Why does taking a Klonopin ease my desire to cry?
November 9, 2015 1:25 PM Subscribe
Has anyone else experienced this? I take Klonopin for anxiety, but I've discovered that it takes away my crying urges. I find that strange because I have never thought of or experienced my anxiety being linked to crying before.
I have an bipolar II diagnosis and my meds set-up is not working the best right now. I'm pretty depressed. I'm having to fight strong urges to cry a lot of the time, which is a big problem at work. And it's not a typical symptom of mine (I've been struggling with this stuff for 10 years and taking Klonopin here and there - not at high doses - for almost as long). I've found that taking some Klonopin helps make those urges go away and I just find that so weird and for some reason, disturbing, however helpful it might be to just be able to take a pill and not break down into a sobbing heap. Klonopin is for anxiety, not depression. And crying = depression, right? Not anxiety. Can anyone shed some light on this? For those of you who have anxiety, does your anxiety make you cry and does medication you take for your anxiety - especially medication you take on an as-needed basis - help ease the crying urges? Thanks.
I have an bipolar II diagnosis and my meds set-up is not working the best right now. I'm pretty depressed. I'm having to fight strong urges to cry a lot of the time, which is a big problem at work. And it's not a typical symptom of mine (I've been struggling with this stuff for 10 years and taking Klonopin here and there - not at high doses - for almost as long). I've found that taking some Klonopin helps make those urges go away and I just find that so weird and for some reason, disturbing, however helpful it might be to just be able to take a pill and not break down into a sobbing heap. Klonopin is for anxiety, not depression. And crying = depression, right? Not anxiety. Can anyone shed some light on this? For those of you who have anxiety, does your anxiety make you cry and does medication you take for your anxiety - especially medication you take on an as-needed basis - help ease the crying urges? Thanks.
Anxiety and depression are very closely related, and one can feel like the other.
posted by xingcat at 1:32 PM on November 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by xingcat at 1:32 PM on November 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
People take klonopin recreationally because it makes them feel good, doesn't surprise me one bit that it would have that effect.
I don't know if its as simple as crying = depression. I have been prone to crying jags on both ends of this spectrum. In my experience it's crying and panic that are more closely related. Obviously this is just me, but if I'm seriously depressed, I'm way too flat to cry. If I'm manic on the other hand, I might break into tears watching an insurance commercial.
posted by Lorin at 1:33 PM on November 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
I don't know if its as simple as crying = depression. I have been prone to crying jags on both ends of this spectrum. In my experience it's crying and panic that are more closely related. Obviously this is just me, but if I'm seriously depressed, I'm way too flat to cry. If I'm manic on the other hand, I might break into tears watching an insurance commercial.
posted by Lorin at 1:33 PM on November 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
I definitely don't associate crying with depression. Crying is just an expression of strong emotion that you can't really control, which makes it a good (terrible, really) companion to anxiety.
posted by poffin boffin at 1:41 PM on November 9, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 1:41 PM on November 9, 2015 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: if I'm seriously depressed, I'm way too flat to cry. If I'm manic on the other hand, I might break into tears watching an insurance commercial.
Right, I couldn't articulate this myself, but it gets at the heart of what I'm worried about. Am I actually hypomanic right now (I honestly have no other symptoms of hypomania at all) or am I going through mixed states? Am I having panic attacks? I know YANMD. I'll be seeing my doctor in another week and a half. I'm just trying to figure out for myself what's going on here.
posted by kitcat at 1:43 PM on November 9, 2015
Right, I couldn't articulate this myself, but it gets at the heart of what I'm worried about. Am I actually hypomanic right now (I honestly have no other symptoms of hypomania at all) or am I going through mixed states? Am I having panic attacks? I know YANMD. I'll be seeing my doctor in another week and a half. I'm just trying to figure out for myself what's going on here.
posted by kitcat at 1:43 PM on November 9, 2015
I'll give you one point of anecdata: when my depression gets worse, I get super anxious and often can't sleep at all. So because I'm exhausted, my anxiety gets racheted up, and when my anxiety gets racheted up, I can't sleep...you get the idea; it just keeps going around and around. Being exhausted and anxious also makes me tearful. So when I take Klonopin, I can actually get some sleep, and I'm more able to manage during the day -- that is, I'm not so anxious and weepy. In that way, I guess I could deduce that the Klonopin makes me less apt to burst into tears for basically no reason.
Not sure if that's what's going on with you, of course, but maybe you're sleeping better with the Klonopin, and therefore aren't so anxious when you're awake and therefore less apt to have crying jags.
posted by holborne at 1:46 PM on November 9, 2015
Not sure if that's what's going on with you, of course, but maybe you're sleeping better with the Klonopin, and therefore aren't so anxious when you're awake and therefore less apt to have crying jags.
posted by holborne at 1:46 PM on November 9, 2015
Best answer: Klonopin is prescribed for anxiety because it (like all benzos) is a central nervous system suppressant. By increasing the amount of GABA in your body (the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter), it basically makes your entire central nervous system a little less reactive to everything. This is why it's good for anxiety, but also will make you less apt to cry, or have any other large emotional response.
posted by Lutoslawski at 2:13 PM on November 9, 2015 [8 favorites]
posted by Lutoslawski at 2:13 PM on November 9, 2015 [8 favorites]
Best answer: Crying doesn't mean just mean sad. For me crying also means - system overloaded, too much, too much bad, can't deal with this, red alert red alert red alert. Like the way babies cry because something seems wrong and it's their only way of asking for help.
