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?
Question posted by iamalady on 22 July 2013
Last updated on 27 April 2025
The information on this page reflects personal experiences shared by our community members. It is not reviewed for medical accuracy and should not replace professional medical advice.
208 Answers Page 4
On 4mg a day for 30 years. I am 60 and had NO problems, my mom takes 1mg to sleep and is 90 without issues...
I originally replied to this post a few years back, pre-pandemic in 2019. And my view of it then, is certainly not the same as today. Given the changes of the state of the world these past few years, & given the medication is being properly managed by a psychiatrist—if you find the good ultimately outweighs any negative consequences, then go for it. A little of my backstory: the drug (Klonopin) originally prescribed for sleep due to migraines in 2004, was increased in dosage until it was at a dose so totally out of control it would have knocked any normally sane person out for days. God only knows how I was able to successfully totally come off Klonopin (in 2017). Have now been sober for 5 years and would never go back. It had sent my life into such a downward spiral that I’d nearly lost everything. Fast forward, I’ve since been working full time these past years steadily within a career I’ve worked so hard for, & enjoy every minute of it.
I’m also currently pursuing my Masters degree. And to express to you just how much my patients mean to me, each & every day, I honestly can say I look forward going to work, and appreciate hearing what they have to tell me. I do not have any opinion whatsoever if a patient, or if anyone for that matter, told me they took it. It is there for a reason. And quite obviously, for quite many, most certainly justified. The pandemic taught us a great deal in many ways. And personally, for me, it has a lot to do with finding compassion and truly having empathy for others.
Since COVID-19 and with the push to get patients off of much-needed medications, I find myself not trusting Doctors anymore! Are you seeing that or feeling that? I’m fighting with my doctors office right now trying to get my clonazepam filled! I’ve been through 2 weeks of withdrawal and they just don’t seem to care anymore! You seem like a very caring Nurse! Thank you
I live in Lansing too! Small world. I have my SAD lamp to get me through winters, but I don't always use it. Anxiety, not depression, is my main issue. Like you, clonazepam has been my mainstay for the better part of 10 years now. Certain generics work better than others, and my dosage (.5 mg twice daily) doesn't work as well as it used to, but it still is better than anything else I've tried. The psychiatrist who originally prescribed it sadly passed away, so my GP took over managing my meds, and she is fine with me taking it, as long as I don't abuse it. I have to drug test once a year to ensure I'm taking it like I should. I'm okay with that if it means I can stay on it. As for the possibility of long-term effects like memory issues... those run in both sides of my family, so I would have no idea if the drugs or genetics were to blame. I'd rather do what it takes to feel good in the present and let the future take care of itself.
Hi
I am 59. I have been taking it since 2004. My doctor said I will be on it for life. I take it for colon and other GI spasms that no other meds can keep under control.
I am on a very small dose and it appears it controls it without needing to increase it as long as I watch my diet.
I hope that helps.
What dose do you take? I am so glad that it is helping you.
I have been on Klonopin for about 12 years. I am prescribed 1 mg. twice a day, but I only take 1/2of it in the morning unless I’m going to be out in a crowd for any length of time. I’ve been on one Benzo or another since I was 20. I’m very anxious all the time and tend to panic easily. I’m 72 years old, and was advised by a psychiatrist to go off Klonopin. I tried, but can’t. I know I’m addicted, but don’t feel my memory is bad, so at my age, I’m going for quality of life! It helps me so much! Everyone’s situation and reason for taking Klonopin is different. I’m not implying that you don’t talk with your doctor about taking this. I just think everyone should weigh the pros and cons and how Klonopin is affecting them, and do what is right for them.
I totally agree! I’m 70 now. Been on 10 years come March 2023. I definitely believe in quality of life, and Klonopin works for me. I feel fine, very active, and so far no side effects except a better life.
I agree. I’m 65 and have been on generic Klonopin on and off for about 20 years. I’ve only ever taken the lowest dose, but since tapering off Effexor and switching to Zoloft, my anxiety and panic is in full swing.
