Clonazepam for Bipolar Disorder User Reviews (Page 2)

• Dee
• Taken for 10 years or more
• February 5, 2021

"I have used klonopin off and on for over 20 years as a PRN for my bipolar disorder. It works extremely well at managing anxiety and panic attacks. It also helps with sleep. I use CBT with my therapist to help manage my routine. If I get off my routine and stop using klonopin I become manic which is detrimental to my life in many ways. I have tried several different meds but none works as well as klonopin for me."

• Camera...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 25, 2016

Klonopin (clonazepam) "It was fine for a year, but then made my condition much much worse to the point that I lost everything I ever loved. Please research this med before taking. It is not intended to be used for more than three weeks in a row."

• astig...
• April 4, 2012

Klonopin (clonazepam) "I've been taking clonazepam off and on for 20 years at the lowest dose: 0.5 Mg. The script is take 1 up to 3 times a day, as needed. I take lamotrigine, 100mg twice a day as my primary mood stabilizer. But there are times when stress starts to overload my already noisy brain and that's when I take the clonazepam. There are side effects. If I've been taking it on a more or less daily basis for a while I get constipation, dry mouth and lack of coordination (I get wobbly a d bump into things or list to one side like a boat in a swell. It's momentary, though! Despite these side effects I continue to take it because it really helps me. Bipolar disorder is bad and this helps me function "normally"."

• Ash
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 17, 2015

"Don't take it for longer than 1 month. I'm addicted to 4 mg daily and I can't get off. Side effects - Short-term memory and long term memory are gone (REALLY GONE), I'm so so tried (I sleep all day) and I have 0 motivation. It's amazing for short term anxiety of all kinds. Just do not get addicted. IMO max 1-2 mg for max 1 mth. 2 year user. 27 yo male. Kills anxiety in it's tracks but not to be used long term. Look into Nardil/Parnate if SSRIs fail. Asenapine is great if you need your racing thoughts controlled. DO NOT LET ANY PSYC GIVE THIS TO YOU LONG TERM"

• JMarie...
• May 18, 2015

Klonopin (clonazepam) "I have been taking Wellbutrin SR for about 4 yrs. In combo with a few other different meds. I didn't think I would ever find my cocktail. But recently I do believe I finally have found it. So I'm on Wellbutrin SR, Seroquel, and Klonopin. I was taking Lamictal and Ativan before. But unfortunately got the Lamictal rash. I love the combo I have now. I have been sleeping like a baby. No more 100 miles an hour at bedtime."

• anaki...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 19, 2013

Klonopin (clonazepam) "Helps balance anti-depressants with sleeplessness and twitching and stuff. Helps me calm down, take the edge off the other medicines. This is not to be used by itself for bipolar disorder. It's used in combination so don't take Klonopin and think it's going to help you that much. It works best with other medications."

• Veron...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 3, 2015

"I have been taking klonopin for several years. I find it helps more than the short-term benzos like Xanax and Valium. For one with BPD, Bipolar, and Anxiety Attacks, this pill is a godsend. I usually do not advocate pharmaceuticals, but I have never had my anxiety quelled like klonopin does. It is highly effective for any type of anxiety, and stops panic in its tracks after 15-20 mins of administering. This is the only pill that i'm on that I advocate. The only warning I have is that it has high potential for dependence, and the body gets used to having it constantly. Sometimes it requires upping the dosage. PLEASE start on 0.5 mg. If your dr starts you on 1mg, it will bring on extreme fatigue, and decreased motor function."

• Great...
• March 2, 2020

"I have bipolar and am a rapid cycler, every 2 weeks. Take depakote daily, and 1 mg klonopin at night. Since my cycle is predictable, I take 1 extra 1 mg klonopin 2 days before my cycle starts and it prevents me from going up. I am really tired the next day, but worth it. 1/4 klonopin under tongue helps me with panic attacks, especially in traffic."

