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Anyone on benzos indefinitely?
Is anyone else on a high doze of clonazepam for a long time? (over 10 years) Do you find you still get help from using it?
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Hi well I have always had problems with anxiety attacks and also sleeping. I used to take them as needed also but when I went though a divorce with 2 small kids at the time I was put on them regularly and I could not have done it without them. I was taking 1 mg.x4 a day initally. I was not tried on less so that was my start. What happened to me was I became tolerant of them over years and the doze was upped several times to keep me working and functioning as a single parent. Flash ahead 15 years and my kids are grown and my use spiraled out of control. I was prescribed 20 mg. a day plus another benzo for breathrough anxiety (ativan) and one for sleeping also. (forget the name of it now) One day I tried to stop the cycle and had a seizure as I suddenly tried to take half. I figured I was taking sooo much that it would be alright well it wasn't. I was taken to hospital and after that was under control (they gave me clonazepam) then I was immediately labeled an addict and had to go to addiction services. (Sorry this is so long) I was then tapered down from the high doze in increments it took a year, when I reached 2 mg. a day I have been at this amount now for another year. My doctor wants me to continue the taper further and I now am alone, and am feeling that I wish I could just stay on this amount. (4 x.05 a day) After being on so much for so long they don't trust me now, I had to get a new family doctor as my old one was an enabler supposedly. Yes I did become severely addicted to the clonazepam but for some reason not the ativan, however I did not set out in any way for that to happen and I did not realize until the day I was put on the taper that I was doing something "wrong". Well to make a long story short I guess I would like to stay on a little bit it does still help me and I wondered if others were on it for a long time and still got help. I am pretty sure that in my case the doctor I have now wants me off it totally. I really think I can handle taking the amount I am on but that is the way it happens after they see you have a problem with it! Be careful the tolerance creeps up on you and it is hell to get off it! The big thing I would say is don't ever try to play the game of tolerance which you keep getting it upped so it will work the same as it initially did if you do develp tolerance. It is best to just stay at the doze you are on and then it will not be so hard or severe if you ever do have to come off it. (Sorry this was so long)
I am going on 3 years but I only take 2 (0.5mg) a day. If I happen to need one the odd time I take them as needed but I always take the two at bedtime. I am going to be on them for awhile as after many years of trial and error the doctors have decided I respond the best to Benzos. I was on Ativan and clonazapam but I stopped taking the Ativan about a year ago. After three years I believe they still work very well for me. If I have an attack I take one and calm down quite quickly. How high of a dose are you taking? I know that you can develop a tolerance over time if taken regularly throughout the day.
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It's hard to apply "labels" in these cases (ie "addict"). Sounds to me like you were dealing more with tolerance and dependency, rather than addiction. There are gray areas between the terms, but there is definitely some clear cut differences when it comes to addiction.....
Addiction is characterized by maladaptive behaviors in order to get the med, including buying them off the street, stealing, going to several doctors, also taking more than prescribed amounts to seek a "high". If you don't fit into this category, you weren't really suffering from an addiction, rather had grown tolerant of the med and your body needed it or you would suffer w/d's (dependency). Much of that sounds like partly the fault of a doc who kept upping your dose? Only YOU know if you were experiencing addictive tendencies. If you weren't, IMO, I can't see that wanting to remain on a reasonable maintenence dose (like you're currently on) is unreasonable to ask at all. If it helps you and you truly feel that you can stay at an average dose, then definitely discuss this with your doc. You may even want to seek a second opinion...explain in detail the circumstances and just be honest. By the way, I give you a LOT of credit for tapering down from that high of a dose...that's commendable! Your current doc is likely not going to budge b/c you've been labelled an "addict" and he has a responsibility to take that into consideration.
You just have to take an honest look at the situation and then seek out a doc that will help you by closely monitoring you if you both decide to stick with the Klonopin. Lots of people are on K-Pin for the long haul, it's actually an optimal benzo for that situation. While it certainly carries with it tolerance issues, they aren't as severe as the shorter acting benzos, like Xanax, Ativan. It's truly the better choice for long-term benzo treatment.
Obviously, it goes without saying that IF you truly were exhibiting addictive behaviors, then seeking this as a treatment would NOT be the way to go...but again, only YOU can look at the facts and decide what was really going on!
Best of luck to you!