Klonopin

[The Chain]

Okay, I'm confused, after Stevie was addicted to Coke/alcohol, was she addicted to Klonopin? I'm really confused here... If she was, what did it do to her, like the effects, like was are you considered to be like high if you are addicted to them?:confused: Sorry if I'm making no sense.... I'm just clueless about this...

[FiercestCalmSea]

Don't apologize for asking :) Stevie started taking Klonopin after she finished rehab for coke in 1986/87.It is a tranquilizer and the Dr. thought it would keep her from freaking out and going back to coke.Instead he kept her on it for waay too long,and it basically turned her into a blah,nothing person..which is why you aren't supposed to be on it for an extended amount of time.

[skcin]

Klonopin is also used as an anticonvulsant for seizure disorders. It is a highly addictive narcotic & can easily make someone feel like a "zombie", which is why I don't see it prescribed often (unless NO other drug works for a patient.)

Paula

[Sorcerer386]

In addition to what the others said, Klonopin is basically a medication for anxiety disorders. If you don't know much about anxiety disorders, your body for some reason (now being linked to chemical imbalances of serotonin in the brain) overreacts to certain situations or thoughts, and you end up having an anxiety attack where your body can do anything to do. You can feel like you can't breathe, like your heart is beating too fast and you are having a heart attack, like you are nauseated have to vomit, or as it has done to me, makes you tense up and shiver and sweat at the same time (kind of like when you get one shiver from whatever, repeated over and over and over again). Anyway, Klonopin helps to calm your body down, and if taken regularly can help blunt or stop the anxiety attacks. However, Stevie did not have an anxiety disorder, and therefore the effects of Klonopin were probably double on her because she didn't need to be calmed down. I think she was also taking a rather high dosage.

In answer to your other questions, you aren't "high" when you are taking it or addicted to it. You just become lethargic with very little energy, especially in high dosages. Again, usually the adrenaline your body gets from anxiety can counteract the effects of Klonopin, but because Stevie was not having anxiety attacks, it just completely drained her. Even your brain slows down, which explains why she didn't write too much or have the creativity she had while she wasn't on it. I hope this helps you understand it better.

[The Chain]

So, Stevie didn't basically need it... was that doctor out to ruin her or something:(

[SuzeQuze]

Originally posted by The Chain
So, Stevie didn't basically need it... was that doctor out to ruin her or something:(

No, she didn't need it, is what she says. She says the doctor gave it to her for depression but that she wasn't depressed and shouldn't have taken it. She says it did ruin her for those 8 years and she's very angry about it. I found a link here with some of her statements about it:

http://www.benzo.org.uk/nicks.htm

~Susan

[The Chain]

:( That's so sad when you really think about it.... Like she said herself, where would she have been now, if those eight years belonged to her, instead of some fu**** quack's medicine:distress: .... Remember, what interview was it, when she said "If I could, I'd go back and kill him for what he did to me..." Anyone remember that, it was just this year.

[Mad4stevie]

I watched a Stevie interview from 2001 last night and she talked about taking both Prozac and Klonopin at the same time. That seems like overkill to me.

I don't know when some of the new anti-anxiety drugs hit the market - like Zoloft, etc., but I don't think they were around back then.

As for Stevie having anxiety - she does have problems with it. At least she said so in the interview that I watched last night. She said that she would have panic attacks before she went on stage because she would get so nervous.

I have had a panic attack before - and TRUST ME - they are terrible! Until I experienced it, I never realized that it could be so incapacitating. Your body feels totally out of control. I can't imagine how Stevie could be feeling anything like that and then go out in front of thousands of people.

[Sorcerer386]

I've heard Stevie gets nervous before she goes on stage, but I never heard that she had panic attacks beforehand. Even still, that's situational anxiety, and in that case she should have only taken a small dosage of a tranquilizer about an hour before the show. Also, if the doctor prescribed Klonopin for depression, I really shouldn't be practicing, and hopefully he's not anymore. A side effect of tranquilizers IS depression, which would lead her to her angry outburst and angst ridden attitude that seemed to fill her during those years.

[Mad4stevie]

Originally posted by Sorcerer386
I've heard Stevie gets nervous before she goes on stage, but I never heard that she had panic attacks beforehand. Even still, that's situational anxiety, and in that case she should have only taken a small dosage of a tranquilizer about an hour before the show. Also, if the doctor prescribed Klonopin for depression, I really shouldn't be practicing, and hopefully he's not anymore. A side effect of tranquilizers IS depression, which would lead her to her angry outburst and angst ridden attitude that seemed to fill her during those years.

She said "panic attack", but of course, she may not mean the type of panic attack that we are discussing.

[skcin]

Originally posted by Sorcerer386
In answer to your other questions, you aren't "high" when you are taking it or addicted to it.

You're right, you don't get "high", but you CAN become addicted to Klonopin, which is why it is a "controlled substance." That's probably why Stevie has been quoted as saying it was easier to get off cocaine than Klonopin, the withdrawls are horrendous, from what I've learned.

In any event, I'm just glad she's off of everything now, her songwriting & voice are so much better now than they were 10 years ago, IMO.

Paula

[SuzeQuze]

Originally posted by skcin
In any event, I'm just glad she's off of everything now, her songwriting & voice are so much better now than they were 10 years ago, IMO.

Paula

I agree wholeheartedly with this, I love how Stevie is today, she's amazing. I was thinking today, the members of Fleetwood Mac really tore themselves apart for that band, but look at how they have come together. It really is remarkable!

~Susan

[The Catdancer]

Originally posted by SuzeQuze
No, she didn't need it, is what she says. She says the doctor gave it to her for depression but that she wasn't depressed and shouldn't have taken it. She says it did ruin her for those 8 years and she's very angry about it. I found a link here with some of her statements about it:

http://www.benzo.org.uk/nicks.htm

~Susan

I just finished reading the article. I'm in shock..... klonopin sounds a lot like the med I'm taking called Tranxene. My dr. prescibes it to me: 10 mg 3 times a day. I've been taking them for years in combination with an anti depressant called Fevarine. It makes me calm and relaxed, no anxiety attacks anymore but after reading this I'm having an anxiety attack....... Her story sounds like mine. When I quit drinking the dr. prescribeb those meds and I've been taking them for 7 years now and, yes I gained a lot of weight. And I also have the "I don't care" attitude.
I'm gonna talk to my dr. first thing.
Thanks, SuzeQuze for sharing this. A true eye opener !!!!!!

Debbie

[skcin]

Debbie,

Don't panic - your medication is classified as an antianxiety drug, like Ativan or Valium. Klonopin is officially classified as an anticonvulsant. They are all controlled substances - in other words, they have a risk for addiction. But many people do take these medications out of necessity.
I don't blame you for being concerned, but please ask your MD before changing anything - stopping meds suddenly can be very dangerous. Good luck!!!

Paula

[SuzeQuze]

I agree with Paula, don't stop taking your meds on your own, Debbie. Always collaborate with the doctor. Just make sure that you are informed about what you are taking and how it can affect you so you can help your doctor keep you on (or off) the right medication(s). You're in charge of your health!

Take good care of yourself Debbie,

~Susan

Originally posted by skcin
Debbie,

Don't panic - your medication is classified as an antianxiety drug, like Ativan or Valium. Klonopin is officially classified as an anticonvulsant. They are all controlled substances - in other words, they have a risk for addiction. But many people do take these medications out of necessity.
I don't blame you for being concerned, but please ask your MD before changing anything - stopping meds suddenly can be very dangerous. Good luck!!!

Paula