Clonazepam and Dizziness: What Users Say (Page 2)

• rua...
• February 11, 2020

Clonazepam for Seizure Prevention "I was on clonazepam for several years to treat tremors and have been suffering withdrawal for over a year now. Was dizzy for a year, felt like rubbish, and got high anxiety from it. Still have anxiety caused by stopping this drug. Dr. say it may take years before symptoms are gone. I was a zombie while taking this drug. I say stay away from it."

• cha...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 26, 2015

For Benzodiazepine Withdrawal "Was taking very small doses (0.1 mg) for 3 years - and one night after taking it on the previous night for sleep, I drank a few beers and had some type of dizzy spell - which resulted in becoming 'sensitized' to clonazepam. From that point on, I suffered side effects from either taking the drug or from trying to withdraw. I only gained relief after quitting clonazepam with the aid of substitute medications (olanzapine & fluoxetine (3-25 mg)."

• Fee...
• August 29, 2009

Clonazepam for Anxiety "I started off 0.5 mg 2x per day. I now take 1 mg of Klonopin 3x per day. I no longer have the unsteadiness on my feet, and my anxiety has decreased even more (this despite being unemployed, as well as being a burn patient with severe nerve pain). Only caveat is to take exactly as prescribed, otherwise, I will become dependent or have severe withdrawal if taken more than supposed to."

• 2...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 24, 2015

For Anxiety "After 2 months of my doctor giving me non-addictive pills to try to treat anxiety, and them working to no avail, he finally prescribed me a benzo, and this was the one. I quit my job, didn't leave my apartment for 2 years, was letting my health go. I take 0.5 mg when needed, and it has allowed me to make appointments, leave my place, and get my life back. I have been taking it for about 2 months-1 a day, sometimes 2, some days none. Depends on what the day has in store for me. It is long-lasting, and will put you in a zone of comfort and ease. It doesn't make me tired or dizzy like the hydroxyzine I was first given."

• Duc...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 4, 2021

For Benzodiazepine Withdrawal "My doctor took me off 2 mg Xanax cold turkey after 25 years, and 5 months later I still feel horrible! Gained 35 lbs, up all night every night for 4 months, have 0 energy, can’t work, can’t hang out with my grandkids, can’t play golf, don’t trust myself to drive my car, knees hurt, back hurts, upset stomach. Last night started sweating, got ready to go for a walk today but had a dizzy spell, so basically I’m screwed. Have little hope of getting back to the condition I was in before my doctor decided to stop prescribing Xanax."

• Mac...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 1, 2021

For Benzodiazepine Withdrawal "I took clonazepam 2 months, 2mg a day. I didn’t know that I would have a withdrawal, wasn’t educated on the drug. It was the most awful thing that has ever happened to me. I felt like I was going to die. I wouldn’t wish this nightmare on the worst scumbag on earth. I was scared to death of having a seizure, my heart was beating harder than on amphetamines. I had some weird and awful neurological symptoms that persisted for months. Even now, when I drink a couple of beers, the symptoms come back (vertigo, feeling like the floors are too high, weird tremor). I’m free for almost 1 year now. I will never ever touch a benzo of any kind. You would have to hold me at gunpoint to have me contemplate touching that awful drug. And even then, I’d probably say: Bullet, please. If you read this, please do not take this awful thing. I promise you that there is nothing good in it for you. There are better ways."

• mkh...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• April 2, 2018

For Migraine Prevention "I took Klonopin for a migraine variant. I had a positive EEG and vomiting all night about once a week every month or two and no migraine headache or aura, and no one could figure out why. It took 8 years to get diagnosed by a psychiatrist. The Klonopin stopped the vomiting totally. I had previously tried antidepressants, Benadryl to sleep, and nothing worked except to knock me out. About 5 years later, I finally started getting the migraine headaches with aura. So I still had to take Imitrex for that, and it worked. In my 50s now, I got vertigo without migraine. Neuro checked CT scan, and it is normal for no tumors. I had normal hearing, no ear problems. My EEGs are still abnormal for migraine, and so they tried cyproheptadine and amitriptyline, and that didn't work for the vertigo. It would throw me on the ground. They gave me topiramate, and it worked some, but Trokendi XR worked."

• Hop...
• February 24, 2017

For Panic Disorder "I have experienced anxiety, depression, and stress throughout all my life but have been able to control it. I started experiencing anxiety at a higher level in high school and a job with some low-level panic attacks. I still did my best to control them with exercise and relaxation. In college, my panic attacks got so out of control I couldn't take my classes. My mom took me to the psychiatrist after seeing me not sleep. I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. Prescribed at first Zoloft and Klonopin. I hated taking these pills because they made me feel so dizzy. It took me a year to slowly get a little better. I noticed when I stopped taking them I would get ill. Now it's been 10 years of treatment, and I can live a normal life."

