Did Your Doctor Explain the Risks of Klonopin Addiction & Dependence?
At the center, a majority of our clients tell us that nothing was explained about the liabilities of developing dependence or Klonopin addiction prior to their prescription. If this was you, we hope the information here will help enlighten you on what the doctors should have told you, and in all probability, did not know themselves.
It is truly tragic that so many have suffered Klonopin addiction and the overwhelming debilitative effects from trying to get off the drug. Yet, many persons have been discarded by the very people who tell them they are delusional or that they are just making it all up. Nothing could be further from the truth. The risks of Klonopin addiction are very, very real.
Does Klonopin Cause or Cure Abnormal Brain States?
No drug can fix abnormal brain states. Moncrieff,11 Ashton,10 Crowe,19 et al, discuss this in their detailed research papers. Yes, there may be a “coincidental relief” of symptoms on a temporary basis, but clinical evidence shows that drugs actually cause abnormal brain states. There are no drug cures, according to the entire body of clinical research on mental disorders. In fact, the success of pharmaceutical drugs has been so dismal, some believe there needs to be a “psychedelic renaissance” in the use of LSD, magic mushrooms, and other hallucinogens for at least some relief. Recent clinical “trials” on rodents, examining their mental states after ingesting hallucinogens, have been published by researchers who are greatly fascinated with pursuing these types of novel “treatments.” During its long history, the pharmaceutical industry has been desperately seeking, for centuries now, some drug — ANY drug — that can cure abnormal brain states.22
One is acutely reminded of Einstein’s famous quote, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”
So there seems to be something of a mythical idea or wishful thinking, that drugs can “fix the brain” and this has been projected on the public by drug advertising, movies, and other media. Drugs DO NOT fix the brain. Drugs do, however, manipulate, overstimulate, impair, and disable normal brain chemicals and neurons, and create a subsequent state of dependence on the drug. Drug dependence is an abnormal brain state. Unquestionably, long-term benzodiazepine use can not only cause addiction and abnormal brain states, but their abrupt discontinuation can also cause neuronal injury, cognitive ruin, hypersensitivity, severe insomnia, seizures, and other potentially fatal and debilitating adverse effects.2,11-14,18,19
Understanding How Klonopin Addiction & Dependence Develop
Benzos are quickly and thoroughly distributed throughout the tissues of the body, which is why their effects come on so quickly. Due to their high lipid absorption and protein binding, their tissue concentrations are higher than their concentration in the blood. Klonopin’s half-life ranges from 18-50 hours, making it one of the slowest for elimination from the body.3
Klonopin is thought to affect at least 2 major neurotransmitters primarily, GABA and serotonin. GABA is the primary inhibitory neurochemical in the central nervous system. What inhibitory neurochemicals do is to buffer or tone down sensitivity to stimuli. Serotonin is also an inhibitory neurochemical. Klonopin increases the effectiveness of GABA and serotonin. This causes a set of responses, including calmness and sedation, by “spending” the existing neurotransmitters, magnifying their effects, until they become depleted.
As addiction and dependence develop, taking additional doses of the drug will temporarily fill in the gap, but cannot be sustained over time — just as pumping the gas peddle without refilling the tank will eventually leave you stranded. This is how the body becomes dependent on the drug for “revving up” certain neurotransmitters, but is also how the body’s stores of neurochemicals become exhausted and dysfunctional over time. Klonopin (or any drug) doesn’t create neurochemicals but only manipulates what is available and how quickly it is used up. This underlying factor in Klonopin addiction & dependence is similar to any other addictive substance, and is what ultimately drives the need for increasing dosages for relief.20,21
Nutrition: An Overlooked Strategy in Correcting Neuronal Dysfunction
Recent studies show that certain mental health conditions including anxiety — for which Klonopin is often prescribed — are observably linked to an existing neuronal deficit or dysfunction that negatively impacts neurogenesis, mood, and cellular repair.16 Drugs cannot fix this. However, diet has now been shown to support adult neurogenesis (repair and repopulation of damaged neurons) which can allow for increasing and preserving cognitive function, mood regulation, learning, memory, improved stress response, and many other positive health effects. Foods and supplements, exercise, and other holistic approaches can actually bolster neurogenesis and successfully sidestep the liabilities of addiction.17
We urge you to find out more about these effective strategies by reviewing other articles on the site including benzodiazepine alternatives, orthomolecular medicine, neurotransmitter rehabilitation, and many others. Please take some time to review these for better understanding. Share the information with your healthcare providers, and let them know you are interested in implementing such strategies and ask them to help you or find a practitioner familiar with Klonopin addiction recovery, who can help you navigate safely through the recovery process.
Drug cravings
We understand the necessity for gradual discontinuation of a benzodiazepine, but we also know that with adequate holistic treatment, the root causes of original symptoms can be discovered and resolved. Our programs rely heavily on 
