Does anyone take klonopin?
At what dosage? How often?
I am considering talking to a doc about it...despite being sober now for about a month and a half-2 months...
I need to be able to get out and search for jobs, register for school, maybe even talk to people...who knows.
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“It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.”
― George Washington
It's a benzodiazepine, and they're all pretty much the same other than how long they last for (granted, some have greater muscle relaxant capabilities, some offer a greater hypnotic effect, and so on and so forth); something like Xanax is good for panic attacks (short acting), whereas the longer acting ones are better for persistent and sustained anxiety.
Is it anxiety that's stopping you from doing these things? A specific type of anxiety? Being overwhelmed mentally, in addition to sensory symptoms? The reason for such determines the best medication.
I like Diazepam for non-cognitive anxiety and sensory symptoms.
I take klonopin. .5 mg an hour before bed (with 10 mg melatonin) to help me sleep. I also usually take one in the morning or as needed (such as if I am forced to make an unexpected trip to walmart, I take one as soon as I can.)
edit to add: klonopin seems to be one of the more subtle benzodiazepines I've been on. Its long lasting but the effects are more subtle than zanax or even ativan. I find it somewhat effective for general anxiety, but for sensory or processing related anxiety, for me, it's not all that helpful. Your mileage may vary.
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Darth Vader. Cool.
I use Klonipin (well, the generic klonazapam) when I go to sleep. I'm an old guy so I get up a few times a nite to pee and without the klonipin, my mind will just take off with any subject, from my money problems to a stupid verse from a Billy Joel song, and anything in between. Then I'm up for an hour or two. With the klonipin I can go right back to bed. I take 2 or0f the mid strength ones, but kick it off with 1 ativan (lorazapam). Ativans work quickly over a short time. Klonipins take a while to ramp up and down, but sustain over a long period. I was originally prescribed for anxiety around people, but I cope well now, and find they work best at quieting my mind at nite
Is it anxiety that's stopping you from doing these things? A specific type of anxiety? Being overwhelmed mentally, in addition to sensory symptoms? The reason for such determines the best medication.
I like Diazepam for non-cognitive anxiety and sensory symptoms.
More for persistent and sustained anxiety...I haven't had an anxiety attack for about a year.
I wouldn't consider meltdowns an anxiety attack- correct? Last explosive meltdown would have been a couple months ago but I have had silent melt downs just yesterday. (Brain shuts down)
Well I am trying to hand out resumes to shops around town and plan on handing them out to seveeral places but after 2 I am confused and worried then I lose track and head home.
So more of a building stress the longer I am out of the house...
Glad it works for everyone for sleep...
The reason I am interested in klonopin is the duration of effect as opposed to the ability to counteract a panic attack.
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“It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.”
― George Washington
For persistent anxiety (is it non-cognitive? I.e., you don't have a specific phobia, rather you're just anxious being out and about around people and doing things, rather than a germ phobia or thinking people will judge you negatively due to your social problems), the long lasting benzodiazepines will work. Some say that taking them for a long time is counterproductive, but if you need them to function (nothing else works), you then start to see that the positives are worth any potential long term side-effects that may happen (the dreaded benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome. However, most drugs have there own withdrawal syndromes).
I wouldn't use them for primarily sleeping problems, as after a few weeks you tend to develop a tolerance to the sedative effect; you don't develop a tolerance to the anti-anxiety effect. People who get "addicted" tend to rely on the sedative effect, and they need to take more and more as they become tolerant to it. For sleep, low dose Seroquel is about as good as you can get; the lower doses only affect histamine receptors, and you don't get tolerant to this sedative effect ("normal" people who take the lowest dose for sleeping tend to be out to it for a day. It's far more potent than benzodiazepines in regards to sleep/sedation).
I find Diazepam helpful for sensory overload, and when you think about it, it has strong anti-epileptic effects, and sensory overload is heightened electrical activity in the brain. Since it dampens this....
