''Clonazepam ( Klonopin ) is an anticonvulsant  primarily used in the treatment of seizure disorders. Clonazepam ( Klonopin ) is a member of a class of drug known as benzodiazepines. This drug may also be used as an antianxiety,  for the short-term relief of mild to moderate anxiety. Clonazepam ( Klonopin )  may also be used to treat movement disorders ( e.g., Touette's Syndrome), panic disorder, drug-induced mania, to help resistant depression, nocturnal myoclonus, relieve trigeminal neuralgia, bipolar affective disorder, and to help control certain types of petit mal, atypical, akinetic, myoclonic, or absence seizures.''
I copied that from Klonopin FAQ's (thanks Lindsay!), so that should answer my question, right?   :D
Considering all things above this could be on drug I myself could take into consideration. But there' s one thing I don't get...Xanax is a benzo, right, and klonopin is also a benzo. So how could it be ok to take k. forever?  ??? Orion, could you help me out here, any ideas?

Hi Leonarda,

Right, they are both benzo's.  Maybe from your reading you saw there are a number of other drugs considered benzo's too, e.g. Ativan.

The pdoc at the hospital was of the pursuasion (spelling?) that klonopin was okay for life.  I don't want to be addicted to anything chemical for life and most drs don't want you to be because there are long lasting effects on your liver, kidney's and although I cannot place where I have read it, I am sure the brain/cognitive processes.  Because Klonopin is slower to get into the system and works for a longer period of time I think that in the long run perhaps you take less.  However, now there is Xanax XR which I have not taken but many have here.  I'd like to compare Xanax XR with Klonopin.

As for me I think, as many do on the DF, that a daily dose of benzo's are okay (addicted or not) if you have to take them just to exist which I do, other wise I would be confined to the house which I am a lot anyway and I would never make it to my doc appt. and other important occassions in my life.  BPII makes you very irratable and the xanax helps there as well.  My GAD combined w/ PTSD and BPII and SED and blah, blah, blah help me to rationalize that although being on the drug this long is not "good" it is necessary.

Most drs are freaked out that after this long a period of time the xanax even works for me.  Some fear I will take larger and larger doses.  Only in extreme (suicidal) cases have I taken a lot, not to kill myself but to get myself calmed down.  Usually I take about or less than the dose originally perscribed to me.

Does that help?  I'll be back on later and happy to talk.  PM me if you would like to.

Hope you have a blessed day.

Orion, thanks for the input! I really appreciate it.
You wrote, I quote:

I've been on xanax on 2 years and for me it never stopped working either. Now that I'm trying to wean off, it works even to strong sometimes (xr .5mg that is)  :mad1: - it makes me either talk a lot or sleep for hours.... :)
I'd be happy to talk  and of course you can pm me too.
Have a great day!  :wave:

Hi Orion,
I think that hospital doc you saw was mistaken about the Klonopin.  I am sure that his reasoning is along the lines of Klonopin having a much longer half life than Xanax but it is still a benzo and 6mg doesn't strike me as a pinch either.  I was wondering how much Xanax you were on when you were switched to Klonopin.  I have been on Xanax XR for 10 months now.  Previously I took Ativan for a year and a half and Klonopin for 6 months.  I originally tried Klonopin because it is one of the anti convulsant benzos that can help with mood.  I wonder if the pdoc thought that Klonopin might help a little in the area of Bipolar.  I just wonder because on more than a few hospitalizations they have wanted to switch me back to Klonopin.  They didn't care that it did nothing for anxiety which is typical of a hospital because they focus on the crisis at hand which usually involves moods and  risks to self and others.  Anyways, I ramble a little.

Katie

Pardon my ignorance but what is SED?

Hi Leonarda, good luck on weaning of the xr.  Even regular xanax can make me very sleepy.  I never talk a lot on it though :O Thanks for being there!

Hi Katie, yeah, I think the pdoc was mistaken about klonopin and a whole lot of other things. He was a real work of art:censored:  I think I was taking 2-4 mg./day of xanax up to 6 mg./day at the time, of course there would be weeks I would only take my .5 to 1mg. dose.  My T was just freaked out (and her colleagues) that I had been on so long and thought it was contributing to my depression which it can do in some people.  I was on a mission to try anything to control my depression.  Taking me off the xanax did not do that for me.  He put me on Topomax at the same time so perhaps (he was not a good communicator) he was thinking of the klonopin helping with moods as well.  The two together were pure disaster.  I was a zombie...total  I took myself off the Topomax as well as the high doseage of klonopin.  This pdoc and hospital were in a different state than where I live so he had no control over me after I left, thank heavens.

