my doctor asks this question

[[no...]]

  Hi- I have tapered twice, gotten off K, and became so totally messed up I ended up reinstating at about 8 wks. My total time on klonopin is approx 3 yrs. I have taken a steady .25 once a day.  For several months anxiety has been escalating, forgetful, depressed, more than my usual neurotic self. But things have also been stressful in life as well. Recent dr visit: I tell him my fear is through the roof and I am really more than my usual depressed, weirdly sad alot. I say I am still on klonopin, but this is getting worse. I ask is it just simply not working or could it be tolerance withdrawal making it worse than it already is?

The dr laughs, says I am on a minute dose, and what I am feeling is me being worse emotionally.

What are your opinions?

 

[Guest [my...]]

hi north,

i sorta just asked the same thing about numbness.  i was wondering if there are other symptms besides anxiety in tolerance wd because i feel like you. and i'm sorry you feel this way.  hope someone will come along which they will to answer...

[Guest [Ma...]]

  Hi- I have tapered twice, gotten off K, and became so totally messed up I ended up reinstating at about 8 wks. My total time on klonopin is approx 3 yrs. I have taken a steady .25 once a day.  For several months anxiety has been escalating, forgetful, depressed, more than my usual neurotic self. But things have also been stressful in life as well. Recent dr visit: I tell him my fear is through the roof and I am really more than my usual depressed, weirdly sad alot. I say I am still on klonopin, but this is getting worse. I ask is it just simply not working or could it be tolerance withdrawal making it worse than it already is?

The dr laughs, says I am on a minute dose, and what I am feeling is me being worse emotionally.

What are your opinions?

 

 

 

My opinion is that a professional who disregards what we innately know to be true about our bodies is careless. 

[[va...]]

Hi northofhere.

 

Since you were off 8 weeks which is a substantial amount of time for all intents and purposes, your brain and cns may have been shaken up enough for you to not regain your footing and you can't stabilize now after reinstating. And yes, you could also be in tolerance now as the anxiety escalating is a sure sign of that. See my signature.

 

.25 of klonopin is equivalent to .5 valium. For some reason many don't understand that 1) the doses if measured by the equivalent of valium is always larger than what a doctor realizes. Remember most do not understand benzo equivalencies. 2) it is not so much the dose as the consistency which is daily for you over a 3 year period.

 

That is plenty of time to start having problems of tolerance withdrawal and other side effects. Not unusual. Especially after a recent quit.

 

I would say it's not you, it's the drug. Others will chime in.

 

 

 

 

[[ve...]]

Might be time to find another doctor.  I don't appreciate the ones who laugh at and poo poo the patient.

 

Vertigo

[[Pe...]]

The dr laughs, says I am on a minute dose, and what I am feeling is me being worse emotionally.

 

 

Typical.  Do you ever wonder what they would do if you asked them if they had any financial ties to Wyeth (mfgr of Ativan) or Roche (mfgr of Valium and Klonopin)?  Just a thought.

[[je...]]

Okay, I might be going way out on a limb here, but I think that it is the klonopin.  It isn't the dose, it is what it does to us.  I was minimized by several doctors when given a "low" dose of klonopin and valium.  Some of us benzo buddies took low doses and had devastating consequences.  I hope that you will get some professional help and not be just poo poo.

[[Si...]]

If you are otherwise in good physical condition, it is definitely the meds. I agree with vancouvergirl 100% ""it is not so much the dose as the consistency which is daily for you over a 3 year period."  I went through horrendous anxiety (like many others) in toleration withdrawal (oh the stories I could tell about the high anxiety; whoo! some of them quite funny actually--now that is)

 

It is extremely hard, but you have got to maintain a correct mindset about what is going on; do not let your fears and mind run away and take you hostage. If you're like me (probably others too), I would read on the site about others, but by the next day (or before day is out) I would be thinking that I have a different symptom/feeling that others have not had!  Then I would get back on here and look around and see, understand, and realize that the symptoms I was (or am) experiencing are common--I/you are NOT ALONE; lot's of people paddling this boat.

 

Stay encouraged, things will get better; they have for me and there was a time that I did not believe they would.  And, by all means, go to your doctor, look him in his God-given eyeball and tell him to "jam it!"    Then go and find a new doctor.

 

Blessings!

[[no...]]

Thanks so much everyone. I know I have anxiety period- without meds...but now WITH them. I thought the increase was me getting worse emotionally. I was a basketcase before taking it...took it, and was some better for a while, and so I tapered off. When it then got too unmanagable ( esp with job and school)  I figured, well, this is me off klonopin- I better get back on. And for a few months, it gradually got better again. Never great, but better. 

Now its really bad again, but the memory of how bad my taper and subsequent weeks off were are still like PTSD for me, and I am really scared to start the process again.

And increasing to .50 seems like a road to nowhere in the long run.

Just needed to know that MAYBE this stuff could partly be the klonopin, and not all my own creation.

Going to forge ahead through this day- I really appreciate everyone's feedback.

Susan

[Guest [Ma...]]

Thanks so much everyone. I know I have anxiety period- without meds...but now WITH them. I thought the increase was me getting worse emotionally. I was a basketcase before taking it...took it, and was some better for a while, and so I tapered off. When it then got too unmanagable ( esp with job and school)  I figured, well, this is me off klonopin- I better get back on. And for a few months, it gradually got better again. Never great, but better. 

Now its really bad again, but the memory of how bad my taper and subsequent weeks off were are still like PTSD for me, and I am really scared to start the process again.

And increasing to .50 seems like a road to nowhere in the long run.

Just needed to know that MAYBE this stuff could partly be the klonopin, and not all my own creation.

