Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Clonazepam Anyone on it? Withdrawal?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Clonazepam Anyone on it? Withdrawal?

    My regional psychiatrist put me on 1mg of clonazepam in early November. I take 2 tablets a day, I have read some negative reports on other sites about withdrawal from this drug. I called him today and he wants me on this dose till January when we meet again and I am intending to stay compliant, anyone have experience with getting off this drug. I also take 40mg of Citalopram, and 7.5mg of zopiclone daily till January. I know that the clonazepam already doesn't work a quarter as well as it did the first week, it just seems foolhardy to me to keep taking it and not starting a weaning process. I understand him wanting me to stick to his earlier advice but I am unable to see him till January and I really feel to stay on the zopiclone sleeping pills and clonazepam anti anxiety till January could cause some major problems later when I stop taking them.

    #2
    I only take clonazepam PRN, so I've never had to deal with withdrawals... I'm sure someone on this site will have good suggestions for you!
    Anne.

    Comment


      #3
      Hello Derek. The following is going to sound rather blunt, however there is no easy way to describe the full effects of Clonazepam and Zopiclone in this format.

      Clonazepam is classed as a benzodiazepine and benzo's can be really hard to get off of for some people after long term use. However a few months usually isn't enough to get you hooked too firmly. Often with benzo's our body will adjust to the med so that the continued hit after a couple weeks is less than the first hit. For some people benzo's are a good med and you will find many people take them regularily with no side effects. Others have great problems with them.

      Personally I would be far more worried about the zopiclone as research has shown it to be addictive for just about anyone. Plus after long term usage(in this case anything more than a month) the value we recieve from this med goes downhill. Originally this med was thought to be safe for long term use. However this is just not the case and even the drug companies are providing very large warnings about it. Long term use of Zopiclone is anything over 30 days. After that the med may stop working as well and it can be really difficult to withdraw from. DO NOT try and suddenly stop taking this med without talking to your doc. I could quote any number of references , but below is what APOTEX (the drug mfg) has to say about it's own product. I copied this from the product monograph which Apotex has to file with health Cda. To search for yourself go to Health Cda's website as listed below.

      Benzo's such as clonazepam are sometimes used to help people wean themselves off of zopiclone. Take Care. paul m

      http://webprod.hc-sc.gc.ca/dpd-bdpp/...he.do?lang=eng (just enter the drug name or DIN and forget about the rest)

      FROM APOTEX PRODUCT MONOGRAPH

      Treatment with APO-ZOPICLONE should usually not exceed 7- 10 consecutive days. Use for more than 2-3 consecutive weeks requires complete re-evaluation of the patient. Prescriptions for APO-ZOPICLONE should be written for short-term use (7 - 10 days) and it should not be
      prescribed in quantities exceeding a 1-month supply.

      DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION
      Treatment with APO-ZOPICLONE (zopiclone) should usually not exceed 7-10 consecutive days. Use for more than 2-3 consecutive weeks requires complete re-evaluation of the patient.
      "Alone we can do so little;
      Together we can do so much"
      Helen Keller

      Comment


        #4
        Thanks for the heads up Paul. I already left a msg with my psych this morning re: the Apotex info. Hopefully he does not just arrogantly blow me off as being paranoid and over anxious like he always does. Although this is something I plan to dig my heels in for, I clearly need to be re-evaluated if this prescription is to continue for this long. He's the only psych in a 300 km radius so like it or not I ultimately have to come to some consensus with him. It's not an exageration to say I've considered moving my family to a larger center to try and obtain more consistent and timely care for my mental illness. Although I'm not sure that a bigger center would mean I could meet with someone more often anyway.

        Comment


          #5
          Hello Derek. It doesn't sound to me like you are paranoid or over anxious at all, just realistic. Seeing you only have the one pdoc a re-evaluation sounds like a good plan. Any word on when you can see him, since leaving your message?

          Talking with a pharmacist might give you a bit more info, although Paul has possibly posted more than a pharmacist knows .

          As for having thoughts of moving, I certainly can understand that. But you're right, there are no guarantees that would get you any better help. It's tough when we know our health has to come first, and yet there seem to be so many roadblocks.
          uni

          ~ it's always worth it ~

          Comment


            #6
            There are alternatives to zopiclone that your P.doc might try. A small dose of Seroquel at bedtime is sometimes used, and is in no way addicting. This may or may not fit your particular situation. There are others too, but again they may not be the appropriate drug for you. Unfortunately, even though the manufacturers have clear warnings about zopiclone use, in clinical practice they are often used long term.
            AJ

            Humans punish themselves endlessly
            for not being what they believe they should be.
            -Don Miguel Ruiz-

            Comment


              #7
              Hello Derek. When I wrote my response to you, I was very nervous as I hate being the one to tell someone that the meds they are prescribed may not be what they should be taking. I wasn't wrong in my info, but I should have added a couple of things.

              I should have mentioned as AJ has that there are many safe alternatives. Plus Zoplicone is a good med, but only if used in the short term. My wife's sleeping sometimes gets out of wack and she takes a very addictive sleeping aid. Her doc will only give her 20 pills at a time, no repeats and the instructions are to take them no more than 5 days in a row. The idea being, once she gets her sleep routine back and a few good nights solid sleep help her to do that.

              Zopiclone may help you in that matter too, taken only for a short stretch at a time. Often if our brain gets even a few days of proper rest, it will help a lot.

              As well I should have added the following warning(you may already know this) . Never ever, tell a doc that you read something on a forum or on the internet. It almost guarentees that some of them will go balistic. I'm not saying this is fair, but it is reality. Take Care. paul m
              "Alone we can do so little;
              Together we can do so much"
              Helen Keller

              Comment


                #8
                Thanks again Paul, I already called Psych and quoted manufacturers warning, I was cautious to mention any forum as this guy often seems to have a slight condescension to my opinion or anything that has come from even any other mental health workers I deal with, no one wants to contradict him or even give any input on his recommendations his word is gold, interested to see what his response is tomorrow to my weekend message.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Hi Derek,
                  I too have been prescribed Clonazepam; I take 1 mg a day usually in half doses, sometimes I take 1 1/2..I too am worried about the addicting effects..I've told my doctors about this but they cautiously tell me I need it right now and I do agree with that...my psychiatrist tells me not to worry, that I don't have addiction problems and will be able to stop taking them when I don't need them..I've never had a drinking or drug problem (far from it) so maybe she is right...still it is scary..so many drugs....as you've noticed too they don't work as well as time goes on and that's a drag. I wish so much none of us had to go through these things..it sucks doesn't it? I'm rambling now but it feels good to talk to people who somewhat understand...I'm about to go into a therapy program so I'm kinda antsy..I'm off work which is necessary but makes me feel so guilty and scared...that it could get that bad that I have to be off work...it's stupid I wouldn't feel this way if I had cancer or something but mental health problems..that stigma is hard to live with. I wish I had some answers as to how to get better but all I can do is keep trying....write me back if you feel like it...support helps, I know that...

                  Comment

                  Working...
                  X