Addicted to Clonazepam?

Ok, so I suffer from general anxiety,  the last few years have been pretty severe, and I have been on clonazepam on and off as needed. It works well for me, as I don't need it and I don't take a very high dose.  My boyfriend suffers from social anxiety (geez what a couple we are), and lately his anxiety has been pretty bad.  It got so bad one day I let him try one of my pills BIG MISTAKE. It was like he became obsessed with his disorder. Granted I know he does have some pretty bad issues with social anxiety and yes it is getting worse. He was so thrilled with the effects of clonazepam he kept taking them from me and he takes so much all the time I find it so unneccissary and he was going thru my perscriptions so fast. He was basically stealing them from me.  The way he would get about these pills totally freaked me out, like he was jonesin so bad, like a freakin crack addict. Anyways I stopped filling it, and so he finally goes to the doctor and asks for them. Well the doctor gives him Zanax which he doesn't like, so he orders 100 2mg of clonazepam from the internet!!!!!!!!!!!
This was only last week, but I feel like everytime I talk to him he seems way out of it. We went out this weekend where he didn't want to drink he just wanted to use clonazepam recreationally!
When I talk to him on the phone (i dont see him much during the week) he just seems totally stoned. and I keep freaking out about it. We are constantly fighting because I'm worried this will lead to some serious substance abuse or dependance and he says hes not using it, but I dont believe him.
I don't know how to figure out if he is taking them excessively, and if he is how do I help him or get him to stop!! I'm really scared....

[beatingthis]

WOW. Tuff call. Benzo's are really hard to come off.
Sorry to say there is nothing you can do until he wants to.

Terry

[GA Guy]

This will not lead to serious substance abuse. The reason being is that he's already there. Many people go through transitions in our addictions. For most of us, the drugs work for us at the beginning, then the times get rougher until the bottom hits. For me it took 5 years. Some opiate users take longer, some faster. I have noticed that some benzo addicts hit bottom quickly. Very quickly in your BF's case. In fact, my addiction came to a head when I added this very drug. And at least 4 or my friends in my former rehab also crashed within a month after adding benzos. They are dangerous and easy to overdose on, especially at the dosages your BF is taking. Bottom line is that he's not going to ask for help until he's ready. You can try an intervention by alerting his family, but it's usually a hit or miss proposition. He's definitely in need of a detox facility, as benzo withdrawal can be deadly if done cold turkey. I'd alert his family and try to arrange an intervention.

[Dasani_]

How much is too much of  a dose?? He has started on 2mg daily (unnessisarily) and he took 3 mg on the weekend. He has JUST started taking it! He has hit rock bottom twice already in his life and I can see this one coming from a mile away. Im scared he will overdose for sure and soon. If I tell his family who is completely in the dark with knowing him at all - I'm scared he might try something stupid or get worse.

[GA Guy]

If he's not prescribed them, then any he takes is too much. 2-3mg is a fairly moderate dose and is about 2-3 times a "normal" starting dose. Ordering controlled substances from the internet is playing with fire as well. Firstly from the legal standpoint, but also because you can't be sure what you're getting is the real deal or even the drug you've ordered.

[postgradpremed]

Klonopin(clonazepam) has the potential to be very dangerous. And your boyfriend is headed down a very dangerous road. Withdrawal from most drug can be quite uncomfortable, but non-lethal. Klonopin and other benzos have the potential to cause life-threatening withdrawal symptoms. At the doses your boyfriend is taking, if he stopped he could end out having a serious seizure.

I was originally prescribed Klonopin for panic disorder. I ended self-medicating with opiates and developed an addiction to oxycodone. I was treated with Suboxone for my opiate addiction. I have since discussed opiates and benzos with my psychiatrist on many occasions. Despite being less restricted by law, my doctor believes them to be far more dangerous. And general physicians have a tendency to over-prescribe benzos.

