Clonazepam (Klonopin, Rivotril)

I founded my tinnitus of effect of the med was better after taking this for a few days. Try it to a few days and see if it assists.

 

does pharma gaba reduce your t loudness and where do you get it from?

 

I get from iHerb.com.au, and it doesn't do much but help me sleep at night. I think it generally helped with my mood when on it too

 

For everyone still reading and thinking about klonopin, STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM THIS SUBSTANCE FOR AS LONG AS YOU LIVE!!! I don't want to hear a word of "oh everyone's bodies is different people get different sym....NO NO NO this damages your brain and body if you take it any longer than 2 weeks no matter what, even if it's not obvious to you that something is going on.

Ignorant psychiatrists put me on this in May of 2016 against my will (institutionalized) to stop my panic attacks (which may well have been autonomic in nature afterall), and were apathetic enough never to tell me to get off of it before it was too late. While I should have been on them for 2 weeks, that ended up turning into 16 months and it's so hard to get off of it because of the extreme physiologic dependancy it can induce. I was on only 0.5mg in the beginning, and now only take about half of that every day, yet I still can't even miss a morning's dose unless I want my entire nervous system to turn upside down and become incapacitated.

I'm pretty sure klonopin and a couple of others led to increased hyperacusis, increased episodic tinnitus, and an even greater loss of hearing in both the low and high frequencies (hence more secondary tinnitus); it is eating away at me. I'm so angry because they put me on this medication stating it wouldn't do anything to my ears and probably straight out lied to me.

Because it affects GABA receptors and synaptic transition, it isn't a suprise to me that it can quite down a tinnitus response in the brain as well as an overactive CNS in general. But that's the thing; on long term use it stops critical signals from getting sent within the brain, which might lead to your neurochemistry being thrown off in a very bad way, affecting the way your brain handles external and internal stimuli, as well as how other parts of your body function because many areas of your body have GABA receptors too. People have been put in damned wheelchairs because of long term use and subsequent withdrawal before, even when they were following their doctors prescription.

I myself have not only been hit by increasing ear problems but also a gazillion neurologic effects which have left me with many handicaps and the near complete abolition of my entire life. These are the things I developed after my 2016 hell in college and after being put on klonopin:

-Migraine activity all day every day
-Dizziness and fatigue every day since a month ago (may one day develop CFS)
-Extreme sensitivity to any kind of straining, exercise, walking, and a plethora of environmental factors that I never had a problem with before (changes in the weather, what surface I am walking on, what I am eating, what art materials I use, bending over, lifting heavy things)
-Lost the ability to sit down without extreme migraine activity
-Autonomic issues (difficulty breathing, heart rate issues, heat and cold intolerance)
-Changes in the shape of my spine (triad of kyphosis, lordosis, and possibly scoliosis)
-Extreme muscle tightness and tension so bad that I can't move my neck or jaw at times. I am on a muscle relaxant 24/7
-Even more problems with my visual processing
-Memory loss and cognitive difficulties (getting to be in a state of perpetual brain fog)
-Transient confusion
-Initially had significantly worsesned depression; now I am relatively emotionally blunted

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That's probably just a short summary, but I hope this gives all of you an idea of the true nature of this drug. True, I am more sensitive to medications that most people are, but I still strongly hold that long-term use of klonopin or other benzos is playing with fire. What they tell you in the doctor's office is not the truth!

 

@Coyotesheaven I think there's a middle ground to this -- I personally agree that benzos are pretty dangerous, and that some doctors are not nearly aware enough of that. I certainly wouldn't encourage anyone to go on benzos, especially not as a daily thing for long term.

That said -- I have a close relative with pretty severe neuropathic pain as a result of Lyme damage, who's been on the same dose of Klonopin for going on two decades, and basically credits it with allowing them to sleep and have anything resembling a normal life.

We're all different. If I could unwind the clock and go back and not take Klonopin for the ~6 years I was on it, I might -- it is, indeed, playing with fire. That said, I still have a small quantity of it which I resort to when things are just intolerable otherwise.

Severe, potentially disabling reactions to these drugs are possible, but they are not commonplace. Xanax is the most commonly prescribed drug in America, with ~100,000,000 prescriptions annually. If even 5% of people had as strong and negative a reaction to benzos as you describe, we'd know it. Having spent a lot of time interacting with the benzo recovery community, I think that the really really severe reactions are, overall, quite rare -- but super unpleasant, and very long term, when they arise.

 

I've done benzos - valium and ativan - off an on for years. Zero problems with T, withdrawl, etc. Because I've always used them as intended - when needed. And when needed means when you REALLY need one. I've gone through low points where I've used them for a week or two tops and I won't go beyond that point. And for anyone with GAO, especially first dealing with T, that should be enough to keep you level. Also, keep the friggin' doses low. I always go with minimum dosage than double or triple up if I'm in a bad place. I just asked my doc for valium - because I don't want to keep going with ativan - for all the negative reasons though it works amazingly well for me. And he prescribed me 2mg because he knows me, whereas most people ask him for 5mg or 10mg. He says I'm one of the few patients he has that he trusts when asking for scrips because he knows I'm not an abuser and want to play it as safe as possible.

