Posted by Ame Sans Vie on January 12, 2004, at 9:11:18
In reply to Re: Klonopin - Gold Standard for Panic Disorder 2 mg/d, posted by smittay17 on January 12, 2004, at 7:24:11
Affirmative. Klonopin is the prototypical antipanic agent, in my opinion. Two milligrams daily is an insufficient dose for panic disorder much of the time, however. I take 8mg/day myself, and have gone as high as 20mg. Granted, I use it to treat agoraphobia and social phobia in addition to my panic disorder, but I believe the usual dosage of Klonopin for panic ranges from 2-6mg/day. Of course, there are always those lucky sons-a-guns who need much less. My stepfather, for example, just switched from Xanax 1/8mg three times daily to an equivalent dose of Klonopin -- 1/16mg once daily, and the man weighs 330 pounds! But then there are people like me who require very high doses. While 8mg isn't extremely high, I would require more than double that if it weren't for Adderall and Prozac. So obviously, I recommend you discuss a dosage titration with your prescribing physician. About as good as Klonopin is Xanax, and with the new 24-hour version on the market (Xanax XR), it too is an ideal medication for panic disorder. It can also be a good idea to keep immediate-release Xanax or Ativan on hand in case of breakthrough attacks, as they can be taken sublingually (dissolved under the tongue and delivered directly into the bloodstream) and begin working in about five minutes, quickly averting the panic symptoms.
As for Celexa, no -- 80mg is not, generally speaking, "too much", but it may be too much for you. I've taken Lexapro in the past which is purported to be, milligram for milligram, quadruple the strength of Celexa. I took 80mg, which should be equivalent to 320mg Celexa.
How are your OCD symptoms? Once I know that I can be of more help.
Michael
poster:Ame Sans Vie
thread:299525
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040109/msgs/299752.html