I have been a Klonopin user for around 7 years to help me rest at night in order to keep my fibromyalgia symptoms from being quite as severe. It not only helps with sleep but also helps some with the muscle pain and aches that accompany fibromyalgia. It is true that my dosage has had to be steadily increased over the years as one's body becomes accustomed to one dosage and becomes less effective without an increase. I can attest to the fact that the withdrawal symptoms are unbelievably difficult to endure as I attempted to give it up for four months several years ago. I have since learned that if my doctor had known and advised me of the proper tapering procedure, those effects would have been lessened immensely. After the withdrawal symptoms left and a few months went by, I realized that the klonopin was necessary to help lessen my fibro symptoms and I have been taking it faithfully ever since without incident. The drug itself has never caused me any negative side effects as long as I continue to take it without fail. I would definitely advise those wishing to stop the drug to not just quit but instead consult with your physician in order to do a proper taper.

PaulaWillbanks

USA

I was prescribed a variety of different medicines to treat an intractable insomnia. I could not fall asleep, or stay asleep. I tried Lunesta, Ambien, Roserel, Trazadone and Melatonin. All worked except the Melatonin for a while, then stopped working, or had undesirable side effects. I then was Rx'ed Clonazepam (generic). It is a very inexpensive diazobenzapene and it worked very well. Just 0.25 mg put me to sleep and kept me asleep throughout the night. I woke up refreshed and was not sleepy during the day. It clearly put me into deep Delta sleep, and I dreamed normally in REM sleep. I have been on it for 2 1/2 months with no problems. I have tried skipping the med, but I would then toss and turn for hours. Last week, I began weaning myself off of it by cutting the dose in half for a few days, then half again. Today, I am off all meds, and whatever caused my insomnia in the first place seems to have abated. I highly recommend Clonazepam for insomnia.

plasma24

USA

People may initially like Klonopin... when it helps them sleep better and offers some relief from anxiety - ***HOWEVER...*** There are many "caveats" to this very powerful drug. First very important note to keep in mind: ***Klonopin IS NOT MEANT FOR LONG-TERM USE.*** It just isn't; bottom line. It is highly addictive, even for those who do not have a history of substance abuse problems. Don't kid yourself into thinking that it won't be a problem for you.  When you read the pro-Klonopin reviews that say, *"Ooooh, I feel better now"* and *"Really makes things nice,"* you see that the "allure" is very deceiving. Those reviewers likely have not been taking it more than a week or so. This substance does not take long at all to cause you to develop a physical tolerance, and you will need your dosage increased for it to have the same effect. Within weeks, others will begin noticing a marked change in your personality, cognitive abilities, memory problems, etc. - although you won't immediately notice them, because you're too buzzed and "out of it" to realize. Klonopin causes terrible memory problems, impaired thinking, changes in your overall personality... and can even cause serious depression and bizarre behavior. It can even cause visual and auditory hallucinations.  If your doctor considers this medication for you (Klonopin or generic clonazepam), you owe it to yourself, your loved ones and your friends - BEFORE you fill that prescription - to thoroughly research all the side effects - even those that the FDA considers to be "rare" - and carefully weigh all the many negatives against the benefits your doctor presumes it may provide. My doctor even told me, *"Stay off the internet, and don't read all the negative things people say; problems are rare."* He was **WRONG.** Drug companies have a way of schmoozing up to doctors and fooling them into thinking that only a very, very small percentage of people have adverse reactions to THEIR company's medications. If doctors had to take all the medications they prescribe, they would be much more careful and deliberate before recommending many meds - if they had to experience all these side effects. Not only should Klonopin ***not*** be used any longer than a couple of weeks intermittently, it is also ***CRITICAL*** to understand that under no circumstances should Klonopin be stopped cold turkey. If your doctor does not tell you this, he/she should. **Do not abruptly discontinue this drug.** There is a method for **tapering off** Klonopin. Otherwise, the withdrawal symptoms will sentence you to a veritable living hell. Among the array of bizarre, debilitating symptoms, there is **facial numbness, severe memory loss, ataxia, seizures, severe depression, muscle spasms (sometimes clonic spasms/seizures requiring emergency medical treatment), the feeling of "bone rubbing against bone," extreme cognitive impairment** and a host of other nasty, frightening, debilitating problems. Even if you have taken Klonopin for only a short time, abrupt discontinuation and failure to taper off properly will result in these and more impairing symptoms. Klonopin should be pulled from the market. I would not recommend it to my worst enemy. Doctors are too quick to write prescriptions for medications such as this one that have the almost guaranteed potential to not only offer no relief for the primary health complaint, but critically, to cause a vast array of very serious, dangerous and possibly permanently impairing side effects. I was prescribed Klonopin for mitral valve prolapse, for which I never even experienced any symptoms... and I took it exactly as it was prescribed. I've never abused substances; I've never even been drunk before. Despite taking it properly, I suffered severe problems that required emergency room treatment. I complained of the side effects, but these reports were ignored - and my dosage was not changed. I was told that I "would get worse before I got better." I waited more than a year to "get better," but was only getting worse. I should have listened to my gut and stopped it long before I did. I finally told the doctor, "NO MORE." However, they said NOTHING about tapering off Klonopin. After two months, I am still having frightening, very painful and extremely debilitating problems from withdrawals, although I was on a very, very low dose, and as I stated, I was very careful to take no more than the prescribed amount. Bottom line... Don't think you will be the exception and make the mistake that Klonopin will be safe for you. **It's too much of a risk.** If for whatever reason(s), you decide to begin this drug, all I can say is that you have my sympathies and best wishes. Just please... Do online searches and read what the hundreds upon hundreds of other Klonopin victims have to say about their experiences. *Don't just take it from me.*

