Clonazepam - Questions

[KaraAlissa88]

Hey everyone. I had a few questions about Clonazepam (specifically 1mg).

I've been taking Lorazapam since I was 16 years old. Starting at .5, I recently have been moved to 1mg following some serious medical issues. Recently I started going to a new psychiatrist and he decided to take me of Lorazapam and put me on Clonazepam. I hate taking new medications. It makes me more anxious than most things. Even having the bottle in my hand my anxiety is at, close to, a seven.

I want to feel better and I've heard that this medicine helps a lot - despite the dangers of withdrawal.

Can anyone relate? Can anyone describe what their first time taking Clonazepam was like? I'm really scared to take this.

[constantmover]

You bet I can relate.  I was terrified to go on clonazepam.  I have been taking clonazepam for about 4 years.  It would help to know the dose you are starting on and how often you are supposed to take it.  Is it as needed or two to three times a day?

I'm going to make an assumption that it is in equal doses twice a day.  I'm guessing that he may have started you out at .25mg in the morning and .25mg before bedtime with the plan to up the dose to .5mg in the morning and .5mg in the evening.  If my assumption is correct, what often happens, not with everyone, but it did with me...I felt tired for the first couple of weeks.  For the first week, really dog tired...This doesn't happen with everyone, but I'm just relating my story.  The second week, it wasn't so bad and by the time the third week came along, I was a little tired but it wasn't a problem.  The third week was when I upped the dose too, so it was just a situation where I needed to adjust to the medication.  Once I was at full dose and after another couple of weeks, I knew it was fully in my system and there definitely were no peaks and valleys with anxiety.  I was at a steady state and truly didn't have much anxiety at all and the tiredness went away. 

For me, this has been the best medication for anxiety that I have ever taken.  It definitely isn't for everyone, but for some of us who can't take SSRIs or beta blockers and haven't had much luck with other medications that are traditionally used for anxiety disorders, this benzo is a good alternative.  It is longer acting than lorazepam and regular Xanax.  Generally twice a day does the trick to keep a steady state in your system. 

My suggestion to you would be to make sure you eat well, stay away from caffeine and this meds could very well be a great medication for you.  If you have had success with lorazepam in the past, there is a pretty good chance that you will have great success with this medication.  Just the first little while, there is a possibility of drowsiness, so be careful not to drive if you feel this way or even if it really makes you tired, don't let that worry you.   It is normal and will go away after a couple of weeks. 

Regarding the withdrawal aspect...every medication needs to be withdrawn very carefully.  This one is no different.  If you follow a good withdrawal plan, you should be OK.  Many people are afraid of going off any benzo and are afraid of the addictive aspect of the medication...My feeling is that if you need it and it works for you, as long as you follow directions and in this case, once you find your ideal dose, you generally don't ever have to go up...It's not like other benzos that way.  You find the dose that works best for you and you stay there...that is what I like about the long acting benzos over the short acting ones....No peaks and valleys if taken twice a day and no need to up dosage.  Generally this is the case and in my situation I haven't changed my dose in the four years I've been on it.  I also know others who have been on it for over 10 years without upping their dose. 

Good luck and I hope it works out for you as well has it has for me. 

[KaraAlissa88]

Thank you so much for your experience. Actually my doctor started me on 1mg in the morning and 1 at night. It seems a little intense for me. He said he considered starting me at a lower dosage, but he wanted to "sell me on it." Thanks for the tip on caffeine though. I have an anemia problem so I drink a good amount of caffeine to keep be going sometimes. Thank you so much!