I am 61 and just started clonazapam for GAD. I cannot take SSRIs, can't tolerate side effects. I managed to not need a benzo for 21 years by taking Buspar, but it is not strong enough for my recent problems. I have to be on something lifelong now to keep from relapsing. I am hoping to find members who are my age and need to be on clonazapam for life, as I feel alone in my age group. I do not have panic attacks, just GAD. I hope to live into my 90s and wonder if I can take this at that age? Hope so, I am very healthy otherwise and my mom is 91 and grandma died at 97. I really like the clonazapam and how it makes me feel, if I could just stop worrying about it. I would like only positive feedback as I don't want to add to my anxiety. Thank you for listening.
How many years have you been on Klonopin? Who is the oldest person you know taking Klonopin?
- Asked
- 22 Jul 2013 by iamalady
- Updated
- 7 August 2019 (10 days ago)
- Topics
- buspar, klonopin, anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, clonazepam, side effect
Responses (76)
I just turned 63, and I have been on clonazepam for over 20 years. It was prescribed for me first because a neurologist had diagnosed a "temporal lobe brain wave disorder," and as a child I had been diagnosed as having "petite mal epilepsy." I saw a therapist and a psychiatrist when my 90 year old mother was placed in a hospice. My Mom begged my sister not to make her go (she'd been living with my older sister for several years and my sister was burned out.) And my Mom begged me to let her come live with me and my husband, but all concerned felt that with my health problems, it would be too much for me. (My Mom has since died - a little over a year ago.) The psychiatrist got my clonazepam dosage up to 8 mg. a day for over 7 years. I've been gradually cutting down and am at 2 mg when I (try to) go to sleep.
Oh my ... I'm 68, sigh. I take other meds but have been taking clonazapam at night to help me sleep for quite a few year.
Thank you for commenting. Unfortunately the tachacardia that I now have has become chronic and the trigger is my anxiety as docs can't find any other reason for it and my heart doc does not want me to have an ablation because of the risks. The clonazapam really works best as I am not depressed, just have GAD. I don't want a SSRI. I used to be a medical transcriptionist so know a little about drugs and there uses. I just need to keep my anxiety down and my Buspar is not strong enough to help w/ the SVT. I am glad to find those my age using clon long term, as I need a support group of ladies or gentleman and seniors who are not trying to come off clon, but want to STAY ON IT! So many people are trying to come off, and going through w/d symptoms. Won't their anxiety just come back, I know mine will. GAD is a disease like other diseases, once you have it, it is life long. Anyway, I tend to talk too much! LOL I have insomnia too, runs in my family, all female. Glad you are getting relief.
Kitty,
How many milligrams do you take for sleep? I take it for sleep as well and take 2mg before bedtime. I don’t have anxiety problems during the day, just can’t sleep at night. Sleep is good with it.
I have a friend who is 65 and has taken 2mg for 8 years for sleep.
Dear jamalady- no worries... I am 56 and have been on Clonozapem
(Klonopin) for over 34 years..It is my miracle drug, that made me want to
fight to live again after a bad car accident- head injury. Take Care, ~~DD~~
Pardon me, imalady--not jamalady..LOL:) rock on...
I hit the wrong keys a lot. I wrote a reply earlier, but I don't see it ever came through? Thanks, best to you to.
thank u for your question. i am 66 and i have been on clonazepam for approx 30 years.
drs have been trying to treat my problem of anxiety with every anti depressent there
has every been. talk about a horror show. needless to say i have and hopefully will
never try another. recently along with 1to 2 mg of clon daily i have been taking 30mg
of buspar. started 2 months ago. i immediately saw a difference, believe it or not. never
felt as calm, focussed, my memory improved and couldn't say more, my need for clon
I could not remember my old password, so now I am aladyiam instead of iamalady. Anyway thanks for your reply about clonazapam. I have been on it for 2 years now at .25mg in the morning only. I have been on buspar for 9 years, 5mg, three times a day. I could never take 30 mg a day, as I felt side effects at that level. Maybe if you lowered the dose of buspar a little with permission from your doctor. I will be on clonazapam indefinitely as when I went off for 4 months last summer, my tachycardia got worse. My heart doctor said it acts like a beta blocker, as well as working on my anxiety, so I went back on. It is nice to hear from people who have been on clonazapam for many years and do not have memory loss or bad side effects. I am 63 now.
I hope you are doing ok.
