Clonazepam (Klonopin, Rivotril)

Hi @Tanis, I’m sure some of the more experienced users of Clonazepam can chime in but just curious how much did it lower your tinnitus on a scale of 1-10?

I tried it for a day but didn’t like the way Clonazepam made me feel even though it lowered my tinnitus to about a 1/10. I’m sure if I stuck with it it might have lowered it further but I hate the impaired feeling of it.

I switched over to Grandaxin which is not intoxicating and less addicting but lowers my tinnitus by about half so far instead of 1/10. I’m still struggling but this at least got me out of the fight or flight mode I have been trapped in for weeks.

I have seen users report taking it a few times a week at the same low doses you and I were prescribed with no issue. The 2 callouts I have been advised of is to make sure I taper when going off of it and not to start if I’ve had any prior drug addiction issues (which I have not). I know this is very subjective but if you read through the last few pages of this thread starting with my post about Clonazepam it may make you feel more comfortable as a lot of experienced people chimed in.

Maybe switching to taking it every other day throughout the week might help? I’ve seen users report that it lowers tinnitus for up to 48 hours with its longer half life so maybe reduced use can help head off tolerance and dependency.

I for one plan on taking Grandaxin for the next couple months and do not know how I will stop to deal with my severe tinnitus so I’m in the same boat as you.

 

I just finally met my GP for the first time. His entire staff were Nurse Practitioners who all quit on him. Tough time in the medical field here in the US. I have family and friends who want out badly.

Anyway, I'm being switched from Xanax and beta blocker Metoprolol, to Ativan and Propranolol which he feels work better for his tinnitus patients, saying the Ativan stays in the system twice as long as Xanax, but is quicker in effect than Klonopin? I did read a study that said Klonopin/Propranolol seemed to help lower tinnitus loudness/perception, here's hoping.

This is a shame though, I'm 56 and was hoping to get off of the Xanax before the tinnitus hit me, then to find out Xanax is really the only thing keeping me sane and helping me sleep, feels like a hole I'll never get out of now as benzo withdrawal can cause or worsen tinnitus and last for years.

(Note) I've been taking beta-blocker for blood pressure but that's under control now that I've given up alcohol, salt, sugar and caffeine (mostly). Beta-blockers do wonders for my daytime anxiety and Propranolol is said to be the least ototoxic?

 

Hi @Roy, I can definitely testify to Klonopin lessening the perception of tinnitus but I absolutely hated the way it made me feel which is intoxicated.

Can you link that study here regarding Klonopin and Propranolol? This is what my wonderful ENT prescribed me (convinced he’s the only good one in the country).

I wanted to use the Propranolol long term but I had some weird side effects with it. Very glad it’s working for you though.

Can you keep us posted on how you do with Ativan?

 

I’ve been on Propranolol 20 mg x 2 times a day for the last couple of months. No effect on tinnitus. No real effect on anxiety either. I don’t know why I keep taking it.

Don’t let this discourage you though. No psych meds have been able to help me with regards to my tinnitus.

 

@Roy E, I don't think Ativan (Lorazepam) stays in your system longer than Xanax (Alprazolam). They both have a pretty short half-life and look to be interchangeable. Klonopin (Clonazepam) will stay in the system longer than both of them as it has a longer half-life. I think Ativan probably takes effect more quickly than Klonopin for the same reason.

 

Hi all,

Quick question as someone with little to no experience with Clonazepam.

I have only taken .25 mg of a pill weeks ago and never touched it again. At that time it was very potent. However, I’ve been experiencing increasing severe panic/anxiety ever since and ended up taking a 0.5 mg of a pill very slowly throughout yesterday (about 0.125 mg every hour or so) and I didn’t feel much (took some edge off). However, I slept great and feel much calmer today (not sure how long that will last).

I was curious if the severity of your panic can determine how effective a pill like Clonazepam is in response?

I’m also still trying to figure out if Grandaxin is causing me some kind of cross tolerance/withdrawal across the board with benzos that could be impacting this.

Thanks.

 

Propranolol won't help at all.

Clonazepam (Rivotril, Klonopin) definitely helps to take the edge off tinnitus. In my case I usually take 1 mg with an empty stomach (effect seems quicker and last longer).