I meant SAD this morning, not SED...wasn't awake yet :sleepy:

Interesting that they put you on klonopin in the hospital.  They originally put me on it 12 years ago for nightmares which is what I still take 1mg. per night for...it seems to help some.

I  think it calms moods rather than levels them but I am no psychopharmacologist.

What other meds are you taking for your BP?  What difference do you see between Xanax XR and Klonopin?

For Bipolar I am taking Lithium and a small dose of Depakote.  I just started Depakote and I have not been on it since I first tried mood stabilizers 5 years ago.  Since then I have been through Tegretol, Topamax, Lamictal, Neurontin, and Gabitril.  I also take Seroquel as my anti-psychotic.  

I don't think that either Klonopin or Xanax XR have stabilized my mood.  When I mentioned Klonopin as having that potential I did not mean a calming effect.  Ativan and Xanax are the benzos that are used as anti manics for agitated patients because of their short half life.  There are different categories of benzos like anti-manic, anti-convulsant, hypnotic, anxiolytic, and muscle relaxant.  Klonopin used to be given to bipolar patients if they had only a partial response to their mood stabilizer.  I think they avoid that now because it is abusable and there are a lot of other AED's and antipsychotics to use.  Despite this I saw no evening of mood on Klonopin.  Xanax XR is much more effective for my anxiety and that is all I expect because I have plenty of mood meds.

Katie :)

Hi Katie,

Thanks for the reply back. Today and tomorrow are a zoo for me but I'd like to talk further with you about your other BP meds.

Hope you are having a really good day.  :)

I used Xanax for years.

The pro's. It took away anxiety by making me semi-comatose. At the time I though this was great, since I hated the anxiety and preferred being in a semi-stupor to being anxious.

After a couple of years of taking Xanax throughout the day (.5 mg 3 X a day), I switched to taking it at night for sleep only. It did put me to sleep. Unfortunately, it was well into the next afternoon before I was fully alert.

I've been off  Xanax for 2 years, thank God.

Pro's of Xanax: It will knock you down or out enough that you appreciate the relief from anxiety.

Cons:

Mental slowness. Hard to think well. Lack of mental endurance.

Even worse: I started to have mini rage episodes at time, due to the disinhibiting effect of Xanax --like alchohol, it can decrease self-control and lead you to over-react.

Increased depression. I become chronically depressed--very depressed and unhappy, usually starting off each day by saying to myself "I wish I were dead." This is a significant side effect of Xanax.

Lack of spontaneity and zest. I was somewhat of a zombie.

Basically, I think Xanax works only as a short-term (a few weeks at most) anti-anxiety med to help you survive while you find something that really does help, such as therapy and/or an antidepressant. If you stay on Xanax, it gradually ruins your life, in my opinino--at least it seriously messed up much of my life while I was on it. Xanax's reinforcing effect of immediately decreasing anxiety leads to a dependence, and a desire to keep taking it even when the more subtle adverse effects (like sedation, disinhibition, depression, mental slowness) emerge.

Sammy,
Please clarify where you are talking about Paxil and where you are talking about Xanax.  It is true that Xanax causes disnhibition which is especially dangerous for those with Borderline Personality Disorder.  You mention taking .5 three times a day and then moving it all to night.  How did you taper off and what were the worst side effects?  Congrats on the 2 years off Xanax.

Katie

Thanks for pointing out the error.  I  substituted Paxil when I meant Xanax. I believe  I corrected the errors in the post.

I must have Paxil on the brain, since I started and quit on 5 different occasions.

I tapered off Xanax by reducing the dose about 50% per week until I was down to .5 mg, then quitting. I began taking trazodone when I quit Xanax, and that helped ease the withdrawal.

Trazodone is even more sedating than Xanax, to me at least. I have to restrict trazodone to no more than 100 mg  per night or I end up a zombie the next day, but it has worked well for me at the 100 mg  dose, at night only.

I am utterly convinced that Xanax is, for most people, a useful medication only if it is taken short term. Xanax feels good, and that's why I think people (this included me) continue to  take  it even when it's adverse reactions (sedation, cognitive  dulling, dishinibition, depression) far outweigh any benefits. I understand, though, that Xanax works  pretty well for  people  who take it to help alleviate flying phobias.

Just my opinion.

I wish I had the common sense to take xanax before my last flight.  That would have spared me the whole trip in prayer...not that that was all that bad either!

Swede

Hi ,I Take xanax when needed.My anxiety has been getting worse latley so Im taking it more often.Im concerned about becoming addicted.My ? is ....Is there anything else out there for anxiety that you can take on a when needed basis?Whats your experiences???
                                                                            Cat :)

this may sound stupid, but how do you know if you're addicted to Xanax??

