Posted by viridis on December 26, 2002, at 13:55:59
In reply to The Truth About Clonazepam, posted by john7219 on December 25, 2002, at 23:48:30
This seems to be a recurring theme here, but sensationalizing the issue doesn't help. Of course Klonopin can cause dependence, just like most of the other psychiatric drugs that are prescribed. But the weight of evidence, and the experiences of many others here, indicate that it's a very effective drug with little potential for abuse or true "addiction".
I've been on it daily for about a year and a half. When I started, I discussed my concerns about "addiction" etc. in detail with my psychiatrist. He's a very open and direct guy, and seems quite cautious in prescribing meds, but not afraid to try what he thinks will be best for the patient. He told me that he's rarely seen people with serious anxiety conditions abuse benzos, although he has had a few cases in which he's had to switch to a different class of meds when he detects escalating use of benzos, patients repeatedly "losing" their pills, etc. According to him, this is mainly a problem with Xanax, much less so with Klonopin, and rare in any case.
He told me there was a high likelihood that I would develop medical dependency on K, and that if I decided to discontinue it, I should do so slowly under his supervision. According to him, this is pretty straightforward for most patients (based on his experience, which is quite extensive).
I do feel anxious if I don't take it for a couple of days. I've asked him about this, and his question is "do you feel more anxious than before you started taking it?" My answer is no -- I just feel very uncomfortable (like I did for years, pre-K). So, is this withdrawal, or just a return to my pre-K condition? I'm not sure, but I'm certainly much better off on Klonopin.
I do wonder if some of the "withdrawal" people talk about is just a return to their ground state, and they've simply forgotten how bad it was. Clearly, some people have had very serious withdrawals from Klonopin and other benzos, and I don't mean to diminish these experiences. But it does get difficult to sort out withdrawal from a return to anxiety, at least for me.
One of the nice things about Klonopin is that so far at least, I've been able to stay on a fairly low dose (1 mg/day) and get the same anti-anxiety, anti-panic, antidepressant benefits with no side effects and no need for dose adjustments. Others here have reported similar experiences. This also contradicts the idea that K is "addictive", although I expect that by now I am dependent, just as I would be on long-term therapy with SSRIs, insulin, blood pressure meds, and so on. In any case, it's a small price to pay for the ability to think clearly, function normally, sleep well, and deal with stress appropriately.
poster:viridis
thread:133201
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021223/msgs/133267.html