AltheaWild

This is my first hour on this website(I stumbled across it after searching for Adderall... which I have been prescribed), so I am not POSITIVE if I can come right out and say that I enjoy 7-8mgs of klonopin.

But I don't want to... I want it to work for my anxiety, my anxiety hurts me on a daily basis, it runs my whole life. I may not appear to others as horribly anxiety-ridden, but inside I'm just a shaking little kid. I have tried to take a normal dosage, but it doesn't work for my anxiety.

So I end up just binging on it. And of course I love it, I wouldn't be on this page if I didn't. It's just.... why can't I take it for anxiety. =(

JustAYak

Hello AltheaWild, welcome to SR . You'll find a lot of help here.

I'm not sure I understand your post exactly, but there are many other medications out there for anxiety, klonopin is not your only option. Knowingly taking more than the prescribed dosage is a sign of addiction. Chasing a high is a sign of addiction, but only you can really decide if you're an addict or not. It is dangerous to take more than the prescribed dosage, please inform your doctor of your habit before it eats you alive...addiction is not a fun road to travel, if you can catch it and stop it early, you can recover from your fault much more easily! Logically speaking, if it is not working for your anxiety, why use it? Why pay for something that doesn't work?

If you haven't seen this saying already, it goes "addiction only leads to three things: jail, institutions, and death." Heed that warning, it really is true.

You're off to a great start being on this board, I'm happy you're here! You'll find a lot of support here, really, you won't regret joining!

Lizrox

You can't just take it for anxiety because it sounds as if you have an addictive personality. You need to take it to feel good and your addicted to it.

In my opinion you have to try to get off of Klonopin and take something else for your anxiety. There ARE other nonaddictive drugs out there that work.

Benzos like Klonopin are also "wicked drugs." They are EXTREMELY hard to get off of. You really need a good taper plan.

Also; why were you searching for Adderall? Do you have a problem with that drug as well?

Good Luck..

opmloser

Hi Altheawild,

First off, welcome to SR - this is the best site IMO to begin if you wanna stop!
I was wondering too why you're on the net searching for Adderall...I hope you're not considering buying it from any sources w/o a script ??

dreamscape

I have a long history with Klonopin and I can tell you that it works less and less and the weeks and months go on (adaptation).
.......So I had to take it just to stop the onset of acute benzo withdrawal, and let me tell you, it's just like a heroin addict having to take methadon to ward off heroin withdrawal.

addictive personality or not (IMHO) Klonopin are super addictive for anyone.
They worked wonderfully for me for the short term (a few weeks or a month) but I hung on the them for LONG TIME and eventually i had to pay the piper and get off them, and it was horrible!

You're say you're anxiety ridden? Well....... there is a reason for it....right?
Now days I treat the reason for it (in me) in a non chemical way

I go to NA meetings and have a close friend to whom I can talk too, I pray to God and ask for help and things are a lot better than when I was taking large amounts of ~whatever~ to cope.

J

MemphisBlues

Please see a doctor versed in benzo withdrawal and benzo addiction. You're playing with a heavy dosage that will only lead you down a very dangerous path.

I was prescribed 20 milligrams a day of Klonopin. My psychiatrist, I fear, had no clue what he was doing. Anxiety? Panic attacks plagued me my whole life.

Getting off the benzos nearly killed me. I should be specific: after seizures, hallucinations, psychotic states, a week of no sleep, I tired to throw myself through a 12th floor window just to stop the pain. Add to that soaring blood pressure, a heart beating like a rabbit's, fevers, headaches...well, it took 10 days in a shrink ward just to get me to a point where I realized I where I was and that I had months of recovery ahead of me.

Eight months out I suffer from PTSD from the experience.

I'm trying to scare you. I am, seriously. Get a doctor who will TAPER you from the klonopin slowly. Get in an environment where anxiety is OK, where it is just you and the anxiety. Get into a program, AA or NA, where others like you are recovering.

Do know that you are not unique. I've met many like you. I am like you. I survived. Without Klonopin, and after 20 years of extremely anxiety, I now live without it. Simply put, the paradox of benzos is that they were designed for short-term use, no more than two months, not 20 years, not six months, not one year. And you develop tolerance to them quickly, and the withdrawal you experience between dosages exacerbates anxiety tenfold. That is why you are now taking more than prescribed. Get it? Remember when you first took it? Wasn't the relief just amazing? Well, guess why you now have to take more to even get close to that feeling? Tolerance. You are going into withdrawal every day, between doses. Again, benzos are wicked, dangerous, evil crap.

Search benzo addiction online. Read the works of Dr. Heather Ashton. You are not trudging along an easy road, but it is a road that ends. At at the end is peace from anxiety -- without drugs.

CarolD

Hi everyone.....
Some posts have been removed that did not follow our mandatory posting Rule..

10. Medical Advice: No Posts giving medical advice, medication advice, or psychiatric advice. Do not use the forum to give or ask for professional medical or psychiatric advice. If you are a medical professional, please remember the forums and chat are for peer support only and not to be used for distributing professional medical advice and/or using the forum to represent your professional services. Medical and Psychiatric advice includes giving a diagnosis, treatment plan, medication advice and dosage suggestions, over the counter and natural home remedies that should be approved by medical professionals. Detox can be dangerous and life threatening at times. Please consult with your physician.


What worked for you could harm someone else...do not be specific in suggesting any meds.....:

AltheaWild

I was looking for side effects... I was currently prescribed 10 mgs a day.

AltheaWild

I hear what you are saying and I admire your self-control against chemicals. I try as hard as I can, believe me, to control my anxiety without meds, but I have such a long history with it. My doctor knew that nothing was working for me at the time I came in begging for relief. There have been two very painful incidences that have occurred since November '10 and I think the aftermath has taken it's toll on me so much that even my own body can't control itself, no matter how many positive coping mechanisms I try to use.

FT

AltheaWild:

I think more people would try to help you if we understood why you are here?

FT

AltheaWild

Me too =( I don't know why I'm here! Well, no actually I am happy to hear the opinions of others who have been through similar experiences and the advice they may offer.

Thanks everyone for the help

MichealR

Klonopin can actually make you more anxious over time. Benzos are not good for long term. They should only be perscribed for maybe a couple weeks. You should try to look into healthy , natural alternatives. Therapy. Adress the cause , not the symptoms. If you keep masking it , it will only get worse. BENZOS ARE BAD!!!!!