# My story with klonopin....



## Apexcrest (Sep 4, 2006)

Hi guys, 
Just wanted to share a little bit of my story with you. Last year, I was

suffering very badly from dp/dr and very bad panic attacks....Of course, I

felt as if I was losing my mind or I had some sort of irreversible brain

damage. I've suffered from panic and OCD most of my life and took

SSRI's to lessen the symptoms. When The dp/dr actually hit I was just

awestruck becuase I had no idea what the hell was going on with me. I

thought it was everything from vertigo to even having drug flashbacks....

Anyway, One day I was freaking out pretty badly...We were at my

brothers wedding and I felt like I was going to fall over (You know how

the dp/dr makes you feel sort of unbalanced) So my dad offers me one

of his Klonopin (0.5 miligrams) I refused it but after an hour or so he

talked me into taking it....I'll tell you what, from that day on I was

practically healed...About 95 percent of the symptoms dimished within the

first day or two...Not only did I have my concentration back but just about

all of the existential thinking, the dizziness, and vision problems went

away too. I only stayed on the klonopin for about 4 months and then due

to some legal troubles I had to get off of it which totally sucked. I'm in

the process now of getting back on it....

I know a lot of people on here and probably a lot of doctors will talk about

how addictive it is...Me personally, I was on it for 4 months (About 2

miligrams a day) And never experienced any type of withdrawal

symptom with the exception of anxiety.

Due yourself a favor, if you've never tried this med I encourage you to

talk to your doctor about it...It worked very well for me and I'm sure

many other people out there, so there is hope guys!

Thanks for listening!


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## Guest (Feb 26, 2007)

Klonopin has saved my life, if i werent still on it today i know i wouldn't be here anymore, and i have no intentions of coming off of it anytime soon. Same for a lot of people, it just stinks that it either doesnt work for some people or that some people can't get it. It deff did wonders for me tho


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## Apexcrest (Sep 4, 2006)

I don't think its hard at all to find a doc to prescribe this. 
Anyone with dp/dr should be able to find a doc who can without any problems.
JGARD, how many mg's are you on and how long have you been on it???


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## Guest (Feb 28, 2007)

it's harder then you'd think in some places, for instances in the UK, they almost never give it out, you can just ask some of the people on this site about that. I'm on 1mg a day and have been on it for about 5 months.


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## Apexcrest (Sep 4, 2006)

Right, I was thinking in the US only. 
After 5 months and your stioill on 1 mg? Thats very good.
I noticed (when i was on it) that .5 in the morning and .5 at night was the perfect combination. I slept great, could think clearly, had no anxiety...
It literally made me feel back to normal within 1-2 days. Actually about 90 percent of my symptoms were alleviated within 2 hours of the first dose. The only reason I'm not on it now is for lack of insurance (the past 6 months have been a nightmare) but Im just going to pay cash, screw it.
I tried to go on xanax, thinking since I had such great success with the klonopin that another benzo would work just as well but it didn't. I had some success with it but it didn't do anything for the dp/dr...Just mellowed me out and euphoric enough to be able to deal with it...


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## invisible.ink (Feb 2, 2007)

How do you go about getting on klonopin? And how do you know if it's right for you?
I've heard so many success stories about it that I'm interested. I would never want to make a rash decision about it though. 
Would one have to ask their GP or would they have to go to a psychiatrist?


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## Guest (Feb 28, 2007)

The problem with asking a psychiatrist about a klonopin regiment for dp, is that, even some psychs dont know about dp, and it's probably the hardest psychiatric condition to diagnose. Because, on the surface, we all seem completely fine, the only way to know is to get behind our eyes and see what we see. If your gonna go about asking your doctor about it, ask them about it due to anxiety. Thats how i got on mine. Valium wasn't working, and i didnt even know what dp was, but i knew i was having panic attacks, and the doctor said lets try some klonopin, and i've been on it ever since. Oh and about the 1mg thing, i do have my days where i take more then one because its just not doing it, but, most of the time i try to stay at my steady 1 a day. For some reason klonopin is the only benzo i've heard of working for dp/dr. But numb knows way more about all this stuff then me, he'd deff be the person to ask


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## Apexcrest (Sep 4, 2006)

Its not as hard as it seems...
I agree to tell them your having some WILD anxiety and as a side effect your feeling dizzy and having dp/dr symptoms. Most docs don't know a whole lot about it but they should definetly be able to recognize what dp/dr is.
All I did was tell my doc that I used to be on Klonopin in the past and it was the only thing that helped me...After I told him that, he just prescribed it for me always. 
If you've never been on it or you don't want to lie then I suggest to just ask him for it, and if he says no or absolutely not then call around until you find a psyche that will....
Most doctors I think would be open to the idea, especially since its one of the only drugs that treats dp/dr. 
Don't give up, you will 100 percent find a doctor to prescribe it for you if you try... 
And thats still not a guarantee that it will work for you, but you stand a good shot! 
You have nothing to lose and everything to gain!


