Klonopin Basically Useless What Gives?

[troubledtimes]

Since I started getting rediculous anxiety and body and facial twitches my doctor put me on Ativan which seemed to help a decent amount I took .05 to 1 mg a day. Than he switched me to Klonopin because I would freak out and get to much rebound anxiety seeing how Ativan leaves your system quicker...I currently take 1mg of Klonopin a day and initially it helped and I did notice I didn't get serious withdrawal issues because it's longer effects. Well now I've become tolerant to it of course and 1mg doesn't help. The thing I want to ask all of you is I did an experiment and tried 3 MG's of Klonopin just to see if the anxiety and my nervous system would calm down and no word of a lie it did absolutely nothing... Tried this quite a few times taking an extra 2 MG's one day etc just testing to see if it's tolerance... Well I don't know how I did this off of 1mg of Klonopin daily but I'm assuming my body has just become tolerant to the drug altogether?? Is this possible even tho 1mg is not that high of a dose compared to others?? I'm confused and going through hell.......

 

[Frankdee20]

Playing with Fire

 

[troubledtimes]

Bump

 

[hearsay]

I’d get off that ***t ASAP, meaning depending how long you’ve been on and using it, tapering off.

You are saying anxiety but from what?
I’d address the source rather than the symptoms, whether that be nutritional or emotional/mental.

 

[troubledtimes]

I plan to get off the Klonopin I've been on it about a year now. I know they are bad news but I want to reach a state where I'm more calm and than taper. Right now I'm to freaked out with anxiety to start a taper. Im in need of something to calm me down. I've heard of GABA Penton being a key ch better substitute than benzos and it helps with withdraws according to alot of studies

 

[hearsay]

I plan to get off the Klonopin I've been on it about a year now. I know they are bad news but I want to reach a state where I'm more calm and than taper. Right now I'm to freaked out with anxiety to start a taper. Im in need of something to calm me down. I've heard of GABA Penton being a key ch better substitute than benzos and it helps with withdraws according to alot of studies

Research taper protocols.

Mmm still not very descriptive about the anxiety bit. Try walking or jogging 5 to 10k every day or something to distract you. If you are sitting around worrying about the molecular balances and imbalances, you’re just gonna stress yourself out more. Do you go outside much? How much time do you spend looking at screens? Breathing deeply and slowly for a few minutes does wonders. Or if your anxiety is personal / emotional, find ways to figure that out through journaling methods or therapy.

 

[troubledtimes]

I walk and bike ride almost daily and it helps seoneqhY to a degree but if I overdo it I get a huge adrenaline release and it doesn't help my nervous system. My anxiety is generalized and no specific cause. I have it being at home. I've suspected a possable brain cyst or a form of epilepsy as ivewntioned in my other posts I get facial twitches and movement spasms. Basically a simple partial seizure... Anxiety and spasms can come from temporal lobe seizures or different areas of the brain. I have a head scan in a few months and tomorrow I'm asking my doctor to refer me to a neurologist for an eeg

 

[hearsay]

I walk and bike ride almost daily and it helps seoneqhY to a degree but if I overdo it I get a huge adrenaline release and it doesn't help my nervous system. My anxiety is generalized and no specific cause. I have it being at home. I've suspected a possable brain cyst or a form of epilepsy as ivewntioned in my other posts I get facial twitches and movement spasms. Basically a simple partial seizure... Anxiety and spasms can come from temporal lobe seizures or different areas of the brain. I have a head scan in a few months and tomorrow I'm asking my doctor to refer me to a neurologist for an eeg

I see, I see. Well, all of that is certainly cause for anxiety. Sorry, I haven’t read your other posts, so wasn’t familiar with your situation. I don’t know anything about that kind of stuff but definitely hope you can figure out what is causing all of that.

Not sure what else you could do until you find out other than the normal “reduce stress” things.

I used take stuff for “generalized anxiety” and the only way I really stopped was just being busy and distracting myself.

