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Klonopin Nightmare
I have been taking either Xanax or Klonopin for the last 26 yrs. I started off with Xanax in the beginning and then about 9 yrs ago a Psych I went to put me on Klonopin and took me off the Xanax. This due to the fact that Klonopin does have a longer effect than Xanax. I have been on 6mg of Klonopin for the last 9 yrs. A little background: I started having anxiety and panic attacks when I was in 4th grade. Doctor after doctor told me it was "all in my head". I managed to get thru school and graduate. When my son was 2, I began to have horrible panic attacks until I was at the point of not wanting to leave my house. Thats when my fun with Benzo's began. My doctor put me on Xanax and it was my miracle drug. The panic attacks went away, the anxiety minimalized. I was able to live again! I was able to go to college and get a degree and work as a nurse. Then my initial doctor moved and I had to find another doctor, then he would move and I had to find another doctor, etc. Then it became harder and harder to find a doctor to write me a script for Klonopin, much less for the amount I was taking. I have had doctors I have gone to for 2 yrs or more decide they were not writing scripts for Klonopin anymore, see ya, goodbye, have a nice life, Oh and if you start having bad withdrawals go to the ER. I have lost so many jobs because of doctors and their "...the DEA is watching me, etc. I have tried to cut back with no success, mainly because I don't want to stop. I live my life just fine on Klonopin 6mg a day. I never want to go back to the life I had before with the anxiety and severe panic attacks. Now, I just have to keep looking for doctors who will write me my script for Klonopin. The last three wanted to cut me back from 6mg to 0mg in 4-6 wks. Those of us with true issues have to pay the price for the drug dealers out there who go to doctors and load up on Xanax, Klonopin, Lortab, OC's, etc and sell these on the street for $6/pill. I am so tired of doctor shopping per say. Isn't there a doctor out there in this US who will see it works for me, it aint broke so don't fix it and just write my Klonopin like I have taken it for the last 9 yrs and let me get back to my life, go back to work and not have to have the anxiety worrying about if I go see my doctor is he going to be scared off by the DEA and I tell me no more scripts, have a nice life?
Why on EARTH do you assume these folks do not see therapists? I sincerely pray that you never get PTSD. Psychiatrists, therapy, lifestyle changes, etc., all help. But if you had been beat to within an inch of your life on a weekly basis when you were growing up, you too might have PTSD and you might see you cannot change the way the brain operates. Sometimes some patients will not function normally unless they have Clonazepam (Klonopin) or some other drug. Please try to be understanding.
Paxiled said it all. A complicated issue, indeed. One that won't be solved overnight.
Therapy is good, if your insurance will cover. I still need clonazapam to get to appts..
One wise psychiatrist who introduced me to biofeedback and relaxation techniques many years ago, when I had insurance that covered such things....said there was probably a genesis to the panic disorder, but it might take a lifetime (and many many $) to find. Even then, there might be genetic component which couldn't be cured.
Therapy is good, if your insurance will cover. I still need clonazapam to get to appts..
One wise psychiatrist who introduced me to biofeedback and relaxation techniques many years ago, when I had insurance that covered such things....said there was probably a genesis to the panic disorder, but it might take a lifetime (and many many $) to find. Even then, there might be genetic component which couldn't be cured.
This is a complicated issue. The problems with benzos are complicated; they can damage people for life. So can anti-depressants. And then there are those of us who have little of a life anyway. And then there are pharmaceutical companies and the docs and shrinks they employ who lie about these meds and ignore their downsides until years have gone by and the damaged people reach a critical mass. And then govts react by banning meds, or threatening docs, which ignores the original problem: Therapy doesn't have a great track record, either, statistically. So it becomes a vicious circle. I'm one of the permanently damaged ones, from Paxil, but I would never argue that it be banned, because for some people it's all they have. What we need is more caution and care by our docs, but that's expensive because it means they have to spend more time with us and more time getting properly trained instead of propagandized. We have a long way to go with medical care. Personally, if this is what makes you have a life, and it hasn't harmed you, frankly, the real problems come when you stop these meds because they body often can never function again without them, or docs stop you too quickly, or they don't tell the patient there might be a problem and don't react when there is, but since you're informed and know what you're doing, it seems just cruel to put you through this. I mean, they don't offer a really good alternative, do they, once they get you into this route?
your anxiety started in childhood, as did mine. i've been on and off benzos for 7 years. i used to take 4 mgs of xanax, but with the help of a therapist that specializes in anxiety and ocd, i am now only on 1.5 mgs of klonopin and better than ever. i hope to be off benzos completely by nov, as i want to have another baby. a therapist can do wonders for anxiety, you dont have to go back to the way you used to be. as the above poster stated, getting to the root of the problem can help you not need these meds the way you do. i know its frusterating to hear but its more frusterating to have to dr shop.
