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Checking in and have some questions??? Please help concerning klonopin


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Hi everyone at Benzo Buddies! I'm doing great thank God, been off xanax since June and no real problems to report. I'm working full time and healing daily. I recently had a doc visit and he offered me klonopin for breakthrough panic and sleep issues. Now I know its another benzo, however if I take it just a few times per week for sleep will I be okay? I have a bit of insomnia from time to time. My job is hard physically, I am a fitness trainer and manage a gym now. I teach zumba and belly dance too. I really need to sleep, and during my period or just before I have some tension and anger. My doc said that I can take the klonopin 1mg as I need it and not more. So I am just asking what does it make you feel like exactly, please anyone who has had it before tell me the feeling and does it help from time to time for sleep? Thank you all so much, you are such wonderful people. I hope you are all healing beautifully. Many blessings, please no negative feed back, I am just tired and need to take the edge off, I know I will not allow myself to get hooked again. I just want to know what does it make you feel, compared to xanax. Again I've been clean of a 15 year addiction since June of this year. xoxox  :angel:
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OMG, NB, please stay away from all benzos. The only time I can see taking one is for a medical procedure and then I would try not to. You have worked too hard to get where you are. You don't need a benzo to cope with real life. There are many natural and more wholesome methods. Please don't get yourself caught up in the benzo trap again!

 

Flip

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Hi everyone at Benzo Buddies! I'm doing great thank God, been off xanax since June and no real problems to report. I'm working full time and healing daily. I recently had a doc visit and he offered me klonopin for breakthrough panic and sleep issues. Now I know its another benzo, however if I take it just a few times per week for sleep will I be okay? I have a bit of insomnia from time to time. My job is hard physically, I am a fitness trainer and manage a gym now. I teach zumba and belly dance too. I really need to sleep, and during my period or just before I have some tension and anger. My doc said that I can take the klonopin 1mg as I need it and not more. So I am just asking what does it make you feel like exactly, please anyone who has had it before tell me the feeling and does it help from time to time for sleep? Thank you all so much, you are such wonderful people. I hope you are all healing beautifully. Many blessings, please no negative feed back, I am just tired and need to take the edge off, I know I will not allow myself to get hooked again. I just want to know what does it make you feel, compared to xanax. Again I've been clean of a 15 year addiction since June of this year. xoxox  :angel:

No, taking Klonopin "as needed" is very dangerous.  I speak from experience.  Obviously this is your choice, but if you are healed from this, stay healed.  Taking any benzo (especially Klonopin because of it's strength) is playing with fire. 

 

I can tell you that there are so many ways to combat insomnia w/o a benzo or z-drug.  My sleep has completely restored, but it took many months after getting off benzo's to heal and get it back.

 

If you can practice good sleep hygeine this would be the most beneficial thing to do IMO.

 

Wishing you all the best!  :smitten:

 

Cedar

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Please don't take klonipin.  I took it for 8 yrs and it ruined my life.  even taken on a prn or as needed basis instead of helping you sleep it will interrupt stage 4 sleep and you will not get the rest you need.  it will also make you very depressed can lead to memory loss, cognitive impairment mood swings suicideal thoughts and you cannot learn well on it.  so many other problems can arise.  think about other options before doing this. 
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I agree with everyone.  Stay away from it.  I was given it for as needed and now here I am years later still suffering from it's damage at 22 months off.
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Thank you all for your help but I'm asking how exactly does it make you feel? No one answered that, like does it put you to sleep right away?
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It did make me feel relaxed at first but I still didn't sleep through the night and that was also taking ambien with it.  I then had to start taking it more because I developed anxiety while taking it and physical withdrawals.  I wish I had never heard of it.
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For the first 2 months it did help with sleeping, but I was extremely drowsy during the day. Also it wasn't a refreshing sleep, but a ...drugged one. Now I'm lucky to fall asleep around 2-3 AM. It stopped working for me a long time ago.

if I were you I would never touch another benzo ever again after managing to taper off.