posted by bleep at 2:33 PM on November 9, 2015 [6 favorites]
posted by bleep at 2:33 PM on November 9, 2015 [6 favorites]
I should clarify that yes sometimes that overwhelmed feeling can come from being overwhelmed by sadness. But it can come from any negative emotion, including being overwhelmed by the tidal wave of thoughts & feelings that anxiety generates.
posted by bleep at 3:18 PM on November 9, 2015
posted by bleep at 3:18 PM on November 9, 2015
Yes, my anxiety medication does prevent me from crying. If I'm not on anxiety medication, or at minimum an antidepressant, I am prone to cry a lot. I have not tried Klonopin, but I do take another pill in the benzodiazepine group. My sister took Klonopin for her anxiety but she experienced more crying, as well as more anxiety. That's just a case of YMMV.
I don't equate crying purely with anxiety or depression. Bleep summed it up well - it's a reaction to system overload that can ultimately feel like a relief in some cases.
I can relate to what you've written about it feeling weird to not cry. It can really take some getting used to, and you have to decide for yourself if you like this new way of feeling or not. Sometimes, it may be too much and you just need to lower the dosage a bit as opposed to stopping anti-anxiety meds altogether - something to discuss with one's doctor, of course.
I don't miss crying all the time, and I'm fortunate to have finally arrived at a place where I still find myself able to cry when things are subjectively 'bad enough' per my own personal guidelines. This as opposed to feeling so numb from my medication that crying is impossible. When I was unmedicated, I was a prolific writer of poetry and experimental prose. The ability to write with such emotion no longer comes naturally to me- I've tried it many times, and it doesn't budge. Or it sounds stilted. I still write, but it's more rational, more journalistic.
That's not me trying to paint a bleak picture on the face of anti-anxiety medication. I'm describing a choice I made, and I am okay with the choice to live my life with less anxiety in exchange for not really wanting to or feeling like writing poetry. Poetry was another form of crying; or, at least, I lost it when I lost the crying.
Again, it is always worth it to give these changes some time to settle in. I used to feel weird because I wasn't crying. I also used to feel weird because my antidepressants prevented me from feeling like a pile of dirty laundry.
...And when I think about it, it's really just like being born again, only you're being born again as something closer to if not completely neurotypical. Engaging in the 'neurotypical experience' can be quite odd for those of us with mental illness. Especially since some of us may often find ourselves oscillating back and forth between the two worlds. I think it is normal, and okay, for that change to feel jarring.
posted by nightrecordings at 3:55 PM on November 9, 2015
I don't equate crying purely with anxiety or depression. Bleep summed it up well - it's a reaction to system overload that can ultimately feel like a relief in some cases.
I can relate to what you've written about it feeling weird to not cry. It can really take some getting used to, and you have to decide for yourself if you like this new way of feeling or not. Sometimes, it may be too much and you just need to lower the dosage a bit as opposed to stopping anti-anxiety meds altogether - something to discuss with one's doctor, of course.
I don't miss crying all the time, and I'm fortunate to have finally arrived at a place where I still find myself able to cry when things are subjectively 'bad enough' per my own personal guidelines. This as opposed to feeling so numb from my medication that crying is impossible. When I was unmedicated, I was a prolific writer of poetry and experimental prose. The ability to write with such emotion no longer comes naturally to me- I've tried it many times, and it doesn't budge. Or it sounds stilted. I still write, but it's more rational, more journalistic.
That's not me trying to paint a bleak picture on the face of anti-anxiety medication. I'm describing a choice I made, and I am okay with the choice to live my life with less anxiety in exchange for not really wanting to or feeling like writing poetry. Poetry was another form of crying; or, at least, I lost it when I lost the crying.
Again, it is always worth it to give these changes some time to settle in. I used to feel weird because I wasn't crying. I also used to feel weird because my antidepressants prevented me from feeling like a pile of dirty laundry.
...And when I think about it, it's really just like being born again, only you're being born again as something closer to if not completely neurotypical. Engaging in the 'neurotypical experience' can be quite odd for those of us with mental illness. Especially since some of us may often find ourselves oscillating back and forth between the two worlds. I think it is normal, and okay, for that change to feel jarring.
posted by nightrecordings at 3:55 PM on November 9, 2015
Anxiety makes me cry way more often than depression. I'm on a daily anti-depressant and have Ativan as needed for anxiety. I woke up this morning in the midst of a panic attack. Took two Ativan over the course of the day, and right now, I'm feeling better than I have in weeks. Also, having taken Klonopin before, I found that it greatly improved my sleep quality, which, in turn, improved my overall sense of well-being.
posted by Ruki at 4:50 PM on November 9, 2015
posted by Ruki at 4:50 PM on November 9, 2015
Also, also, when you've been feeling bad for so long, it is absolutely jarring to feel good. When a certain level of bad is what you're used to, feeling good feels weird.
posted by Ruki at 4:53 PM on November 9, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by Ruki at 4:53 PM on November 9, 2015 [4 favorites]
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Eta: not that being emotional or crying is bad. I mean when I feel overly emotional compared to my personal baseline.
posted by Crystalinne at 1:32 PM on November 9, 2015