Posted by Sean on September 15, 1999, at 16:45:03
In reply to klonopin vs clonazepam, posted by Bob on September 15, 1999, at 12:09:53
> > I have looked this thing up and i don't know if i want to take it there are some really harsh i mean harsh side effectrs if there is anybody out there that has taken this drug ofr anxiety please let me know i don't want ot start taking it until i hear some experiences.
>
> Someone, I can't recall who, just talked about her horror story in being forced to switch from klonopin to its generic "equivalent", clonazepam. Apparently, there's a much bigger difference between the brand-name and the generic than you'd think.
>
> On the other hand, I've been taking clonazepam for a little over a year now, and its effects for me are so basic and subtle that I'm tempted to include it at the base of my personal hierarchy of needs, right along with food, water, shelter, and whatever else Maslow put in there. I've been going through some extremely stressful times at work, and its been rock steady for me.
>
> ... besides, my copay for generics is half ($5) my copay for brand-names, so I got that extra 5 bucks a month to spend on the more important things in life, like playing the lotto (you can't win if you don't play ;^)
>
> Cheers
> Bob
I think the benzo risk may depend on an individuals
sensitivity to changes in the GABA-ergic system.
GABA is generally thought to confer an inhibitory
effect on the CNS which helps explain why benzos
work so well for anxiety which, subjectively, feels
like errant electricity in the brain and body, or
at least in the "fear" centers.From long personal experience with benzos, I
have found them irreplacable for acute anxiety.
They can be life savers in that sense: an evil
dose of anxiety on top of major depression puts
one at a high risk for suicide. Being hopless and
low energy is bad enough. Being hopeless and
anxious out of your mind to the point of total
derealization etc... is a recipe for disaster.I think (personal opinion here) that the brain
is rather malleable in some ways; the more anxiety
you get used to, the more you have - kind of like
kindling. By turning this signal down for say, 2
weeks, the nervous system has a chance to get back
into the swing of things.But, if you heavily down-regulate you GABA with acute
doses of benzos for a year, there will likely be
problems when coming off. A close friend of mine
found that his siezure threshold had been lowered
and the rate at which he slowed his medication
intake was critical.It is interesting to me that Gabapentin (Neuronten)
is also used for anti-siezure (epilepsy) which
is quite clearly a neurological storm in the brain.I wonder if people on Neuronten find that when they
come off that drug their siezure threshold is
lower?ANyway, I'm rambling on. Benzo are great acute
therapy. They save lives, are relatively safe, and
most people don't abuse them...Sean.
poster:Sean
thread:9160
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19990914/msgs/11620.html