Anyone else with a similar issue?
according to beers criteria, anyone over 65 should not take more than 1 mg clonazepam. I agree with you we are all different and I have taken 1 mg for many years. I'm 77 I've never had a bad reaction with this med. my doctors has give advice to up 2 mg. I am having some mood changes not to the state of being manic.
according to beers criteria, anyone over 65 should not take more than 1 mg clonazepam. I agree with you we are all different and I have taken 1 mg for many years. I'm 77 I've never had a bad reaction with this med. my doctors has give advice to up 2 mg. I am having some mood changes not to the state of being manic.
according to beers criteria, anyone over 65 should not take more than 1 mg clonazepam. I agree with you we are all different and I have taken 1 mg for many years. I'm 77 I've never had a bad reaction with this med. my doctors has give advice to up 2 mg. I am having some mood changes not to the state of being manic.
I'm 65 and also have GAD. I've been on Klonopin (1mg x 1 per day) for a little over a year. This will be a lifelong thing. I was on chlordiaxapoxide (Librium) for nearly 40 years, until our useless federal government and equally useless Big Pharma decided to pull the medication without a bit of forewarning. The only downside to taking any benzo beyond the age of 65 (and especially in the mid-70s and beyond) is it may cause an unsteady gait, which could lead to falls. I'll take my chances! The benefits far outweigh the risks for me.
Chlordiazepoxide is not off the market.
I also take Klonopin only when I need it I have been on bezos on and off a lot of years other meds didn't work my doctor says it's safe if not abused I do have anxiety and some panic attacks but rarely I also take it for my stomach it gives me a appetite because I rarely have one yes it's safe I'm 51
9 yrs
TMGRL76
Thx for your thoughtful post. I am 81 and have taken .5mg 1x daily for fifteen years. Occasionally, I'll take 1mg/day if anxiety is thru the roof, but this is seldom, maybe four of five times/yr. I also take psych drugs for my manic-depression (I prefer that term) which is usually a depressed state (lamatrogine and prozac). I am now stable with good relationships with my ex-wife of 30 years, and our children/grandchildren. I was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's after a couple of bad falls and some other balance problems. It frightened me when I read about the implications of the diagnosis (don't read about Parkinson's if you don't have to), but I am slowly learning to live with it. I used to have anxiety about the dementia possibilities of K but now know that dementia will be part of late-stage Parkinson's anyway so I've quit being concerned. So far, my memory and sharpness are only slightly (and I believe normally) diminished.
I was a senior VP of a national brokerage firm for many years but 'crashed and burned' during a manic episode at age 62 and have been retired since. I live a quiet life, with occasions lunches or dinners with friends. I have a dear dog I take on long walks daily (how long this will last is anyone's guess). I've been quite anxious my whole life that I can recall. That's just true for some folks (and families). It's genetic. The task for me, now that I sorta know what the next few years (I hope) of my life are going to look like, is to adjust and find pleasure in smaller things. No more racquetball which I loved and played regularly until Covid closed everything. My life will likely become smaller. Covid already started that process. I always thought I'd live to be about 80 so I am on bonus time. I made peace with death six or seven years ago through a series of treatments with ketamine therapy offered by a licensed clinic in Arizona. A ketamine experience gave me a wonderful perspective on the experience of living and dying. And it gave me the courage to continue doing what I was doing to manage. It affirmed that I am the best person I can be given my life circumstances. And everything is ok.
I been taking 2mg of Clonazepam daily, 3 times (PRN AS NEEDED). There are days where I don't need any. There are days where I need to take all 3. I recently investigated Klonopin dosing information, and there were NO HUMAN TRIALS for long term use (4 weeks +) I been prescribed Clonazepam, off & on since I was 14. Aside from that dosing 411, this medication IS A MIRACLE. I can finally function. I am no longer jumping off the subway if I see a dude who resembles the person who molested me when I was 8, 9 and 10 years old. That is definitely progress. Thanks for Klonopin, therapy and ME
I will be 80 years old in a few months. I have suffered with affective disorder since age 5 when I was school phobic. By college I was using alcohol and Valium (prescribed by doctor) for anxiety, panic and sleep. By age 47 alcohol and Valium no longer worked and as an “alcoholic” I stopped drinking and joined AA and am sober now 32 years. Five years into sobriety from age 47 to 52 I used no pills whatsoever but was always agitated anxious and depressed. This progressed until I was almost suicidal but my therapist said you are an alcoholic and can’t take “drugs” so I found a top notch psychiatrist who was chief of psychiatry at our hospital . He explained to me that with affective disorder since age 5 I would be a lifer for medication and although it might take a year or more to lift some of the depression I would never have to be that low again.
