Clonazepam and Addiction: What Users Say (Page 2)

• yrm...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 17, 2022

For Insomnia "I will rate it at 7 as it has some negative effects on me. It's very much addictive, and anyone who takes it for some days must be dependent on it. Once started, one cannot withdraw from this. If withdrawn, one cannot sleep without it. But, it works like magic. I can sleep without any break for at least 5-6 hours long. It improves my overall sleeping behaviors. But, I repeat, it's very dependent on medicine. If anyone misses a dose, they can't sleep that day."

• ArI...
• May 11, 2011

Clonazepam for Anxiety "Klonopin has improved my quality of life exponentially. I feel as though it opened up this new world around me-one that was always there, but I was just too nervous to experience it. It's also the only medication that helps me fall asleep fast without feeling groggy the next morning. That being said, it is a benzodiazepine, so taking it every day isn't a good idea, and the potential for addiction and tolerance is there. In combination with talk therapy, this medication can help you live a life free of fear and worry."

• Mel...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 13, 2016

For Anxiety "This medication, when used properly, does help with generalized anxiety. The only problem is I was never told how to take it properly. I became addicted and a bit suicidal. It wreaked absolute havoc on my life and the lives of my family. Name the side effect - I had it. It caused depression so bad that I couldn't get out of bed. Insomnia to the point of where I was convinced I was losing my mind. Looking back now, it's hard to believe I ever felt the way I did, but I did. Please do research on the drug before taking it."

• Mou...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• August 4, 2018

Clonazepam for Panic Disorder "Klonopin is very effective with my anxiety disorder. However, stay away from it. You will be addicted before you know it and will seek more and more. If you don't have it, you feel like you are in hell. Withdrawal symptoms are horrible, and you lose control of everything. You will get rebound anxiety, which is worse than your original anxiety. This is so bad that you cannot function without it. Therefore, you have to continue using it to avoid the withdrawal symptoms because they are so awful. Please, if your doctor prescribed this drug, refuse it and take a non-benzo drug. You will rue the day you ever started using it. I am out of medicine now and am in just terrible shape that I cannot sleep. Yes, it is very effective at treating your disorder, but it has got to be the worst drug to come off of. I was in rehab, and even the heroin abusers didn't have as bad withdrawal as I did. Yes, run away from this drug. It will help you but eventually destroy you."

• May...
• February 2, 2021

For Insomnia "Clonazepam is the only thing that stops my nighttime anxiety/panic and helps me get the sleep that I need. I do worry about becoming addicted, but it has been a lifesaver for me. I was taking 0.5 every night for a month, then down to 0.25 most nights for two months, then tried 0.125 for a bit. Haven’t taken it in 9 days and thought I wouldn’t need it again, but had a rough night last night, so I’m happy to have it. 0.25 tonight should help me get back to sleeping well."

• sar...
• January 22, 2012

Clonazepam for Anxiety "Klonopin has totally eliminated my irrational anxiety attacks. It has been prescribed for me for my myoclonus, a condition in which my body jerks uncontrollably the more relaxed I get. So I take it every night. It is addictive, but I need it to sleep, and with it has been this remarkable change with my anxiety. It's worth it."

• Zyn...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 23, 2018

Clonazepam for Panic Disorder "I take 0.5 mg of Klonopin as needed for anxiety. I try not to take it all the time because I know it can be addictive. For me, it does lessen my anxiety, but it’s very minimal. Although it has worked better for me than Ativan, Hydroxyzine, Zoloft, etc. I think if it’s paired with something else, then I would find it more beneficial."

• Ano...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 18, 2015

For Anxiety "Clonazepam works wonders for anxiety. However, it is extremely addictive. This medication is like booze in a pill, and once you get addicted, it's very difficult getting off it. There are terrible withdrawal symptoms from this drug. After using clonazepam for 4 years, I'm going through what's called 'tolerance withdrawal,' but of course, there is no medical term for it. Doctors will tell you that there is no such thing as 'tolerance withdrawal.' When tolerance develops, 'withdrawal' symptoms can appear even though the user continues to take the drug. Thus, the symptoms suffered by many long-term users are a mixture of adverse effects of the drugs and 'withdrawal' effects due to tolerance."

• ano...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• August 16, 2021

For Anxiety "This medicine is very helpful, but please only take it when you need it. This medicine is very helpful, but I got a tolerance taking it. Use it as directed, as needed. This medicine is addictive, you will gain a tolerance, and you will need more for the same effect. Please listen to me and only take as needed."

• Jay...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• November 18, 2018

For Restless Legs Syndrome "Have been taking clonazepam 1 mg nightly for many years for restless legs with no bad side effects. Other than addiction, is there a harm to my body? Have tried many avenues for this horrible condition without success."

• Cee...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 24, 2021

For Anxiety "Very effective at controlling anxiety. For me, this is the only thing that made the biggest difference. I was on it years ago, and now I have the anxiety back. And yet, you can't even get this prescribed anymore. It's very difficult to get a prescription for it, as they say it's too addictive. Sad as it is, the only thing that seemed to work for me. It did lose effectiveness over time, though."

• pan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 15, 2015

For Anxiety "Day 1 on clonazepam... this drug is awesome! I know there are tons of side effects, but not being able to sleep well for a year is worth the possible risk. I was on it before, and nothing happened, so I should be good. I also only need 0.25 mg of it because my body absorbs it really well. And the Wellbutrin I'm on seems to help kick the major fatigue that I remember from last time. First night, and I got 7 hours of straight sleep for the first time in years. I really hope it continues to help me. I know it can be addictive, so I'm going to try only taking it until the Wellbutrin I just started is fully in my system. We will see how this goes, but so far, so good."

