u/GreenFloyd77

I recently spoke with my PM doc and he mentioned how clonazepam, in his experience, doesn't cause much tolerance in chronic pain (his patients using it reported dependence but not a loss of effectiveness over the years). To test this out I did some research in a Spanish forum and the r/chronicpain sub. I looked for any message with the keywords "klonopin/pain" or "clonazepam/pain" and got in touch with all the patients using this drug for their chronic pain. I was able to get the data from 13 patients. 7 patients didn't experience any tolerance after 1-2+ years on the drug, 3 experienced minimal tolerance, and 3 did experience significant tolerance (all 3 within the first year). That's a 77% of patients with minimal/no tolerance. This data was surprising to me as this drug is the best I've ever tried for my IBS pain (which is mostly neuropathic), though I never dared to use it long term.

**Does your experience, for those who use it for nerve pain, align with this?** I'm also asking about clobazam because it's a benzo that supposedly shares some of clonazepam's analgesic benefits but with less selectivity for the alpha 1 GABA subunit (leading to less tolerance risk).

The reason I'm asking is because I might have to use benzos in the future. My pain is very severe and most interventions have failed (antidepressants, antiepileptics, tAVNS, muscle relaxants...). I'm currently enduring extreme nerve pain from a paradoxical reaction to one of these treatments, which could last anything from months to years (it's been already 4 months). And once I recover and the IBS pain comes back, all I have left to try is medical cannabis, TMS, and this.

Thank you all!

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I’m asking for help regarding the long-term use of clonazepam for my debilitating IBS and functional abdominal pain syndrome. My condition involves constant 9/10 neuropathic-like pain that has left me bedridden, and after exhausting all options (diets, vagus nerve stimulation, hypnotherapy, antiepileptics...) clonazepam is the only treatment providing any relief and not causing any CNS hypersensitivity. However, I have a history of severe paradoxical reactions from past antidepressant use (leg nerve pain that appeared right after starting them, but I kept pushing through the drugs because of my doctor's advice), which makes me extremely hesitant. Took me several years to recover from that.

I was considering a long-term, low-dose regimen on clonazepam, but after learning about Jordan Peterson’s experience with a paradoxical reaction to this drug, I am terrified of going through the same. In Jordan Peterson's case, he used clonazepam for sleep during 4 years, experiencing the usual side effects, and after that time his wife got cancer and his dose was increased to deal with the extreme anxiety. He experienced a paradoxical reaction (more anxiety) and tried to cold turkey the medication leading to severe akathisia.

I would like to know how common paradoxical reactions are after using clonazepam for a few years, in a stable regimen. Tolerance, as awful as it can be, I can deal with. I would have to start a hyperbolic taper and go very slow, while probably adding other treatments on the side. But paradoxical reactions are an entirely different animal, one that would definitely put my life at risk...

Appreciate any insights...thank you all!

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I’m asking for help regarding the long-term use of clonazepam for my debilitating IBS and functional abdominal pain syndrome. My condition involves constant 9/10 neuropathic-like pain that has left me bedridden, and after exhausting all options (diets, vagus nerve stimulation, hypnotherapy, antiepileptics...) clonazepam is the only treatment providing any relief. However, I have a history of severe kindling/paradoxical reactions (leg nerve pain) from past antidepressant use, which makes me extremely hesitant. Took me several years to recover from that.

I was considering a long-term, low-dose regimen on clonazepam, but after learning about Jordan Peterson’s experience with a paradoxical reaction and kindling to this drug, I am terrified of going through the same. In Jordan Peterson's case, he used clonazepam for sleep during 4 years, experiencing the usual side effects, and after that time his wife got cancer and his dose was increased to deal with the extreme anxiety. He experienced a paradoxical reaction (more anxiety), aka kindling, and tried to cold turkey the medication leading to severe akathisia.

I would like to know how common paradoxical reactions are after using clonazepam for a few years. Tolerance, I can deal with. I would just start a hyperbolic taper and go very slow. But paradoxical reactions are an entirely different animal, one that would definitely put my life at risk...

Appreciate any insights...thank you all!