# Klonopin/Clonazapam



## indiecat (Sep 24, 2012)

I am taking this daily as well as Zoloft, which I began 7 days ago. 
Does anyone have any experience with either?
I had to take a Klonopin this am due to chest tightness and panicky feelings but have read that it's addictive and not a good drug.
Does anyone find anything helpful for mixed anxiety/depression?


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## Runs like Dog (Feb 25, 2011)

Jeez, anti seizure drugs are the worst. 
Klonopin (clonazepam) Information from Drugs.com
Klonopin Drug Interactions - Drugs.com
Klonopin (Clonazepam) Drug Information: Side Effects and Drug Interactions - Prescribing Information at RxList

how you take it is HIGHLY specific
titration is all over the yard and precise dosage is hard to find
you're not supposed to take them for more than 2 months
has a MAJOR serious interaction with Prozac (sertraline) but not Zoloft (fluoxetine)

Some of the side effects of Klonopin include

Call your doctor at once if you have a serious side effect such as:

confusion, hallucinations, unusual thoughts or behavior;

*weak or shallow breathing;*

unusual risk-taking behavior, no fear of danger;

unusual or involuntary eye movements;

*pounding heartbeats or fluttering in your chest;*

painful or difficult urination, urinating less than usual;

pale skin, easy bruising or bleeding; or

new or worsening seizures.

Less serious side effects of clonazepam may include:

drowsiness, dizziness, problems with thinking or memory;

tired feeling, muscle weakness, loss of balance or coordination;

slurred speech, drooling or dry mouth, sore gums;

runny or stuffy nose;

loss of appetite, nausea, diarrhea, constipation;

blurred vision;

*headache;

sleep problems (insomnia);*

skin rash; or

weight changes.


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## hambone (Mar 30, 2013)

Runs like Dog said:


> Jeez, anti seizure drugs are the worst.
> Klonopin (clonazepam) Information from Drugs.com
> Klonopin Drug Interactions - Drugs.com
> Klonopin (Clonazepam) Drug Information: Side Effects and Drug Interactions - Prescribing Information at RxList
> ...


As a pharmacists. Recognize that every SE that is documented to have occurred while a patient was taking that medication is in the literature. Doesn't mean the drug caused it, just that it happened while the patient was taking the medication.


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## Jamison (Feb 10, 2011)

I had a neighbor who popped Klonopin like candy. No matter what the dose, it was never enough. She worked at a doctors office and forged signatures to get her meds filled often, it finally caught up with her. 

Massage, meditation, and learning relaxation techniques can sometimes help with anxiety too.


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## Lordhavok (Mar 14, 2012)

My wife takes it, it does really good for her. I'm on xanax, tends to make her sleepy. She gets good results from it, she takes it everyday. And it dont make her as tired and sleepy as xanax. Bad nerves and panic attacks s*cks!


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## indiecat (Sep 24, 2012)

thanks


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## hambone (Mar 30, 2013)

Jamison said:


> I had a neighbor who popped Klonopin like candy. No matter what the dose, it was never enough. She worked at a doctors office and forged signatures to get her meds filled often, it finally caught up with her.
> 
> Massage, meditation, and learning relaxation techniques can sometimes help with anxiety too.


Back when I was working... if they had a three times a day as needed order... and they are taking it three times a day regardless... I started getting worried.

You can see an addict developing. You can see the escalating usage.

It amazed me how some docs would not prescribe Valium... but they would freely prescribe other medications in the same chemical and therapeutic class...


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## maincourse99 (Aug 15, 2012)

After my wife left me for another man I was having extreme anxiety and panic attacks. Clonazapam has done wonders for me. I take 1.5 spread out over 3 doses per day. No side effects whatsoever. I've also been able to reduce by .5 since I started with no problems. I intend to reduce slowly over the next couple of months until I'm off it. Got me through some terrible times.


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## mel123 (Aug 4, 2012)

Lordhavok said:


> My wife takes it, it does really good for her. I'm on xanax,


I hear that klonopin is a slow release form of Xanax, True or not I don't know


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## Lordhavok (Mar 14, 2012)

mel123 said:


> I hear that klonopin is a slow release form of Xanax, True or not I don't know


Not sure either mel, it dont make her as groggy and sleepy as xanax does though. I dont take xanax every day, just as needed.


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## hambone (Mar 30, 2013)

mel123 said:


> I hear that klonopin is a slow release form of Xanax, True or not I don't know


Not true. While Klonopin and Xanax are in the same chemical (benzodiazepine) and therapeutic group, they are not the same drugs.

Klonopin is clonazepam. 

Xanax is alprazolam. 

Klonopin does have a longer duration of action than Xanax.


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## argyle (May 27, 2011)

Clonazapam...your mileage will vary...

...my wife's experience involved persistent dysphoria. Dysphoria can be much worse than it sounds. Helped her sleep well though. If you find yourself suddenly in the blackest of black moods and homicidally irritable...yah...consider stopping.

Of course, my wife has odd reactions to a lot of meds.

--Argyle


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## RockyRoad48 (Jun 7, 2013)

Ever since my wife and I separated 3 months ago, I've been taking .5mg of Clonazepam every night to help me rest and get through the nights. Nights alone are the pits!

