Posted by Cherry Carver on June 2, 2009, at 14:31:04
In reply to Re: Withdrawing from Klonopin - Ideas?, posted by RobertDavid on June 2, 2009, at 13:51:11
> After starting this thread I switched to generic klonopin from brand in an effort to save money and try to start to reduce dose to the lowest effective level if not off it all together.
>
> I stayed on the same dose, 2mgs. But my anxiety has become unbearable, I'm withdrawing from social activities and not sleeping well. So last night I went back on brand and feel much better, slept better and feel much less social anxiety. I'm convinced that some of the generic medicines out there are bunk and dangerous. I googled the topic and seems there is a lot of information out there about this.
>
> I still plan on going down on dose, but I'll do it using brand. It's hard enough to lower your dose on this stuff, but throwing issues with generic on top of it is more than I can deal with.
>
> Lot's of info out there about generics vs brand and if your interestested, just google it. I suspect there are a lot of people who are taking the right medicine, but don't do well simply because of a bad batch of generic medicine.I'm glad I found this site, because I had the same problem with generic Klonopin (clonazepam). It absolutely didn't work for me. I don't know what's in it, but my reaction was exactly like yours. My pharmacist was just trying to save me money, but he had no clue how serious my panic is. If I don't take this medication, I become catatonic. I've been on it for 14 years. Unless they cure me, I will be taking it as long as I live. Moreover, Klonopin is the only drug that makes me feel normal, unlike Ativan or Valium. I don't feel spaced-out or wired.
About withdrawing: Currently I take one mg a day, but I started at three. It wasn't too hard; I took it down to two for awhile, and finally felt right at one milligram. Take it easy and listen to your body if you start feeling panicky. It's a very hard drug to withdraw from.
If you haven't already experienced this: if a doctor tries to put you on an SSRI, you should think twice. Benzos and SSRIs affect your brain in completely different ways. I have tried a very long list of alternatives, and none of them worked, including the much-hyped Cymbalta. I took one dose (30 mgs) of Cymbalta, and I literally almost died.
Good luck to you! I hope this helps.
poster:Cherry Carver
thread:896374
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090531/msgs/899044.html