The secret is to use it very occasionally only in times of real real distress, otherwise you see the effect wean off sooner or not to take hold at all. I might take it twice a week (1 mg on two different days mainly on the weekend). You will see with time and as long you remain active (not lie down) the intoxication feeling lessens.

Hope it helps.

I also sometimes combine Clonazepam with 300 mg of Gabapentin (Neurontin) and it usually lowers tinnitus for one day and makes the next day quieter.

 

Since my tinnitus started, I have taken Klonopin on 3 occasions. I took .5 mg once and .25 mg twice. It has worked well for me and one of the benefits is that the following day my tinnitus was much lower.

The problem is that I know it's a band aid. But in this early period of tinnitus, I'm going to use the band aid if I have to. My uneducated opinion is that if you are having severe panic, you may want to take .75 or 1 mg to get relief. One mg isn't a huge dose. I have a family member who has taken 4 mg per day for 20 years and has done great and never needed an increase.

Hope that helps you some. The first few months are the toughest is what everyone says. I'm 6 weeks in and I sure hope that is the case. Take care and try to stay positive.

 

I used to pop Klonopin and go out to the bar and scoop up biddies.

 

I would seriously consider discontinuing. I speak from experience, the sides from continuous Propranolol use SUCK.

 

What were your side effects if you don’t mind me asking?

 

Thanks @Ben Johnson. I appreciate the advice and kind words. I think I may be taking it 1-2x a week while maybe looking for a long-term non-addicting anti-anxiety drug like Buspar. I hope I didn’t mislead you with the Grandaxin, waiting to see what happens later today and if I start having the same reaction. I still plan on tapering off from it and I still don’t know definitively if it’s causing me a withdrawal but tapering it properly would most likely be ideal.

 

Thanks @papu. I’ve been wondering how people function on it since .25 mg blasted me the very first time I took it.

But I was definitely in the most distress/severe panic attack I had ever been in when I took .5 mg very slowly yesterday (borderline psychosis/derealization/on my way to the hospital) so I wonder if that’s why it didn’t have such an intoxicating effect. I slept great though, 12 glorious hours after only getting a few hours or more a night previously.

 

Well first of all I have some suspicion it contributed to the onset of my tinnitus, as it was the only thing different leading up to the onset. Aside from the Moderna booster anyway (2 weeks prior to the tinnitus onset).

Otherwise: poor sleep, bad dreams, lethargy, and it impacts exercise significantly, especially weight lifting. It's not even a second line treatment for hypertension, and barely third-line as I understand it, due to the nature of what beta blockers do.

At least it's not addictive, I guess.

 

Can anyone tell me what’s the best pill cutter if you’re considering the Ashton method for tapering?

 

To be quite frank, I have never heard of those side effects with regards to Clonazepam.

Actually it is supposed to be first line treatment for anxiety and panic attacks.

You might be in more distress with your tinnitus since it is of very recent onset.

The first two moths I was a complete mess.

Are you taking steroids by any chance? They can cause the symptoms you are having.

The most important advice I can give is to try to stay calm. Usually tinnitus imprints more in your brain when you are stressed.

Having had it since 2015 from acute onset (acoustic trauma), I can tell you it does get better with time. Try to focus on that.

If you can get a hearing aid with no amplification, just with white noise, it helps. The audiologist can help you choose the tone and volume that masks your tinnitus the most. Hearing aids did help me a lot.

 

You haven’t been taking them long enough or enough of a dose to need to taper.

 

I really hope you’re right but I had been taking it for 3 weeks, as of last Wednesday 1-2x daily. I felt better after slowly taking a 1 mg of Clonazepam into the next day and then took one 50 mg of Grandaxin once I started feeling jittery again. That did help for the evening, but now at noon next day, after taking 1 tablet, it’s only half as effective and I’m on my way to a panic again.

Something is going on despite the fact that both of these pills greatly reduce the tinnitus volume/activity, so I’m more focused on the anxiety/panic than anything else.

 

Hi Papu,

Thanks for all of the advice. You are correct, I have been in an ever increasing state of panic since my tinnitus onset. About a couple weeks ago I lost the ability to leave the house due to severe panic but I can say I felt this way right before starting Grandaxin/Tofisopam as well and it had always been only halfway effective with my anxiety. Just to note, I had never experienced severe anxiety or panic attacks before tinnitus so this is all very new to me and I had no idea such hell existed.