• Cra...
• March 18, 2017

Clonazepam for Anxiety "Worst drug I have ever taken for anxiety. I took it as prescribed, and it actually caused me to have episodes of crying and anxiety. Well, that's wonderful-a drug that made me worse. Stay away from this, it could ruin your life if you get addicted."

• DEX...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 23, 2016

For Insomnia "the one of best drugs for severe insomnia, take them and sleep for 12 or 13 hours. But it will be not good sleep and you will not feel fresh the next day. very addictive and build tolerance is very, very fast. I don't think it's a good choice for mild to moderate insomnia, short-acting benzodiazepines are a better pickup."

• roo...
• May 1, 2009

Clonazepam for Anxiety "Given the length of time (10 years) I've been on the medication, my doctors don't want to take me off it because of the addictive issues. It still works extremely well if I take it in time (when I feel that an anxiety attack is getting ready to start). After the onset of the attack, the medication no longer works. Even though I developed additional anxiety issues, my doctors don't want to use it for that because it will only be feeding my addiction and not the condition."

• Pee...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• August 2, 2021

Clonazepam for Panic Disorder "This drug does nothing for my panic/anxiety at the dose I was prescribed (0.5 mg 3 times a day). Plus, my doctor wants me off of it because it is so addictive. Had to go off of it cold turkey once, and it was horrible."

• jam...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 14, 2021

For Restless Legs Syndrome "I've had RLS since I was a small child. I'm 21 now, and it's only gotten worse with time. I used to deal with it by slathering on Icy Hot every night, but that's obviously not ideal nor a cure. Earlier this year, I was prescribed 0.5 mg of clonazepam for a different reason, and it helped my legs so much. Doing my own research, it seems that RLS is mostly attributed to vitamin D and/or iron deficiency with anemia and/or a lack of dopamine. I have all three of those things, and when I take supplements, I've found that I don't need to take clonazepam to get rid of RLS because it's nonexistent or very mild. I do take an SSRI and a stimulant, which can also trigger it, but treating deficiencies helps immensely. I thought I'd put that information out there to anyone reading these who might be concerned about addiction, side effects, or anything else. I am not a medical professional at all, this is just my experience and what I found on Google!"

• MCS...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 7, 2016

For Insomnia "This drug actually does wonders for insomnia. I took 1 mg at bedtime. Then the doctor abruptly stopped it and sent me into orbit. I didn't get over 2 hours of sleep a night for practically an entire month. It's addictive, I think. But what is worse is it may cause Alzheimer's disease if used over 6 months. I still had to go back on it to get sleep. I'm in the process of tapering off and getting sleep therapy. This is a very dangerous drug to only be used under 3 months."

• Anonymous
• July 4, 2011

For Anxiety "It works like a charm. I only take it if I'm having a panic attack, but it helps a lot. It can really calm you down and feel better if you are in a panic. The only downside is that it can be very addictive."

• Lyn...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 29, 2022

For Night Terrors "I'm on 0.5 twice a day on Klonopin. I wish my doctor would raise my dose, but he refuses. So far, it stopped my daily panic attacks, I'm not screaming and kicking in my sleep. I have bad PTSD from bullying and really bad anxiety and night terrors. This calmed this just enough for me to function, go out in public without panic attacks, maintain my friendships, and have sleepovers again. This pill is very controversial because it's addictive, but it's the only one that helped me function and did not give me bad side effects or rapid weight gain. My dose could be a bit higher, but I'm grateful my doctor agreed to give it to me long-term. It does help. I'm being monitored. He said if I refill one day early, I'm cut off, so I'm using this carefully."

• Mis...
• September 6, 2015

For Seizure Prevention "I started out taking 1/2 mg 1 time a day. Within about 2 years, I was taking 2 mg 3 times a day. It didn't work for me. I had been misdiagnosed by county mental health. I had PTSD, not bipolar anxiety or borderline personality. I became severely addicted and was from about 2009 to 2014. I became very violent and often got in legal trouble. I blacked out often. If I could go back and redo, I would never take it. I would have done counseling first. So many behaviors can be corrected with intense therapy. Medication only masked the real issue for me. It cost me many relationships, many nights in jail, and much money I could have spent on my son. I pray for anyone who takes this drug..."

• ove...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 1, 2017

For Panic Disorder "I did not know what was happening to me when I had my first panic attack when I graduated from college. There was not even a name for it. My internal medicine doctor did not know what was going on either. I was sent to a specialist. He saw that I was sweating in his cold office, he asked me if I did this all the time. I said yes. So he wrote me a prescription for Xanax, which came out in '81 as an antidepressant. There was no word on addiction, so I took them 'as directed'-no more. I was a good patient. So after 33 years, I decided I wanted to get off this medication. My quack doctor told me four days. I did a lot more research and found out the truth: it takes a lot longer. Ask your doctor how you get off it."

• Mas...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 12, 2019

Clonazepam for Panic Disorder "Works really well to help stop panic attacks. Highly addictive, so use as prescribed."

• Maj...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 6, 2020

For Anxiety "This medicine helped me a lot with my problem, which is caused by anxiety. I couldn't sleep, so my psychiatrist told me to take 1/4 before going to sleep. Now I am afraid that I am addicted."

• Tan...
• February 25, 2008

For Panic Disorder "This drug works great on panic disorder. It calms me down a lot. It is addictive, the only downfall."