Clonazepam Addiction

Clonazepam is a medication that belongs to a group of drugs called benzodiazepines. It is often used to treat anxiety, panic disorders and certain types of seizures because it helps to calm down the brain and nervous system.

When taken as prescribed, clonazepam can make you feel more relaxed and less anxious. It usually starts working within an hour and the calming effects can last for several hours depending on the dose, your metabolism and how you react to clonazepam.

While clonazepam can be a very useful medicine, there are also various clonazepam side effects that you may experience, such as:

• Drowsiness
• Dizziness
• Coordination problems
• Memory problems
• Depression

Most seriously, clonazepam can be addictive, especially if you take it for a long time or take more than your doctor tells you to. Because of these risks, it’s really important to take clonazepam exactly as prescribed and to speak to your doctor about any side effects you are experiencing.

Clonazepam addiction means you start to rely on it so much that you can’t stop taking it, whatever the consequences. There are a few different ways that this can begin:

Most people start taking clonazepam as prescribed by their doctor for anxiety or seizures. Others may take it because it makes them feel relaxed or gives them a temporary feeling of happiness, while some take clonazepam without a prescription to deal with other issues like stress, trouble sleeping or other problems.

Whatever the reason, if you start ramping up your dosage either to intensify the effects or because you have grown tolerant to clonazepam, you can become both physically and emotionally dependent on it.

Physical dependency

On a physical level, your body can become so used to having clonazepam in your system that if you stop taking it, it goes into withdrawal. Clonazepam withdrawal symptoms are the same as those seen with other types of benzodiazepine addiction like extreme anxiety, irritability, sweating, shaking and in really serious cases, seizures. These symptoms can make it very difficult to stop taking clonazepam without medical help and often cause relapse when someone tries to quit on their own.

Emotional dependency

Emotionally, clonazepam can create a sense of reliance where you feel like you need the drug to cope with daily life or personal difficulties. This emotional dependence can be just as powerful as physical dependence and it is the two together that create clonazepam addiction.

Have you been prescribed clonazepam, but you are worried that you may have become dependent on it? Or maybe you started taking it after a stressful day, but it has become a daily occurrence?

Here are some signs of clonazepam addiction to look out for:

• Craving clonazepam to the point where you can’t think about anything else if you miss a dose
• Taking more than prescribed or more often than your doctor said you should
• Finding it hard or impossible to stop taking clonazepam, even if you want to
• Falling out with your family or neglecting other important things in your life because of clonazepam abuse
• Experiencing clonazepam withdrawal symptoms when you haven’t taken it
• Noticing all of these issues but continuing to take clonazepam anyway

Clonazepam addiction can lead to many serious problems both for your health and other parts of your life. It is important to know what these dangers are so you can understand why clonazepam abuse and misuse are so risky:

Physical health dangers

Taking too much clonazepam can cause clonazepam overdose which can slow down your breathing and heart rate. This can be very dangerous and even life-threatening without medical attention. Long-term clonazepam abuse can also affect your memory and make it hard to concentrate and can also affect your coordination and balance, causing accidents and falls.

Mental health issues

While clonazepam might help with anxiety at first, over time, it can actually make anxiety worse when you try to stop taking it. Using clonazepam for a long time can also lead to new mental health problems like depression.

Impact on daily life

Clonazepam addiction can quickly take over your life and as you start focusing on getting and taking clonazepam, family, friends, jobs and education can all suffer enormously.

Financial and legal troubles

As you spend more and more money feeding your clonazepam addiction, it can cause massive financial problems. This can lead you to commit crimes to fund your clonazepam use or buy it without a prescription through nefarious means, which is a serious crime in the UK.

Not everyone who takes clonazepam becomes addicted to it and several factors can influence why some people are more likely to develop an addiction than others. Here are some of the key reasons:

Family history and genetics

If you have family members who have had problems with addiction, you might be more likely to get addicted to clonazepam. This is because addiction can run in families due to genetics.

Personal experiences

People who have had tough times, like trauma or a lot of stress, or who have mental health issues like depression or anxiety might use clonazepam to help them cope. This can quickly lead to clonazepam addiction as you become physically and emotionally dependent on it.

Your environment

Your surroundings and the people you spend time with can affect your chances of clonazepam addiction. If you are regularly around others who misuse drugs or if you’re in a stressful environment, you might be more likely to use clonazepam and become addicted.

Your personality

Some people have personality traits that make them more likely to seek out new and intense experiences, which can include drug use. This can increase the risk of clonazepam addiction as you abuse it without medical supervision.

Treating clonazepam addiction involves several important steps to help you safely stop using the drug and stay off it for good. Each step is designed to support you through recovery and help you build a healthier, clonazepam-free life:

Clonazepam addiction detox

Drug detox is when you clear clonazepam out of your body safely. It involves your medical team slowly reducing the amount you take to prevent clonazepam withdrawal symptoms from causing you danger or discomfort.

Clonazepam rehab treatment

Drug rehab helps you learn how to live without clonazepam. You will stay at a clonazepam rehab treatment centre and receive therapy and support to help you uncover the reasons you use clonazepam, address them thoroughly and develop skills for a healthy life.

Relapse prevention

Preventing relapse means staying off clonazepam after you have left rehab. This usually involves ongoing therapy, joining support groups, living a healthy lifestyle and avoiding things that make you want to use clonazepam.

Oasis Bradford can provide everything you need to overcome clonazepam addiction once and for all. Our treatment process includes detox to safely remove clonazepam from your system, rehab to address the psychological aspects and proven strategies to prevent relapse. Get in touch with us today and let us guide you towards a happier, healthier future.