Clonazepam

[Broken_Shell]

Hello.

I know that there are a lot of posts about clonazepam, but I am trying it new tomorrow and I am scared because I have had many bad reactions to medications. For those of you who have had either good or bad experiences, can you please respond and let me know about....

Whether or not it helped you?

What symptoms did it help?

Do you take it on a regular basis or as needed?

What side effects have you had from it?

How long have you been taking it?

Thank you SO much. I really appreciate the support!

~ Broken_Shell

[icthus]

I take it as needed. When I go into a reaction (difficult breathing, chest pain, etc), I take only a half dose (1/2 pill) this medicine remediates the symptoms. I am extremely thankful for it.

"And with the suffering, He will make a way so that ye may be able to bear it." (a comforting promise)

[firewatcher]

I take .75mg (total) daily in three divided doses. My neuro tried it initially for my tremor, but it helped my headache instead! He recently upped my dose because I was building tolerance and he wants my headache GONE, not just managed. I find it also helps me sleep (not up thinking random thoughts...) and assists the Beta Blocker with the tremor. It seems to calm everything down for me. It does not make me sleepy, so I can take it during the day with no issues. I'm not anxiety prone so I have not noticed any side effects there.

My caution to you:

IF YOU BEGIN TO TAKE IT REGULARLY (more than a week), DON'T STOP SUDDENLY!!!!!!!!!

Clonazepam has a very nasty rebound/withdrawal effect if you stop it suddenly after it has built up in your system. My doc had me taper off over 6 weeks for my ANS testing and it still hurt. The withdrawal will probably be a worsening of the symptom you began taking it for; for me it was the headache.

It has a half life of 36 hours (that is how long it is chemically active in your system.) Try a small dose first, you can always go up from there. It works directly on the nervous system. It like other benzos are HIGHLY addictive, only you will know how addictive your personality is, so be aware. That being said, medications are made for certain disorders, so if you need something to calm down the nervous system, take it! You wouldn't deny yourself insulin if you were diabetic, so don't deny yourself a med that could help your PHYSICAL problem because of a stigma to the medication!

Good luck, PM me if you have any other specific questions!

Jennifer

[mkoven]

I found it helped sleep and general adrenaline rushes. On the other hand, it made me feel somewhat mentally dopey, and affected my memory, even on .375 a day. I've been tapering off, by way of valium, and my brain is working better. I wish it didn't have the cognitive side effects for me--otherwise I think it helped. But I value my clearheadedness more.

[april abbott]

Clonzepam has been great for me. I have to say that I am sensitive to nearly all meds and alcohol, but have never had a serious reaction to either. However, I was terrified to begin this med. My doctor started me at .25 mg at bedtime only and then after about 2 weeks I moved up to .5 mg. I remember how scared I was to take the first dose. I made sure that my husband was home when I did start it.

For me, it just calms everything down. I have less anxiety, I feel more stable, my insomnia is gone, and I have less of that jittery, overstimulated feeling. The dosage seems to be key, however, as if I up it or lower it, I get symptomatic again, but I have never had to adjust the dose at all in over 2 years. I know a lot of ppl fear having to continually up the dosage because of building tolerance and its addictive properties, but that has never happened to me.

Unfortunately, there is no way for you to know how you're going to react based on all the reviews in the world, although I completely understand your concerns. I did the same type of searches and inquiries before I began the med. With us, it seems to be all trial and error. Good luck with your decision.

For me, this med has been a god send.

[ana_22]

how did you go with it?