Maybe it's time to see a therapist and address what is causing all this anxiety. The medications merely mask the symptoms, but getting to the root cause can rid us of the anxiety all together. Find a therapist who can teach you coping skills, how to think differently, and to find out why you are so anxious, especially since it began as a little girl. There may be some unresolved issues from your childhood that need to be addressed with therapy, and you can then get on with your life. Take care.
You have an issue very familiar to me. I, too, suffer from panic disorder. Have been taking either Xanax or for the past 20 yrs, clonazapam. I am now 74, and a survivor of anal cancer, as well as the murder of my son a few months ago. Before that, I put myself through college and held down a steady job until I was 70.
So....no picnic this life. Added to the various struggles I faced, was the arrogance of pharmacists, who would almost throw my script at me, with a look of disgust on their faces.
I remember one saying the prescription was for too much Xanax. After crying all the way home, I saw my psychiatrist who calmly said I should ask what medical college the guy attended.
Think I've obediently tried every antidepressant invented and nothing worked without serious side effects. Sometimes I could last for up to a year on one, then wind up in hospital with severe health problems and depression from high anxiety. Often I took the anti anxiety with an antidepressant.
On the first of the year, my Medicare script plan took clonazapm off their list of meds they would pay for. Medicare also does not pay for mental health care. I pay my psychiatrist, who is really my only ally in this ongoing struggle.
Saw my GP for a physical which I will also be paying for..yuk!...and he got off topic with a warning about clonazapam. I could scream @ times.
So....I do relate. Wish I could tell you there is an answer. You do need to develop a relationship with a doctor who will listen and work with you. It is unfair. No question about it. I have never abused a drug in my 74 years. I function better on clonazapam than any other medication.
BTW: I do practice cognitive behavioral techniques; get out of apt every day; meditate, know breathing techniques, but as you know these are part of the solution. Meds are the base we need. I do hope you get to a doctor who will listen to your story, and sympathize with the angst you are feeling . I feel we are not alone. There must be millions of innocents in this anti drug war: with docs covering their a**** by cutting us off.
It is enough to live with the stigma of mental illness. To add another log to that fire is unacceptable. Best luck.
So....no picnic this life. Added to the various struggles I faced, was the arrogance of pharmacists, who would almost throw my script at me, with a look of disgust on their faces.
I remember one saying the prescription was for too much Xanax. After crying all the way home, I saw my psychiatrist who calmly said I should ask what medical college the guy attended.
Think I've obediently tried every antidepressant invented and nothing worked without serious side effects. Sometimes I could last for up to a year on one, then wind up in hospital with severe health problems and depression from high anxiety. Often I took the anti anxiety with an antidepressant.
On the first of the year, my Medicare script plan took clonazapm off their list of meds they would pay for. Medicare also does not pay for mental health care. I pay my psychiatrist, who is really my only ally in this ongoing struggle.
Saw my GP for a physical which I will also be paying for..yuk!...and he got off topic with a warning about clonazapam. I could scream @ times.
So....I do relate. Wish I could tell you there is an answer. You do need to develop a relationship with a doctor who will listen and work with you. It is unfair. No question about it. I have never abused a drug in my 74 years. I function better on clonazapam than any other medication.
BTW: I do practice cognitive behavioral techniques; get out of apt every day; meditate, know breathing techniques, but as you know these are part of the solution. Meds are the base we need. I do hope you get to a doctor who will listen to your story, and sympathize with the angst you are feeling . I feel we are not alone. There must be millions of innocents in this anti drug war: with docs covering their a**** by cutting us off.
It is enough to live with the stigma of mental illness. To add another log to that fire is unacceptable. Best luck.
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