Benzos Klonopin Dosages & Thoughts/Questions - 11 Years Prescribed At 1mg A Day.

[OpiatEuphoriaReturns]

Klonopin 1mg-2mg Dosage Questions​

By OpiatEuphiraReturns​

Hello fellow Bluelighters, I am OpiatEuphoria but had to make a new account since that Hotmail address is over a decade old, haha.
My main question is not advisable for me when I speak to my psychiatrist in two months.
It is simply an observation for myself, what medication I know I need and do not need, and the correct dosages.

*I have been prescribed 1mg of Clonazepam for roughly 11 years now or more, and I have been on it for long periods of time and off of it for long periods of time. I understand all the dangers of withdrawal, rapid tolerance, ROA, bioavailabilities, etc. Just about everything about benzodiazepines so please keep it to the questions and advise. I appreciate the harm reduction approach but I have kept it at 1mg a day for so long because I am aware of these adverse effects and withdrawal effects that are sincerely fatal at higher dosages*

I am prescribed and take daily:
1. 8mg Suboxone Tablet (4mg in the morning, 4mg in the evening, should I just take 8mg in the morning?)
2. 1mg Klonopin Tablet
3. Concerta 54mg ER Tablet

Every morning I take 1mg of Klonopin and 4mg of Suboxone. A few hours later, I take the Concerta 54mg.
By the end of the day, I take the last 4mg of Suboxone, which is my medication calendar.

Now, I know for a fact I just recently acquired #60- 2mg Parmapram 2.0's (Alprazolam 2mg) and #10 leftover 1mg Klonopin.
I personally dislike Xanax and prefer Clonazepam instead. I do not enjoy Alprazolam because it is too sedative, even at 1mg and sometimes less.

It makes me less sharp as a Frontend Web Developer and full-time student, and Penetration Tester and Husband & Father.
But, I wonder what any of you think about me asking for a 1mg Klonopin dosage increase to 2mg?

This is not advice on how to get the increase of dosage, just your opinions on it


So, I have been taking 1mg of Klonopin since I was 19 years old. I am now 30 years old. At 1mg a day since the very beginning.
I would take it as needed at first and then stopped for a few years to see if I could resolve my anxiety issues without using Yoga/Meditation/Exercise/Family Time/ Programming/ Eating Healthier etc.

Unfortunately, it did not work entirely.
It did help me to get healthier, and I am now 9 years sober from opiates and now taking a partial opioid agonist, buprenorphine (Suboxone), but no adverse side effects after the first several years or less.
But, it did not stop the panic attacks and overall aura of anxiety caused by my anxiety disorder that is daunting. And made me realize Klonopin is likely something I will need forever.

So, I requested Clonazepam from my psychiatrist, and she waited 2 weeks to decide if it was okay to mix Klonopin with Suboxone safely (of course it is, I have been on both together since I was 21 years old at the exact dosages, lol. And of course my Primary Care Physician scripting the Suboxone informed here I am 9 years sober and urine tests to prove that, and zero criminal histories and was not a heroin user.)

So, she immediately started me on 1mg of Klonopin a day as needed and refills it usually 2-4 days early for everything.

But, I recently was short so much Klonopin I needed to take 0.5mgs a day the last 4-5 days before an early refill because taking that second one at the end of the day was just so perfect. Half the time or more, I just take 0.5mg Klonopin at the end of the day instead of a total of 2mg a day.

So, then I go out and spend $150 on 60 2mg Alprazolam, and I did not want to do that, but they are there, so I have some sort of benzo before my refill.

In short, would asking for 2mg be possibly a shot at losing the entire script? I would ask for 1.5 mg/day, but that would require she writes two prescriptions, and I know we both do not want to do that. And she seems to like to jump dosages.
She went from 24mg of Concerta to 54mg in one month because I said it was no longer working correctly and I had lost all focus and energy and motivation so she said screw it, max out the ER dosage, and then we will try something else if that does that work.

She also tried everything before Klonopin. SSRIs. BuSpar. Trazodone. Prozac, Zoloft, etc. Until she finally got my medical history and was like you have been on Klonopin for that long? Let's dump those scripts and get you back on 1mg a day.

So, if my psychiatrist labels 2mg Klonopin "Take 1 tablet for anxiety as needed", then I would end up taking 1mg in the morning and 0.5mg after work around 6:00 pm. Maybe the other 1mg tablet but it wouldn't matter, I would no longer need to take any more than 2mgs a day, so I would be fine before every refill.

I would wake up and 7:00 am and get ready for work, clock in at 8:30 am, clock out at 5:00 pm, and take my second Klonopin dosage of 1mg. I would then sleep very well after doing my 4 courses this summer online and spending time with my wife and children and then pass out instead of tossing and turning everywhere all night and getting like 3 hours of sleep, wake up, 3 hours, wake up, 2 more hours and alarm goes off, and I am wrecked. Of course, and get some web pages and web applications made for projects.