I realze this is an older question, but felt the need to let you all know about long term use of benzodiazepines. My psychiatrist is the one that warned me.There has been a recent study that people that take benzo's long term at ages 60+ that it causes dementia for a big percent of patients that were followed throughout many years in the study. My psych explained to me that there has been many studies on it that were not conclusive, but the newest studies found it to be true. I totally trust my psych doc, but thought I would do research on it myself and I found what she said was an absolute truth. I also found that the dementia usually occures when using the benzo's that have a longer half life such as valium, klonopin, ativan and down the line. The articles said the short acting benzo's such as xanax etc also can cause dementia, but mostly it's the longer acting benzo's. The study is for long term use.. I wish you all the best and hope it doesn't affect anyone in a negative way.
Hi, I also heard of the results of a Canadian study like that in 2014. It is scary, but at my doctor appt today, I asked my doctor about it. She said it was a study on people in their 80s, and was still not for certain, that many of the subjects may have already been affected by dementia or Alzheimer's before being put on clonazapam. So there is just a possibility. I have to take it, and many people have to take it. Its good to know tho, for those who could choose another medication with good results, they would not have the worry that we have.
Ativan is short acting.
I know this is an old question. Just wondering if you are still taking klonopin. My problem is I can't quit worrying about taking klonopin! It helps but I'm so scared I'm going to get "hooked" on it. But I guess if it helps me I shouldn't worry about it. Just wondering how long you've been on it.
Hi TK Marsh. I have only been on Klonopin generic for 4 years. I also worry myself to pieces about taking it, drives my doc crazy. lol. Drives my husband crazy. lol. He's a diabetic and takes meds, so he says so you need it, take it. I will be 65 in April. If I try and decrease my dose, my heart acts up, skips beats more and then I worry more than tachycardia comes back. The tachycardia started when I was 61, I guess from years of stress, doctors don't really know why, but Klonopin really helps it stay away for months at a time. So you are not alone at worrying. Hope you can relax and just become comfortable taking it. Hugs
I have the same problem! We should start a support group! Lol
To Iamalady from Pain Pal: I am 59 years of age soon to be 60 I have been on Clonazapam the for over 12 years and will probably take it the rest of my life. When my Benign Essential Tremor first started I was 47 years old so I have taken this Benzo for over 12 years. I think I shall be on it my whole life I take 2 tabs a day 1 milligram a tab so don't worry about taking this drug. I don't take it for anxiety I take it for my tremor which is hereditary my father & my 2 sisters had the same tremor just in different areas my fathers hand shook my sisters also, mine was in my neck & hands. When I first went to a neurologist I was asked if I wanted to go the old route or the new route & I myself didn't even ask what either one of the routes were lol, I just thought if they were still keeping the old route around that it must be the best route to go...
Hi again Iamalady this is Pain Pal you did say why you were taking clonazapam & I'm sorry that I didn't understand what GAD was I do now & I apologize for asking why you take them I'm sure I have the same thing also my general physician says I have a mutant brain cell which I think he does for letting me walk around shaking like a leaf for over 4!5 years anyway I think we are ok & will be. I remember that I went into emergency for stitches once & the emergency doctor was more concerned about my shaking then he was about my 15 stitches lol that was before my general physician finally sent me to a neurologist. I do apologize it's early morning & I can't sleep or see correctly what was written right before my eyes & I read your post 3 times & saw that you did say why you were taking clonazapam like I said Katharine Hepburn had tremors & she did fine we are all different & I think we will be fine taking these benzos as prescribed.
Hi pain pal! I loved Katherine Hepburn! I am now 65, so just finished 4 years on Klonopin. Still taking it, but I increased my dose from 1/4 mg to 1/2 .mg last summer in June as my tachycardia started bothering me again. It's a fast heartbeat that is caused by stress apparently. It lasts for about an hour than returns to normal rhythm. Tests show my heart is fine otherwise. Klonopin stops it or blocks the adrenaline from anxiety, which also seems worse with age, more to worry about I guess. lol. I had a choice of beta blocker or Klonopin and after doing research the beta blocker scared me worse. I'm still on Buspar steady 5mg 3 times a day for 10 years, no breaks. It treats my anxiety, the k-pin treats the sinus tachycardia, can go months w/o having an attack. I too worry about staying on klon, but when I weaned off for 4 months the tachycardia came back, so, yes I'll most likely be on it for life also. So far no memory problems or side effects.