• AZWags
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 23, 2016

Klonopin (clonazepam) "After being treated on 4 antipsychotics and two mood stabilizers for bipolar hypo manic disorder I have never felt better in 10 years Currently on seroquel 400mg XR ( Three tablets at bedtime) take 1 to 2 mg Klonipin daily as needed. Never felt better. Tried other sleep aids like trazadone and other tcas. Nothing. Best with klonipin because of no cravings of physical need because half life long and one doesn't get a high off klonopin because very slow onset."

• BIPOL...
• March 28, 2014

"I have bipolar type 1. I was on many medications over the years. None of them very effective. I've been hospitalized on many different occasions. I was in a outpatient program. At that time Seroquel had just come out. It did half or less of the Seroquel XR, this was a major game changer for me. Clonazepam has been literally a life saver for me. It stops my thoughts from going out of control. When a major situation happens I'm able to stay calm and not act on impulse. When driving if someone is going too slow and catch a red light it takes away a lot of the anger I would feel I would say be %85 but flare ups can happen on a MUCH lower scale. One more medicine that can help is lamotrigine."

• Dano
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 10, 2020

"I need klonopin to function but the Veterans hospital that I go to doesn’t believe in giving them out. I have to beg my psych dr to prescribe them to me and he will give me fifteen 5mg tabs for the month. They help but if he would give me 1 mg at night I would be able to function like a regular human being. Sometimes I even have to resort to buy some off a friend. I don’t care! They help get me out if bed and live in the real world. I would never abuse these. They are a life saver for me."

• Dubio...
• July 30, 2016

"My experience is very similar to Manuel123 reviewed here. With Bipolar Disorder, once you learn how to recognisance when you are feeling a little high this drug is excellent to reset back to normal. For me it's just 0.25mg before bed when needed. I tend to wait for Friday night as will make it harder to work on a workday. That way you can relax in bed on Saturdays due to good half-life of product. Much to say I have been on various BPD drugs thorought the years since 20's, now mid-30's, and find this is the best and works for me for self medicated management. Take care guys."

• Sunsh...
• March 3, 2013

Klonopin (clonazepam) "Started taking this med for bipolar disorder and it's been working for 6 months it helps me rest at night. I have tried many other medicines but inconjunction with Wellbutrin antidepressant it seems to be great. I hope I never have another episode again and this will continue to work for me."

• amnjay
• December 29, 2008

Klonopin Wafer (clonazepam) "This has been the best medicine I have ever got for my problems. Every other doctor just ignored my feelings until finally I found the right doctor who listened and put me on klonopin. That was the best day of my life. It was like I had found me again. Thanks Klonopin, you're my life saver."

• Ori
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 19, 2013

Klonopin (clonazepam) "Stops panic attacks dead in their tracks at a high enough dose, but even my prescribed dose is enough to calm things down after about 40 minutes so I can think. Doesn't help when I'm manic/hypomanic, but has stopped me from doing more than a couple of silly things while depressed."

• Misdi...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 31, 2017

Klonopin (clonazepam) "When a person has mental symptoms , they're supposed to have medical workup always. The reason is many medical conditions mimic mental illness until treated. Then zero symptoms forever (mentally). If a person has Myxedema (severe hypothyroidism), gets misdiagnosed as mentally ill (schizophrenia, bipolar, delusional d/o, depression, anxiety ...all common MISDIAGNOSES in thyroid disease), Klonopin can induce coma. This happened to me and then they realized I was not mentally ill. Had no symptoms since healing from this dreadfully dangerous drug. Read "Physical Illness presenting as Psychiatric Disease" before taking any psych drug. Any sedative, hypnotic, even Advil can cause MyxedemaComa 40%chance death. See Iatrogenic Coma & other articles."

• Anonymous
• June 18, 2011

Klonopin (clonazepam) "I have a very high stress job. My anxiety got to the point of me hating my job and ending up crying in the bathroom at work most days. I am now on 1mg a day and this is a miracle for my anxiety. No panic attacks and no anxiety at work. I can now function normally at work."

