# Clonazepam (Klonopin) triggering depression?



## nameless1 (Aug 23, 2009)

I've been taking Clonazepam as needed for about a year and a half now. I usually take about .25 or .50 about an hour before an event that is likely to cause anxiety... which was not more often than maybe once or twice a month.

Due to starting a new job and a new relationship with someone who is always around his friends recently, I've been taking it more often... (about every other day) and I am noticing that I've been feeling very depressed... something I thought I kicked years ago.

I'm very weepy, meaning I am on the verge of crying most days... something as silly as my boyfriend not calling me this morning like he usually does made me very sad, angry... I started to cry.. and it's silly... it shouldn't make me upset.

I'm doing that a lot and I'm wondering if anyone who has taken Clonazepam has noticed any signs of depression along with taking it....?


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## Medline (Sep 23, 2008)

Clonazepam can indeed trigger depression and cause irritability.


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## nameless1 (Aug 23, 2009)

Interesting... I have noticed being more irritable after taking it.

Well... that's a shame because it works so well to help control my anxiety. Maybe if I continue to use it the depression and irritability will decrease...?


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## Drew (Jan 23, 2006)

You should talk to your doctor about this. Sometimes an anti-depressant is prescribed along with clonazepam to help with what you are experiencing.


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## nameless1 (Aug 23, 2009)

My dr did prescrib Lexapro about a year and a half ago along with the Clonazepam... which was great for treating my anxiety and depression, but I made some pretty big and bold decisions (and it was pointed out several times was VERY unlike me) I became a person who didn't think about consequences of my decisions and dug myself a pretty big hole.... and after about a year of being on it decided to wean off.

I've tried 4 or 5 different antidepressants over the years and they all came with side effects that just weren't worth it.

Guess I just can't win. Thanks for the replies; I will just try to limit the clonazepam.


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## Medline (Sep 23, 2008)

Without drugs would you say you have one or more of the following problems: Mood swings, emotional instability, impulsiveness?


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## nameless1 (Aug 23, 2009)

Nah, definitely not impulsiveness or mood swings.

My uncle has bipolar disorder (is it genetic?) and has all of the above when not taking his meds.

Me though... I just live an anxiety-ridden kind of life... 

Sometimes my extreme shyness makes me feel really sad and alone.

It wasn't until taking Clonazepam almost daily that I felt the depression and mood swings I struggled through in high school.

I'd give Lexapro another try if I could trust myself to think clearly while on it.


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## Medline (Sep 23, 2008)

I think you might have mild tendencies of what you're uncle has because of you're prior history of depression with mood swings and the fact that when you're doctor prescribed Lexapro you seemed to have had a (hypo)manic reaction. Antidepressants like SSRIs can cause this if a person is vulnerable: One can feel great, anxiety & depression vanished and at the same time react like this:



> but I made some pretty big and bold decisions (and it was pointed out several times was VERY unlike me) I became a person who didn't think about consequences of my decisions and dug myself a pretty big hole...


Of course this is speculative and you should talk with your doctor / Pdoc about the next steps. Maybe Lamictal would be a good drug for you in combination with Klonopin.


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## nameless1 (Aug 23, 2009)

It's interesting that you point this out...

When I was on Wellbutrin in high school for about a year, I was nuts, as I like to say. ha.... I'd always want to go out, always want to be with people, everything was funny, I would sneak out of my house, was trying drugs, NEVER wanted to sleep and if I did it was for a couple hours, etc. For that entire year I think I was manic... my recent therapist agreed. I stopped Wellbutrin when I had a grand mal seizure.
You could say that I was just 'being a high schooler"... But... it was much more than that.

I just don't have the typical symptoms of Biopolar disorder when I'm away from meds... 

Off meds, it's just anxiety (and depression caused from not going out, etc)


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## Medline (Sep 23, 2008)

As you took several modern antidepressants to no avail (and can therefor be considered treatment resistant) have you ever thought about trying a MAOI like Nardil or Parnate? Lyrica instead of Klonopin would be an other option - it's approved in the EU for generalized anxiety disorder and a randomized, controlled, double-blind multicenter study showed it was an effective and well-tolerated treatment for social phobia @ 600mg / day. Adderall is also very effective, but hard to get if one has no ADHD and as your reaction to the stimulating drug Wellbutrin (bupropion) was "somewhat crazy " it might not be a good choice for you, altough nobody can predict this.