I am 70 years old and have been taking Klonopin 1mg for insomnia every night for about 30 years! Recently, I've been waking up after 5 hours, so often take another one to get 2 hours more sleep. My memory is better than most of my friends. When I don't take the 2nd one, I am exhausted and feel sick all day. My cousin is 79 and has been taking it for 40 years! We are both still working professionals and quite sharp, if I do say so myself! I do worry about taking th 2nd one. My doctor doesn't think it's a great idea, but my choice is to feel crappy all day or risk dementia. I guess I choose the former. No sign of dementia yet!
You don't know how much it means to have people like yourself give their history or information on using Klonopin. We need support groups for those of us who need to take it and how it helps. Success stories, I would call them. And you aren't having any horrible side effects from your years on it or is your cousin. Gives me comfort and I'm sure others who happen to come across this thread who are struggling with their fears of being on it when it helps them. Thanks for making the effort to tell your experience.
Just wandering if you still are taking klonopin?
Thank you,
Only persons like us can understand and appreciate the responses that are seen here. I have been on the generic k-pin for 12 years (first on and off and now 1 mg. during the nite when I wake to go to the bathroom). I wake in a great mood with no anxiety and the day is wonderful.
I have severe S.A.D. and this morning I almost bawled thinking about going thru this for the next 3 months (I live in Southern CA) which is called here "June Gloom" but usually begins in April and lasts thru June. It cannot be explained to others who are "normal"??? that S.A.D. is like having nausea every morning and vomiting and saying to yourself that you will be fine in a few hours but meanwhile you just want to die and get the sickness over with. Especially knowing that it will happen again tomorrow, the next day, etc. for the next few months.
Maxeen, I have S.A.D. but in MI mine starts in November when it gets dark and cold. It lasts all winter, it's very gloomy in MI during our winter. I feel better in April. This year I bought a therapy light and used it for 30 minutes every morning, not sure how much it helped. I'm surprised southern California is gloomy. Does it rain a lot? Just wondering as my husband and I have thought about moving to Arizona, Tucson for sun every day. We are retired, but don't want to leave lots of family, so we suffer. Michigan has a very short summer and is even cloudy much in the summer.
The weather here is great. San Diego had the nickname "America's Finest City" but the ocean being so close causes a weather issue which causes the grey for almost 3 months. It's only 2-3 hrs in the a.m.but it hits me hard.
Sorry, S.A.D. is bad. I crave warm weather, like it warm. We tried Florida a few weeks in the winter, did not help, rained too much, figure might as well be home. lol. However, Tucson is almost always sunny, but summers so hot, kind of scary. We spent a few weeks in Tucson in March and April. Well Lansing Michigan, where I live was once voted the city that had the most cloudy days in the United States. LOL! It really was! I have been to San Diego, but just for 3 days in March one time. Beautiful! Nice to share our stories. Thanks... Feel better soon
I am 63 years old. I have been on klonopin since 1992 for sleep and anxiety. Over the years medical doctors prescribed up to 6 mg a day. In 2014 I started with a psychiatrist stating I wanted to work my way down slowly and then off Klonopin. So I got down to 2 mg of klonopin a day. Last Sept 2016 I talked to him about a decrease to 1.5 mg a day. He suggested I go up to 3 mg which I said no to. I work at Nordstrom in a very volatile and hostile work environment. Increasing my klonopin was not the answer. On October 16, 2016 I missed a step coming down a ladder in a non compliant OSHA backroom. Unfortunately I suffered a brain injury and became the victim of Nordstrom Workman's Comp. Treatment delayed 11 weeks, lost my $60,000 a year position and abused by Corporate America. I was cut off by WC with treatment and money plus my long term benefit of disability has been denied by Nordstrom.
I am 29, I was on klonopin for a year, it saved my life from horrible anxiety. I was prescribed .5 mg twice a day, I only used one pill per day, it got the job done. I haven't felt normal in years until I found generic Klonopin. Unfortunately I can't find a dr to prescribe it long term, every dr seems to shun me as if It's my fault. I would rather live with the "potential" adverse affects in the future and live my current present time feeling good while I can, the most important time in my life.
I have been on the following SSRIs
Prozac
Lexapro
Celexa
Busiprone
Paxil
Effexor
And now Zoloft
Find a female psychiatrist.
I'm 71 and take 1 mg. Every night.. I've been on it for about 30 years. My extremely sharp cousin has been taking it for about 35 years. She is 78. No bad effects. Can't sleep without a.
