Ok…So I hate to beat this into the ground…but let’s beat this into the ground
This time, I only have two (2) questions related to Klonopin (yeah!!!):
On average, how much Klonopin do people take per day and how do they split it during the day?
Do you become “at risk” of this medication not working (for lack of a better word) because your body becomes more tolerant / immune to it? Or, does it still keep it’s similar chemical properties and continue to give you similar vestibular reaction?
Thanks guys! Any additional input will be rewarded with a guided pike fishing trip (with amber ale and smoked salmon) on board courtesy of me in the great northwest…ha)
HI
Klonopin usually gets dosed in .5mg tablets, to be taken up to 3 times a day from what I’ve been prescribed and read about. The thing about benzos, and this goes for all of them, as you can build “tolerance” where your body adapts to having that med, and then you have to go up on the dose to get the same effect. Benzo withdrawal is notorious for being really, really hard. That is why I always try to keep my Klon use to a minimum. Doctors usually fall into 2 categories…they totally see where a benzo is needed and if long term use is required, then so be it. Other docs look at it with disdain, and are very reluctant and stingy with it…
Since Klon is basically an anticonvulsant, I almost wonder if those of us that do well on them, would also fare well on a different AC? I’ve heard Lamictal is quite good and side effect profile minimal…(there’s so rash you can get but only in a small % of people, and if you titrate too rapidly.)
Hope that helps…
Kelley
ps
What do I pack for the fishing trip?
I cut a .25 in half and take that daily. I found that taking the full .25 daily was sedating and I need to take this med in the morning for it to benefit me. I also have a lot of anxiety, so I take it primarily for that – and do find it helps some with the dizzies.
My psychiatrist does not at all believe that I am subject to becoming immune to it, especially at the low dose I take it at and with the anxiety level I fall into. I think this “immunity” we fear generally comes when people are taking it at higher doses without any anxious level to come down from.
Klonopin! For some reason, I have the hardest time remembering the name of this drug. I just take 0.5 once a day as needed. This is a great question and look forward to seeing other answers.
That is an excellent question and one that does not have an exact answer. To be honest, from my experience, everyone is different with regards to how they handle the benzos. Some people can stay on a stable dose for a lifetime while others become tolerant rather quickly and need more and more of this med.
The benzos were originally designed for only short term use (2 weeks or so) as this seems to be the time frame when you can avoid physiological addicton. As we know they are almost never prescribed in this manner anymore.
I fully understand your concern in already being up to 2 mg at this point and being fearful of a potential tolerance withdrawal effect and needing additional med to get the same effect.
I am glad however, that you are doing substantially better and with such a life altering illness it is a hard decision of where to go with this med.
I take .5 mg a day, 1/2 am 1/2 pm. Pretty typical dosage for MAV folk to start; some go higher.
As people have noted, you can build up a tolerance, but that’s like anything - some people do, some don’t, just like how some meds work for some people, some don’t. I can tell you that I have been at my dosage for over about a year and a half and haven’t had to increase it. I DID add Topamax to my regimine, but that was more for migraine issues, not for balance which is what I basically was taking klonopin for. The topamax helps with that too and I have been on it for a year. My theory on the meds like klonopin is try to start/stay on the lowest dose possible and then if you have to increase it, you have a buffer zone as it were. My neurologist who prescribed it felt comfortable with it saying it is unlikely to be addictive/a problem unless you start going over 2 mg or so.