 

[Hans]

Since I started getting rediculous anxiety and body and facial twitches my doctor put me on Ativan which seemed to help a decent amount I took .05 to 1 mg a day. Than he switched me to Klonopin because I would freak out and get to much rebound anxiety seeing how Ativan leaves your system quicker...I currently take 1mg of Klonopin a day and initially it helped and I did notice I didn't get serious withdrawal issues because it's longer effects. Well now I've become tolerant to it of course and 1mg doesn't help. The thing I want to ask all of you is I did an experiment and tried 3 MG's of Klonopin just to see if the anxiety and my nervous system would calm down and no word of a lie it did absolutely nothing... Tried this quite a few times taking an extra 2 MG's one day etc just testing to see if it's tolerance... Well I don't know how I did this off of 1mg of Klonopin daily but I'm assuming my body has just become tolerant to the drug altogether?? Is this possible even tho 1mg is not that high of a dose compared to others?? I'm confused and going through hell.......

Twitches and anxiety are due to elevated serotonin, glutamate, intracellular calcium (from EMF, lactate, low magnesium, etc.) and noradrenaline.
Do you have gut issues? Often gut issues (and hypothyroidism) are the root to these kinds of symptoms.

 

[Frankdee20]

Gabapentin has its own history of withdrawal syndromes, and it’s not even an agonist

 

[rei]

Benzos should only be used for very occasional situations. Be it stage fright, agoraphobia, or just to make that saturday night out more healthy by limiting your alcohol need by 50%.

It is absolutely not something you can take for long times, not even medium-term. The longer you use it the more impossible getting off it gets. I used alprazolam for 1 month at 3mg per day and after a month when i stopped it quickly i was throwing up green slime (hydroxy neutralized overproduction of stomach acid) for 2 days and then i had a small seizure.

 

[troubledtimes]

Twitches and anxiety are due to elevated serotonin, glutamate, intracellular calcium (from EMF, lactate, low magnesium, etc.) and noradrenaline.
Do you have gut issues? Often gut issues (and hypothyroidism) are the root to these kinds of symptoms.

that i know of i dont think i have gut issues from a physical view. i dont get stomach pain in any area, no nausea after eating, even if i were to drink milk i dont have stomach pain or any issues so it seems my gut tolerates alot of things. but than i again i do have anxiety and depression and now in the past few years spasms. but i have had my thyroid checked 4 different times the TSH, T3, and T4 were all i normal ranges but i am still open to trying T3 seeing how blood tests and the numbers and guidlines they say are normal seem to be wrong in my opinion. i would agree that glutamate is out of control in myself and possably seratonin. its hard to say though because i took effexor for 8 years and it treated me okay and really helped out with anxiety. maybe effexor stopped working and thats why the im in the state im in. but than again i have tried lexapro and celexa and my symptoms didnt improve. i did notice a little improvement with zoloft however and i did not get up to the max dose of it. i know ssri's are a subject of avoidance but part of me thinks the effexor just stopped working and than the seratonin wouldnt be working as effectivly as it use to in my brain and seratonin also modulates GABA and has an effect at blocking to much glutamate? i have tried to slowly lower my dose of effexor to see if it was causing the issue and i didnt notice any difference. im not against cypro though and maybe the anxiety and twitches are a result of damage from long term ssri use? im trying to figure it all out. i have tried a magnesium glycinate with no improvements. after considering all this thats why im goign to see a neurolgist. an EEG test could deffinitley detect some abnormal brain activity causing the anxiety and twitches. and a head scan could reveal alot of things. i was jumped at night time and assaulted pretty bad and a year after that happened thats when the anxiety and twitches started happening... so there could be scars, a cyst, tumor, or some type of lesion or something that would show up on a head scan. it would explain alot. but im open to everything very smart people on here. they have me booked for a CT scan on my head do you think that would be effective in showing enough of what problems with the brain? wouldnt a brain MRI show more potential problems?

 

[Korven]

@troubledtimes What does your breathing pattern look like?

People with anxiety tend to hyperventilate - aka breathe too much - which ventilates out CO2. This can lead to hypocalcemia and the symptoms you describe, spasms/twitches/tingles. You can read more here Respiratory Alkalosis: Symptoms, Treatments, and Prevention

Maybe look into Buteyko breathing, or breathing in a paper bag, and see if that helps.