Thank you, you are giving me hope.
Thanks for your comment. It really helps me decide if it’s ok to take everyday.
It is a relief reading these responses. I was given Klonopin 3 yrs ago for neurpathic tooth pain. I was taking .5x 2xday. I have been able to cut back to .5 once a day. I am 59 now. I have tried to wean off in the past with horrific side effects. I read so much of how horrible the drug is so it scares me . Reading the above posts calms me down and I am glad to read them, It is the first time I have read anything positive. I am also a 17 yr breast cancer survivor and suffer from PTSD. Even though a few weeks ago I wanted to taper down I think I will stay on it and stop focusing on the negitive aspect of this drug. thank you
I like success stories of people on Klonopin, and especially long term. There are many, but usually the bad reports make it on more. If you are doing great why go into forums that might depress you, so they don't. Try not to worry, glad it helps you.
I just removed myself from all the forums except this. I can't torture myself over this drug anymore. I will continue using it
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Oh thank you! You have been through a lot! Hugs to you. I know you need a higher dose for seizures. I think you are strong to get down to 2mg. It does not sound like you have short term memory loss or problems from the clonazapam. I have read great reviews by people using it for long term, but they are still much younger than we are. You may be on a lot of meds, but if they are helping keep you going and feeling good, stay with it. My husband is type II diabetic and on meds, just had dose doubled at age 69. He knows there are side effects, but w/o them he would be worse off. I also take diltiazem for SVT, something I just started having at age 61 from my anxiety and so clonazapam works better than buspar and I need to stay calm so as not to trigger the SVT attacks. The diltiazem helps the events stay under 150 beats per minute. Otherwise all tests show my heart to be healthy.
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My mother has mild SVT and on diltiazem for 13 years, but does not take anxiety meds, she's lucky and made it to 91. Thanks for answering, it feels good to have support in this. I am on a low dose .25mg in am, but my doctor said to keep taking my buspar 5mg 3x a day along with it. I started at .5mg twice a day for 8 weeks and then reduced the dose and doing pretty good, the SVTs stopped for 4 months, so I went off the clonazapam and on the 7th day off I had a SVT event for an hour and another 4 days later, so now back on the clonazapam and they stopped again, so that was good. Thanks again, you seem really nice. Sorry your mom died.
I have a question I've been on benzodiazepines Temazepam clonazepam lorazepam at the present time I'm only on clonazepam I ran out of my prescription and it was the weekend and I had no refills. And I guess I've never been through withdrawals but I'm assuming that's what it was a heavy heart beat really fast cold sweats felt like I was going to pass out another words faint and some chest discomfort!! Is this withdrawal symptoms from the clonazepam and after getting your prescription filled again how long will it take for your body to adjust to having your medication in your system again?
It sounds like withdrawal, I have never ran out or stopped abruptly without tapering, but once when I was off for 4 months after tapering I went back on and I thought it helped right away, or I felt the calming effects right away. Just found your question... So hopefully you are back on track.
I see a psychiatrist for mine. I know that if one stops the drug, the peak withdrawal time is six months. In-patient recovery is recommended. If someone runs out, it is very scary. All the symptoms do point to withdrawals. I was off of mine ONCE. After three days, I got them back and within 20 minutes, I was me again. Not a drug to just stop. Make sure you have a couple extra for times like this. I took many pharmacology classes and forensic toxicology. I’m not special, but advice is fact and completely understood by me. I know I don’t ever want to be without. Feels so bad. Good luck! It will be ok.
I would not worry about such a low dose. I've been on .25 twice daily for over 20 years now and never built a tolerance, Thank God. My psych said i should consider the goal of being off of it by age 65, not sure why they have this age built in as a time when one should be off of Klonopin, perhaps it contributes to issues occurring later? i was hoping i'd be able to stay on this low does for the rest of my life, but apparently not. i don't want to look into it yet because i know i'd need a year in a resort with nothing to think about except fun, sun and communing with dolphins in order to come off of it so i'm kind of procrastinating for now. Perhaps because you started on it so late in life you can stay on it for life? i would certainly ask your doctor if you can and factor that in before your body gets dependent. It is not fun being dependent on it as i am.
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i have to take it each day now just to avoid withdrawals and i would avoid that route at all costs IF YOU CAN. Otherwise, if you can't, relax, don't add to your worries, and just take one day at a time. NO need to cause yourself any further suffering. Good luck!