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  • BDD Moderators: Keif’ Richards | negrogesic

Switching from Lorazepam to Clonazepam.. it was supposed to be easy BL

delphinen

delphinen

Bluelighter
Joined
Mar 20, 2007
Messages
991
I will keep this short. I have been taking "small" dosages of Lorazepam (~5mg, which is sadly, a small dosage for me) for 3 months straight; two days ago or so, I decided to switch to Clonazepam because I was mostly tired with the relatively short live of Lorazepam (and wanted to be a little more clean I guess). I thought it would be easy (as it was in the past, like half a year ago), because I think Clonazepam is a little stronger than Lorazepam, has a longer life (this has been proved), and most importantly of all, it's less recreational and will mostly keep me safe from seizures and withdrawals.

This has not been the case for the last 48 hours, at least in the muscle relaxing/sleep department, in which I have only managed to sleep 8 hours divided in two "sessions". Again, 8 hours of sleep in 2 days. Maybe it's not so bad, IDK, that's why I'm making this post.
I can't even recognize when I had sleep or not, I am only keep tracking thanks to phone apps and such things. I suppose this is probably because ALL the properties Lorazepam has VS the less properties Clonazepam has (even if it's stronger or it's the same as powerful).

My question is: what am I doing wrong, or I just have to hang there?
 
The clonazepam could just not be filling the same hole as the lorazepam. So you gotta adjust. Maybe the klonopin dose is too low. Do you have any lorazepam left?

They say benzos are benzos but I don't think that's true.
 
Check a conversion chart. You could take a small dose of lorazepam to help you switch over
 
I think things are slightly better. As days passes, I'm starting to sleep a little better and for ~5 hours, which is more acceptable I think.
I think the main lesson here is:
Lorazepam 2.5mg is just as strong as 2mg Clonazepam, but the later has longer half life but works mostly to prevent seizures, anxiety, and withdrawals. Both can be recreational, but I feel the need of some alcohol with Clonazepam.
 
That's actually not true. Clonazepam (Klonopin, Rivotril) is actually twice as potent by weight than Lorazepam (Ativan). I'm not giving you shit here Delphinen, but do yourself a favor in the future and activate your Google device. This could have been avoided easily. Also, the idea that Clonazepam is less-recreational is a bit of a fallacy. It's all highly subjective. Most of my acquaintances prefer Clonazepam over Lorazepam, so there you go.
 
Keif' Richards said:
That's actually not true. Clonazepam (Klonopin, Rivotril) is actually twice as potent by weight than Lorazepam (Ativan). I'm not giving you shit here Delphinen, but do yourself a favor in the future and activate your Google device. This could have been avoided easily. Also, the idea that Clonazepam is less-recreational is a bit of a fallacy. It's all highly subjective. Most of my acquaintances prefer Clonazepam over Lorazepam, so there you go.
Click to expand...

I thought exactly like you- but truth to be told, I enjoyed more Lorazepam, maybe it's a biased opinion, maybe it's because it has all the benzo properties (which Clonazepam does not have). Yet, I will hold my belief again in Clonazepam being stronger to Lorazepam, I mean, it has to be, those are facts, not opinions.

And as more days passes I am sleeping better again, last night I slept ~6 hours and felt moderately good when I woke up. I also noticed I'm feeling moderately more sociable and the music bands I used to listen half a year ago sounds really nice, not needing to take some Diphenhydramine or alcohol to enhance to pleasure of it. That's very neat, and it also supports your words on Clonazepam being more recreational.

tl;dr I think it is all a question of perspective and time.
 
delphinen said:
Well, I went back to Lorazepam; based on http://www.bluelight.org/vb/threads/566261-Benzodiazepine-Conversion-Chart :
1mg Lorazepam = 0.5mg Clonazepam right? then, if I was taking 4~6mg Clonazepam per day (one pill in the morning, one in the afternoon, another one at night), I should take 8~12mg Lorazepam?

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
If you had 3 months straight on lorazepam, and 5mg being a light dose for you, then in theory you should have been taking a minimum of 2.5mg clonazepam a day. And if you're looking for recreation, forget the medical strength conversions. Lorazepam may be twice clonazepam potency for medical use, not for kicks. I much prefer clonazepam, lorazepam felt mild for me, it tackled anxiety well but not very heavy or 'narcotic' feeling.
Clonaz kicks in slow, my shrink told me to wait at least an hour for it to be fully effective. It lasts half the day too, its great for anxiety but it also has that benzo heaviness at 6mg plus.
I'd consider diazepam, nitrazepam and temazepam much stronger and recreational than lorazepam but technically they are weaker than lorazepam (on a mg to mg basis). Alprazolam seems to sit near loraz and clonaz in potency but at equi-potent doses it's a much 'stronger' drug.
Flunitrazepam must be considered similar potency to lorazepam (both come in 1mg pills) but recreationally is a whole different matter. Same for temazepam and clobazam, both 10mg and whilst clobazam may be more medically effective for seizures, 50mg of temazepam will definitely intoxicate more.