We quickly discovered that I couldn’t take SSRIs without extreme agitation within first couple of days. In fact no antidepressants helped which led him to believe that given my history of mood disorder, my behaviors and the alcoholism I had bipolar disorder. Instead of putting me right onto lithium the most popular mood stabilizer in the 1990s he would try an atypical antidepressant very low dose in conjunction with Ativan. At first I used doxepin and Ativan but in short time he switched me to Remeron/mirtazapine and clonazepam and I have been on those two drugs now for 25 years. My highest dose of clonazepam has been 3 mg a day when I have severe physical illnesses or surgeries..but I only take the clonazepam at bedtime to address sleep. My dose range has been from .5 to 1.5 over the 25 years with the few periods of a few weeks going up to 2 or 3 a day and back down to 1.5. I do not have dementia…I have been on 1.5 mostly for past 3 years and only recently the doctor has said if I want to try to cut the clonazepam very slowly to reduce my dose down to 1 or 1.25 mg at night I can do that. So I just started taking 1.25 3 nights a week..whenever I have gotten to 1 mg and tried to go lower my primary affective disorder takes over. If I have “manic” episodes now which manifest as agitated depression I take and additional .5 mg during day once or twice for no more than 3 days and my stability returns. Clonazepam has saved my life. I have some very minor short term memory issues but those are normal for my age. I am a licensed Speech/Language Pathologist so I am quite aware of my cognitive states and changes. I live with a “new” partner of 5 years who also uses clonazepam .5 at night but only for last 5 years along with Wellbutrin for depression and anxiety . He is a practicing psychotherapist. Both of us are active and avid readers and have several hobbies we enjoy together. My second husband of over 30 years died 14 years ago so for nine years I was a “happy” widow and stable on my clonazepam and Remeron. I hope my current slow taper takes me down to 1 or 1.25 at night. I do have some cardiac arrhythmias and controlled diabetes but these conditions run throughout my family as do mood disorders..all the way down the line I can see it in my nieces, nephews, grand nieces and nephews. Hope this helps long term users under psychiatric care for medications feel ok about clonazepam usage.
What a great read!!!
Thank you SO MUCH!!!
Wow! Anxiety is unpredictable. I find Klonopin to be the best remedy for anxiety (or in my case, PTSD Anxiety). I also been on it very long. 14 years.
Thx for your thoughtful post. I am 81 and have taken .5mg 1x daily for fifteen years. Occasionally, I'll take 1mg/day if anxiety is thru the roof, but this is seldom, maybe four of five times/yr. I also take psych drugs for my manic-depression (I prefer that term) which is usually a depressed state (lamatrogine and prozac). I am now stable with good relationships with my ex-wife of 30 years, and our children/grandchildren. I was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's after a couple of bad falls and some other balance problems. It frightened me when I read about the implications of the diagnosis (don't read about Parkinson's if you don't have to), but I am slowly learning to live with it. I used to have anxiety about the dementia possibilities of K but now know that dementia will be part of late-stage Parkinson's anyway so I've quit being concerned. So far, my memory and sharpness are only slightly (and I believe normally) diminished.
I was a senior VP of a national brokerage firm for many years but 'crashed and burned' during a manic episode at age 62 and have been retired since. I live a quiet life, with occasions lunches or dinners with friends. I have a dear dog I take on long walks daily (how long this will last is anyone's guess). I've been quite anxious my whole life that I can recall. That's just true for some folks (and families). It's genetic. The task for me, now that I sorta know what the next few years (I hope) of my life are going to look like, is to adjust and find pleasure in smaller things. No more racquetball which I loved and played regularly until Covid closed everything. My life will likely become smaller. Covid already started that process. I always thought I'd live to be about 80 so I am on bonus time. I made peace with death six or seven years ago through a series of treatments with ketamine therapy offered by a licensed clinic in Arizona. A ketamine experience gave me a wonderful perspective on the experience of living and dying. And it gave me the courage to continue doing what I was doing to manage. It affirmed that I am the best person I can be given my life circumstances. And everything is ok.
kind of you to share this with us. I've had similar conditions as you although I have never drank. I'm just now upping my clonazepam to 2 mg so I hope I will be less irritating poor husband. thank you
Hi! You are not alone. I will be 61 in September. I have been taking klonopin off and on for 20 years. The dose was 0.5 for a long time and for years I didn’t need it anymore. Then my mother passed away unexpectedly 2 years ago and my doctor put me on.5 twice a day and that helped. I also take Lexapro which seems to be the only SSRI that has caused little to no side effects.
