I have commented before regarding Klonopin usage. I finally found out that since college I suffered from debilitating depression. I did not know then what depression was and suffered through it for many years. Finally Time Magazine came out with an issue with Prozac on the cover and I read the article. Finally I had a name for what I had been living with all these years. I talked to my primary care physician and she put me on Prozac. As is common with SSRI’s my body did not do well on Prozac but did very well on Zoloft. I also saw a psychiatrist that added Wellbutrin and Buspar to enhance the Zoloft. It was so common then that they actually called it Welloft. He also added 1mg of Klonopin in the morning and 1mg in the evening. I have been on this regimen for over thirty five years. Every time I have tried to pair back my Zoloft or Klonopin I have slipped back in to debilitating depression and had to start taking both to come out of the depression. He finally said if it is not broke don’t fix it. For all these years I have heeded his advice and had a great career in sales while hiking and skiing along with many other physical activities with no side effects.
I am retired now and have no memory or balance issues but I thought it might be a good time to taper my Klonopin. My primary care physician had me start a tapering program but it did not go well and I went back to my normal dosage. Her comment was it was my idea and questioned why at 73 I would choose to do that. Her attitude was much like psychiatrist many years ago. If it is not broke why are you trying to fix it.
My mother had debilitating depression but like so many people of that generation she had no idea what depression was and SSRI’s had not come out yet. The previous antidepressants had bad side effects and I had tried those with terrible results.
Long story short my mother suffered a miserable life self medicating with alcohol and affecting my whole family growing up.
I have been reading horror stories regarding people trying to taper off Klonopin and my question to all the people on this post is why if it is not broke they are trying to fix it. If you don’t suffer any side effects and you live a happy life why change?
I have known people that retired and decided it was a good time to cut back on their antidepressant and the results were terrible for not only themselves but their significant other.
Depression is real and so is anxiety and many times they go hand in hand. Both my children suffer from one of the other and take medication for it. They are both extremely successful with great families.
I will end by saying if it not brok why fix it.
Please tell me what I am missing here.
I look forward to your comments.