Clonazepam - is it making my husband worse

[EziB]

Hi all, this is my first post but I'm in a really desperate situation and so far have found no help through internet searches. My husband has been taking clonazepam for a number of years for panic attacks/anxiety. Largely due to his condition we have been having a lot of marriage problems to the point he has recently left not just me but our 2 boys. He has no insight into the impact his condition has and I've recently been questioning the effectiveness of his medication.

Currently he only takes the medication when anxious and can therefore take anywhere from none to 6 0.5mg tablets a day. From my recent reading this is a medication that is supposed to be taken on a more regular basis and shouldn't be decreased rapidly. I wonder if each time he stops taking it for a few days whether he is going through withdrawal. He gets very agitated, aggressive, short tempered, restless, irrational, can go from manic behaviours to depressive symptoms, just to name a few symtoms.

I'm so worried about him because this isn't the husband i love and adore and I'm concerned it's the medication making a difficult situation worse. My kids are devastated at his leaving and he wont even talk to them about it.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Chem]

I'm so sorry for the situation you find yourself in.

Who prescribes the Clonazepam that your husband takes now? If you can, I think you should persuade your husband to see a doctor about more regular medication, be it Clonazepam or some other. Doctors cannot break patient confidentiality by discussing patients even with close relatives, but they can listen. It might be worth your visiting, or writing to his doctor, so that the doctor is aware of what is happening.

Please try not to search the internet. Not all information is correct or clearly explained.