InChristAlone
Member
That is great you never became addicted. I believe it is when benzos are taken for a week or two that dependency can result.Because I am cynical, my general thinking now is that everything the mainstream medical system tries to scare me away from, or keep me from getting is possibly good or ok. Here I am referencing the benzos - well one I guess. I used to have panic attacks, claustrophobia, couldn't ride elevators, etc. Clonazepem helped me enormously. Also during periods of severe anxiety/stress. I have used them off/on for those things, and have never gotten addicted. I would often have a bottle sit for months. Eventually the panic attacks and claustrophobia, and other severe anxiety states went away. I don't know why either. It actually did something for anxiety. I've never developed a tolerance or needed more than 0.5 to 1 mg to achieve results.
I'm obviously not suggesting this for anyone, or that it is a "good' thing. For me, it worked well. I still have a bottle of 60 my physician gives me, that usually lasts a year. I now use it once in a while for sleep, and when I have severe pain due to my GI disorder. Paradoxically, when I am in a lot of pain, it feels almost as though my bowels are relaxing and I will be able to have bowel movements more easily. There is nothing else to offer me - and it helps. My goal, of course, is always not to need it, but for me - I guess it has been a good all purpose drug. I do have it to use, but I could go without it if I had to and never had any withdrawal symptoms (that I was aware of). I also do not take it more than a couple of times a week.. and always only 1 or 1/2 tab.
Every drug has side effects, but these have been around forever, are dirt cheap, and I know how my body reacts. It is interesting, b/c if I take benedryl, which is over the counter - I am zombie-fied, and feel cognitively impaired, and even notice results into the next day. The clonazepam makes me feel relaxed but still functional and with my mind intact.