hazmatz
Bluelighter
- Joined
- May 26, 2013
- Messages
- 134
I suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder & Panic Disorder. The only thing that makes me function like a normal human being, without constant fear and crippling anxiety, is a daily dose of .5mg of Clonazepam (Klonopin) I know benzos are not a cure. But I've heard of people that take up to 4mg of this stuff daily for many years. I am currently in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy that is proving to be somewhat effective, however, Clonazepam really improves the quality of my life.
I don't take it for recreational purposes. I need it for my job. I work in a high stress customer service job. Without the benzo, I am awful. My productivity is abysmal, I look and feel awkward / anxious around customers and co workers. But with the drug, I walk in feeling like a million bucks with unmeasurable amounts of optimism and happiness. And then I leave feeling very accomplished.
The problem is that Clonazepam is extremely addictive. I know I can't use it forever. The withdrawal will be brutal and send me right back to where I started. So my questions are:
*How long will it be before I have to up my dosage to .75 daily or even 1mg?
*Is what I'm doing safe for me? I would much rather be dropping pills every morning than have to face my overwhelming anxiety
*Should I tell my therapist what I'm doing by self medicating?
*Can I use Clonazepam and 5htp together? My therapist suggests that a lot of my anxiety and depression is a result of very low serotonin levels.
Any input / advice is greatly appreciated. I'd like to hear some of your opinions on this.
I don't take it for recreational purposes. I need it for my job. I work in a high stress customer service job. Without the benzo, I am awful. My productivity is abysmal, I look and feel awkward / anxious around customers and co workers. But with the drug, I walk in feeling like a million bucks with unmeasurable amounts of optimism and happiness. And then I leave feeling very accomplished.
The problem is that Clonazepam is extremely addictive. I know I can't use it forever. The withdrawal will be brutal and send me right back to where I started. So my questions are:
*How long will it be before I have to up my dosage to .75 daily or even 1mg?
*Is what I'm doing safe for me? I would much rather be dropping pills every morning than have to face my overwhelming anxiety
*Should I tell my therapist what I'm doing by self medicating?
*Can I use Clonazepam and 5htp together? My therapist suggests that a lot of my anxiety and depression is a result of very low serotonin levels.
Any input / advice is greatly appreciated. I'd like to hear some of your opinions on this.