I continued to take it for the past 3 weeks and noticed it just seemingly becoming less effective as time went on but I’m hoping that’s not because of developing a tolerance to it. I’ve spoken to a Drug Rehab Doc, Nurses at Detox Centers and my Psychiatrist and no one seems to think that this is a benzo withdrawal but of course they can’t confirm for sure. My only symptoms are the severe panic and anxiety so I’m hoping this isn’t some “rebound anxiety” followed by other symptoms to come.

I noticed that after taking a full 1 mg of Clonazepam very very slowly over an afternoon of the worst anxiety and panic that I ever experienced on Thursday that I slowly felt better enough to fall asleep and felt 90% normal the next day into the early evening. Once I felt the panic returning I took one 50 mg Grandaxin and felt better as well but wonder if that’s because some Clonazepam was still in my system.

I felt better into today until noon when I noticed that the panic was starting to resume. I took another 50 mg Grandaxin and again only had mild relief. I’m currently fighting the panic as we speak but hate the thought of taking another Clonazepam slowly to try and relieve this.

Because of the nature of benzos, the tinnitus volume has been very low and, because I’m distracted so much by the severe panic, I have been noticing it less, but obviously not for a good reason.

 

Hi @IntotheBlue03. I agree with others on here. You can do a short taper, but I would not worry about benzo withdrawal, as you have been taking them for a very short period of time.

In addition, I remember when I first took 1 mg of Valium (so 0.05 mg of Clonazepam). I took it before doing a presentation when a university student and I can tell you that I felt like I was drifting through space, so dissociated I was from that small amount of benzo. I was quite amazed at how potent the drug appeared to have been; it was unlike anything I had experienced before. Fast forward to today and that 1mg does not have the same effect on me. I have not taken Valium that much in my life - it was probably, maybe 4 or 5 times per year on average (or less) since then, but it just does not affect me like that anymore. So I would not read too much into a perceived reduced effect of a particular benzodiazepine on the next few occasions. It may be possible that the effect of a milder benzo may reduce somewhat after a few weeks but I am not sure. It may simply be increased anxiety that is counteracting the anxiolytic, inhibitory effect of the drug. And if you feel calm after taking a benzo, and the effects last a day or so, then it is also conceivable, I think, that upon that drug working its way out of your system or losing its anti-anxiety effect, you suddenly become aware (or much more aware) of your tinnitus again and then "latch on" to it, which reinitiates the anxiety state.

You may want to speak to a psychiatrist about your regimen, but it might not be the best idea to take something, feel better, wait for it to leave your system, experience a sharp uptick in your anxiety, and then repeat the cycle. It might be wiser to keep taking something for now so that you can keep yourself in a calmer state and start to think less about the tinnitus - and then review after a few weeks. That it certainly what I did when in the psych ward - and I was on much higher doses of benzos initially. You may well need a level of consistency in your regimen in order to keep yourself on an even keel as you work through this rather than continually going through ups and downs.

 

Agree.

@IntotheBlue03, your tinnitus will lessen or be cured. Healing of ligaments.

Continue with your treatments, medications, good head posture and compresses.

Seen so many with what you have only on later reporting I can't hear it.

Be patient.

 

I cannot tell you how relieving it was to feel normal yesterday, I was not high at all, just 90% normal and this was a day after taking 1 mg of Clonazepam slowly over an afternoon (0.125-0.25 mg every hour). I didn’t feel intoxicated yesterday either but I think that’s testimony to how incredibly severe my panic and anxiety were. So maybe I just need to keep convincing myself that the dose of Clonazepam I am on will be safe for the next month or so. I just hope crossing over from the Grandaxin will not be an issue but maybe yesterday is testimony to that fact that it won’t. I did read that detox treatment does often switch people over to longer acting benzos like Clonazepam for the same reason to provide that extended relief and stability.

