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  • BDD Moderators: Keif’ Richards

Bumping up the Klonopin?

X

xxpurplehazexx

Bluelighter
Joined
Jul 18, 2012
Messages
134
I have been taking the same 1mg dose of klonopin for 3 1/2 years. I was prescribed around the same time as I started taking Celexa for severe depression and Adderall for ADHD-I. The klonopin is for sleep and social anxiety I didn't really care about the side effects/dependence issues at the time since I was basically at an all time low. Predictably, I've become more and more immune to the effects of klonopin and was thinking about asking for a dose increase at my next psych visit. I don't know if it's such a good idea, but my anxiety is really bad again. Any ideas/advice?
 
are you still taking adderall? that will make your anxiety worse by itself. Other than that some patients need a higher dose to stabilize on and then they can stick to that for years, shit you already made it 3.5 years i think a bump up to 2mg isn't a big deal. You're already dependent but eventually the dose increases have to stop, and therapeutically they seem to have a limit. It's not always the case that you will just end up taking 150mg of clonazepam in 20 years like many will have you believe. Some people end up at 5-6mg/day which works for them long term.
 
How much Celexa are you taking, and how much Adderall (IR or XR)? Also, at what times of the day are you taking them? And, how do you divide your daily 1 mg of clonazepam? I know I ask a lot of questions here, but they all serve a purpose to form a better opinion to share with you. Also, how long have you been on the Adderall, and at what dose did you start? When was your last increase, if any? I am interested in hearing how you feel about the Adderall. And, I am interested in the type of anxiety you are suffering - more general and diffuse, more worrisome, more panic-like, more neurotic? How is your social anxiety doing, and how is your sleep?
 
^All good questions.

xxpurplehazexx said:
I have been taking the same 1mg dose of klonopin for 3 1/2 years. I was prescribed around the same time as I started taking Celexa for severe depression and Adderall for ADHD-I. The klonopin is for sleep and social anxiety I didn't really care about the side effects/dependence issues at the time since I was basically at an all time low. Predictably, I've become more and more immune to the effects of klonopin and was thinking about asking for a dose increase at my next psych visit. I don't know if it's such a good idea, but my anxiety is really bad again. Any ideas/advice?
Click to expand...
If you have insomnia and anxiety Adderall isn't the best drug. I would consider reducing the dose and taking it earlier in the day (or perhaps an IR version if you are taking the ER one, so that it doesn't last as long and keep you up). Honestly, staying at 1mg/day of clonazepam for 3 and 1/2 years is pretty good, I don't think a dose increase is that bad an idea given that you are on a very reasonable dose and have been for so long, many people want dose increases after like 1 week. Unless of course you are hoping to get off it? But I think the best idea is to try to reduce your insomnia and anxiety by other means, like changing your other meds, lifestyle changes, therapy, etc.

RobotRipping said:
are you still taking adderall? that will make your anxiety worse by itself. Other than that some patients need a higher dose to stabilize on and then they can stick to that for years, shit you already made it 3.5 years i think a bump up to 2mg isn't a big deal. You're already dependent but eventually the dose increases have to stop, and therapeutically they seem to have a limit. It's not always the case that you will just end up taking 150mg of clonazepam in 20 years like many will have you believe. Some people end up at 5-6mg/day which works for them long term.
Click to expand...
I dunno, I think a lot of people end up just not bothering to raise their dose anymore, even if it no longer does much other than relieve withdrawal symptoms. And then there are people, like someone I know, who have gotten to the point where they are taking like 20+mg per day (and I would have no idea he was on clonazepam at all if he didn't tell me, that quantity seems to do nothing for him now). Also, after being on it a while it can seem like it's still helping with anxiety because people get withdrawal symptoms and rebound anxiety when they don't take it, which it relieves.
 
Honestly, staying at 1mg/day of clonazepam for 3 and 1/2 years is pretty good, I don't think a dose increase is that bad an idea given that you are on a very reasonable dose and have been for so long
Click to expand...

^This indicates that while you may be dependent, you are not addicted. So as the posters above have mentioned, it would be fine if you requested an adjustment in your dose.
 
xxpurplehazexx said:
I have been taking the same 1mg dose of klonopin for 3 1/2 years. I was prescribed around the same time as I started taking Celexa for severe depression and Adderall for ADHD-I. The klonopin is for sleep and social anxiety I didn't really care about the side effects/dependence issues at the time since I was basically at an all time low. Predictably, I've become more and more immune to the effects of klonopin and was thinking about asking for a dose increase at my next psych visit. I don't know if it's such a good idea, but my anxiety is really bad again. Any ideas/advice?
Click to expand...

