When taken this way there is certainly no tolerance buildup or withdrawal and they work very well to "take the edge off". Only 1mg does it for me.


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## cbc15156 (Dec 10, 2008)

thank you very much dmbfan! however i have seen that klonopin and xanax are equal in strength...and i have seen that xanax is strong and that klonopin is stronger so could you cite your source? i do not doubt you it's just with all the information out there it'd be great to have a solid source to make me feel comforted haha sorry if that sounded gay im just terrified of benzo rebound anxiety


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## kaye (Oct 14, 2008)

I've been taking Effexor XR 150mg daily for some time (duh I don't know when I started...been a year or so...started at 75mg). My pdoc just gave me .5mg Clonazepam to take if I need at night to help me sleep-? So I've taken it a few times but noticed I due feel "hung over" in the morning when I get up.

I can't imagine feeling productive with this-? I'm just really not getting that...I take it to help me sleep! Haven't felt any other effects from it. But maybe it's bc I'm on Effexor?


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## DMBfan (Aug 29, 2008)

cbc15156 said:


> thank you very much dmbfan! however i have seen that klonopin and xanax are equal in strength...and i have seen that xanax is strong and that klonopin is stronger so could you cite your source? i do not doubt you it's just with all the information out there it'd be great to have a solid source to make me feel comforted haha sorry if that sounded gay im just terrified of benzo rebound anxiety


Some sources say equal, others say half, anecdotally I would say more people find klonopin stronger. Klonopin also lasts 2-3X longer than regular xanax so you need to keep that in mind when comparing daily doses. In your case since you're on xanax xr klonopin should last roughly the same amount of time.

http://www.vhpharmsci.com/VHFormulary/Tools/Benzodiazepines-comparison.htm

BTW, klonopin seems like a strange choice as a sleep aid given the long half-life.


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## cbc15156 (Dec 10, 2008)

thanks again for the quick reply and the solid source


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## kitterbug (Oct 25, 2007)

Thanks for all of the advice and info.

I need to see a doctor before i can get my prescription and i'm sure he'll give me a run down. And i'll probably take the risks. Even if eventually the med won't do me any good anymore, it'll make a world of difference when it is working.

Is this something a regular doctor can prescribe or does it have to be from a psychiatrist? And i'm kinda curious how i'm going to go about getting Klonopin. I'm sure i just can't walk into the office and tell them i want it.

yay.

The one thing i am concerned about is the whole take it as needed. Because, i'll pretty much need it every day.


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## DMBfan (Aug 29, 2008)

I would give the doc a rundown of meds you've been on that haven't helped. Then tell him/her that your BF gave you a klonopin when you were having a huge PA and it helped tremendously. You don't want to come off like a drug seeker so you've got to be careful what you say. Klonopin is probably the easiest benzo to get in the US but there's still a lot of docs who won't prescribe benzos (and probably even more psychs that won't.) If you take it every day you need to be informed about the potential difficulty in tapering off (and never stop cold turkey.)


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## john3000 (Oct 24, 2006)

*Klonopin best benzo*

It's always been my favorite. It has the best combination of strength and longevity. They also taste the best and I enjoy the cool sensations in my mouth. Off topic, anybody who thinks they'll be alive when they're dead is retarded. Long live Erwin Rommel.


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

kitterbug said:


> Thanks for all of the advice and info.


You're welcome


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## Foh_Teej (May 5, 2004)

DMBfan said:


> I would give the doc a rundown of meds you've been on that haven't helped. Then tell him/her that your BF gave you a klonopin when you were having a huge PA and it helped tremendously. You don't want to come off like a drug seeker so you've got to be careful what you say. Klonopin is probably the easiest benzo to get in the US but there's still a lot of docs who won't prescribe benzos (and probably even more psychs that won't.) If you take it every day you need to be informed about the potential difficulty in tapering off (and never stop cold turkey.)


This pretty much sums it up as good as it can be but I would like to add a bit regarding you last statement:



kitterbug said:


> The one thing i am concerned about is the whole take it as needed. Because, i'll pretty much need it every day.


Ive been taking it for some some 6 years on and off. I quarter my 2mg pills and take them prn with a stress on the _*as needed*_ and not as desired. You have to be absolutely honest with yourself with them as its easy to become psychologically addicted to them as they work quite well in most people (as opposed to physically dependent which is near guaranteed with daily use). Its very easy to convince yourself to use them more more often than not which can and will cause more problems than the original benefits solved.


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## gordonjohnson008 (Nov 2, 2008)

From my own personal experience, I would like to second Bob Slydell's post.

Withdrawal from quitting Klonopin is unpleasant, though it is thankfully short (i.e. < 1 week if you've been on Klonopin for < 1 year). I've noticed tolerance, absolutely.

I took a 2-month break from this med. I now take Klonopin on the weekends only, and it works great. I take Paxil, which helps with SA a little and with depression a lot, to get me through the work week where there isn't too much social interaction.


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## Medline (Sep 23, 2008)

It's unwise to take Klonopin for months to years straight. I take 4mg for 4 weeks, taper off very fast in 3-4 days while I take baclofen so I don't feel any discomfort, then I have a 1 week break from Benzos and start again for 4 weeks after that.


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

Medline said:


> It's unwise to take Klonopin for months to years straight. I take 4mg for 4 weeks, taper off very fast in 3-4 days while I take baclofen so I don't feel any discomfort, then I have a 1 week break from Benzos and start again for 4 weeks after that.


does that actually work for you?


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