No side effects for me except it does make me drowzy:sleeping:

If we can work this separation out and get back together, I plan on getting off of it.


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## grenierd1 (Jun 26, 2013)

meditation


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## Terry_CO (Oct 23, 2012)

I was taking clonozepam a couple years ago, for restless leg syndrome for a couple months. It gave me strange thoughts .... made me wierd. My wife and I both agreed I should stop taking it. I did and the wierd thoughts went away. The stuff was bad news for me.


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## Acoa (Sep 21, 2012)

indiecat said:


> I am taking this daily as well as Zoloft, which I began 7 days ago.
> Does anyone have any experience with either?
> I had to take a Klonopin this am due to chest tightness and panicky feelings but have read that it's addictive and not a good drug.
> Does anyone find anything helpful for mixed anxiety/depression?


I've been dealing with undiagnosed depression for years. Self medicating with various addictions. Last year, my wife betrayed me, and that lumped a heaping helping of anxiety on top of the depression.

In addition to group therapy, individual counseling and marriage counseling I started taking Zoloft about a week ago. I've already noticed some changes. I know they say it takes up to six weeks to feel the full effect. Maybe it's real, maybes it's a placebo effect. Either way, I'll take it. Anxiety isn't gone, but I don't feel as overwhelmed by it. The only side effect I'm noticing is the delayed orgasm. That could get problematic in the future, but for now we will just enjoy the marathons.


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## Jeffk (Nov 15, 2014)

I take Klonopin for my seizures. All it does to memos make me really drowsy. Can hardly keep my eyes open at times. I'm on a fairly low dose 2mg at night. I know it helps me sleep like the best sleep I've ever had. But be very careful, it is a highly addictive drug.


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## happy as a clam (Jan 5, 2014)

indiecat...

Please, PLEASE, *PLEASE* wean yourself off of the Klonopin. It's meant to be used SHORT term -- no more than 10-14 days. Doctors prescribe it all wrong and patients end up on it for months and years.

It is HIGHLY addictive, nearly impossible to come off of, and just a downright nasty drug in the class known as benzodiazepines. Benzos really screw up your GABA receptors; coming off of them can be worse than heroin.

PLEASE do some internet research -- Google terms such as "Benzo Withdrawal Hell" and watch some of the youtube videos or read the articles.

Also visit www.benzobuddies.org forum and read the THOUSANDS of threads of people trying to come off of these awful drugs (Klonopin, Xanax, Ativan, Valium, etc.) Don't be fooled by the low dosage either. 1 mg of Klonopin is equal to 20 mg of Valium


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## Flying_Dutchman (Oct 29, 2014)

hambone said:


> Not true. While Klonopin and Xanax are in the same chemical (benzodiazepine) and therapeutic group, they are not the same drugs.
> 
> Klonopin is clonazepam.
> 
> ...


^^^. This.

There are a lot of them that fall under the 'umbrella' familiar terms of valium or benzos. They differ in potency and duration depending on the condition they're being used to treat.

If you suffer from anxiety, reading the side effects list won't do you many favours. As someone above said, for reasons -including potential litigation - of reported happenstance they have to be listed. In reality, they're listed in order of 'most common', so if you're not experiencing any of the top 5 or so, chances are you won't get those lower down.

Ideally, those given them for anxiety would simultaneously be given therapy to get to the cause of it. Too often they aren't.

A mild one, taken as a sleeping pill, only works for an hour or so to get you off to sleep. While you may always need one to get off to sleep, side-effects are uncommon and you likely won't notice addiction beyond an inability to sleep without them.


Stronger ones, used for daily anxieties and/or seizures will quickly lead to addiction but, it's important to remember, addiction isn't always a bad thing.

Among the definitions of addiction is if 'whatever' negatively impacts your life and the lives of those around you. If and addiction prevents you having seizures at home, at work and behind the wheel of your car, it's enhancing your life.

If your medication, whatever it is, is achieving its goal - and any side effects are more tolerable than the symptoms of being untreated - then addiction is a small price to pay.

If medication replaces 'natural' bad symptoms with a bunch of unnatural ones, then's the time to see your doctor about alternatives.

So, don't worry about addiction if the medication is working to keep something that blights your life at bay. If you get better, you can be weaned off the drug. The final step from low dose to nothing might cause a few weeks of lethargy or rollercoaster emotions, but they get better by the day and, typically, you can 'busy' your way through them.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## happy as a clam (Jan 5, 2014)

Jeffk said:


> *I take Klonopin for my seizures.* All it does to memos make me really drowsy. Can hardly keep my eyes open at times. I'm on a fairly low dose 2mg at night. I know it helps me sleep like the best sleep I've ever had. But be very careful, it is a highly addictive drug.


And that's EXACTLY what Klonopin is for -- it's an anti-SEIZURE medication, but docs prescribe it all wrong. While useful for severe panic and anxiety, docs tend to use it for *chronic* anxiety rather than life-or-death panic attacks.

If used for anxiety, it should only be taken for 10-14 days or less, but many docs are not educated on this.

Coming off of benzos (for NON-seizure patients) can be worse than coming off of heroin.

P.S. 2 mg is NOT a low dose! 2 mg of Klonopin is equivalent to *40 mgs* of Valium.


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