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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Dinah on January 28, 2003, at 20:48:31
Originally posted by SBOATRN 1/28/03.
> I have been on Klonopin for about 8 months at .125mg every night. Never really increased from initial .5 mg every day. I have done well, with the last 3 months being really OK. I am reluctant to give up this dosing. I tapered down to off once and was unable to stand it. Made me scared to think of totally coming off again with only 3 months good going. I know the "bad" stuff about it..... I would like to hear from someone on low dose Klonopin that has a GOOD story to tell. I can't do SSRI's, tried several and they are intolerable for me. Please, I need good news, as I can find plenty of Benzo "Horror" places. Just asking for a little support. Thanks !!!
Posted by SBOATRN on January 28, 2003, at 22:05:46
In reply to Re: Support for Klonopin » SBOATRN, posted by Dinah on January 28, 2003, at 20:48:31
Thanks for the redirect... thought after posting I may have knocked on the wrong door !!!
Posted by viridis on January 29, 2003, at 0:09:08
In reply to Re: Support for Klonopin » SBOATRN, posted by Dinah on January 28, 2003, at 20:48:31
Well, I'm on pretty low-dose K -- 1 mg/day for over a year and a half, and it still works as well as it did in the beginning. I can't tolerate SSRIs either, and have found K to be an excellent med. My psychiatrist considers me to be at the low end of the dosage spectrum, and I'm very happy with it.
Don't get stressed out by the anti-benzo sites; those people have an agenda that isn't (in my opinion) focused primarily on mental health. Klonopin and other benzos are very safe meds that have been studied extensively, and if they improve your quality of life, then just enjoy it. For most people with anxiety disorders, abuse is unlikely, and if you have to discontinue, just do so slowly, under your doctor's supervision.
Decades of research have shown that benzos like Klonopin are among the safest and best understood of psychiatric meds, so if they help you lead a normal life, you should consider yourself lucky, and don't worry about it.
Posted by SBOATRN on January 29, 2003, at 6:57:01
In reply to Re: Support for Klonopin, posted by viridis on January 29, 2003, at 0:09:08
To: viridis
Thanks for the encouraging words.... I needed to be reminded about where I came from and where I am now and that I'm "doing" the right thing for me. Thanks again !!!
Posted by proud mary on January 29, 2003, at 10:15:30
In reply to Re: Support for Klonopin, posted by SBOATRN on January 29, 2003, at 6:57:01
I agree...I've taken klonopin for years, stopped for a couple of years, then went back on. My difference is, I CAN take SSRIs and do. I really don't think taking a psych drug to help make life 'normal' should be viewed as a problem.
I was always afraid of becoming 'hooked' but I was weaned off of it at one time without any problems.Good luck! Mary
Posted by Creaky_Neurons on January 29, 2003, at 10:58:43
In reply to Re: Support for Klonopin » SBOATRN, posted by Dinah on January 28, 2003, at 20:48:31
what is so great about klonopin is that it works as advertised with very few side effects - if any. there is also a case to made for indirect neuroprotection due to reducing cortisol & overexcitation of neurons. nobody ever talks about this.
basically anxiety sucks and when comorbid with a depressive episode, man, you start looking for a bridge to jump off of...
one way i think about these meds is to count the remaining days of my life. if you are 30, then thats about 50x365 days - a relatively small number.
that finite number of "pills" is what is standing between you & normal functioning. heck, maybe you will even *evolve* as a human, thrive, grow, create works of art, science, earn money, be better with your kids - not just get back to normal.
will this happen with zaps of nervous chaos ripping through your head? no. when fear is so overwhelming, personal evolution grinds to a halt.
everybody on this board struggles with the ethics of medication at one time or another, of the guilt, the stigma of mental illness. once you slay that monster, its all about nasty side effects, fine tuning your situation.
enter klonopin: compared to lots of other meds out there, the cost vs. benefit is pretty darn good.
creaky.
Posted by SBOATRN on January 29, 2003, at 11:02:14
In reply to Re: Support for Klonopin, posted by proud mary on January 29, 2003, at 10:15:30
Thanks to you, too. I'm going to try not to "sweat it" (pardon that pun... gotta have humor, too). I think I really get caught up in the negative stuff as that seems to be ALL you find... but alas, not always so.... Warm thanks and Good Luck to All !!!!