I wouldn't use them for primarily sleeping problems, as after a few weeks you tend to develop a tolerance to the sedative effect; you don't develop a tolerance to the anti-anxiety effect. People who get "addicted" tend to rely on the sedative effect, and they need to take more and more as they become tolerant to it. For sleep, low dose Seroquel is about as good as you can get; the lower doses only affect histamine receptors, and you don't get tolerant to this sedative effect ("normal" people who take the lowest dose for sleeping tend to be out to it for a day. It's far more potent than benzodiazepines in regards to sleep/sedation).
I find Diazepam helpful for sensory overload, and when you think about it, it has strong anti-epileptic effects, and sensory overload is heightened electrical activity in the brain. Since it dampens this....
The anxiety isn't about what people think of me...just being around alot of people as you say.
I don't plan on using it for sleep- currently I am sleeping pretty well.
How long does diazepam last for you?
If possible I'd like to take something that I only have to take once in the morning...so am looking for the longest lasting with the lowest possible dose.
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“It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.”
― George Washington
in your experience how long does it last? And does it affect your sleep at all?
Also what mg do you take? how often?
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“It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.”
― George Washington
She originally prescribed it cause I'm an aspie and was having anxiety problems in certain situations. I had learned to cope with things, thanks to a friend who helped me break out of my shell. I've always had a problem with sleep and I would lay in bed for an hour or two and just think of ANYTHING, be it extremely deep mental stuff to one stupid verse of a song. I figured that if benzos were mostly effective at decoupling your nervous system (in large amounts its used to control gran mal siezure), it might quiet my brain enough to sleep. I don't feel it's a sleeping pill , as I don't necessarily get tired or yawn, etc., but once I get settled in bed after 10 minutes or so, I'll sleep and when I do get up 2-3 times a night(I'm 64 so my prostate makes me pee a lot), I can fall back to sleep. I tried once without it to see what happened and I was up from 3:00 to5:30 with the hookline of Billy Joel's "Allentown" going over and over.! !! Insane ! !! ! So, I'll pop 2 about an hour before bed. They're 1Mg each making 2MG. I feel no cravings or addictions and they last the whole night cause If I get up at 5:30-6:00, I can still go back to sleep. I does say on the bottle "may cause drowsiness", so.....
I take Klonopin for my Severe Anxiety, Panic Attacks and Near-Syncope (Fainting). This Medication helps and it's a Miracle Drug for me, But, I ended up taking it for the rest of my life. Because I heard Scary Stories about their Withdrawals, Which I feel trapped. I was just prescribed a Month ago, and I have never fainted at all. But it saved my life. Because I have fear of Seizures, (Which I never took Seizures). and this pill will help me stop it. But I still have Hypochondria at some point. But I am diagnosed as Seasonal Affective Disorder, and Asperger's Syndrome (PDD-NOS). In summer, I Don't get Anxiety, due to activity in summer, while in Fall, Winter and Early Spring I get anxious and Depressed.
Since Klonopin was a Magic Pill, like being cast a spell from a good fairy. And I'm planning to get my lazy bean out from bed from Worrying and start doing Winter Activities.
Which I hate the cold, but i'm a Tropical Person, and Soon, I'm moving to Australia in the few years, Just to cope with my SAD.
I take .5mg every day, and bump it to .75 or 1mg if I expect a more stressful day than usual, e.g. a Friday shift at a restaurant job. I also keep 1mg xanax pills on me at all times for acute anxiety, such as unexpected events or personal conflicts, but generally the klonopin works for me. You should be aware that it synergizes with other drugs such as the Z drugs (ambien, etc) and alcohol, which can cause problems with tolerance and dependency if you "trick" your body into thinking you're taking more than you actually are. I've just learned to take my .5mg pill every day whether I expect stress or not to avoid the possibility of triggering any withdrawal symptoms, and that's worked for me for the 5 years or so I've been taking it.
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