[Broken_Shell]

Hello,

The only way I felt comfortable trying the new clonazepam was cutting it down to a small fraction of a dose since I am so sensitive to medications. I took 1/8 of a 0.5 mg tablet. I did feel a little "out of it", but nothing really bad happened I think that it has the potential to be helpful, either in a small daily dose in the morning when my symptoms are at their worst or in larger doses as needed. I am going to keep trying it, but I want to be careful not to take it too many days in a row until I get a good feel for whether or not it will really decrease my symptoms since your body can be dependent on it within a week of taking it on a regular basis. I am also trying out a couple of different medications, and want to be sure that I space them out enough to know what is helping or causing what. If anyone is interested in knowing more about how things go with the clonazepam, PM me and I'd be happy to share my experiences once I've gotten in a few more doses and a good idea of how it is working for me. I also see my neurologist this week, as well as the endocrinologist and gastroenterologist, because my symptoms have changed (become more severe and added new symptoms) in the last few months, so perhaps they will have some other suggestions for me. On Friday I read through the archives about benzos on the forum, and it seems that they have been helpful to many other people, so I am feeling positive

~ Broken_Shell

[Rene S.]

Hi Broken Shell,

I like you are super sensitive to meds. If you recall, I started Paxil this week and it's been sort of a bumpy ride for me. As far as the klonopin goes, I've been taking it for 8 years (small dose for the fibro) and I've not really noticed any bad effects. It doesn't make me sleepy and I seem to function ok with it. Once I tried Xanax and I had a rebound effect I was flying! Everyone's body chemistry is fine. Klonopin is used all the time for people with fibro/cfs it just take the edge off of things when everything is overwhelming or sensory overload.

Good luck to you!

Ruekat

[icesktr189]

it worked well for me. I took it because they thought i had anxiety when it was really POTS (before i found out). Start with cutting does in half. I took .5 and it was pretty strong for me. But the cool part with it is you really cant freak out on it. I usually send myself into a panic attack when taking any new meds, but this one is something that will really calm you down. I took my first SSRI pill and it almost sent me through the roof but i took that right after and i was singing and dancing in the car while my boyfriend was driving me. lol

GOOD LUCK!

[Tammy]

I also take Klonopin (brand name) and it does wonders for my body... I just had to take a bit tonight as the weather (low pressure system) has my body feeling oxygen deprived, jittery, shaky, weak, spurts of fast heart rate, etc. and it has been about 1/2 hour since and I'm feeling so much better. I'm afraid of developing a tolerance, so I only use it when I feel like it's either go to the ER or take one, and it seems to do the trick for now. I read that over the years changes in meds based on how our bodies change may be required, so for now, I'm thankful for it. I've only had POTS since 2000, and than relapsed to being homebound since 2005, so I'm sure there are more people with longer experience on this med to see long term results.

[morgan617]

I've been on valium, the same dose, daily for 15 years or so now. I have never developed a tolerance or had to increase the dose, yet. I take 6-8 mg a day. The dosage is different than klonipin, so trust me, it's a low dose. The norm is 5-10 mg 4-5 times a day. I am very sensitive to meds also.

I totally agree with jennifer, there is a stigma about benzos, but man, there is so little that does help us, I'm not going to pass up something that actually helps. The weird thing is, I was put on it for an inner ear disorder and realized it helped with my adrenaline surges too. If i stopped it, I'd have to wean off very slowly, but only because I've on it forever. However, I have no intention of stopping something that helps so many of my symptoms. I stay very clear headed on it. I get foggy brain for other reasons.

My primary said if he gets a bad reputation, so be it, he's happy to be my "dealer" since he has so few things he can do to help me. Since it's a pediatric dose, we usually get a laugh out of it and he says taking a benzo is the least of my problems. I agree.

I hope it helps sweetie. morgan

[Sophia3]

agree. benzos get a horrible rap. take them if they help your quality of life.

SSRI's are very addicting to one's brain chemistry and or body. Though it's not PC to say that. SSRI's need to be weaned off SLOWLY if on for any amount of time. Any internet search about these popular drugs, thrown to the masses on tv commercials, will confirm this fact.

That's all I will say on this subject as all I know is if klonopin, xanax, valium, or ativan HELP YOU, find a doctor that will give you a reasonable amount to keep on hand.