Posted by bassman on June 2, 2006, at 9:01:47
In reply to How much and how long for klonopin addiction?, posted by Bonnie_CA on June 2, 2006, at 2:46:53
I think you mean "dependent", not "addicted". Dependent simple means that you can't stop taking it suddenly; you have to taper. The time until you can't just stop depends on the person and the benzo. I think the best route is to decrease slowly no matter how long you've been taking it, just to be on the safe side. And that's good advice for any med that a person's been taking for awhile-including antihypertensive meds, aspirin therapy, SSRI's, etc.
The question you bring up has been around FOREVER. There is study after study in the medical literature that suggests that benzos are very safe, can be used for extended periods of time without mental impairment, increasing the dosage excessively-and that in fact, dosage goes down, not up with time. On the other side of the scale are those like Heather Ashton, who claim that benzos lose their therapetic effects after a few weeks, cause more problems than they solve and that just about everyone would be better off without them. She is often cited as an expert in the field and you can check out her Web site should you want additional information.
There are some people who shouldn't be taking benzos, no doubt: those that will abuse them by taking larger and larger doses until they are way out of the therapeutic range. Then the person has two problems: the benzos are producing severe side effects plus, it is hard for the person to reduce the dose. The moral of the story is, "don't abuse medication". Same moral for pain relievers (including NSAIDS), alcohol, etc. etc.
You are taking a total dose of 0.5 mg and some people take as much as 20 mg Klonopin. You are taking a very low dose and anyone bugging you about "addiction" may be well-meaning, but misguided, IMO.
poster:bassman
thread:651790
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060530/msgs/651840.html