Took Klonopin last night, woke up bad anxiety

[mary m]

Ryan, I took 1/4 of a 0.5 Clonazepam ast night along with my half of a Flexeril,(5.0) and woke up with really big bang anxiety. So I this morning I had to go back and take a .05 Ativan and I also took half a 0.5 Clonazepam. Should I take both for a while? For how long? Or jus increase the Clonazepam and stop the Ativan. I get such pains in my back and shoulders and neck. I think it's from no Ativan. What should I do?

[dbenzos]

My doctor has switched me from Ativan to Klonopin.  I took 1 mg Ativan for many years then was increased to 3 mg; 2 at night and two 1/2 mg. in the day.  He started me on Klonopin 1 mg at night and two 1/2 mg in the day at first two days; didn't sleep; lots of anxiety.  So he switched me to 2 mg. Klonopin at night and one mg. in the morning and one in the afternoon.
Sleep at night is good.  Morning and afternoon is still anxious and drowsy.
This is only the 3rd day; says he will decrease it later.    Is this because I need more Klonopin to reach a steady state and handle the anxiety?  I know Klonopin has a longer life and takes longer to get to the blood steam.
Just seems to me the daytime dosage is too high, but I suppose he is trying to keep down the anxiety until I reach the steady state.  Could this be the reason for such a high daytime dosage?  Donna

[barbarave]

try lamotrigine 100 mg morn 100 mg night for anxiety...is work for me.  soming new for a change.  that is worked.  paxil was make ing me crazy.

[arnoldzoo5]

Hi, I'm new to the board here.  I have been on .5 mg of Ativan every night for the last nine months due to anxiety/insomnia/health worries/etc. since I had a hysterectomy go wrong this april 08.  I came off Ativan once for two weeks (I tappered slowly over 3 weeks) and was great...kind of like the old me again.  But then my anxiety came back and I couldn't handle it and I started taking Ativan again to get calmed down enough to sleep, etc.  I am now trying to tapper again and I am taking .25 mg (not really enough) at night only.  Most of the day I am jittery and anxious and extremely frustrated and depressed.  I am the mother of 3 children and work 2 days a week right now.  I am functioning...but just barely!  I want to come down off all meds but don't know if I can do it.  What is all this talk about Klonopin and could it help me.  I don't really want another drug, but coming down off Ativan this time is really, really hard and I don't know what to do???  HELP!

[mary m]

Another day... morning inner shakiness and cold. Called doc because I have a lot going on with parents. He said feel free to increase to .75, maybe I don't have enough in my system.Ryan, I took .25 this afternoon dose and I'm doing find so far. I don't want to go up too much. Mary

[mary m]

Could it be break through anxiety? Even after taking the dosage 2 hours later?

[mary m]

Took the .50 dosage. It's 4.30 and I've got that inner jitteriness. This is scaring me. I thought I thought this would stop after I took the dosage.  I'm so scared. Please help. Mary

[mary m]

It's 1:20, kept myself busy all moring. I'm counting down the minutes until 2:00 until the next dosage. I'm getting inwardly nervous.  I'll see if I get jittery with this dosage.

[mary m]

I' noticing a pattern, about 4 hours after my morning dosage,I get inne shakines, is this something to be conerned about or more withdawal? Mary

[mary m]

Doc called me back yesterday, told him symptoms hadn't subsided,muscle aches in back, don't want to eat, inability to feel comfortablel, make my self comforted in any fasion, lack focus and concentration, people say stuff to me and I don't know what they just said, want to crawl into a warm cocoon but that probably wouldn't help eithr, sometimes feel chilled, nervousness, hard to find somhow to just relax, just can't to anything productive. I asked him if I was sill in withdrawal and he said absolutely. He told me to take .50 3 times a day until I stabalize more.

Then today I had to take my 85 year old mother to the ER, and I don't know if I mentined, but my dad has esophageal cancer. Usually, when they get sick I am in worse shape, maybe the Klonopin is helping?

