How long is safe to take Klonopin (Clonazapem)?

Diseases & Conditions Anxiety & Panic Disorders
1
I was put on Remeron back in September after being hospitalized due to a severe reaction to Cymbalta. I was diagnosed with major depression and Generalized anxiety disorder. The Psychiatrist told me to take Klonopin for a month or two (0.5mg) until the Remeron "kicks in". In the Hospital, he had me take one in the morning and one at night. However, the anxiety did not go away when I discontinued the Klonopin and I went to see a new Psychiatrist, and she put me back on it. I am still on it - I take 0.5 mg once a day..except I am starting a new job tomorrow, and my nerves have been on edge..very anxious, and have been taking two Klonopins a day (one in the morning, and one in the late afternoon) over the weekend (0.5mg). Does this mean I am addicted to it? Is anyone taking anxiety meds such as Xanax or Klonopin for a long time? I feel six months has been a long time to take this drug, although it has been very helpful for anxiety. Thanks for listening.
2
Hi rianna, i have been on klonopin for 5 years......i know thats not good, but my doctor doesnt seem to worry about it. I have tried other types of meds, they mostly made me worse. I do take wellbutrin too. Im bad about going days without it though, just because......sometimes im ok, sometimes im not. anyways, im fairly normal, and i feel better with the klonopin than i have anything else. Good luck, i wish you well.
Shell
3
Rianna........I would not worry about this to much as Shell has said..Your doc would not be giving these meds IMO if he thought you were addicted.......I have been on ativan for so many yrs / or valium .....I am able to take when I need it and if i dont need it then I do not take it at that time.......If you are really concerned about this talk to your doc hun ......Post and let us know how you are...God Bless ..Lyn
4
Shell67 and Lyn,

Thanks so much for your replies. Shell, do you mind if I ask if you have ever had to increase the Klonopin during the five years? I sometimes wonder, if our bodies get immune to it, and it would stop working after awhile (unless it is increased?)..thanks!
5
Rianna.. I have taken Klonopin for about a year now. I have never felt addicted to it, have forgone it before so I could take a pain med with no ill effects. I have upped my own dosage (doc gave me permission to do this as needed), and I normally take a full mg a day... I take a .5mg when I sit down to rest at night, and another right before I get ready for bed. I started out at a quarter of a mg and have worked up.. it didn't seem like I developed a tolerance to it, more like I was finding a good dosage.
I've had some days where I just eat them like crazy, never over three mg tho. Those days are rare.. tornado destroyed my home, mother had a stroke, had to get thru uncles funeral. All of this is done with doc permission tho, so you may want to talk to your doc.. cause when you run out, they may ask questions of why you are out "early".
Needing the extra pills doesn't mean you are addicted to them. It means your nerves are acting up. Addiction is when you can't possibly function without them, and you start timing the hours til your next dose. That's what my doctor told me anyway, when I voiced the same concern.
Good Luck
Sarah
6
srhpalmer - thanks so much for your reponse, it was very helpful! I may look in to upping the dose from 0.5mg to 1mg. I am not quite sure how to ask Psychiatrist about doing this.
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Rianna... Just be honest with your Psychiatrist. Honesty is always good, and they respect that. I just told my doc that I felt I needed some other times, and got permission to take when needed. If you tell them you've already tried upping the dose and it does help, then they will probably allow it.
If you don't have an appt soon, then a phone call should suffice. At least then it will be in your records that you are concerned about your dosage and not abusing them.
Sarah
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Rianna, well i did very well for years with it on the same dosage, i did have to up the dosage a while back, but i think it was more that more difficult things were happening, not that it wasnt working as well. I dont think i have become immune yet, and i pray we never do. Your doctor will probably agree with you, just be open and as srh said, it will be in your record that you were concerned. Good luck,
Luv shell
9
Okay thanks for your responses...I will take your advice. Thanks again.
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Okay..lol..now, I am really confused..I just read on other message board that addiction is when the initial starting dosage is no longer enough..and your body becomes immune to it and then needs more of it..so people up their dose from 0.5mg to 1mg, then to 2mg, etc. Very confusing. I guess I should just be happy that 0.5mg works for me and the Remeron is helping with the depression and leave it at that.
11
Even more confusion - yikes.. just read again that if one takes these "as needed" that someone shouldn't stop taking them cold turkey. There have been a few days that I have felt well, and did not need the 0.5mg..so is that going off of it cold turkey? I will then resume it a few days later or as needed. Someone said one could have seizures or other problems if they abruptly stop taking Benzos - Ativan, Xanax, Klonopin, etc, but I wouldn't think this would be a problem on the lowest (0.5mg) dosage. I guess I will talk to my Doctor about this. Why is all of this so confusing..lol..thanks for listening. I'll get myself straightened out with this confusion here hopefully.
12

Rianna, I read the same thing about going "cold turkey", and i actually found out when i decided  i was through with it, and hadnt taken any in weeks (but i was lucky enough to not have any siezures). So of course that was scarey enough to start taking them again, but the panic returned anyway.....even after i started back on them.  Im sorry im not a bigger help when it comes to the addiction part, i still believe that my dosage went up because of "life", but that doesnt mean im not addicted either......:(   I hope that if/when we are able to quit taking them, it wont be so hard, we will have great people and support here also ;)  Im with you, im glad its working and ill leave it at that for now.

shell

 

13
Hello.

I was on Klonopin as needed for almost two years. I would take .5 mg a day probably 4-5 days a week and take a couple days off here and there due to concerns about addiction. Then a new psychiatrist decided to put me on a steady dose of it. .25 mg in the morning and .5 at night which is no more than the amount I have ever taken and it is working well. His reasoning was, when you have anxiety and panic you have to get control of it and not spend time chasing it just on the days you feel bad.

