Is Klonopin dependence unavoidable?
This is quite a common question that arises in the mind of most users who have been prescribed Klonopin. The question is quite difficult to answer as the medication works differently for each person and there is no telling how it affects every person. What effects that one feels while taking the medication might not be the same as the other feels. The risks are minimal in most cases and that is because doctors usually prescribe the least dosage amount when first prescribing the medication. The dosage amounts are increased gradually as and how the person reacts to the medication.
How Klonopin works:
It is established that Klonopin works by decreasing the brain’s abnormal electrical activity. Do not be alarmed, the components of the medication do work on your brain and work to calm down the excessive electrical impulses that hinder you from having a normal life. But on the downside. It also causes certain adverse reactions too.
In a survey taken among Klonopin users, it has been found that 1 in 500 patients become suicidal. Other side effects associated with the usage of this medication include memory difficulties and coordination issues. This is one of the first adverse effects that occur immediately after taking the medication until the body gets accustomed to the components. If the intensity of side effects immediately after a few usages is quite severe, then imagine what will happen if taken for a prolonged duration.
Addiction to Klonopin is characterized by the urge to take the pills more often than necessary, tolerance, and dependence. It can cause psychological as well as physical dependence. Taking them for a prolonged period without exercising no control is a sure path to addiction.
Age Factor:
How soon you become dependent on the medication is also dependent on your age apart from your dosage amount. The American Society of medicine says that when a young adult or person on the verge of entering adulthood takes the pills they are proud to develop addiction faster as their metabolism rates are at the peak and thus cause the components of the drug to be broken down immediately which makes them want for more. Almost 97% of the addiction cases belong to this age group. Drugs like Klonopin work on the brain chemicals, so excessive consumption can slow down your brain growth and development which increases the risk of severe addiction. However, it is not the same for older patients as their rate of metabolism is slower.
Addicts’ Addiction:
“Addiction” as some experts might say is kind of a ‘personal disease, and in some cases, it is social or even genetic’. Rather than thinking about how long it will take for you to get addicted to Klonopin, take a look around yourself. Having friends or family members with addiction issues can also be a contributing factor. Genetic factors account for 40%-60% and one’s vulnerability to getting addicted is quite high if there is a history within the family itself.
Progression of addiction:
Addiction also depends on the dosage amount the person has taken during treatment and how they were recommended to be on the prescription. Even if one religiously sticks to the recommended dosage amount prescribed by their physician, there are still high chances of developing dependency that may progress with time. The only difference is that, when taken as per prescription, it may take some time to develop dependency and if not taken as per prescription it may develop within weeks.
In the case of those abusing the medication, both physical and psychological dependency takes place once their body develops tolerance and their minds start having the urge to take more amounts to achieve effectiveness. Bottom line, the higher the dosage amount and period of usage, the more dependent you become.
Some tend to crush, chew and break the pills. If you are one among them, stop doing so. When the pills are broken down, it becomes very much easier to absorb into the bloodstream causing their effects to be multiplied. This is yet another way to develop tolerance easily.
Choosing the dangerous path:
Though it might be a shock, some people choose to become addicted to the effects of the drug willingly. Though the ulterior motive behind this is to achieve the initial effects of the medication, it is not a wise choice to do so. People tend to combine it and take it along with alcohol or other meds which increases the euphoric effect of the drug causing them to experience a feeling of high that is caused as a result of drug intoxication. There is yet another category that looks to suppress pain with the use of this medication in high quantities.
There are two extremes of people using Klonopin, one uses them to get their life back on track while the other group uses them to get their life out of the railings. Think about which category you would like to be in. Read through the article once again if needed and make sure you make a wise choice.