Have you considered a natural supplement - like melatonin for sleep? Anything but another benzo.

best of luck whatever you decide.

Amy

 

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please stay away from benzos.  you're off them and feel great - that's fantastic.

 

if it were me and i was having trouble with sleep - i would try something from the health food store.  i actually would talk to the pharm. and ask for their advice.

 

i am in such a crappy position right now - with the drugs i'm on.  i don't believe any of them are helping me but i'm stuck until i can taper.

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If your past experience getting off the drug didn't convince you that getting on it again, even if "as needed", could be problematic, remember a couple things. Often times, "as needed" becomes more often and then daily.  And subsequent times getting off appear for many to be significantly more difficult then prior attempts.  No one knows how you will respond or what the future holds, and if you don't take it you will never know, but it's very possible that by not taking it you are dodging a very serious bullet.

 

I understand the appeal but I also know it's not a solution to anything especially long term.  It's a quick fix.  Better to learn how deal with the issues you are dealing with by other means. 

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Thank you all for your help but I'm asking how exactly does it make you feel? No one answered that, like does it put you to sleep right away?

Hi Nakedbutterfly. It sounds like you really do wish to take it and are hoping for an answer of "it puts you to sleep quickly"?  What everyone is saying is that it may "put you to sleep quickly" (at first)........but, later on it will cause horrible withdrawal symptoms.  These are not benign drugs.  Klonopin and all benzo's are dangerous and that's the message you're getting from everyone here. 

 

Benzo's robbed me of years of my life due to horrific tolerance withdrawal symptoms. I was bedridden for years.  It's not something to be taken lightly and that's the basic message.

 

I get being desperate for sleep, but please listen carefully to what these wonderful people are sharing with you. They want you to understand that there better ways to tackle insmonia.  Benzo's actually wound up causing insomnia (worse than I ever could have imagined) when they were originally to "help" with sleep and anxiety.  It's a double edged sword.

 

We all just want you to be safe, happy and healthy.    :)

 

Hugs,

Cedar

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It kind of begs the question, why are you asking people the benefits of a drug, people who for the most part are trying desperately to get off a drug that has, at  best inconvenienced them and at worst devistated their lives by that same drug.  If benzos haven't been a problem for you, and you are looking for advice about getting back on, this may not be the best place for that advice.
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Clonazepam did help me sleep better at first. Honestly though, Benadryl or Hydroxyzine worked better for sleep, for me anyway. I do plan on taking my clonazepam as needed for an emergency after a while after I’m done tapering, but I wouldn’t consider even taking it once every couple weeks. It stays in your body for long, and I feel like if you take it a few times a week you will end up having to taper again, and having symptoms between doses. Just my two cents  :)
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A PRN prescription of a benzo for a person with a history of long term use and problems getting off sounds like a recipe for a disaster to me. I expect the positive effects would be very short lived and the downside risks huge.
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Hi nakedbutterfly,

 

Klonopin will "appear" to help you get to sleep fast for an unknown period of time. The abuse potential for this drug is very high and after an unknown amount of time it causes many problems. I wish someone had given me the advice that all these folks are giving you now.  IMO, Klonopin is a very dangerous medication. I am ashamed to admit that I work in healthcare and I did not know or understand how dangerous Klonopin (benzodiazapines) truly are until this year, when 12 years of nightly use and an unknown dependence on the drugs came to an abrupt realization.

I was started on Klonopin in 2001 after I injured my back at work. It helped me get to sleep and I thought it worked well. Looking back I now see that I started having problems soon after I was started on the medication. The problems Klonopin caused me were not readily apparent to me while taking the Klonopin, as the drug starts causing an immediate fog/amnesia soon after it is started. It is a very sneaky drug. I believe the fog/amnesia can be attributed to it's long half life. I also had anger outburst soon after I started the Klonopin.

I am not sure exactly sure when the medication became a "problem", but I know now that it did so within a short period of time.

I lost a lot during the 12 years I was on it.