Like someone said, Adderall isn't the best drug to be taking if you've got insomnia and anxiety issues. Also, while the efficacy of clonazepam may have remained for over 3 years, at a certain point habituation and tolerance rise to a degree where paradoxical reactions are more likely and the efficacy of the drug starts to wane (which is why just about nobody would recommend prescribing benzodiazepines for over 2-3 months, certainly not 3 years).

Ask your psychologist, sure, but I really don't think that raising the dose is the answer - it may temporarily shift the problem until you need to bump the dose up again, but it may also do pretty much fuck-all except get you more dependent.

You should not have been taking benzos for anxiety and insomnia for this long, and the answer, in my opinion, definitely isn't continuing to take larger amounts. I think you need to get to the bottom of your anxiety/insomnia, and begin to eliminate those problems through therapy or lifestyle changes, while tapering off the benzos using diazepam so you don't go into withdrawal.

There are isolated incidents of successfully using benzos for years without a loss in efficacy but from what I gather medical literature seems to be strongly against their use in the long-term, even for one year, let alone three and a half. You may be an isolated case, but even still, you've been on it for 3.5 years and it's not getting better; you need more. The answer is not upping your benzo dose.
 
well, in people that suffer from ADHD - myself included, anxiety is one of the symptoms that is associated with it. for me, dexedrine completely reduces my anxiety and actually helps me quite a lot with the insomnia. by the end of the day i feel pretty exhausted, and am ready to go to bed. before i was not, and would spend a lot of time rustling around in bed trying to fall asleep.

i agree with everyone else though - 3 years is not a good amount of time to be on a benzo for. you should really be thinking about tapering off it and coming off it completely. do you see a therapist?

what's probably also happened is that because you're taking adderall the clonazepam will feel less effective. the stimulant feeling will affect how the clonazepam acts.
 
Swimmingdancer said:
^All good questions.


If you have insomnia and anxiety Adderall isn't the best drug. I would consider reducing the dose and taking it earlier in the day (or perhaps an IR version if you are taking the ER one, so that it doesn't last as long and keep you up). Honestly, staying at 1mg/day of clonazepam for 3 and 1/2 years is pretty good, I don't think a dose increase is that bad an idea given that you are on a very reasonable dose and have been for so long, many people want dose increases after like 1 week. Unless of course you are hoping to get off it? But I think the best idea is to try to reduce your insomnia and anxiety by other means, like changing your other meds, lifestyle changes, therapy, etc.


I dunno, I think a lot of people end up just not bothering to raise their dose anymore, even if it no longer does much other than relieve withdrawal symptoms. And then there are people, like someone I know, who have gotten to the point where they are taking like 20+mg per day (and I would have no idea he was on clonazepam at all if he didn't tell me, that quantity seems to do nothing for him now). Also, after being on it a while it can seem like it's still helping with anxiety because people get withdrawal symptoms and rebound anxiety when they don't take it, which it relieves.
Click to expand...

yeah that's a valid point, i think we just need more research to figure this one out. I've seen studies go both ways, saying that you will experience withdrawals while taking your regular dose after long term use and one that says the benzo will maintain full efficacy in treating anxiety long term so long as it's not abused. IME, even if i only take enough to stay away from withdrawal then i am still better off anxiety wise than i would be with nothing. And i'm a long term user, well 3 years or so on and off now.
 
well, in people that suffer from ADHD - myself included, anxiety is one of the symptoms that is associated with it. for me, dexedrine completely reduces my anxiety and actually helps me quite a lot with the insomnia.
Click to expand...

^Completely true and proven in clinical studies.
 
RobotRipping said:
yeah that's a valid point, i think we just need more research to figure this one out. I've seen studies go both ways, saying that you will experience withdrawals while taking your regular dose after long term use and one that says the benzo will maintain full efficacy in treating anxiety long term so long as it's not abused. IME, even if i only take enough to stay away from withdrawal then i am still better off anxiety wise than i would be with nothing. And i'm a long term user, well 3 years or so on and off now.
Click to expand...

I've been on benzos for around this amount of time, and have not abused them. While they certainly don't feel the same as when I started taking them, I still find them to be effective at relieving the symptoms of my anxiety and panic attacks. For me this is good enough, and better than being without them, as I was never looking for more than the effects they are being Rx'd for.

This is just one opinion, and I may be in the minority, as everyone certainly reacts differently to various substances.
 
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