I very much see your point at this time about short acting benzos. The half-life of Grandaxin is 3 hours and it definitely seems I’ve been caught in a cycle of ups and downs while my anxiety around leaving home has continued to increase. When I try and step outside the house, the anxiety still goes through the roof regardless of what I am on so that can’t be withdrawal related I imagine. As much as I wanted this benzo to be effective, it seems to me the Clonazepam’s longer half life would be much more stabilizing for me so I hopefully can be on that even keel moving forward. I’ll definitely speak to my psychiatrist but at this rate I imagine I’ll be taking 1 mg every couple of days instead of everyday hopefully. I’m also still trying to see what I should do long term (Buspar, etc) to hopefully ween off of this in the short term.

I will also be getting that SGB next week so hopefully that will help as well. I trust my Prolotherapist with my life so hopefully that can mitigate my fight or flight response. He was my last option with my severe chronic pain after 10 years and I wish he was my first. I see history repeating itself here for sure lol. He’s injected me in very dangerous areas that other patients fly to his location to receive.

I can say at this point it is definitely the panic kicking in more than my tinnitus volume which may sound strange but that’s what led me to believe I was experiencing some type of withdrawal or just panic disorder since I’ve been dealing with increasing anxiety over the past few months. Because both drugs are benzos, the tinnitus volume has been minimal thankfully.

I’m currently milking my next dose for the evening and hoping I can catch up on some work and end up taking less than the other day maybe. I guess I understand now that people can function on this especially if their panic was severe to begin with to your point about the anxiety being so high it counteracts the effects of the drug to a certain extent.

So nice to hear from you as always, your insight calms me and definitely reassures me about this decision. I don’t have an addictive personality but I’ve certainly had GAD in the past with a Type A personality so maybe the combination of these 2 led to a panic disorder with severe tinnitus.

 

Oh thank you Greg, so nice to hear from you as well! Yes I can say that as I’m approaching month 3 and during the past week when I attempted to taper Grandaxin and was not taking the Clonazepam that my tinnitus has been consistently lower/less reactive. Really hoping that’s because of time.

My amazing Prolotherapist has suggested a Stellate Ganglion Block before my upper cervical injection. Curious about your thoughts on that with your background?

 

Yes, go for this first.

 

I don't see why it would not be. If you are concerned, you could always start by taking, say, half of the amount (0.5 mg) in the morning (or evening) and seeing what effect that has on you. Or you could break that dose in half (0.25 mg) and take twice per day. You should be monitored by someone, but the order of the day is helping to maintain a prolonged state of calm and, when you are more stable, to smoothly wean you off.

No need to look for explanation of the anxiety state. It is absolutely normal, as you have seen on here. That does not really matter: what does is that you find the necessary support to help you to control it and move past it. And that will, in turn, help in alleviating your tinnitus.

 

Well I took Clonazepam with little issue for a year or so after tinnitus onset.

Withdrawal was largely uneventful.

Since a recent worsening in my noxacusis that has caused me great stress I was taking 2-3 1 mg doses of Clonazepam a month for about the past four months. The last dose was about 4 days ago.

I've began having intermittent symptoms that appear to be related to withdrawal and that I pray subside. I'm having rebound anxiety which is pretty bad and sometimes my appendages, mainly my feet, are warm and tingly. The worst though is I am having the sensation that my body is vibrating inside. Perhaps some type of tremor. It is intermittent also, but this particular symptom is driving me really crazy. I'm considering joining a benzo forum to ask about it, but I am afraid of horror stories further ramping up my stress level. I'm guessing it has to do with kindling.

I can't believe four months ago I was fairly functional. Now I am in hearing protection 24/7 to avoid pain, almost homebound, struggling much worse with anxiety and depression and now apparently suffering through withdrawal from such a trivial dose of benzos. I am in desperate need for something good to happen for me.

 

2-3 1 mg doses of Clonazepam a month for about the past four months and you believe you are having withdrawal?

What makes you think they are related @GoatSheep? Do you feel any better if you take some Clonazepam?

 

That’s not a trivial dose. That’s actually really high.

 

1 mg three days a month is high?

 

I don’t take any other meds period. My body feels like it’s vibrating internally. Since this has started I haven’t taken it anymore.

Before, yes I felt better because it was helping the severe anxiety I have from a major noxacusis setback and it calms my tinnitus for like an entire day or more. My setback has caused me to be in hearing protection 24/7. So where I was fairly habituated before to my tinnitus, I now have to listen to it 24/7 in earplugs or earmuffs to avoid pain. So it ruined my habituation and now when anything spikes me even remotely my stress increases.