Obviously I cannot recommend Klonopin, as I now know it is a dangerous drug with the ability to more harm than good. I hope you will heed the warnings of the many good folks that have been damaged by this drug, including myself,  and try anything before you would get a script for Klonopin filled. You did well coming off the Xanax relatively unscathed. My story and all the stories of those on this site is sobering evidence that benzodiazapines are in a class of their own and have the potential to cause a lot more problems than they will ever solve. Whatever you decide to do, I hope it is the right thing for you. I wish you only joy and happiness. Life is short. Live it well.

Peace,

Causingpain

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I went through the same thing. I was 4 months out and not sleeping well. I decided to go back on klonopin prn for sleep. At first it was a welcome relief and I was thankful to have it. I was taking it once a week. What I noticed not long after is that I was going in and out of withdrawal in between doses. To avoid going back on it full time I was Rx'd progesterone to "replace" the klonopin. This lead me down the rabbit hole again and I still haven't emerged. I having an impossible taper. In my opinion, I'd avoid it like the plague!!!!!!
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Well I'm crossing over to klonopin from Xanax in order to get off benzos altogether. I did try a Xanax taper, but overall, had enough trouble with it that I needed a longer half life drug to taper.

 

And because I have such high affinity for Xanax, this crossover has not been a piece of cake. So most of my problems concerning klonpin apparently arise from high Xanax affinity and it's w/d as I move to klonopin. So although it may seem appropriate to bash klonopin as being the worst benzo in the world, which I often see here on BB, I'm going to say that none of these drugs are good or we'd all stay on them.

 

I have extensive experience with X w/d and that has been real difficult, and I'm not thrilled to be going to K to get off of benzos cause no matter how you look at this situation, it's going to take awhile for me.

 

I really think that anyone who has managed to get off any benzo should stay off of benzos. I just can't understand why anyone would even entertain such thoughts in the first place. I guess if I were going to try K "PRN," I would have done that with Xanax. These drugs are a slippery slope. Once you start up again, you're on them whether it's even just a few times per week.

 

So how do I feel on K? Well considering that I've been dealing with X w/d issues while crossing to it, I actually have felt ok. But I really don't know that it has helped me get good sleep at all. I slept better on Xanax I think. Also, I've noticed some depression and nausea on K, altho this is also probably related to X w/d sx also.

 

I can only say again that anyone who is now off Xanax and feeling good should just stay off benzos period. Everyone has bouts of insomnia to deal with in life. Going back on a benzo for that isn't the smartest idea I've ever heard at all.

 

Intend

 

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NB...

 

You have a success story.You got through the most horrifying w/ds in a shorter period of time and are back to living a very fullfilling life. Why would you ever want to even Chance your brain ???

 

You could wind up loosing it all .I did. I lost my Business of 12 years, Friends. Almost lost my marrage of 18 years, I lost all sorts of Comfort with in my own skin and home. There was no Functioning for me for so long. One min for me was like a lifetime of torture. Why would you even entertain this Destiny?

 

You did it. Your all Done. The second time may be more then your could imagine and Bare. Try and hear what everyone here is saying to you. They suffer tremendously. They don't want you to . I hope you can find Healthy ways to wind down at night and get restfull sleep.

 

I think when we go down this path and it Rips our worlds as we know it to Shred's for such  a Long period of time "Taking As Needed" Is Never a Option..

 

~Jenny

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Intend to be off,

 

I've been reading a bit on the forum again and have seen a few members who, after their taper, continue to take benzo's "as needed" and guess what?  They are now reinstating and going to take it regularly just to "feel normal".  ACK!  I feel so bad for them. These members have been warned emphatically of the dangers of "kindling" which is a very real phenomena with benzo's.  It's horrible watching them do this to themselves because I know the real pain, loss of work, loss of relationships, loss of money, loss of time, loss of sanity that awaits them. If they got off the benzo's fairly easy the first time around it's clear they haven't even begun to experience just how bad wd can be.  Because, if they had, they'd never take another pill as long as they live. 