Maybe your body was just adjusting. When my doc switched me from oxycodone to morphine, he promised it was equivalent and transition will be barely noticable. After 2.5 years of oxycodone 120mg daily, the first 2ish weeks on 180mg oral morphine daily I felt like I had a mini nervous breakdown. I went back to doc thinking I needed more morphine, but he refused and assured it was equal. I think my body just freaked after an overnight change. I think my body was so used to oxycodone, maybe the morphine hit different opioid receptors different, like maybe it hit k receptor less but u more? No medical back up, just a thought. But after 2ish weeks I felt fine and now a year on, I think I actually prefer the morphine.
 
Urban0162 said:
If you had 3 months straight on lorazepam, and 5mg being a light dose for you, then in theory you should have been taking a minimum of 2.5mg clonazepam a day. And if you're looking for recreation, forget the medical strength conversions. Lorazepam may be twice clonazepam potency for medical use, not for kicks. I much prefer clonazepam, lorazepam felt mild for me, it tackled anxiety well but not very heavy or 'narcotic' feeling.
Clonaz kicks in slow, my shrink told me to wait at least an hour for it to be fully effective. It lasts half the day too, its great for anxiety but it also has that benzo heaviness at 6mg plus.
I'd consider diazepam, nitrazepam and temazepam much stronger and recreational than lorazepam but technically they are weaker than lorazepam (on a mg to mg basis). Alprazolam seems to sit near loraz and clonaz in potency but at equi-potent doses it's a much 'stronger' drug.
Flunitrazepam must be considered similar potency to lorazepam (both come in 1mg pills) but recreationally is a whole different matter. Same for temazepam and clobazam, both 10mg and whilst clobazam may be more medically effective for seizures, 50mg of temazepam will definitely intoxicate more.

Maybe your body was just adjusting. When my doc switched me from oxycodone to morphine, he promised it was equivalent and transition will be barely noticable. After 2.5 years of oxycodone 120mg daily, the first 2ish weeks on 180mg oral morphine daily I felt like I had a mini nervous breakdown. I went back to doc thinking I needed more morphine, but he refused and assured it was equal. I think my body just freaked after an overnight change. I think my body was so used to oxycodone, maybe the morphine hit different opioid receptors different, like maybe it hit k receptor less but u more? No medical back up, just a thought. But after 2ish weeks I felt fine and now a year on, I think I actually prefer the morphine.
Click to expand...

I also prefer Clonazepam over Lorazepam for long periods, HOWEVER, unlike you, high doses of Lorazepam makes me feel more "loopy", relaxed, and, well, high; Clonazepam on the other hand, makes me feel my mood much more stable, maybe a little happier, lasts longer, but I can't get high on it, and it doesn't make me sleep as well as Lorazepam. About opiates/opioids... I only take Tramadol recreationally once a week or two.
 
Watch out on the tramadol dude, don't top 700mg if you can avoid it, and don't use more than 3 consecutive days.

Have you tried 12mg or more clonazepam. 6 x 2mg I had a great day.. What I remember anyways. Clonazepam seems to have a range of effects based on dose. One or two of the .5s and my anxiety reduces hugely, but there's barely any heavy diazepam style feeling. But at 12mg I was overly confident then fairly sedated a few hours in.
 
My previous doctor wanted to switch my meds all around because we found out I have cirrhosis. My liver is compensating so my blood tests come nack normal and there was no need to change my meds.

One of them she wanted to change was switching me from .5mg Clonazapam to Lorazepam. I was very apprehensive as she was taking me off birth control too which I take to help balance my hormones (PMDD).

I switched Doctors.

Now my new Doctor wants to "streamline" my pain medications. He tried me on 20 mg morphine but it didn't seem as effective as 6mg Hydromorph Contin and my percs. I'm not liking this "streamlining" my meds.

I can tolerate "streamling" though as he is not messing with my psych meds though.

Anyway, I digress. I didn't believe that switching from Clonazapam to Lorazepam was going to be easy. And if it ain't broke don't fix it!

My girlfriend takes 2mg of Lorazepam to help her sleep. I find .5 mg (or even 1mg in high anxiety) helps to lower my anxiety. My gut no longer feels knotted up and I can relax. I like my Clonazapam. I've been on .5mg (occasionally taking a second .5mg) for 14 years. I haven't grown a tolerance as .5mg still works for most days.
 
There will always be a matter of personal preference and subjective experience involved. Another important thing that you must not forget, is that many of the older Benzodiazepines like Chlordiazepoxide (Librium) and Diazepam (Valium) for instance are subject to a much higher variablity in terms of their metabolisms. Someone with a higher or lower level of Enzyme Group A, for instance, might not clear the metabolic product Desmethyldiazepam as quickly as the next man. This can lead to a variability in effect from person to person, ethnicity to ethnicity and so on above and beyond what we've already lightly touched upon in this thread.
 
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