Posted by alan on August 31, 2002, at 12:03:53
In reply to Re: Xanax Dosage, posted by missliz on August 31, 2002, at 3:10:47
> This really is a doctor question- xanax lasts about six hours, and if it isn't working then you may need a doseage adjustment. Moving the doses closer together just exacerbates tolerance and dependency risks. Maybe you need to go to therapy? Just running ones mouth about anxiety producing stuff will blow off a lot of steam and help you get along 'till this trauma passes. Xanax is a real bitch to get off of, so you don't want to take more than you need.
> Perhaps a longer half life benzo like Klonopin or Valium would work better. Xanax wears off at the worst possible moment, and a longer action could make things smoother.
>
> Miss Liz
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While going to a good therapist is always recommended before or during xanax therapy, finding the theraputic dose does not necessarily mean sticking to an arbitrarily set time schedule for dosing. Nor does increasing the frequency of the dose pose any risk of someone becoming "addicted" (please read link in my prior post).Finding a theraputic dose for one's existing level of anxiety is what confuses a lot of people and some doctors. An individual's metabolism will determine the effective (theraputic) half-life of any drug - especially the shorter half-life versions. This could be anywhere between 4 - 8 hours in the case of xanax.
Rapidly escallating doses are extremely rare and would be obvious to the individual and doctor. There is a hypersensitivity to ANY dose increase arbitrarily set by a doctor who might be either misinformed or inexperienced with the routines of the panic population. It is OK for the dose to be adjusted upwards to find the theraputic dose. For the panic population, it is by far more common to start at a higher dose and eventually adjust downwards over time. This is certainly true in my case with ativan.
As far as withdrawl, there is always a way out. Slowly tapering the xanax while augmenting with klonopin or sometimes valium in the proper proportions and proper rate makes the taper relatively more comfortable.
Bzds have different theraputic effects for each individual. Therefore, xanax may be much more effective for some than ativan, valium, or klonopin. That's why many times it is not as simple as trying a longer acting version.
Sure, it would be easier to dose less frequently with longer acting versions, but perhaps the shorter acting ones are much more effective in an individual case. Prescribing practices seem to suggest to me that there is no standard to which to refer.
Alan
poster:alan
thread:118289
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020829/msgs/118349.html