What's the difference between letting a medication help you and being addicted?

Faith_TX · Post by **Faith_TX** » Fri May 15, 2009 1:30 pm

I started Klonopin a couple weeks ago. I took it every day for about a week and it works great. It calms me down and helps me sleep and I feel good the next day. I'm taking a tiny dose. I'm only taking 1/4 of a .5 mg.

But I started to be afraid of addiction so I didn't take it a couple days.

I'm having anxiety today and I'll probably go ahead and take one tonight.

I'm scared of being dependant on a medication.

How do you get over that?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri May 15, 2009 2:21 pm

While there is a risk of dependance in using a benzodiazepine medication (sedative type), it becomes a problem with much longer usage. If you continue to use it for months and constantly increase the dosages to increase the effect then you create a dependance. If you only using a tiny dosage for a few months you should have mininal problems and you really don't sound like someone who is going to be using increased dosages. At low dosages, the withdrawal should be very minimal and hopefully by then your anxiety will be more under control. If you want something long term, you could consider a SSRI taken daily (Remeron and Lexapro are two I've used effectively).

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri May 15, 2009 4:01 pm

My brother in law just started Lexapro. I am going to talk to a psychiatrist on Wednesday; maybe I'll try that.

Michael · Post by **Michael** » Fri May 15, 2009 4:22 pm

Hi
I was taking xanax as needed for years .5 milligram. My new doctor changed me to klonipin .5 milligram because he thought it to be a more gentle drug and much easier to get off of it when needed. So for 2 years now I take them only as needed. I never have a problem at all. Some days I need one and then there are times I don't take any for days. I am also on an antidepressant cymbalta. Once that kicked in I used less and less of the klonopin. I would not be afraid of becoming dependent on them and if you start an antidepressant I think you will need less and less of the klonopin.
Linda

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat May 16, 2009 3:36 am

Yeah I think that's what I need to do but I've had bad reactions to many of the SSRI's. I've tried Lexapro, Zoloft, Effexor, Prozac. . .couldn't tolerate any of them. I took Tofranil years ago and it helped but it made me tired and gained weight.

We'll see what she says on Wednesday.