 

[Kram]

that i know of i dont think i have gut issues from a physical view. i dont get stomach pain in any area, no nausea after eating, even if i were to drink milk i dont have stomach pain or any issues so it seems my gut tolerates alot of things. but than i again i do have anxiety and depression and now in the past few years spasms. but i have had my thyroid checked 4 different times the TSH, T3, and T4 were all i normal ranges but i am still open to trying T3 seeing how blood tests and the numbers and guidlines they say are normal seem to be wrong in my opinion. i would agree that glutamate is out of control in myself and possably seratonin. its hard to say though because i took effexor for 8 years and it treated me okay and really helped out with anxiety. maybe effexor stopped working and thats why the im in the state im in. but than again i have tried lexapro and celexa and my symptoms didnt improve. i did notice a little improvement with zoloft however and i did not get up to the max dose of it. i know ssri's are a subject of avoidance but part of me thinks the effexor just stopped working and than the seratonin wouldnt be working as effectivly as it use to in my brain and seratonin also modulates GABA and has an effect at blocking to much glutamate? i have tried to slowly lower my dose of effexor to see if it was causing the issue and i didnt notice any difference. im not against cypro though and maybe the anxiety and twitches are a result of damage from long term ssri use? im trying to figure it all out. i have tried a magnesium glycinate with no improvements. after considering all this thats why im goign to see a neurolgist. an EEG test could deffinitley detect some abnormal brain activity causing the anxiety and twitches. and a head scan could reveal alot of things. i was jumped at night time and assaulted pretty bad and a year after that happened thats when the anxiety and twitches started happening... so there could be scars, a cyst, tumor, or some type of lesion or something that would show up on a head scan. it would explain alot. but im open to everything very smart people on here. they have me booked for a CT scan on my head do you think that would be effective in showing enough of what problems with the brain? wouldnt a brain MRI show more potential problems?

If you were on effexor for 8 years, you probably have extremely high serotonin now, which would definitely explain the terrible anxiety and twitches, as others have mentioned. MRI and CT scan can help rule some things out (lesions, tumors etc.) but it's not going to reveal much if your brain chemistry is just off. I was prescribed high-dose amphetamines for a couple years and by the end of it, my brain and body were a complete mess from all the serotonin - dealt with extreme anxiety, depression, muscle twitching, vertigo and many other issues, none of which I ever previously had (I also had CTs and MRIs done which showed no issues) . I would do everything possible to taper off all these meds.

Brain chemistry takes time to fix. Some of the things I found helpful which are commonly mentioned on this forum (besides a good diet full of vitamins and minerals) are low dose progesterone (10mg daily) + dhea (3-5 mg daily), b vitamins, glycine with every meal, and maybe low dose cypro (0.5mg daily). Good luck.

 

[Hans]

that i know of i dont think i have gut issues from a physical view. i dont get stomach pain in any area, no nausea after eating, even if i were to drink milk i dont have stomach pain or any issues so it seems my gut tolerates alot of things. but than i again i do have anxiety and depression and now in the past few years spasms. but i have had my thyroid checked 4 different times the TSH, T3, and T4 were all i normal ranges but i am still open to trying T3 seeing how blood tests and the numbers and guidlines they say are normal seem to be wrong in my opinion. i would agree that glutamate is out of control in myself and possably seratonin. its hard to say though because i took effexor for 8 years and it treated me okay and really helped out with anxiety. maybe effexor stopped working and thats why the im in the state im in. but than again i have tried lexapro and celexa and my symptoms didnt improve. i did notice a little improvement with zoloft however and i did not get up to the max dose of it. i know ssri's are a subject of avoidance but part of me thinks the effexor just stopped working and than the seratonin wouldnt be working as effectivly as it use to in my brain and seratonin also modulates GABA and has an effect at blocking to much glutamate? i have tried to slowly lower my dose of effexor to see if it was causing the issue and i didnt notice any difference. im not against cypro though and maybe the anxiety and twitches are a result of damage from long term ssri use? im trying to figure it all out. i have tried a magnesium glycinate with no improvements. after considering all this thats why im goign to see a neurolgist. an EEG test could deffinitley detect some abnormal brain activity causing the anxiety and twitches. and a head scan could reveal alot of things. i was jumped at night time and assaulted pretty bad and a year after that happened thats when the anxiety and twitches started happening... so there could be scars, a cyst, tumor, or some type of lesion or something that would show up on a head scan. it would explain alot. but im open to everything very smart people on here. they have me booked for a CT scan on my head do you think that would be effective in showing enough of what problems with the brain? wouldnt a brain MRI show more potential problems?

