Posted by djmmm on April 28, 2004, at 19:17:33
In reply to BENZO ADDICTION? LOGICAL FALLACY?, posted by jerimycoplo on April 28, 2004, at 1:34:28
> I have been prescribed 1 mg of klonopin by my pdoc per day recently. It has completely chnaged my life. Apparently my anxiety was the biggest issues I had and not my OCD. I used to feel like others were talking about me, looking down on me, felt constanly super vigilant and anxious to the point that life was absolutely no fun. After starting to take the 1 mg klonopin per day my life has COMPLETELY CHANGED. I am making tons of freinds, i feel like my true personality is shining true, i speak my mind and strangely enough people like it and they like me. I also am more productive with my work and school since I don't spend all my time worrying about how things could go wrong. For the first time in my life , I can say I am truly happy. I am dating good looking girls and have many friends.
> This is compared to before the Klonopin when I felt horrible just being around people because of anxiety.
> Now about the addiction part. If I stop taking the klonopin, I will*of course* be pissed, disappointed, unless i find another med that can make my anxiety go away: because who would want to live a life of anxiety like the one I had
> to live without it? Does that mean I am addicted to it? I think not. It seems kinda oxymoronical to think that. When I missed my daily dose or not ran out, I get somewhat irritable- but there is a reason behind it: I have seen how life *SHOULD* be (warm friendships, dates, no excessive anxiety) and when I don't take it all that horrible NIGHTMARE of anxiety comes back and I find myself (although temporarily) in the same boat I was for most of my life when I had not being treated for GAD, Social phobia, etc...(anxiety) and I realize how faulty and abnormal my perceptions of reality are when I am unmedicated...
> So is that the definition of addiction, because it seems rather illogical when looked at it this way...
>
> your opinion?
> jc
>I wouldn't say this considered "addiction" ...but your fears concerning the psychological effects of discontinuaton sound more like "drug dependence" which can lead to physical depencence/addiction. I have been through Klonopin "withdrawal" which is probably the worst experience I have EVER been through. At times I wanted to die.
It has taken me several months to taper down to .25mg/day (from 4mg/day) I recently attempted to stop for the 3rd or 4th time, and experienced horrible withdrawal again. I have since given up on trying to discontinue this medication, and will continue to take .25mg for the rest of my life if I have to.
The worst of my withdrawal symptoms have nothing to do with anxiety/rebound anxiety... I experience severe and rapid weight loss, joint pain so severe it is difficult to walk, vision disturbances that make it impossible for me to read (uneven pupil dilation), gait disturbances, hallucinations, nightmares (if I can sleep) neck/jaw/back pain..the list goes on.
poster:djmmm
thread:340880
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040423/msgs/341087.html