Before my addiction to opiates, I was prescribed 3 mgs of klonopin a day by my GP. When i began seeing my addiction psychiatrist we discontinued the klonopin, and I only took Suboxone. He said that starting at 3 mgs/day was ridiculous. Luckily, I the high from abusing benzos never appealed to me...so I never took 3 mgs a day. I was lucky to able to get off the klonopin for a while.

I did begin using it again as my weaning of Suboxone decreased. And during my week of withdrawals upon discontinuing the Sub, I did take 3 mgs per day. Since then we have decreased it down to no more than 2 .5 mg tabs per day. I rarely take that much.

Please see this chart... http://www.dr-bob.org/tips/bzd.html

You will see that within the equivalencies, klonopin has the smallest dose. Its pretty typical for a patient to start on a weaker benzo before klonopin, and if it is started .25 mgs 2xdaily is induction.

My point is that, if he is taking as much as you say he is...he will have some serious withdrawals. You really need to contact a doctor and get him into a rehab. Clonazepam is not a drug that you can just lay in bed and sweat out the WDs. If there is a physical dependence, it really has to be treated by a physician.

Please contact a doctor. I feel bad that your bf happened to be attracted to benzos. They are such a masked danger. Please keep us updated. Take care and good luck

[Dasani_]

Wow I so appriciate all your guys help.
He has finally admitted to me he is infact taking the 2 - 3 mg "every other day" for prolly about a week. He really plays it down like its no big deal, but I can tell by looking at him and his motor skills,  hes getting himself into trouble. It doesn't seem just like every other day.  He saw yesterday just how worried and upset I am over it - I can't look at him or talk to him because its so blantantly obvious he's drugged up. He goes to bed so rediculously early and today he slept in 2 hours for work. and even then he just comes home and goes right to bed.
For the last week that I've seen him or talked to him, he's seemed sooo different. He can't hold a conversation without like slurring even. Its so scary.
How long does it take to develope dependance or have withdrawl (withdrawal) symptoms??

[Dasani_]

Hey postgrad,
I was just looking at your chart. I noticed there was a drug called Diazepam. I remember a little while ago unfortunately when I was snooping, ha had also ordered this off the internet - I know he order it but I dont know if he is taking this. He didnt seem so drugged up until he got his shipment of clonazepam. Maybe because at that time he was still on zanax........ This guy is seriously obsessed with these drugs. I can't even handle it. Could he be on diazepam and just telling me hes on clonazepam because its something he would think im comfortable with because I take it??? How can I know the difference???

[madtram]

You can't tell the difference between valium, (diazepam) & clonazepam or Xanax by observing his behaviour as all are benzos with similar effects on most people.

  They do have different half-lives which is why valium can be used to help taper off the longer acting benzos like Xanax.

If he is using the three of them together & has a benzo cocktail going on, the risks are increased.  Internet benzos are particularly risky because of the uncertainties & inconsistencies around dose strength.  If he experiences one dose as weak & takes more to get his high, there is a risk that the next pill he takes will be stronger risking overdose.

Is there someone he trusts you could get to talk to him about the risks he is taking.  There are safer ways to get help for social anxiety & what's the point of not being anxious if you are in bed most of the time.

If he won't hear you, I agree with the others, he needs an intervention now.  Detoxing off benzos after a few months will be much easier than having to come off a serious habit much later.

Good luck with this.

[Dasani_]

This was such a sad topic. I ended up breaking it off as it has only gotten worse. I couldnt even look at him or talk to him at all and he refused to give the pills to me when our 5 yr relationship was on the line. He even took a chance and took these pills with him when he flew from canada to texas and he does not have a prescription for them.
I have informed his family although i dont know that they fully understand.
I miss him, it hurts to see him this way and to end a 5 yr relationship and have him like not even listening to me. He smokes pot and drinks on a regular basis and has added this pill into his routine. Now it looks as though he is possibly into mushrooms again and anything he can basically take to get him out of reality.
I didn't know what else to do..
Take care of yourselves everyone, thanks for your help :)