I was on clonazepam for a while, my experience was that it was ineffective, addictive, and caused a lot of really awful side effects, even on low doses.
I hope that helps :)

Thank you for your input. I was thinking along the same lines. So far I'd say that all it's doing for me is causing brain fog (I have enough of that already). My idea was to try to augment Orap (pimozide) with clonazepam with the hope that I might be able to take a lower dose of the Orap. I'm thinking that I may need to try a beta-blocker such as propranolol (Inderal) which would also address my "rage attacks" that I have now and then. The Orap is the only thing that I've tried that really deals with my tics and the involuntary cussing. --Scott

I decided to drop the clonazepam as I believe the side effects outweigh the possible benefits. I seem to be ticcing here more lately. Not sure if this is connected to discontinuing this drug or not. I have bipolar as well. I was taking Seroquel for it and for insomnia. I also recently decided to discontinue this medication because of the weight gain it's causing (I've gained around seven pounds in approximately the last two months) and sedation. Hopefully, dropping these two meds will work out okay for me. I'll need some more time to tell if I have the right idea on this. I may have to start taking Orap three times a day. My prescription for it says take three pills a day. Currently, I'm only taking it two times a day. This med is very potent (and you tend to see more side effects at the higher dosage levels; I'm taking a total of four milligrams a day which appears to largely suppress my tics and coprolalia) so I hesitate to take the other two mg dose per day. I'll report back later on to tell you all how I'm doing. My hope is that I'm having more symptoms here lately because I have a temporary spike in it as opposed to a continual/permanent increase in my Tourettes. --Scott

Hi. I am 43 years old with TS. My doctor stared me on 0.25mg of Klonidine twice a day a week and a half ago, after one week he increased it to 0.5mg 3 times a day. I do have to say that it is still early in the game but I am feeling better. My anxiety level has decreased to almost half, my tics and twitches have subsided enough for me to function. I am trying to be optimistic here...so we shall see

Well, I discontinued the clonazepam a few weeks ago...can't really say that I can tell any great difference. I believe that generally speaking, if one has bad Tourette's, an anti-psychotic is usually called for. This appears to be the case for me. If the clonazepam was doing anything for me I couldn't tell. My theory is that it works for those people who have a significant level of anxiety. By reducing anxiety, one can indirectly lessen the frequency of tics. My understanding is that it also affects the GABA receptors in the brain which probably leads to symptom reductions in some people. Bottom line is that this drug isn't a front line medication for Tourette's. --Scott

I've been on it just under a year now. Have you been on it long before you decided to drop it?

If you've been on it a while and you think it isn't working, then yea, talk to your doctor and try something else. But, if you've only been on it a short time, I would say stick with it. It's not a cure, and it doesn't work overnight, either. It's definitely helping me. If I DON'T take it, the tics (though, I still have them on the medication, like I said, not a cure) become ten times worse.

It took a while for them to start to help, but the tics did subside a bit and even if they didn't' as much as I wanted them too, at least I wasn't constantly stressed out over who sees me do them and what are people thinking, who's judging me. I'd say it's addictive if your doctor is prescribing you obscene amounts or if you're taking more than you should and you stop and go without consulting your doctor. Take the recommended amount (which may have to be adjusted, as well) and be consistent. Don't take it here or there, make sure it's around the same time of day, everyday and don't take more than prescribed (that's a recipe for addiction). I'm not sure about the "awful" side effects, the only side effect I have is a bit of dry mouth which brushing and mouth washing with biotene, chewing gum here and there and keeping hydrated won't fix.

Hope this helps a little. There is no cure all drug, so... unfortunately we have to deal with what we have and the medication available to us. Personally, I rather take the meds I'm on than an SSRI and feel like the walking dead.

I'm going to see a new neurologist August 23rd, so who knows, my meds may be changing soon, as well. But... I know that they aren't going to just go away with a pill (that's usually the hardest part to deal with for me; knowing I'm stuck like this and there is something hardwired wrong in my brain...not the best of feelings).

Anyway, Scott, what have you switched to know and are you having any results/less frequent tics?

Chris

PS: Just reread your first post. 1MG for someone with tics and other mental health disorders seems to be way too low. I have tics, PTSD, depression, etc and I'm on 3MG a day (1MG, 3 times a day). I'm sure if I took them all at once I'd be sedated haha but it is helping (even if just slightly, I'll take it).

Take care.

Correction: I was taking clonazepam 1 mg twice a day. I honestly can't tell any difference in my symptoms since stopping this medication. The Orap that I've been taking for a long time now pretty much does the job for me. I take 2 mg of that twice daily. The clonazepam was also prescribed for anger issues. It didn't seem to help a whole lot with that either so he gave me some Saphris to be taken as needed. Dosage on that is 10 mg. Benzodiazepines such as clonazepam have a negative impact on cognitive functions, by the way. From my research it appears that this med is usually a drug that's tried after the mainstays have been used without any success or to supplement another med. I'm glad that it works well for you. I was only saying that it's not a mainline drug for Tourette's. All of the meds used to treat tics have side effects. The key is to maximize the reduction in tic frequency/severity while minimizing the side effects. --Scott

I feel the same way I'm glad I'm not the only one...

I'm on clonazepam now (which is the generic for klonopin). I haven't had any side effects. I believe I'm on a 1mg as well. I usually take one in the morning and one and night for my Tourettes. I'm not sure if it truly helps, I could just be making myself calm down thinking it is working, but either way i'm a lot better than I was. I've never heard of clonazepam for bipolar?

Also, I was a bit foggy at first but it didn't last long and now I'm fine whenever I take it. If you think you only need half or need .5 more, get a pill cutter. They sell them at walgreens or any drug store by you. Let your doctor know what is working for you. They might be the doctor, but they can't feel your effects.

My daughter tried clonazepam for about 3 days, it knocked her out. We switched her to Tenex (guanfacine). It worked great.

I take it for insomnia. I was pleasantly surprised to find it also aided in tic suppression. Benzos are addictive, there is no getting around that one. It's the biggest risk. I sleep better and my tics are better controlled, so I give it 2 thumbs up.

Everyone is different though, so If it's not right for you, stop taking it and work with your doctor to find a drug you can tolerate.

Best wishes

I now just use Klonopin as needed for those rare occasions when I have a blocking tic episode. When I get blocking tics as I'm trying to speak my vocal chords freeze up preventing me from speaking. Sometimes I feel this as a uncomfortable spasm. You also have something called a negative tic which is a type of tic that prevents someone from doing something such as moving their arm.

Hi Speed turtle, I'm Tom. I have tourettes and anxiety disorder and I take klonopin as well. I take 1mg twice a day. For me it definitely calms me down. In turn, calming down my tics. It's a benzodiazepam or tranquilizer. Its not fast acting like xanax but it is longer acting. I've tried antipsychotics like seroquil and those meds turn me into a vegetable. I feel like I could melt into the couch. LOL. I just couldn't function on that type of med. I stopped taking those meds years ago because the side effects were worse than the benefits. Be careful when you stop taking some meds. Some meds you need to wien off so you won't have bad and sometimes dangerous withdrawal.