I have been on Lexapro for 8 years. At the end of April heading into May I started to feel very anxious. I just kept going along with Life. I believe it was because May 7th was the day my mother passed away and then it was Mother’s Day. It set me off to where I couldn’t get out of bed. I had such severe anxiety and panic that I didn’t know what to do. I had an emergency appointment with my doctor and he upped my dosage to 2mg a day. That helped to a degree. Then another ER appointment and he upped it to 3mg a day.
One in the morning, one in the afternoon and one at bedtime. That has really helped a lot. I can’t be on this dose forever but for now as I’m working on my grief of losing my mother, (which I guess I never really did because I was busy with going through her things and taking care of my daddy)and watching my father slowly deteriorate it’s what I need. I’m in therapy 2 days a week and I do a lot of walking to help. Journaling also helps. I read relaxing scriptures and pray constantly. My diagnosis is delayed grief. But I deal with many different and difficult things. As you know as we age we lose loved ones and our health changes. Please feel free to write back.
I, am in late 50s. I’ve been on benzodiazepines on/off since my early twenties. I switched from Xanax to Klonopin around 2008. I know there’s been a huge standoff to get patients off benzodiazepines, especially if prescribed certain other meds. I, however, must have these benzodiazepines for my life. My life would be unbearable without this drug treatment. My dosages have changed when taking different antidepressants.
I am 41 - i have been on anywhere from .125 - .5mg of clonazepam at bedtime. I was given this medicine after very serious emergency surgery I had shortly after having my first baby - needless to say I was very anxious. I have tried to quit 4 times - withdrawals are too severe - especially going through withdrawals while taking care of my 2 active children. I do struggle though with being on this medication for life because I don’t feel as energetic on it. I take 0.375 at bedtime. I also take Cymbalta. I find that I am much more tired than I was before this medication. I require a daily nap that I’m so embarrassed about. If anyone has had success increasing their energy while on this medication please let me know! I would love to talk. I have tried EVERYTHING I can for more energy - except taking another medication. I intermittent fast, cut out sugar - the list goes on and on. So please help me if you can! I appreciate this thread so much - it is truly so comforting to see other people doing ok on this medication long term.
I have been on Klonopin for prob 8 yrs. Now I take .25 3x day. I use it for nerve pain in my mouth. I started Cymbalta first at 20mg then 30mg and about to try 40mg Also for mouth pain. When I started the 30 I noticed how much more tired I am , I also eat clean, workout a lot. But by 9pm I’m falling asleep. Klonopin even at .5 never made me tired. I think it’s the Cymbalta.
I am a 46 year old male who suffers from GAD & Panic Attacks. I have tried 3 different SSRIs (Zoloft, Prozac, Lexapro,) and none of these agree with me. For years I carried around a prescription of .25mg Xanax with me just in case I had a panic attack. Having them with me often times kept me from having any panic.
Since the pandemic my anxiety has increased significantly and I was prescribed .25mg Klonopin. I have been taking .25mg every other day for about a year and it has done wonders for my anxiety and panic. My reasoning for taking every other day is so that I won’t build up tolerance as quickly and need to up the dosage.
I am anti-medication and I know taking Benzos for the rest of my life is not a good long term solution…. But Klonopin is the only med I have ever tried that makes me feel normal again.
Any advice or support would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
Keeping your dose to a minimum is a smart move. I also take Klonopin for panic and anxiety, and I frequently take one to two weeks without taking any. My doctor agrees.. I also find it makes the drug work a bit better.
Some people can take Klonopin for many years and never raise the dose. Looks like you figured out what works for you and that’s great. I’m with you, can’t take SSRIs. Klonopin works. I feel normal on .25 a.m. when waking up and at supper time. Same dose for 9 years. I haven’t felt the need to raise it yet.
Thanks for sharing your story…
How long did it take you to feel the full affect of the cycle of anxiety breaking up? I have felt relief within a couple hours of taking Klonopin but it hasn’t completely broken the cycle of the anxiety yet. Suggestions?
How long did it take you to feel the full affect of the cycle of anxiety breaking up? I have felt relief within a couple hours of taking Klonopin but it hasn’t completely broken the cycle of the anxiety yet. Suggestions?
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buspar, klonopin, anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, clonazepam, side effect
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