I understand there are a lot of people out there with bad disorders that need much heavier doses for much longer or life, but be careful in dissuading people because you may be doing them more harm than good. Relate your personal experience - in great detail - and offer advice, than let them make the decision. It's like Valerian root. I do not react well to it for whatever reason though I'd prefer to use it as a natural sleep sedative, but I'd never tell anyone else not to do it just because I have a problem with it. Go to WebMD for any drug and look at the reviews for them. Almost all of them run half in half, with half saying it's a lifesaver and the other half condemning it as evil. All the threads on benzos here are the same. They're going to help some people and not others. That's just the nature of meds.

 

There is literally millions and millions taking xanax alone in the United States. Not to understate the bad effects for individuals on these medications, but overall they have also helped millions and millions.

Like all drugs, they are subject to abuse. People get addicted to Panadol even but that should not negate the positive effects some medications have had on people's lives.

 

PLEASE READ BEFORE EVEN THINKING ABOUT BENZOS:

http://hearinglosshelp.com/blog/beware-of-benzodiazepinesnasty-time-bomb-ambushes-the-unwary/

 

Before anyone relies on Neil Bauman to make medication decisions, it might be useful to know that his PhDs are in "ancient history/astronomy (Ph.D.) and theology (Th.D.)". Not someone I will rely on for medical advice however well intentioned he may otherwise be. If you get tired of his writings on ototoxic drugs, you can read his book on Christmas: https://www.amazon.com/Real-Christmas-Story-Neil-Bauman/dp/0971094357

 

@Coyotesheaven

I have been on Klonopin off and on since 2013 it has allowed me to live life again. I'm still on the same dose .5 mg . I have had no issue's with memory loss or brain fog. I live an active life I run half marathons and can say with confidence that Klonopin for me has been a life saver.

 

How much do you take? 5 drops (0.5 mg ) seems to do nothing for me anymore

 

I am taking clonazepam less and less. When I do take it the dose is: 2x0.5mg tablets. I usually take it for up to 3 days. I haven't taken it in over 4 weeks and still I'm fine. My tinnitus fluctuates. Silent, mild, moderate and severe.

 

Ok thank you... I have been taking 6~3 drops every night for the past month and a half... I should come off it but I'm always in such a bad shape that I just don't want to, I guess it gives me a bit of relief even if its tiny...

 

I am sorry to hear that. Do you work my I ask?

 

No

No, I study... started uni this year. Seems pointless at this point but what else would I do...

 

I agree @Emanuel Lourenco It can't be easy for you. I am sorry to hear that you're going through so much difficulty. I went through four years of very loud tinnitus. No two days were the same for me. Large fluctuations in tinnitus and felt at times life wasn't worth carrying on. I am an avid reader and was unable to read a book for over 2 years.

 

Yeah I too stopped reading but you know, I pretty much stopped doing everything i enjoyed doing it because i don't enjoy those things anymore, I am glad to know you got through it... I just don't know what to do at this point so I am just going with it each day... one at a time waiting to go to sleep again... Life really doesnt really feel worth carrying it on, but the alternative is permanent so... I'd like to delay it as much as I can...My life pretty much feels like just waiting for something good to happen really which will likely never happen but oh well... Nothing that anyone can do. Thank you for your time good sir

 

Take care and all the best
Michael

 

Ah, the old Benzo! Must be the most loved and hated drug in the world by far!
I do both!

 

@Carlos1

Then you are a lucky person; a lot of people do get affected in terrible ways from this drug.
I take the same dose and it maimed me in less than a year on it; hearing loss, migraines, progressive CNS breakdown, etc.
One of my relatives was on it too for 20 years, but at a higher dose. Her hearing is poor for her age, her memory is poor, and she lost all her hair and seems to have advanced in age by 20 years when she was tapering off of the drug. We also think she had a lot of psychiatric consequences as a result of long-term klonopin use, and there could have been a lot of other not-so-obvious physical and neurologic consequences.

Don't get me wrong, some people like you do indeed need it to function, and I don't see any problems using it for short term and (very infrequent) situations. But when you use it long-term there are always risks and you need to educate yourself about them in the case something starts to not look right (and it can happen over years too, not just weeks or months).

 

I would advise anyone considering taking a benzo to never take it on a daily basis, even in the short term. Take it as needed, infrequently. It should be for rescue situations only.

Better yet, don't mess with benzos at all.

I say this as someone who has been stuck on benzos for over 3 years now and is struggling immensely to get off them. This shit can destroy you.

 

@Sen

It wasn't by choice that I started Benzo's ...it certainly wasn't my choice to have Tinnitus either but at some point you do what you have to do to try to get some type of life back. Our responsibilities won't go on hold due to Tinnitus.....For me the choice to do nothing about TEEEEE was no choice at all.

 

Michael just wanted your opinion on something.. I been taking rivotril for little more than a month and a half, everyday from 3~7 drops do you think I could have bad effects from withdrawing from it?

 

What does 3-7 drops mean?

 

sorry, i take it in drops... from 0.3 to 0.7 mg of rivotril... I mostly stay within the 0.4 and 0.5 area but i have taken up to 0.7... and I am slightly worried of coming off of it

 

I didn't know they have it in drops. I take 2 0.5 tablets when required and usually for a maximum of 3 days then I stop. I haven't taken clonazepam/rivitril for around 4 weeks or more. There was a time I was taking it every 10 days....

 

I think it's best you follow the advice of your doctor... As I said, I normally take 2x 0.5 tablets when required for up to 3 days but haven't taken it for over 4 weeks

 

Hey, those drops are for your rectum, bro!

 

dude wat... lol

 

@Emanuel Lourenco
It sounds like he might have a problem keep away....