How can I know if the symptoms I have are caused by a possible Klonopin tolerance..?

Question

..Or it it can be just my symptoms for anxiety(for which i was prescribed klonopin 7 years ago at a 0.5mg dosage and went up to 0.75mg 5 months ago and now am starting to go back to 0.5mg... symptoms always exist,not just now that I'm cutting down , but they always were present before and after klonopin.. maybe I reached tolerance a long time ago as 0.5 mg is a small dose, but sometimes I'm really fine.. I've been trying to think about it and I don't know if a person who is having withdrawn symptoms cause d by tolerance will have them eveyday/all the time..I guess so..if the body is asking for more and you don't give it you'd feel bad all the time...or not necessarily..? I'm really confused cause I never know if my symptoms are being caused by my own anxiety disorder or if I reached tolerance on Klonopin.. really worried.. trying to start my withdrawn.. but I get paranoid that I won't be able to sleep..among other things, of course, but I don't go to bed before I take the klonopin..

Answer 1

You should never cut back on drugs without first consulting your physician. I would suggest talking to your doc about cutting back and expressing your concerns to him/her about your dependency on this drug. Klonopin is a highly addictive drug, both mentally and physically. Your body has built a tolerance/dependency on it you now need it to feel "normal." This is not abnormal.

One of my best friends took Xanax for two years. She started off at .25 mg a day and her dosage gradually increased and she was taking 2MG a day before she knew it. She knew this had become a problem so she slowly cut back on her own and she now takes benadryl when she can't sleep.

To be honest with you, most people who take benzodiazepines will build a tolerance and have to up their dosage...whereas in your case you say you took the same dosage for 7 years without an increase. That is great and I think that it is also wonderful that you are aware that upping your dosage may not be the smartest move either. I would stay on the lower dosage and even talk to your doc about taking 1/2 of your normal dosage on evenings when you aren't feeling too anxious, this way when you are having bad anxiety you can take your normal dosage and actually feel the effects and feel normal...Good Luck to you.

Answer 2

Klonopin is a benzodiazepine and many people develop symptoms even while still on benzodiazepines and it can be very difficult to withdraw and thus a person usually has to withdrawal very slowly over a period of months and months or sometimes a year or more. For good information you should visit this web site http://www.bcnc.org.uk which also has a link to a seperate support group which offers help for benzodiazepine withdrawal. Often a person will get health symptoms which they never had before or are of a new more severe intensity than the origional complaint when they reach tolerance to the benzodiazepine like klonopin.

Answer 3

You have built up a tolerance. This is the way all drugs work. While continuing to take them, your tolerance will never get weaker, only stronger. The dosage must only be increased, not decreased for the effects to work effectively.

The only reason to step down the dosage would be if you were eventually trying to ween yourself off klonopin, in which it would only be natural for symptoms of your condition to return. If you're trying to get off klonopin, you just have deal with it (I know anxiety sucks.)

If you're not trying to get off klonopin, ask your doctor to up your dosage, or you could try switching to a different benzodiazipam (xanax, ativan, or valium)

Answer 4

i was on klonopin for 2 yrs, went from 0.5 mg a day al the way to 2 mg three times a day.......trust me, when i wanted to stop taking it, it was very hard.....but there is a med. that you can take for 3 days to withdraw from klonopin (Librax), and then change to another, not so easily tolerated, medicine. i am glad i no longer take it, and would never take it again after what i went through. (klonopin is also a seizure med)

Answer 5

i take klonopin and i take 0.5 mg twice a day and i can tell you that i can feel when i need to take it again. however i'm sure that you can build up a tlorance to it after a while no i am also on lexparo and that helps and i take ambien to help me sleep at night because like you i would get paranoid and wouldn't sleep. what i would recomend is to talk to your doctor and see what is going on and see if he can put you on maybe a different med or add a med to see if that helps. i know that it makes you feel like a lab rat but you need to feel right again also get some talk therapy and that will help maybe too. beliveve me i feel for you and i hope that this helps.

Answer 6

Okay, calm down. I was on that one a while ago.. That is a bad drug. It's effects can be initially helpful but longterm usage can lead to dependency or what you call tolerance. just try to get yourself clear of all of those drugs, you may care to try herbs, like kava and such but dont abuse even those. you really want to stay clean and free from drugs, that is ideal.
take a tylenol pm for a few nights to help you sleep or get a sleep aid. Do not return to Klonopin that is some bad ****. stay away from it. i repeat stay away from it and all other psych drugs if you can function in any way without them.
just my advice...

Answer 7

You need to be re evaluated for the anxiety. I have taken this drug for years (only at bedtime) and I am not addicted to it, as I forget and sleep well at times. I don't think the medication is the problem. There are probably other things going on. Please see your Doctor for help. Good luck.