Going to forge ahead through this day- I really appreciate everyone's feedback.

Susan

 

Hang in there Susan.  I am must tell you that I don't have near the anxiety, panic or fear I had before or during my usage of clonazepam.  I'm calmer, more able to reason and gentler with myself that I ever was before or during my dance with benzos.  I wish the same for you.

 

M

[[no...]]

M-

Are you saying that even while on k you were panicky? And that it was worse than what you even went on it for?

I know I sound really ignorant, but its so hard for me to figure out if I would ever feel better without klonopin when I remember how messed up I was before I started it. I feel myself being so freaked out just doing the simplest things.

Thanks for helping- S

[Guest [Ma...]]

M-

Are you saying that even while on k you were panicky? And that it was worse than what you even went on it for?

I know I sound really ignorant, but its so hard for me to figure out if I would ever feel better without klonopin when I remember how messed up I was before I started it. I feel myself being so freaked out just doing the simplest things.

Thanks for helping- S

 

Hey Susan,

 

I was.  I had anxiety and panic attacks before and at times they were severe, hence the clonazepam.  I took the medication as I needed it and like you, feared the pain of life before treatment.  What happened was that the panic and fear kept coming and I just took the drug to relieve the anxiety.  My dosage amount and frequency slowly increased until my body started to produce an anxiety like reaction to prompt me to take more med---I was in a state of inter-dose withdrawal.  I proceeded this way for a series of months before I realized that the medication was inducing the panic/anxiety/fear/pain/insomnia that I was trying to alleviate with the medication in the first place.  The irony never ends.  But I do feel better off the drug.  My mind is clear, the fear is gone and I am in a near constant state of calm.  Stopping the drug is what worked for me but you are the expert on your body and what is right in your life.  I'll support you either way.

 

Best,

M

 

Apart from the known and the unknown, what else is there?

-Harold Pinter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[[va...]]

Hi northofhere. I just wanted to chime in and give you a bit of my story which echoes Martha's experience.

 

I am not a panic anxiety sufferer. However, the last year and a half on klonopin which I started intermittenley initially, anxiety started to happen. I was working between states and busy so I attributed my schedule. The last year it escalated, and I saw my PCP. He tried to convince me it was me "developing" GAD. I was very confused. I'd never had any of this before in my 40 years. Then I started to feel like I was in constant crisis, I thought I was having a nervous breakdown. It got that bad. I broke down and cried all the time. I hid it.

 

My signal was my top of my feet started getting numb, doc said it was my jogging, my skin got hot, I didn't believe my doctor, 3 between 2 states and learned I was intolerance and having interdose withdrawal after finally looking it up on the internet.

 

I had been in tolerance a long long time.

 

I know it's more difficult for people with anxiety to gage what is their normal state and what is the drug. I do find, many doctor say to the patient their "condition" is worsening and it is the drug side effect. Or as in my case they said I am developing a condition and it was the drug side effect.

 

Good luck okay?

 

 

[[...]]

no doubt in my mind.... tolerance w/d. If your eating any sugar or drinking anything with caffeine STOP! I had the same problem but I was on .125 mgs K and every time I drank a cup of coffee it made it worst.... much, much worst

[[Pe...]]

I totally agree with the sugar/caffeine advice.

[[no...]]

OMG. I am SOOO glad I decided to return to BB.  Dave- I do a ton of sugar, no caffeine, but feel like I crave sugar to keep the low feeling away. I will start to cut back. And if you were having probs at .125, i sure as heck can have them at .25. Vancouver- I truly needed to hear your reply. Thanks. I did the cymbalta for a year during the middle of this just like you. It did not help as far as I could tell. The first taper I made I was still on it. Coming off it was easy compared to k though. I honestly did not believe tolerance could be the problem, my doc kept saying I was on too little, and THAT was my issue.

I need to get off this stuff. If i can be this messed up on it, its not doing any good.

Thank you all so very much. Been having a really hard last few days, and thinking it was all me- having as you said- a nervous breakdown.

To know you are not alone and have your concerns validated- a good thing. -S

[[va...]]

Hi Susan,

 

First, I'm sorry you've been a having a rough couple of days. When I read that was how you've been feeling the past few days, I could so relate. Many of us have been in the exact same spot with that in the past.

 

I too noticed absolutely no difference with the cymbalta added (for interdose withdrawal, not one of three PCP's picked up on it) and I told the doctor. I was so naive in regards to all of this medication and this process I was just blindly following his lead and stayed on it. If only I would have known then what I know now. I also had the cymbalta brain zaps coming off of that too. I'd just gone through those zaps with the klonopin quit one month prior.

 

It sure helps when you can see others with the same situation doesn't it. I wish you all of the best with your taper and from what I've read from others with anxiety as a challenge, they seem to feel better off the drug as the benzodiazpine induced rebound anxiety that ultimately builds in strength is much more to contend with comparatively. From my experience as far as cortisol rushes in withdrawal went, it was strong but it left once my body healed that part. It did take about 5 1/2 months to sort it out but once it did, it did. And I c/t'd so that makes a difference doesn't it. (Which I would never recommend). Morning rushes came back month 14 and 15 shortly and then gone for good.

 

The only reason I shared that with you is so you understand that the process may funk around a bit, but it is the healing process not your real emotion if a doctor may again say otherwise due to length of healing for some. Shorter or longer. And we never know until we experience the process unique to our individual body's where we fit in the healing timeline. Our body's functions are sensitive with these medications as they are really strong and tend to disturb the natural function don't they? Yours could resolve "like that" however with a taper which I didn't know to do.

 

Again, good luck to you with this Susan. I do wish you much success with your taper. xo