Clonazepam stopped working after a break

[AvalonX]

Sometime around Spring I was doing really well. I'm a long time anxiety sufferer with panic to go along with it. My symptoms now are mainly nervousness but it gets extreme. I weaned myself off my daily .5 of clonazepam.


A month or so ago I was on a business trip. I was stressed and drinking to much coffee. I woke up in a nervous panic like i hadn't experienced in years. I started a low dose thinking it would pass but I now found I was nervous daily after that initial attack. The reason I got off to begin with is because I knew I needed to go up in dosage (im prescribed 1mg a day). I wanted to see how I would fare off meds.

Anyway, I started .25 once or twice a day but it would wear off faster than normal. .5 seemed to not do much better but it made me sleepy which was strange. Im wondering, should I move to .5 twice a day can it be effective again? Clonazepam has been a life saver for me. Curious about thoughts on my issue. Taking it as needed does not seem to work for me.

[Kirk]

Welcome to the forum. I would consult with your prescribing physician and see what they say.

[Boo Bass]

1 mg of clonozepam is a safe non addictive dose. Just take as required. All franc make you dozy

[Anne1221]

I have been off my benzo and then back again, and it always works each time, even though I've had a break. Do work with your physician to find the correct dose. For me it depends on what is going on in my life. Right now, there is a lot of stress so I need more.
If things will calm down, I can cut back.

[dontcarewhatusernameis]

So in spring is when you quit taking it? So you were doing good for 6 months? Has anything changed in that time to make your anxiety worse? More coffee (caffeine) on a regular basis now? New stresses? Seasonal affective disorder maybe? Do you feel worse in the winter usually?

As for making you sleepy it usually makes me mildly tired also which is usually welcome (I only occasionally use it if I have bad anxiety). If you used to take it all day then you were probably resistant to that much like if you hadn't drank alcohol in a long time then drink a lot it effects you way more.

[AvalonX]

So in spring is when you quit taking it? So you were doing good for 6 months? Has anything changed in that time to make your anxiety worse? More coffee (caffeine) on a regular basis now? New stresses? Seasonal affective disorder maybe? Do you feel worse in the winter usually?

As for making you sleepy it usually makes me mildly tired also which is usually welcome (I only occasionally use it if I have bad anxiety). If you used to take it all day then you were probably resistant to that much like if you hadn't drank alcohol in a long time then drink a lot it effects you way more.

Sorry for the late reply. Yeah, work got a lot worse. Change in boss, company for sale, ton busier. Even in the 6 months I sometimes needed it for sleep, especially on Sunday nights when I wouldnt be shakey, just couldnt shut down. Im settling down (I hope) at about .25 per dose 2-3 times a day.

Overall I dont have much of a safe zone. Im the creative type that would live in a room and never leave if I didnt need to. So living the 9-5 always had it challenges. Even in my 40's, I never got used to it. Marriage is rocky, its everything really. At that small dose, I dont get sleepy and they seem to work as long as I keeo up with it. It doesn't work on the spot as well anymore.

[dontcarewhatusernameis]

Overall I dont have much of a safe zone. Im the creative type that would live in a room and never leave if I didnt need to. So living the 9-5 always had it challenges. Even in my 40's, I never got used to it. Marriage is rocky, its everything really. At that small dose, I dont get sleepy and they seem to work as long as I keeo up with it. It doesn't work on the spot as well anymore.

If it only works when you use it all day then keep doing that. 0.25 mg is not that big of a dose so I wouldn't worry about using it a few times a day. Doctors typically try to prescribe the lowest dose possible that works as intended (you should talk to a doctor before upping it past where you started though if you feel like you need more).