Last night I took 1mg of Alprazolam 2 hours before bed, and I drifted off with my wife at 10:00 pm and woke up at 7:00 am. It was perfect! And I feel much more calm and relaxed but focused still. I really think it would be beneficial to have that second tablet just because sometimes I take 1mg in the morning and forget about it and go to bed. It is hit or miss depending on the day.

And this is not anxiety issues because I'm worried about bills or marriage or whatever problems could arise for the average person. I am getting anxious from nowhere when everything is fine, and of course, it is like an aura. An aura pulsating anxiety and stress puts you in a panic mode where typing JavaScript is no longer impossible for the next idk how long. And then sleep gets worse. This happens from time to time, but I think it is because the 1mg of Klonopin is not working as intended anymore, but I am not looking to ever go above 2mg. If I feel I need to, I just never would. I already told her I never wanted to go above 1mg a day unless we thought it was imperative and maybe decrease it back down eventually.

What do you guys think? When I ask for a dosage increase on the Klonopin to help me sleep better and that its effectiveness is wearing off, does that possibly harm my 1mg/day script? Or being honest like I always have either get a yes or no? And what do you think about the 1mg-2mg increase after 11-13 years of 1mg/day Klonopin use? Is raising it 1mg a day really going to do that much harm vs. effectiveness? I know it will work for my family and I's wallet, haha.
Thank you for reading this, fellow Bluelighters.

Sincerely,
AgtShadowGaming a.k.a OpiatEphoriaReturns

 

[Nurse Ratched]

Only you know your medical team and what they might do. Generally asking for increases is not a good idea because you get that sideways glance from your MD.

On the other hand...2 mgs a day ( or 1.5 ) is not considered a high dose or abuse so go ahead and ask. If the answer is yes....Congrats. If it is NO....you are still out the $150 a month for the supplemental Xanax but you still have your 1 mg. script too.

 

[OpiatEuphoriaReturns]

Only you know your medical team and what they might do. Generally asking for increases is not a good idea because you get that sideways glance from your MD.

On the other hand...2 mgs a day ( or 1.5 ) is not considered a high dose or abuse so go ahead and ask. If the answer is yes....Congrats. If it is NO....you are still out the $150 a month for the supplemental Xanax but you still have your 1 mg. script too.

Thank you and I agree. She is fairly liberal with medication. I had told her I wanted to keep my Klonopin dosage as low as possible unless it started causing issues where I would need a slight increase and she already knows I am struggling to sleep every night but I refused the Ambien and Lunesta and told her I wanted to keep the medication as low as possible. But, if I still can't get good sleep by our next visit I will let you know or before. I might call her next week or next appointment and just ask so I can take the second one after work around 6:00 pm and sleep well around 10:00 pm. Thanks again.

 

[Nurse Ratched]

Thank you and I agree. She is fairly liberal with medication. I had told her I wanted to keep my Klonopin dosage as low as possible unless it started causing issues where I would need a slight increase and she already knows I am struggling to sleep every night but I refused the Ambien and Lunesta and told her I wanted to keep the medication as low as possible. But, if I still can't get good sleep by our next visit I will let you know or before. I might call her next week or next appointment and just ask so I can take the second one after work around 6:00 pm and sleep well around 10:00 pm. Thanks again.

My pleasure. Good luck. I hope she gives you that little extra as you are using it wisely and not abusing it. Plus you on't have to get any Xanax, which is a good thing.

 

[Jen X]

I have been taking Clonzepam for a bit longer then you. I was taking .5mg 3x a day and when i felt i needed more i just told my doctor that they wore off quickly and she increased me to .5 4x a day.

Maybe say 1 dose don't last until the next dose?

 

[OpiatEuphoriaReturns]

I have been taking Clonzepam for a bit longer then you. I was taking .5mg 3x a day and when i felt i needed more i just told my doctor that they wore off quickly and she increased me to .5 4x a day.

Maybe say 1 dose don't last until the next dose?

Thank you. This will be my answer because it is honest and what it is. I take 1mg in the morning and by evening when I have my 3 courses to do and wife and children, it just wears off, and sleeping becomes much more difficult. And I do not want to take sleeping meds. I know for a fact through self-experimentation that taking 1mg in the morning and 1mg around 6:00 pm shortly after work, is a near life-changer, to be frank.

 

[OpiatEuphoriaReturns]

My pleasure. Good luck. I hope she gives you that little extra as you are using it wisely and not abusing it. Plus you on't have to get any Xanax, which is a good thing.

Exactly. I only get some rarely because it is the only "benzo" I can find that will help me through the last few days or more before refill. So, I went from 30 to 28.5 in the past few days so these should last until I see my doctor and request at least 1.5mgs a day, but I know 2mg would be it. And yes! I do want Xanax or anything but Klonopin. It is a medicine I have spent a decade with and several years without. I know what I need, unfortunately.