What's your diet like?
Do you eat organ meat, milk, shell fish, fruit, etc?
Research shows the 200-400mg magnesium x3-4 times daily is very effective against depression. So it might be against anxiety as well.
Have you tried zinc, theanine, taurine or progesterone for your anxiety?

 

[troubledtimes]

If you were on effexor for 8 years, you probably have extremely high serotonin now, which would definitely explain the terrible anxiety and twitches, as others have mentioned. MRI and CT scan can help rule some things out (lesions, tumors etc.) but it's not going to reveal much if your brain chemistry is just off. I was prescribed high-dose amphetamines for a couple years and by the end of it, my brain and body were a complete mess from all the serotonin - dealt with extreme anxiety, depression, muscle twitching, vertigo and many other issues, none of which I ever previously had (I also had CTs and MRIs done which showed no issues) . I would do everything possible to taper off all these meds.

Brain chemistry takes time to fix. Some of the things I found helpful which are commonly mentioned on this forum (besides a good diet full of vitamins and minerals) are low dose progesterone (10mg daily) + dhea (3-5 mg daily), b vitamins, glycine with every meal, and maybe low dose cypro (0.5mg daily). Good luck.

thanks for the reply. interesting input alot of my symptoms could relate to a degree of seratonin sydrome from long term ssri use. i really want to give DHEA and progesterone a shot but i have no clue where to buy them offline. im glad you are doing much better now

 

[troubledtimes]

What's your diet like?
Do you eat organ meat, milk, shell fish, fruit, etc?
Research shows the 200-400mg magnesium x3-4 times daily is very effective against depression. So it might be against anxiety as well.
Have you tried zinc, theanine, taurine or progesterone for your anxiety?

i have tried taurine, l theanine, with no luck. i take a multivitamin from brain MD called brain and body power which is a high quality multivitamin i cant say ive noticed much improvement taking it which has zinc in it. possably a high contrenate zinc suppliment could help. progesterone i have not im not sure how to get a hold of it. i did try magnesium with no luck but maybe i did not try high enough dose. i took 600mgs daily possably to low?

 

[Hans]

i have tried taurine, l theanine, with no luck. i take a multivitamin from brain MD called brain and body power which is a high quality multivitamin i cant say ive noticed much improvement taking it which has zinc in it. possably a high contrenate zinc suppliment could help. progesterone i have not im not sure how to get a hold of it. i did try magnesium with no luck but maybe i did not try high enough dose. i took 600mgs daily possably to low?

600mg twice daily is big enough doses where you should have felt it.
Pehaps you need something stronger like cypro. Start small at 2-4mg and work up and see if it helps.
You can get progesterone from
IldeasDC: Progestene
Healthnatura
Various companies sell Progest-E (just google the name and you should get a good site that has it)

 

[aguineapig]

Some fairly safe drug alternatives: cypro, hydroxyzine, beta blockers (atenolol is preferred), buspirone. These were sufficient to get me out of a terrible spot without ever taking a benzo or an ssri. I've never noticed tangible side effects or withdrawals from any of them.

 

[troubledtimes]

600mg twice daily is big enough doses where you should have felt it.
Pehaps you need something stronger like cypro. Start small at 2-4mg and work up and see if it helps.
You can get progesterone from
IldeasDC: Progestene
Healthnatura
Various companies sell Progest-E (just google the name and you should get a good site that has it)

i did not take magnesium twice daily i only took it once 600 mg for the full day. thanks for the info i will look into progesterone and try it. what exactly is it suppose to do anyway for the brain and body?