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## Guest (Feb 28, 2007)

yea, i guess you could go in and ask for it, and if they say no keep trying around, but the problem is, it is a very addictive drug and if you go in and ask for something like that with no history of being on it, they are prob going to think you've been taking it for recreational use and now want a prescription. So they will prob want to analyze how bad your anxiety is. But like apex said, it deff couldn't hurt.


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## invisible.ink (Feb 2, 2007)

I'll only ask for it as a last resort. I hate taking meds (even though I am on Lexapro but only because I finally hit rock bottom in my depression). I just want to know that I have the option of turning to meds if nothing else works for my chronic DP/DR. I've only been chronic for a month and a half (I used to be episodic) and even though it seems like FOREVER it's not nearly as long as some people here.


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## Guest (Mar 1, 2007)

Yea, it was about after 2 months that i seeked out medication, this was after all the neurological tests. I used to have it episodically as well. May i ask was there something that made yours chronic or did you just wake up one day and feel it?


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## invisible.ink (Feb 2, 2007)

I've dealt with DP/DR, depression and anxiety all my life. I was free of this during my pregnancy and for awhile thereafter, the longest span in my life without my "issues". However, on the morning of January 2nd I had a massive panic attack that would lead to my descent into the black hole of my depression. It was the worst and most intrusive of any depression I've ever experienced, with mild episodes of DR. In the final weeks of it, late Jan.-early Feb. I was so bad that I hadn't eaten or bathed in days. I was in a catatonic-like state and I literally laid on my bed unable to care for myself or my son, all day. 
The day before I sought medical help, I became DP'ed and DR'ed. At first, I didn't think it was a big deal because I'd dealt with it before and it only lasted a few hours at the most. But when I woke up the next morning, I still felt that way. Still, I wasn't too worried. But after about 3 or 4 days of unrelenting DP/DR 24/7, I started getting worried. 
I started researching my symptoms on the internet and discovered my condition had a name: depersonalization and derealization. I also experience desomatization from time to time.
So, here I am 6 weeks later, still trying to find a way out of this.


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## Apexcrest (Sep 4, 2006)

Just stress to your doctor that you've already tried ssri's and other meds and even mention to him that everything you've read on dp/dr says that Klonopin (clonazepam) is a very useful drug to alleviate the symptoms.
If he/she tries to shut you out by saying its addictive then call some new doctors. Like i said before, I guarantee someone will prescribe it to you. Klonopin isn't that bad as far as addiction goes...I was oon it 4 months and didn't suffer ay withdrawal symptoms except for anxiety and restlessness for a couple days. EVeryones different though. 
Let us know what happens, ok?


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## invisible.ink (Feb 2, 2007)

Apexcrest said:


> Let us know what happens, ok?


I'll keep you updated.


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

The way i look at it klonopin or any other benzo is really no different in the aspect of addiction then anti-depressant's like ssri's are. Sure they create physical dependance if taken over a long period of time but they have no real high to them unlike say opiates. If you want euphoria try 30mg's of oxycodone now that's euphoria.

The way i got klonopin was i said to my GP who knows alot about psychiatry as well that it worked for me in the past. This was after explaining my symptom's and my GP was the one who actually pointed out that what i had was dp/dr. I didnt know the thing existed.

Klonopin basicallly saved my life. In the month or so before i started on klonopin (it's not called klonopin here in canada by the way the brand name in rivotril same as the UK) i was a complete mess. I was just wandering around in a total dp/dr fog. My brain fog was so horrible that i couldnt think and my derealization had reached the point where i was sure i was developing schizophrenia. I was also having panic attack's a few times a day and was a nervous wreck.

Once i started on the clonazepam my anxiety and panic attack's disappeared completly. My dp/dr and brain fog disappeared over the next few day's or a week or so. It actually took alot of getting used to NOT having dp/dr and brain fog all the time. It felt like i had been looking at life through a dirty window pretty much all the time and suddenly someone had decided to clean that window. Everything looked brighter and fresher somehow.

So ya if you havent tried clonazepam yet id definatly give it a shot. It changed my life for sure and it's done the same for atleast a few other people on here.


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