I do feel a little better today considering I made it in one piece. As I take the dosage, I'm not gettting wiped out, sleepy like I used to. Is my body adjusting? Maybe it's just going to take me longer. I have to have faith, faith, tht I will see my way out of the woods, but that creeping anxiety is making me think that these syptoms are the Klonopin and not withdrawal and maybe Ativan was the drug that matched me, but I am not going to give up yet. I have to go and try and get myself in a state of relaxation.  I didn't want you to think I fell off the face of the earth. This is a tough road thrugh the woods.  Mary

[mary m]

Bad bad day.  Bad, bad anxiety.  I had to take .25 Klonopin at lunch and then I fell asleep. I'm ust not good. Called the doc. Haven't heard from him yet. Mary

[mary m]

I did the .50 this morning. How long should I hold out until I take the next .50 for the day? Isn't it every 12 hours; I'll read past posts to see if I can find the answer.  It's Sunday, Day 12. I went for a massage. Massage therapist said I'm a ball of tension and knots in neck, shoulders, and back. No wonder, what I have been through... I am going to go for a massage every week.

[mary m]

Ryan,
Bad day so far. I can't figure out why I can't get better control of the mornings. Took my .50 at 6:00 AM, and it's almost one and I haven't felt any relief. I am just trying to push myself to function. I walked the do at 7:00 and went to work out around 10:00, thinking that would calm me down. But now I even get panic about working out. A panic attack on an elliptical is no fun. Ryan, I am trying so hard, so hard, so hard. I work out at a health club affiliated with their a cardiac rehab center, because it's close to home an cheaper than a health club. My pulse was 97. By the way, the doc said no Propranalol either. I hate this feeling of inward restlessness, jitteryness, wishing someone could rock you, or you could crawl in a warm slightly tight cocoon. I have a Klonopin sitting on the kitchen counter with my trusty pill splitter. I'm trying not to take one this early. But when your are jumping inside. This hot weather doesn't help either, cabin fever, it's like "meta-anxiety."

What do I obsess about? My health. I'll get a pain that I can't explain away and it'll just take off in my mind, the uncertainty. My first attack was over 20 years ago. I experienced shortess of breath in the '80; doc in the ER gave my Xanax. It had just come out I think. Thank goodness I never got on it.
I could go on an on about bodily sensations that have almost ruined me. Once there was the brain tumor, lump in throat, many times where I couldn't get control of the shortness of breath. People laugh.

I know you said two more days, two more days. Mary

[mary m]

Day 10 Wanted to let you know how I am doing. I slept all night and took my .50 dose when I got up a 8:00, the morning was jittery and jagged and I got sleepy and had to "cocoon" myself for about an hour from 9-10, but I made myself get up and do something.  I started feeling better around noon. It's about 4:30 and other than a little muscle ache in my lat, I'm doing ok. I did some stretching for lat muscles; I think it's helping. The stomach cramps are gone.

It seems engaging the mind helps, but the Catch 22 is getting out of the "anxiety focus" mind channel. By the way Ryan, my doc said no more Flexeril either. I forget to mention that.  

Ryan, does the Klonopin help dissipate worrying and obsessing? I know the front line drugs for obsessing are the SSRI's but I could write a book about them. For some people, their effficacy can't be denied, but for me, I couldn't take them.  Mary

[urdacrazy1]

I'm a 32 year old mother of 4 and new to this forum and I've suffered anxiety/panic/hypochandriasis for as long as I can remember.
I see that everybody loves you!! lol Are a doctor or just a fellow sufferer?  I've only tried zoloft for a few months a few years ago but it didnt do much for me.  I've never taken anything else.  Too scared to.  But it seems that this Klonopin is the new craze.  What's so great about it.  Mr. Ryan oh ye god to anxiety sufferers, lol. :)  

[mary m]

Clarification,
I have his permission. .50 2 o 3 times: morning, noon, bed. But I don't want to overdo it and end up like I was on the Ativan.

[mary m]

I took .50 this morning and it's now 4:00 and I'm still pretty good. Ryan, I definitely need .50 in the morning. It makes all the difference. There is no way I will ever take an Ativan. I am just trying to figure out what to do next for the rest of the afternoon and night. I know I have to take my dose of Klonopin and I don't want to wait too long and I don't want to have another day like last night. After I took the .50 after 4:30 I was fine and I didn't take anything going to bed. Morning was unstable, tried to go with just .25 at 7 AM, no relief, so I took another .25 and was stable by 11:00.
My doc gets it now. It's my fault, I went to see him and was so positive about how the Klonopin was a prayer from heaven, he thought I was better; he gets it now. What is your suggestion for the rest of today? I don't want to take too much and I don't want to suffer like that yesterday. It was terrible.
Mary

[mary m]