• Mar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 17, 2016

For Panic Disorder "About 3 months ago, my anxiety got out of hand. I'm constantly obsessing that something is wrong with my health: brain tumors because I'm dizzy and lightheaded a lot, cancer because family members and a high school friend just got diagnosed, to heart problems. I'm 22 and know it's not healthy to obsess over this crap, but I can't stop it. Tried new SSRIs. Haven't found one whose side effects are livable. I take Klonopin as needed when I'm feeling bad, and it instantly helps. Still have some anxiety, but it chills me out to where I feel I don't need to go to the hospital. Very helpful. I was directed to take .25 mg twice a day, but figured I'd only take it as needed so I don't get dependent on it. Hoping to find a new SSRI to nip this in the bud."

• ser...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 11, 2012

Clonazepam for Panic Disorder "It did stop the uncontrollable panic from post-traumatic stress disorder, but the side effects were unbearable for me. I had loss of appetite, uncontrollable weight loss, stomach pain, memory loss, headaches, dizziness, urinary pain, thinning hair, bad acne, depression, and constipation. It was so difficult to taper without severe withdrawals that I needed a 6-month tapering schedule. My dose was 1 mg twice daily. I find that Valium or Xanax have fewer side effects."

• Liz...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• January 8, 2020

"I have been taking clonazepam for 20 years. It is not perfect, but I'm grateful that it makes me functional, because without it my life would be awful spinning vertigo, unable to even think clearly. Is 1.5 mg a lot?"

• JPT...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 1, 2022

For Panic Disorder "The breakup of my engagement to my ex-fiancée triggered my panic disorder, and I was in absolute nightmare for months. At my worst, I hadn't slept for four days straight...not a single wink of sleep...and I was suicidal from the constant state of anxiety that I found myself in. I got in with a psychiatrist who prescribed clonazepam, and it made me feel normal again within hours of taking it for the first time. It gave me my life back. I've been taking it for 2 years, 0.5 mg twice daily, no increase in dosage...and it still works like it did on day 1. The only side effects I experienced initially were some slight dizziness, daytime drowsiness (naps helped!), and sexual dysfunction (it was hard to maintain an erection, I'm a male in my 20s) for the first week of use. My body got used to the drug very quickly and now I have had no side effects whatsoever. Clonazepam gave me my life back. It's a shame that benzodiazepines are so stigmatized now...they can be so helpful for so many people."

• cde...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• April 19, 2016

For Anxiety "As an alternative to clonazepam, I tried a natural anxiety remedy called Zenapin, which was reviewed well by several sources. Stay away from Zenapin. This 'natural' remedy made me dizzy with a constant headache. Don't believe the hype. This product is bad for you!"

• Anonymous
• January 8, 2012

For Anxiety "Absolutely wonderful medicine at alleviating anxious states. I take 0.5-1.5 mg occasionally as needed, transforms anxiety and panic into a state of relaxation and tranquility, allowing me to drop off into a deep sleep or have a productive day. I have no side effects whatsoever, such as sedation, dizziness, or amnesia."

• di2...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 12, 2021

For Insomnia "So far, I have taken only 3 pills in the last month (2 mg, unprescribed), and the only side effects I have noticed are dizziness the next morning and maybe mood swings throughout the week. Nothing so bad, but on the other side, I sleep like a baby and feel somewhat numb the next day. I take it only when needed, if I'm feeling nervous or when I'm taking a while to sleep. Oh, and of course, please don't go around taking unprescribed drugs like I did."

• Cra...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 7, 2021

For Anxiety "I just began having what feels like some kind of delayed reaction to weaning off of Effexor. Then I was given clonazepam to control anxiety and agitation, and this med has driven my symptoms off the chart. I’ve gone from anxious and agitated to feeling like an enraged, destructive moose. I am walking 3 and 4 times a day just to try and calm myself. When I take this med, I lose all sense of coordination, not from being dizzy, I just can’t maintain my balance."

• Ant...
• February 13, 2012

Clonazepam for Panic Disorder "Clonazepam makes me dizzy, sick, chilled, headache, constipation, depressed, antisocial, and constant nasal drip from my nose to throat. Not to mention starving all the time. I asked my doctor because I go into fits of rage if there was something that she could give me to instantly calm me down. I've been on several mood stabilizers, and they just aren't working like they used to. So she prescribed me this."

• Anonymous
• December 31, 2019

For Anxiety "Wish there were negative numbers to rate clonazepam. HORRIBLE stuff. Have been having anxiety and panic attacks over real situations (not just imagined). Took it once and felt like all the life had drained out of the world, not to mention staggering across the room. Cut dosage for second pill in half and felt nothing. Next morning, I woke up and felt the worst depression and brain fog I have experienced in my whole life. PLUS extreme anxiety over feeling this way! It CREATES anxiety, plus depression, brain fog, and lack of coordination. I'd rather have a 'normal' panic attack and anxiety. This stuff is HORRIFIC. AVOID AT ALL COSTS. (To top it all off, people get addicted to it and can't come off it? What kind of bad joke is this stuff? Who paid off the FDA to approve it?!!)"