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## Anxiety75 (Feb 10, 2004)

Clonazepam made me feel better. It was the alprazolam that even though it relaxed me, later, I was very nervous for the next dose and sometimes I'd fall asleep and wake up depressed. After being on back on clonazepam since April I feel SO much better and don't feel physically anxious like I used to.


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## RockiNToM (Jun 15, 2009)

Well since clonazepam and alprazolam both impact 5-HT release according to:

http://www.slschofield.com/medicine/psychiatric_drugs_chart.html

It's possible something there is playing with your depression.

You could try a different benzo such as valium/diazepam for anxiety relief since this doesn't act on 5-HT release.


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

RockiNToM said:


> Well since clonazepam and alprazolam both impact 5-HT release according to:
> 
> http://www.slschofield.com/medicine/psychiatric_drugs_chart.html
> 
> ...


Thats kind of odd that clonazepam increases 5-HT, since it can sometimes cause depression with longterm use.


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## RockiNToM (Jun 15, 2009)

Well to be fair, I think the 5-HT increase is why some people find clonazepam and alprazolam superior to valium sometimes, because it affects their mood as well. I guess in some people it has the opposite effect and makes their mood worse.


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

Taking it short term makes my mood alot better, which could be due to the 5HT, although could also just be due to its calming GABA effects, not really sure.


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## DMBfan (Aug 29, 2008)

Ativan or Xanax XR would be other longer acting benzos you can try that aren't linked to depression. I'd try Ativan first since with Xanax withdrawal symptoms will appear sooner.


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## redangel58 (Oct 19, 2015)

I also have found clonazepam cause worsening depression for me. Im stopping it before it gets more serious. I understand this only happens to a very few people. Xanax also did the same.


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## gisellemarx (Feb 1, 2010)

That could be the case, but taking that small of a dosage once or twice a month shouldn't have that effect on you... I take 4mg almost daily so I'm expecting ALL the side effects to come down on me hard, but that's like pick and choose your battles for me.

So what they do is prescribe an anti-depressant, which causes other side effects that they'll probably give you a medication for.... It's a stupid, difficult cycle that's hard to break. 

If it is actually the clonazepam, you could try discontinuing it, but usually the withdrawal lasts as long as you were on the drug. Seeing as you take a very small dosage not that often, I can't see that it would be too difficult for you.


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## gisellemarx (Feb 1, 2010)

Medline said:


> As you took several modern antidepressants to no avail (and can therefor be considered treatment resistant) have you ever thought about trying a MAOI like Nardil or Parnate? Lyrica instead of Klonopin would be an other option - it's approved in the EU for generalized anxiety disorder and a randomized, controlled, double-blind multicenter study showed it was an effective and well-tolerated treatment for social phobia @ 600mg / day. Adderall is also very effective, but hard to get if one has no ADHD and as your reaction to the stimulating drug Wellbutrin (bupropion) was "somewhat crazy " it might not be a good choice for you, altough nobody can predict this.


Can I ask why Lyrica would compare to clonazepam? It's for diabetic nerve pain and sometimes epilepsy. I know it can give you a somewhat euphoric feeling but I can't see how you could justify giving someone 600mg per day just for social phobia.

Adderall has mixed reviews, it's a stimulant, which usually increases anxiety, especially if you don't have the hyperactivity that's associated with ADHD. I don't know how that could possibly help. It basically does the opposite of clonazepam as far as anxiety goes.

So....I'm just so curious about what people have found useful for social anxiety because I have found absolutely nothing.


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## gisellemarx (Feb 1, 2010)

nameless1 said:


> When I was on Wellbutrin in high school for about a year, I was nuts, as I like to say. ha.... I'd always want to go out, always want to be with people, everything was funny, I would sneak out of my house, was trying drugs, NEVER wanted to sleep and if I did it was for a couple hours, etc. For that entire year I think I was manic... my recent therapist agreed. I stopped Wellbutrin when I had a grand mal seizure.
> You could say that I was just 'being a high schooler"... But... it was much more than that.


Can I ask the dosage you were taking in high school when this happened? Because I have some sort of mood disorder and Wellbutrin hasn't really done anything for me at 150mg per day.


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