Posted by mair on January 29, 2003, at 13:00:06
In reply to Re: Support for Klonopin, posted by SBOATRN on January 29, 2003, at 11:02:14
I guess I just wanted to echo what others have already said. I took it for years just before I went to bed in increments of anywhere from .125 mgs to .50. I also took Wellbutrin as an AD. I had taken, some years ago, SSRIs.
I frequently worried that I was getting too dependent on klonopin. My pdoc and my internist kept assuring me that my dosing level was too low to worry about a chemical dependency. My dependency was more psychological. Getting enough sleep is extremely important to my mental health, so I mostly didn't dare not take klonopin for fear that I wouldn't sleep. In particularly bad times, I might increase my klonopin or perhaps try something stronger. The thing that I found to be great about it was that it was fast acting, and that you could increase and decrease it so easily.
I went off klonopin last summer because I started adding to my Wellbutrin, amitriptyline which can be pretty sedating. I had no difficulty stopping abruptly and I certainly wouldn't hesitate to start up again should the need arise.
Mair
Posted by worrier on January 29, 2003, at 19:23:39
In reply to Re: Support for Klonopin, posted by mair on January 29, 2003, at 13:00:06
Just want to add an amen to what everyone else has said. I'm not taking klonopin, my pdoc has me on xanax, but I'm probably going to switch to k to avoid the rollercoaster effect of the xanax ( tired of checking 20 times in the morning to make sure I have my 3 doses with me before I leave the house)....and no that does not indicate addiction just the short action of the xanax. Like you I absolutely cannot take SSRIs wouldn't try one again if someone were holding a gun to my head. I'm rambling, but the point is benzos are safe, effective and cheap. If they work for you be happy. I think we are the "lucky" ones...all things considered. Luck to you. Worrier.
Posted by SBOATRN on January 29, 2003, at 19:50:57
In reply to Re: Support for Klonopin, posted by worrier on January 29, 2003, at 19:23:39
You folks have been so great !! I asked for support and that's SO what I got !!! Never underestimate the kindness of strangers. Hearing positive stuff means soooo much !!! THANKS and Bless you all !!!
Posted by amber_spirit on January 30, 2003, at 10:14:25
In reply to Re: Support for Klonopin » SBOATRN, posted by Dinah on January 28, 2003, at 20:48:31
I was on Klonopin for two years at 1 mg/day with no problems and I even went off cold turkey with no major effects. I never had to increase my does or any of the other "addiction" type things. I'm back on 1mg again and find it a great mood stabilizer in combination with my other meds.
AS
Posted by lostsailor on January 30, 2003, at 15:09:52
In reply to Re: Support for Klonopin, posted by amber_spirit on January 30, 2003, at 10:14:25
~News flash: There is a fear that people will become addicted to bezos. be it, xanax, valium, klonopin... Why? These medications when used for the treatment of anxiety disorders are one of the safest drugs you can use. When used for sleep there is a tendency to develop tolerance--the need to increase the dose to obtain desired effects. When used for anxiety, rather, once a therapeutic dose is established, there is little need to increase dose ( not including a sudden tragedy that may require a temp. dose increase) unless symptoms continue to "develop" over time.
The ssris are often initiated for panic and now gad, but many docs will provide bezos for the initial few weeks until the ssri reaches therapeutic level. Many think there is the better alternative rational. The fear of addiction to bezos is the result of new none generic, Prozac withstanding, that are more profitable. bezo "withdrawal" is minor if done in the proper manner from doc--the right doc--the results of the "non-addicting" are now just being noticed.
The long-term use of benzos (7 years) has had few dose change aside form time of exacerbated panic / gad disorders where my dose may be elevated or I switch benzos for a period has helped my life tremendously. My doc and I chatted about both tyeps of drugs recently and my use of both as we had been doing the maj of the time...we are now considering a small increase in bezo to make up for the lack of ssris. In short, we looked at both and he admitted that there are too many benzophobic doctors and that while the long term use of them is well documented, the new drugs are still be studied and not always found as good as they looked on tv.
God luck whichever way works for you,
~Tony
This is the end of the thread.
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