Update...
Called the doc around 4:30, he called me back in less than a minute. I told him what was going on, "He said I thought you better. I tried to be positive and stiff-upper-lipish yesterday. He said, "You're in Ativan withdrawal. He said to take .50 right now and and other .50 going to bed and do that tomorrow and then on the third day take .50 and see if I can taper. He said he'll get me "out of the woods and that I'll be ok." I feel calmer. New withdrawal symptom for all you reading out there, stomach pains. Ugh! I was hoping not to get that one. I just keep repeating to myself what he said to me, "We'll get you out of the woods and you'll be allright." This has been the worst day yet, BUT I called him and I'll get out of the woods. Mary

[Raine9]

I am so sorry you are going through this.  Sorry I cannot provide helpful advice as I have never gone through this.  You will be okay.  I'm sorry that Ryan hasn't responded to you.  I think if it weren't for the drama in the other thread, he would have OR maybe he's just busy.  In any event, I hope you feel better.  

[yellowrose]

hang in there mary your doing good its a long haul but its worth it .what day is this for you? and were you coming off another drug while going on this one? sorry i cant remember. but hang in there it does get better. try and get your mind on something elsa i know easy said right but walk outside pick weeds out garden anything call a friend. just try and do something . close eyes go to a happy place , think of a good time . beach .kids anything and really think about that time, your school days old boy friend lol anything just get your mind off of it . pray i would pray a lot that helped me get through it . your getting there keep going.

[mary m]

I had to take my .25 dose early, 12:30. I couldn't stand the inward dread, inward nervousness, don't feel like focusing on anything, wishing I could crawl into a cocoon, feeling of being cold, (Heck,it's 90 degreesout) shakiness (I don't look shaky, it's all inside feeling, worry, anxiety, letting my mind panic over health stuff. I feel bad I couldn't make it. Mary

[mary m]

It's 12:00. I am counting the next two hours. I'm so anxious, restless, panicky. Ryan, what do you mean by taking .50 in the morning will reach a steady state plasma level level to the optimal 15ngML? I probably should have taken .50 this morning. I am almost tempted to take a quarter right now, but I will hang in there. I thought I'd be better by now. Going to the er, they would just drug me up. Mary

[mary m]

It's morning. I'm so jagged. I can't get soothed, or calm at all.I can't stand it. . I can't decscribe it. It's awful. I can't just sit and watch tv. I took my .25 at 6:00 when I woke up. Maybe if I go soak in a hot tub. I pray that I get better as the day goes on. Mary

[mary m]

Day 7
Ryan,
I saw my psychiarist today. He was very glad that I switched to the Klonopin he had given me in Feb. Just like you said, he said stay with .25 morning  AM, .25 afternoon, and try and not do night dosing if I feel I can handle it. He said don't worry if I need it at night. He was very glad I did what I did. I don't know about that idea of skipping night yet.  It's a little early. I'm still vulnerable.

Plus, today, I'm off schedule with going down to the univeristy/hospital and all that. I took .50 this morning and really didn't notice much of a difference from .25. And I didn't get to my .25 dosing  until I realizied it was 3:30 while driving home. I'm going to take .25 tonight and see how I do.

I think I'll need it because (I forgot to tell you but back in June I pulled a hamstring). When I went back to exercise yesterday, I walked (warm up) on the threadmill and thought I'd give it a five minute run. Running was such a good stress reliever for me.  Well, my hammie is bothering me.

When I say my interist today, he said I still sounded like a hamstring strain strain, like the sports med. doc. said. I told him about all my back spasms and told my psychiatrist. They are better. My internist ran all sorts of blood work - plus the same stuff that the rheumatologist would have run and said, "Don't you think I would send you to someone if I thought you needed it?" I do trust him as I have been going to him for over twenty years. Plus, he would't have send me to the one I was going to see anyway.

I'm anxious about the hamstring situation. Here I thought I was on the road back both mentally as well as physically. He gave me the name of another sports ortho HE likes that really spends time with you, so I'll call him tomorrow. Part of my anxiety is that I seek reassurance about things that go wrong with me. If I could come up with some good Cognitive Sayings, I know it would help.

I'm just glad I now have enough Klonopin, actually, I have the generic, which I had all along, and things will get better. Don't you think that the fact that it was 3:30 and I hadn't taken my afternoon dose and hadn't had my dose since 7:00 shows I'm getting better? I don't think that would have happened with the Lorzepam. I'll report it tomorrow, Ryan.

Take Care and Good Night,

Mary

[pvcqueen]

got it.