 

It's just so heartbreaking for me to watch this happen.  Utterly heartbreaking.  Benzo's are the most deceptive drug on the planet.  When you first take them, you think this is the miracle drug of my life, you have to take more and more to get the same effect and then you realize you can't live without them, so you try to stop taking them and WHAM, you're in withdrawal and have to somehow navigate how to taper because if you try to cold turkey it doesn't work.  I literally hate how benzo's destroy lives.  It all starts so innocently. 

 

Anyway, that's how deeply I feel about benzo's.  I'd have given anything for someone to warn me of what was coming if I continued taking benzo's and updosing, etc.

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Intend to be off,

 

I've been reading a bit on the forum again and have seen a few members who, after their taper, continue to take benzo's "as needed" and guess what?  They are now reinstating and going to take it regularly just to "feel normal".  ACK!  I feel so bad for them. These members have been warned emphatically of the dangers of "kindling" which is a very real phenomena with benzo's.  It's horrible watching them do this to themselves because I know the real pain, loss of work, loss of relationships, loss of money, loss of time, loss of sanity that awaits them. If they got off the benzo's fairly easy the first time around it's clear they haven't even begun to experience just how bad wd can be.  Because, if they had, they'd never take another pill as long as they live. 

 

It's just so heartbreaking for me to watch this happen.  Utterly heartbreaking.  Benzo's are the most deceptive drug on the planet.  When you first take them, you think this is the miracle drug of my life, you have to take more and more to get the same effect and then you realize you can't live without them, so you try to stop taking them and WHAM, you're in withdrawal and have to somehow navigate how to taper because if you try to cold turkey it doesn't work.  I literally hate how benzo's destroy lives.  It all starts so innocently. 

 

Anyway, that's how deeply I feel about benzo's.  I'd have given anything for someone to warn me of what was coming if I continued taking benzo's and updosing, etc.

Ditto Cedartree...Very True and well said... :thumbsup:
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I don't have the answer on the Klonopin but I can tell you that I had sleep issues after withdrawing from xanax.  A friend of mine suggested Yogi Bedtime tea.  I drink it everynight about a half hour before bed.  It has really helped.  Not sure if it is just the warm liquid and the routine of doing it that helps or if it is actually the tea.  Either way, might want to give it a try - can't hurt!
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NakedButterfly,

 

My heart goes out to you as I know how hard it is to struggle after you've worked so hard to get off one drug. I agree with most here that taking K would be a mistake. It would be like opening Pandora's box and letting out a whole lot of bad.

 

I am now 7 weeks out and finally off K - still dealing with the debilitating w/d. I originally started taking it "as needed" and quickly became dependent on it. Just because of its effect on me, I would never ever take another benzo again!

 

Not sure re: panic attacks but for sleep I found that getting my hormones checked helped. This was what caused my insomnia to begin with (also my depression). I think it's important to address what is causing your insomnia?

 

I use valerian and melatonin when I do get into an insomnia jag. There are many other OTC sleep alternatives that you can explore - go to the insomnia forum here. Meditation, yoga, qigong and watching caffeine/alcohol also helps.

 

NB, I wish you only healing!

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Cedar tree,

 

You're absolutely correct about those folks going off benzos and having an easy time of it. It even happened to me. I dont remember how long I had taken Xanax back in around 1998 for a variety of awful problems, but it was at least a few months. Then I needed a tremendous amount of surgery on my throat, and the surgeon would not allow me to take Xanax.

 

I just went into the hospital for 10 days, and except for the surgery situation, nothing happened to me with the benzos. But my doctor put me back on in 2001 because my same health issues were cropping up, and I've been on ever since. And I've tried to taper on my own before all this, but things have changed big time. Now just cutting a small amount of Xanax for klonpin last June put me in the ER with irrational fear and tremendous anxiety. So I would never, ever advise anyone to start a

benzo the first time, let alone do it a second or third time period, and especially if they were lucky enough to get off of them. Anyone who plays with these plays with fire, and that is stupid IMO.

 

Intend

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