• Aladd...
• August 2, 2011

Klonopin (clonazepam) "Clonazepam is very effective in controlling agitation and providing much needed rest for bipolar disorder. It takes away the racing thoughts and irritability associated with mania. I also suffer from very intense anxiety and 1mg to 2mg/day allow me to be functional without clouding my mind. I prefer Klonopin to Xanax or Ativan because it lasts longer (up to 12 hours) and I don't feel the craving between doses. Withdrawal from clonazepam is not as hard as some people say, it must be gradual. If that doesn't work, ask your physician to switch clonazepam to its equivalent in diazepam. I found it easier to reduce my clonazepam doses from 3mg/day to 1mg than to stop taking 200mg quetiapine/day."

• Clare
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 12, 2021

"I was prescribed this as part of my Bipolar 2 /PTSD/ADHD treatment regimen over 20 years ago. I took it daily. In the past 5 years I was placed in hospitals twice for depression where the doctors didn’t believe in benzodiazepines. The withdrawal was an absolute nightmare! No sleep for 10 days, extreme paranoia, depersonalization and derealization. I realized I HAD to get off this medication. After a slow taper I was successful. I wish my anxiety was addressed with a therapist and talk therapy instead of blanketing my issues with this medication in the first place. Been off it 286 days and counting."

• lilwa...
• July 23, 2011

Klonopin (clonazepam) "I've been on 2mg Klonopins for 5 years now and it works great for my mood swings caused from bipolar disorder and it also works great for my anxiety and paranoia. It relaxes you and works good for stress also Klonopin works really good for several different things."

• Anonymous
• April 28, 2009

Klonopin (clonazepam) "This medicine made me worse. I became aggressive and violent. The only time I have ever seriously thought I was going to really hurt someone was while I was on this medicine. I unfortunately wasn't able to stay on this long enough to see whether this would have gotten better."

• roseo...
• February 4, 2017

"I went without night time sleep for 3 months even more. I was about ready for the hospital. Clonazepam was the miracle that gave sleep back to me. I am grateful to this medicine. I have bipolar disorder. The other mood stabilizer that is now working better than any others I have been on is Lamictal. I am really happy to where I've come to be. It's a good place."

• Randa...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• July 8, 2016

"I've been taking Klonopin, on and off, for almost ten years now. There are so many varieties that I don't know which ones work for me anymore. The doctors all tell you it's the same thing. If that's the case, why have I stopped and started so many times? The most common reason is tolerance, i suspect. However, it has been my observation over the last 10 or so years, that the different colors, sources, and whatever "fillers" that are in some of these clonazepam, alter the effects too randomly. As sufferers of the horribly misunderstood disorder, we should have more resources to find out what is in these and more insight into which ones favor our individual bipolar characteristics."

• jason
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 28, 2012

Klonopin (clonazepam) "For me Klonopin 1mg 4x daily, has helped me from my social and overall anxiety with that being said for my nerves its a great medicine. In combination with my Lamictal 200mg it also helps keep my moods at a more even level especially my mania which I seem to have much more than depression. "

• Melis...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• June 20, 2021

"I am 57 and have been on some dosage level of Clonazepam for about 20 years. I started it, with Prozac, when my first diagnosis was Major Anxiety/Major Depression. As my diagnosis changed to Bi-Polar I and I gradually developed a cocktail of drugs that worked together very well, Clonazepam has remained the one constant. At one point I was up to 4 mgs a day, but I'm now down to .5 mg as needed (usually about every other day). I've never taken more than prescribed and have never had any sleepiness from it. Ativan, by comparison, makes me a zombie. Most anxiety drugs have that effect on me. The thing that has been the best for me is the feeling that I'm not on a drug when I take Clonazepam. Just the feeling of being anxious or overwhelmed becomes a bit more manageable. I understand why this drug isn't the right choice for everyone, but unless there is a definite alternative, I plan to stay with it. If I can be just that much more myself, why shouldn't I?"