PD53310761

Fultondale, AL

I was prescribed this drug for anxiety after a divorce. When I remarried years later and attempted to go off of the drug to have a baby, I experienced the most horrible withdrawal imaginable. My symptoms ranged from an electrical zapping feeling in my body to depersonalization/derealization, night terrors, incontinence, tremor, gastrointestinal problems, suicidal ideation, extreme anxiety, confusion, SEVERE memory loss for all of the years that I was on the medication, etc. The symptoms are simply too many and too varied to list here. It was a nightmare! My "doctor", convinced me that this was not withdrawal, but "rebound anxiety" and upped my dosage. Miraculously, the "rebound anxiety" went away upon doubling my dose. (I later ordered my medical records and found out that all along, my doctor knew that this was benzo withdrawal) I never had any children because my doctor convinced me that I was in need of being on benzos "for life" for my "severe anxiety." Nine years later, I found the Ashton Manual online and weened off myself. It was 9 months of pure hell and I attempted suicide while in withdrawal. (during a benzo-induced episode of mania) I almost died. The only person I would ever recommend Klonopin to is the doctor that prescribed it to me, so that I could watch him suffer.

kristinjohnson

Sherwood, OR

I have been taking the antidepressant drug Klonipin for years and it really helps me but recently I heard that my ex-father-inlaw was in rehab to be taken off the drug.  My daughter told me of one of her husbands friends Dad had committed suicide and the attritubuted it to the use of Klonipin. 

opalhen

Cullman, AL

**To the Point** My first anxiety attack was when I was ten years old. I finally got help for panic disorder 15 years ago. ** A Closer View** I have what has been diagnosed as organic (caused by the brain) panic disorder or an organic nature. What that means is that it isn't something that can be cured with talk therapy. One indication of this is the following story: We live on the ocean. One night there was a lightening storm. The lightening went straight down to the water. We shut off all the lights to watch. I rarely get panic attacks but on this night I did. As my doctor said "Your eyes said it looked beautiful but your brain said it was scary." I was put on various drugs and am now on a cocktail of two. Klonopin is one I've been on for a long time. Klonopin (clonazepam) is in a class of drugs called benzodiazepines. Klonopin (clonazepam) affects chemicals in your brain that may become unbalanced and cause seizures or symptoms of panic disorder. Klonopin (clonazepam) is used to treat seizures and panic disorder.http://www.drugs.com/klonopin.html From what I read and hear Klonopin is not now the drug of first choice because it is habit forming. Doctors now try other drugs first but since I've been on it for so long there's no way I would go off of it. I'm on a fairly low dose (2 mg a day) and in all these years just once had my dose increased. Do I every get anxious? Yes I do. But other than the lightening storm I have not had a full fledged panic attack since I've been stable on this medication. I know people suffer with anxiety. This drug may not be right for you or them but I waited so long to get help - I know there is no reason to suffer and struggle with anxiety. **Jo's Viewpoint** **I like it! **          

Jo

Plymouth, MA

This medication in **name brand only "Klonopin" **has worked the best of any medication for panic/anxiety disorder. I recommend you speak to your MD about taking it in conjunction with an SSRI or SSNRI. It works best in this manner. Xanax is way beneath Klonopin in my opinion. I was on it for years and it did nothing to help my panic attacks.

MichXeLLe

Paramus, NJ

Klonopin (generically clonazepam) is a benzodizapine which is great for GAD (generalized anxiety disorder) or panic attacks. Klonopin .5mg tablets are perfect because an effective dose does not cause extreme drowsiness. This is not to say that they don't cause tiredness, but rather that they do not cause tiredness that makes daily life impossible.    I have been using Klonopin (both brand name and generic) for 4 years now. I currently use .5 twice per day, but I have been on as much as 4-6mg per day. At the lower dose, my symptoms of GAD have been under control and I have been able to live a normal life. Klonopin has been beter than many of the other benzodizapines that I have tried (Xanax, valium, tranxene, dalmane, etc). It has a long half-life which takes away the need for execessive dosing throughout the day, but unlike Dalmane, Valium, and tranxene, it does not have such a long half life where it begins to buid up over time, causing excessive drowsiness.   With all of that in mind, it is also important to keep in mind that Klonopin causes dependence and severe withdrawls.

mypointsbox

Syosset, NY

I was no this stuff for about a year and noticed no real change in any of my sypmtoms.  This drug has been contreversial here in Portland because there was an explosion of "drug seekers"  So when I got perscribed it I expected it to be a mircale drug and I would no longer suffer from panic attacks. Perhaps I hoped for to much, some sort of quick cure.  I was on 2 mg twice a day.  I was just as antzy as always, the panic attacks didn't get worse but there was no noticable change.  I think that this might work for some, but probably should have an understanding of your panic before trying this out.  When they took me off it I stopped cold turkey, they wanted to slowly take me off it, but I just quit.  It is my understanding that this pill can cause dependency in the body and I ahve heard that withdrawls are usually likely, I experienced no such thing however I have heard stories from people who just stopped and one even had to be hospitalized. As with all pills like this I encourage you to do your research, and if a script is needed great, but understand the reasons behind it within your own anexity etc.  

Jonathan97202

Portland, OR

I've been on Clonazepam for many years. Even after all this time I would have to say it really helps me get through the day. When I need to go out of my home and drive somewhere I'm not familar with I'll take 2mg instead of 1mg that I normally take in the morning. Have never had a problem being on this and think it's a great medication with really no side effects for me. I guess the only downfall is I'm probably addicted to this medication due to the fact I've been on it so long. I've asked my doctor if it should be changed but he keeps telling me no. Have been on others but this seems to help me the most.

crusader52

Harwood Heights, IL