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Clonazepam - any experience?


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Son has got worse - gone to duty psychiatrist and son has been temporarily put on clonazepam.he'salready on mirtazapine.

Son sees his psychiatrist this Friday for full review of the situation.

This new med looks to be strong stuff.

Keen to hear of any experience and what we need to be asking the doctors on Friday

Many thanks

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Hi Littlefoot

I was put on Clonazepam several years ago. I don't remember what dosage it was.

I was on them for several months and they did relieve the anxiety.

Fortunately, when I was a bit better and I decided to come off them - and I had no problems at all - I just cut down gradually and didn't seem to have any withdrawal symptoms at all.

I hope your son goes well and that the meds suit him.

Take care

whitebeam

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How did you get on?

If he was given Clonazepam I really hope it helps - it did for me.

However, we always have to remember that works for one may not for another and one which suits one may have side-effects in another and vice versa.

It's always worth keeping an eye on things and checking in with psychiatrist/GP should anything untoward be seen.

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Hey Littlefoot,

I am so sorry to hear that your Son isn't great although it is good to know that he's stabilising. Please be very careful with clonazepam, the same goes for any benzodiazepine (diazepam, lorazepam etc.). I was a benzodiazepine addict from April 2007 to May 2015 and it was hellish. For three years I was on a dosage of 28mg's of Lorazepam a day, that's 14 mg's of Clonazepam and 280mg's equivalent of Diazepam. All Benzo's will have an equivalency to diazepam (valium) which will indicate how strong they are, i.e, 0.5 mg's or Clonazepam to every 10mg's of Diazepam. However, different Benzo's work in different ways, clonazepam is fast acting but faily long acting, Lorazepam is fast and short acting, diazepam is a little slower acting and longer acting, etc. Basically, the faster the onset of the tablet and the quicker the duration in which it wears off the more potential there is for addiction. Also, Benzo's are NOT a long term answer, even at the huge amount that I was on, enough to knock a non-tolerant person senseless, after six months, a year tops, my body had grown so accustomed to the drug that I had to take it purely to stop myself going into withdrawal.

Benzodiazepine tolerance and addiction can occur after as little as two weeks from the onset of the initial prescription and the symptoms of withdrawal are horrific to say the least. Benz's, including clonazepam, work by flooding GABA receptors in the body. GABA is a natural chemical which, when released causes depression of the Central Nervous System, much like alcohol. Therefore it is very unwise to drink whilst taking these type of drugs as mixed with alcohol, there will be an enhancement of effects and this can lead to dangerous and disconcerting behaviours. Alcohol should be avoided completely.

Should your son be taking these tablets for any period of time, please be aware that he will gain a tolerance and an addiction so familiarise yourself with benzodiazepine withdrawal, he will need to be weaned off slowly, most likely with a gradual transition to the equivalent dosage of Diazepam followed by a slow taper. It's crucial that this weaning off happens under supervision and isn't rushed. There is a risk of 'protracted benzodiazepine withdrawal' which can last for a long time, I know, it was a pretty grim experience. I wish your Son every Good Luck and Happiness, please be aware though that these type of drugs are not suitable long-term and are brought with difficulties of tolerance and addiction and have many side-effects, BTW, make sure your Son avoids Grapefruit Juice (grapefruit juice enhances the effects of the drugs) and any alcohol (I don't know how old he is so this may not be applicable). Please do your own research and familiarise yourself with everything I have mentioned and anything that I may have forgotten. I know from experience how disastrous these drugs can be if not properly monitored and even with constant supervision, there can still be problems.

I don't mean to frighten you littlest, however the last eight years of my life have been scarred by benzodiazepine addiction, I am also an alcoholic. This has resulted in my being arrested several dozen times and having criminal charges brought against me, mostly for irresponsible behaviour and occasional violence and I am not proud of this. And I again wish yourself and your Son a peaceful, productive and prosperous future. Please, should you need anymore advice, please feel free to contact me and I will do my very best to help you.

All the Best Stu x

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Hey Again Littlefoot,

I've been reviewing my comments and I have to say, I may have let my awful experiences rule over everything else. Of course there are very real benefits to Benzodiazepines, at first they work almost too well for some people and that's when they become a crutch. Having said that, I really hope that in the short term they help your son. I have taken mirtazipine too and again, it's a case of needs must. As long as your son is properly monitored and when he needs to stop taking them, proper protocol is followed then Great, I really wish you both all the best. I haven't got children so I can't imagine what it must be like to watch your child suffering, my thoughts are with you flower :original: .

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Hi TTG

i think your experience is really important for anyone considering/taking this drug to know about. I was lucky - I had no problems with needing an increased dose or having withdrawal symptoms - so for me - it was brilliant - but of course, different meds affect different people in different ways.

I'm sorry that your experience was so bad and so long - I had really bad experiences with Risperidone and would always want people to know thi side of the meds.

I hope that you, TTG, continue to go well and I hope, Littlefoot, that your son continues to go well too.

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Thank you Whitebeam,

TBH I panic every time I hear the quietest mutter of Benzo's nowadays I'm afraid. They are powerful drugs and can work miracles in the short-term. What worries me though is that GP's and even psychiatrists often adopt a blasé attitude towards them, even after several decades of indefinite prescriptions and physical dependency within the healthcare system. This physician led care-free attitude can lull a patient into a false sense of security and then the tablets start to become a perceived solution to a medical problem and not the effective but restricted pharmaceutical aide which they can be. I hope this helps Littlefoot and doesn't throw up obstacles if your sone really needs them in the short-term. Sorry for ranting, I was under the care of some very irresponsible ;professionals' and am sure that I got a really rotten bag of apples, there are many super Doctors out there. Again, I hope your son gets some peace, growing up and living life is a challenge enough sometimes, OCD or similar on top really ups the game, all the best to you both.

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Thanks for the comments - I was aware of these issues and is why I asked - but only in relation to my sister who suffers schizophrenia . But I had no idea re using them for ocd. So our son now has an expert psychiatrist on the case now in addition to nhs and he's already said he'll recommend changing the meds.. With your posts l'm going to email the doc right now and ask that the Clonazepam gets changed - properly - and all these issues are I taken account of in the prescribing. Thanks for prompting me into action and following my instincts.

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