Posted by Philidor on September 3, 2004, at 17:32:23
In reply to Re: Clonazepam working, but worried it won't last, posted by Guy on September 3, 2004, at 14:26:31
First of all, Guy, you really need to chill-out. I mean, talk about irony. You're anxious about taking a drug you're taking for anxiety. (Maybe you should ask your doc for another drug to treat that!)
Ok, all kidding aside. I have been taking clonazepam, 3-4 mg a day, for 8 months now, and it has helped my social anxiety tremendously. (For the first time in my life, for example, if a girl smiles at me, I can actually look her in the eye and SMILE BACK! Do you know how GREAT that is?)
As for your fear of building tolerance, and needing to take more and more----FORGET IT!! Yes, after a time many people do have to raise their dose a bit to get the same effect. This is normal. True even of alcohol, coffee, lots of drugs.
What I think YOU are scared of is ADDICTION!
You think that you will have to raise your dose more and more to get the same effect until you're popping the pills like peanuts and draining your bank account and holding up liquor stores and buying on the street to feed your habit. You will become a JUNKIE!
Well, my friend, it ain't gonna happen. I mean, not unless that's your goal. What will happen is that you will reach the dose level that does the job for you, and stop there. Just like social drinkers who know their limit and stop when they get there.
NOW---what WILL happen after awhile is DEPENDENCE. That's different. It means that you will need to keep taking the drug every day and not stop it suddenly or you could run into trouble. You could have a really bad reaction, in fact.
But that's true of lots of people and lots of drugs! My dad can't suddenly stop taking his blood pressure meds, my mom would become very ill and finally die if she stopped taking her thyroid.
Does that make them junkies? Of course not. But it does make them drug dependent. BFD.
So forget the scare stories and keep taking the clon for just as long as it helps you. Forever, if you like. Many people do.
And if you ever decide you want to quit, you CAN! But you must do it verrrrrrrry slowly. Ask your doctor how.
And I couldn't agree with you more. A restful night's sleep is VITAL to mental and physical well-being. It should do wonders for your anxiety.
So may I make this humble suggestion? Ask your doc to give you Sonata or Ambien to use for sleep, while saving the clon for daytime anxiety. REASON: Those drugs, while close relatives of clonazepam, are designed to enhance the most restful stages of sleep in a way that clonazepam is not.
I'm not a doctor, but I do read a lot by the experts on this stuff and I can back up everything I've told you with the evidence. So I hope you find this helpful. Best of luck!
Phil
poster:Philidor
thread:386032
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040830/msgs/386144.html