I don't like flying either and find that taking (in my case klonopin) I wasnt nervous at all.  I usually sit quietly praying hoping to have a safe trip.  Def. works! :)

I'm (still) weaning off xanax (xr) and lately I've been experiencing increased number of ''zaps''. It's like my (leg) reflexes go on for a very short time and I ''kick'' in my sleep (usually in process of falling asleep or waking up). It just ''shakes'' me for a brief moment.
I'm not even sure if that's from reducing xanax, but it sure entertains my family *sigh*.  :blah:

Kmotto2002, I'm not sure about that one....I believe there's a difference between being addicted and dependent on and then difference between ''physical'' and ''psychological'' addiction...Somebody should come up with a better answer!
:wave:

I was just perscibed Xanax again...I was on it for a couple of years on & off...now I'm back on because Ativan & klonopin just dosen't keep my anxiety down.I'm on 0.5 in the morning and 1 mg.at night.In the begining though till my body adjusts I get really sleepy...but it wears off as I get used to it again.

Xanax is a biotch to come off of though.I can say that much.

I take Xanax, also. I love it and also, for that reason, I hate it. I feel it controls me to some extent. But it alleviates panic and does calm me down.

I take .25 mg of Xanax when I'm feeling anxious, my doctor told me that taking 3mg Lunesta along with it is no problem but I am having irrational thoughts. Has anyone taken other sleeping pill with Xanax? I guess if my doctor says it's ok for me, than it's ok.

spooky bear:

I take Halcion (.75 mgs) along with Xanax (1 mg) and Risperdal (1 mg) each and every night. My doc says that this combo isn't dangerous, although I must point out that my doses of Halcion and Xanax are extremely high. My doc has raised the dosages over an 8 year period.

I also take an additional Xanax during the day, if needed, to battle anxiety.

-Bean

I take 1 mg Xanax three times a day. It isn't "as needed." But I normally only take 2 a day anyway. I take the first in the morning with Effexor and IF I need another I take it anywhere between 2pm and 5pm. The last I take with 10mg of Ambien. Fifteen minutes to a half hour and I am out! I guess at times I hold somewhat of a conversation with my husband and daughter (this past week) but don't remember any of it, so I'm cutting down to .5mg. I probably shouldn't do what I'm doing and take it as prescribed, but I'm terrified of the addiction.

Lost in the Past

I take about 10mgs of xanax a day along w/ 300 mgs of effexor. I've been on xanax now for a year and a half...only about 4 mos at this dose. I guess i'm addicted i don't know. I almost don't feel it anymore. I take two bars at a time and hardly feel the effects, does reduce my anxiety, but doesn't make me sleepy or put me in a stupor. Should I be worried? 10 mgs a day seems like a lot? I love the stuff. Scared when my doc is going to take it away though. It is my "crutch."

Im on at as we speak. A 1 mg dose.

Pros: Lessens anxiety better than any drug

Cons: Its sedating.

I take Xanax .5, and for me its godSend that allows a focus enhancing, better version of myself. I'm not crying and shaking when I take it. BUT- My psyc. said he will NOT give me an rx for it. Why? Its addicting-so what????? Let me live out my lifetime with peaceful feelings, which is what it provides. I have a long and winding road of problems, but thats another post. I just want Xanax, it makes me feel better. It's not crack-heroine-cocaine, lol...and the psyc. makes me feel like using it is not good. BS! I deserve to feel good, don't I?
Thats all I want.
And what are the long term affects? Liver issues? Thats it? My liver is fine.
My life is so miserable I can't imagine being without it.
I'm over 50 and having this med makes my life calmer, and thats what I need. I wish I could discuss what is going on, and why I need to continue taking it, but the last time I did, my post was deleted, and I got a warning. Not so nice topic. But it has impacted my life so profoundly, that I need calmness. If there are no horrible effects, why not prescribe it? I'm NOT going to end up on the street like a crack addict I see my fam. dr. But she only gives me 10 days worth. I don't understand.

Xanex, they say is best used for short-term, since it is very addictive. There must be some reason the dr. doesnt want to keep refilling. Ask your doc why he doesnt want to give you a rx for it. A pdoc is more knowledgable on psyc drugs than a gp would be. Can you try alternative methods to help your anxiety? Also how about a therapist to talk to and get to the bottom of your anxiety. I know I took it and wound up with some bad memory problems so had to stop taking it. But Im not a dr. just thought I would mention that.

GS

The problem I've been having is my doctor wont perscribe it to me. He says its to addictive.