I had worries about addiction, but the doc told me to not worry about it. He did say I may build up a little bit of tolerance to medicines over time, but that is much different than being addicted to them. He said to let him worry about those things and for me to concentrate on feeling better.

That is interesting about the Remeron and Klonopin however. I would think the combination of those two medicines could definately make you quite sleepy as Remeron is sometimes used as a sleep aid and Klonopin has such a calming effect.

Hope you feel better.
Ed
14
Rianna, on any drug like this you *can* have withdrawal symptoms if you stop cold turkey. BUT.. a drug that is taken as needed is just that. If you don't need it don't take it. I've forgotten to take mine before and taken it hours after normal and never felt anything. I've not taken it so I could take a narcotic pain killer, and had no effects. I've gone off of it for three days and did well until I hit a crisis in my home, without any effects. I was reading about this drug again, and a lot of the danger of going off it cold turkey lies with those who are taking high doses, or taking it for seizure control.
Also, the other message board you were reading is talking about tolerance not addiction. Addiction is the body's *need* for the drug, with nasty consequences if it doesn't get it. Dependence is more of a mental need, I know some people who will carry their benzo's with them everywhere, but never need to take them. Just the mental idea that they have them is enough. Tolerance is when your body adjusts itself to having that amount of med in it, and it begins to lose it's *lost the word here..lol* for you, and you need to up the dose to keep the same effect from the drug.
A lot of people start out low on medications that they need, and gradually adjust upward until they hit the *right* dosage. So you can build up a tolerance to it on purpose too. I started on .25 mg of klono and have gradually gone up to a full mg a day, and that's my *right* dosage for maintance purposes of my anxiety. Doesn't mean I NEVER take an extra one if needed, or sometimes just take .5 of a mg, depends on my day and my body.
There IS a lot of confusing info out there about these type drugs. It's hard to sort out exactly what applies to YOU and not to the thousands of others that take them. Just go with what your body and your mind tell you you need, and like Ed stated, worry about feeling better!!
Sarah
15
Okay - thanks everyone for responding!
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I have been taking Klonopin for about three years now, and it had been a Godsend.  With my Social Anxiety/Phobia, being on Klonopin Is akin to wearing a nice thick windbreaker on a blustery winter day: you are aware of the freezing gales that whip around you constantly, but are not subjected to the icy currents cutting through your sweater to your bare skin.  I also take Wellbutrin, started it a few months before the Klonopin.  I have always been easygoing to the point of gullibility  but the Wellbutrin brought aout an unprecedented degree of aggression, almost rage and my overall patience levels went to nil.  My doctor started my on the Klonopin, and everything fell into balance. I even have an easier time controlling/stifling my anxiety in public when I am out of my Klonopin, like my mind has learned how to just chil a bit when it has no other desirable choice.
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The degree of complacency which it causes in me is a bit disconcerting.  I don't object to or inetvene in situatuion I later thing I should have.  I think that without the Wellbutrin I would be as weak as a kitten as far as standing my ground on things that affect me.
    
18
I was on Xanax for almost 10 years....took it daily and became pregnant and had to quit it cold turkey...actually had no side effects from it....mind over matter on my part.

Sylknmyst

19
I totally agree just be honest about all of it with PDOC
keep us posted please
You take care '
Lyn
20

Hi Rianna,

I've been on Klonopin for years, in addition to Wellbutrin and Keppra, for depression and anxiety.  I'm currently taking 4mg morning and 4mg pm.  Honestly, I don't really feel a difference when I take it, or if I'm late taking my meds.  I'm sure, however, if I stopped for a couple of days, I'd probably be a mess.  I usually have to take higher dosages of every kind of medication, as I seem to be pharmacutically resistant to most medications or totally immune to their effects. 

Your body is not "addicted" to Klonopin, merely "dependant" on the medication.  Dependancy means that your system is used to having the substance in your system, and when it isn't present, your system reacts to the lack of it.  Unfortunately, a lot of anti-depressants are actually created as "anti-seizure" medications.  Therefore, when you suddently stop one of these medications, risk of seizure is possible.  Addiction is another story.  Addictive drugs not only have a dependancy component, but also cause withdrawal symptoms when the medication is removed from your system. 

Narcotic drugs cause addiction, both physically and mentally.  Narcotics are rarely used for a long term problem because of this addition problem.  The body gets a tolerance to its current dosage, and soon needs a higher quantity to achieve the same amount of relief.  Some addicted patients spend an inordinant amount of time taking their medication, thinking about taking the next dose, worrying about their current supply, or how to get their next supply.

Doctors are reluctant to keep patients on narcotics for any period of time because of this addiction tendancy.  Addicted patients also tend to take more medication than is prescribed, either to get the same original effect or to actually get a buzz from the medication.  These patients try to request refills earlier than their refill date, seek the same medication from multiple doctors, and/or use mulitiple pharmacies.  They can even resort to buying their meds from illegal sources.  Some people prey on lower income or elderly patients who are willing to sell their medication, purchasing their narcotics for outrageous prices, just to get a fix.  I have even seen a solicitation or two from narcotic addicted patients looking to buy drugs from people here on the boards (Highly illegal and unethical, posts were immediately removed by moderators). 

The good news is that you don't need to worry about your Klonopin, just don't stop taking it too quickly.  It is probably doing you more good than you realize or you may need a higher dosage.  The bad news is that people like me, who depend on narcotic medication for specific conditions (mine is migraines), get put through the wringer to maintain their meds (but I won't get started on that subject!)

Let us know how you are doing.  Best of Luck!!!

Leigh Ann cool

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