klonopin

[hothotsheryl]

hi i am new here. 1st time. have horrible anxiety. have tried a few meds, effexor, lexapro, prozac, just got off low dosage of buspar and am now trying klonopin- its my second day- took 1/2mg last nite and 1/2 mg this morning. it is now 6:30 and i am planning on taking 1/2 mg for my nighttime at 7 pm. anxiety is returning. any hope for me? does this take time to build up in my system?
anyone had success with this drug? please help

[shoe]

klonopin should work in 20 minutes to 2 hours. If you don't notice an effect, you might need to increase the dose.. but talk to your psychiatrist first. .5 mg worked nicely for me.. but I did go up to 1 mg some days

[hothotsheryl]

did you have any side effects? i feel a bit drugged and it seemed when it started to wear off, the anxiety came back. guess i need the .5 2x/day.
feel kind of dopey a bit. is this just until i get used to it?
will it get better in time?
please tell me your experiences. thanks.

[shoe]

when I have the right dose I feel relaxed, not drowsy, not dopey, just relaxed :)

The effect does seem to wear off for me in like 5 or 6 hours, but I don't notice it wearing off as much as I did when I tried Xanax (another benzodiazepine).

I'd guess that if it makes you feel dopey and 'drugged', you're either taking too much, or this particular medication might not be the one for you. Not all medications work the same for all people unfortunately (I guess you've been finding that out). You should ask your doc what to do.. he might tell you to decrease the dose, or maybe even suggest trying other benzos.

Or, benzodiazepines might not even be right for you *shrug* Unfortunately you will have to keep experimenting until something works for you.. sorry :?

[apointcollapsing]

Klonpin can be extremely effective. I happen to take 3 mgs per day, in 1 mg tablets spread throughout. I know that is a lot, but nonetheless, it's appropriate for me. Stick with it. If it doesn't do anything for you, tell your prescriber. I started off on a low dose and had no effects, but after finally going to a higher dose (I know mine is abnormally high, and I don't advocate such a high dose becuase it's really not all that good for oneself, particularly becasue of dependence issues).
However, the effects should be immediate. Klonopin, like Xanax and its' relatives, do not work like SSRI'S. They do not need to build up in your system prior to feeling their effects. So don't wait a month to see if it works; wait a week or so. If nothing happens, ask for more candidly and explain why.