Posted by Jedi on August 14, 2005, at 0:11:51
In reply to Re: scared and lonely, posted by tug_slug on August 9, 2005, at 19:35:29
> I cant speak for the other medications your taking but when I was taking klonopin I felt the same way in terms of being depressed and constantly worrying, ten months off and I still have those symptoms.
>
> IMO Klonopin and any other benzo should be banned they might be good for the short term but once you stop taking them you'll suffer for a very long timeHi,
Everyone reacts a little differently to medications. What might be a nightmare to you could be a lifesaver for someone else.
What is your diagnosis and what dosage of clonazepam were you taking? I've been using clonazepam off and on as an augmentor to MAOIs(mostly phenelzine) for nine years. I currently take 1mg daily to augment 75mg of phenelzine. I've taken up to 6mg daily for short terms. I have never had trouble weaning off of the drug during the times I didn't feel I needed it. Everyone is different. IMO the high-potency benzodiazepines are a very valuable tool in treating many anxiety disorders. Of course, like most medications, they have side effects that affect some people more than others.
JediJ Clin Psychiatry. 2004;65 Suppl 5:7-12. Related Articles, Links
Issues in the clinical use of benzodiazepines: potency, withdrawal, and rebound.
Chouinard G.
Centre de Recherche Fernand Seguin, Psychopharmacologie, Departement de Psychiatrie, Universite de Montreal, Hopital Louis-Lafontaine, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. psychopharm.unit@mcgill.ca
Low and medium potency benzodiazepines were initially introduced for the treatment of insomnia and anxiety. Their therapeutic actions as anxiolytics, sedative hypnotics, anticonvulsants, and muscle relaxants (with their low toxicity) have led to their use as first-line treatments, and they have become one of the most prescribed classes of drugs. Novel therapeutic uses of benzodiazepines were discovered with the introduction of the high-potency benzodiazepines (e.g., alprazolam, clonazepam, and lorazepam). They were found to be effective in treating panic disorder and panic attacks with or without agoraphobia, as add-on therapy to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder and panic disorders, and as adjunctive therapy in treating patients with acute mania or acute agitation. High-potency benzodiazepines have replaced low and medium potency benzodiazepines in all benzodiazepine clinical indications due to their greater therapeutic effects and rapid onset of action. Differences in distribution, elimination half-life, and rate of absorption are important considerations when choosing a high-potency benzodiazepine. Typically, a benzodiazepine with long distribution and elimination half-lives is preferred. A maximum dose of 2 mg/day of any of the high-potency benzodiazepines when given for more than 1 week is recommended. Although as a class benzodiazepines act rapidly and are well tolerated, their use presents clinical issues such as dependence, rebound anxiety, memory impairment, and discontinuation syndrome.
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ReviewPMID: 15078112 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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