Posted by RobertDavid on March 6, 2006, at 0:13:17
In reply to Re: Has Anyone Tried These for Social Anxiety?, posted by Rocket Jackson on March 5, 2006, at 20:58:41
> And just curious- what's your current daily dosing regimen? You mentioned you're down to 2mg per day (great job by the way)... are you taking 1mg twice per day? I may try this type of schedule and titrate up slowly depending on effect.You mentioned you were taking klonopin 4 days a week. Though I do think there are those that only need to take a benzo just here and there as needed for anxiety/panic (and those that take it PRN seem to like xanax or ativan) it's been my experience and impute from others that many truly need to take it daily for it to be effective.
Though the time it takes for relief does vary from person to person you should start to feel relief right away with it improving over a period of a few weeks. And it's my opinion that when taken daily it's best to stay with a benzo with a longer half like such as klonopin. By taking it every day at the same dose you get a maintained drug level in your blood/body which makes it work around the clock, less fluctuations. I would think that by taking it 4 days then stopping for three it would not work at well, blood levels going up and down, rebound anxiety, etc.
Though many do split doses, I have found (and it was my doctors opinion) that I only take it once a day at bedtime (when there is the most sedatioin). It's a high enough dose of a long acting drug to gain benefits around the clock. I think many split doses when they take smaller doses say .5 am and .5 pm. Others I know take the majority at night say 1.5 at night and .5 in the am. And some do equally spit doses. It's just trial and error. And you have to go through trial and error to find the dose that right as well. Again, most seem to fit somewhere between 1 and 4mgs, but I know many that take more, some less. I'd suggest starting low say .5 perhaps 1mg and with your doctors advise slowly go up. You'll know when your where you need to be. For me, I was at 3mgs for a while and which seemed just a little more than I needed so I backed down to 2.5 then settled in with 2mgs (12 years total).
It's just the right amount to takle my social and generalized anxiety, but not so much that I feel loaded. And though the sedative side effects generally lessen or go away, typically the anti anxiety benifits remain on going for most patients. Unless something else comes out and works, I'm fine (and so is my doctor) with taking klonopin the rest of my life. Why would I want to go back to the days of not wanting to leave the house, being so anxious I want to crawl out of my skin?
I think there are doctors and consumers that can be benzo phobic, but many that are not. Klonopin is a gold standard when treating anxiety disorters and in my opinion a great option particularly when other anti depressants have failed. As I recall you have tried other meds without success and I would encourage you to revisit klonopin on a daily basis, give it a few weeks to a month, then see how your doing. Doing a daily journal will help you look back and see how much you've improved (or not).
Lastly, many have this "addiction" fear. I hate that word. I believe that individuals with anxiety disorters do not abuse or become addicted to benzos (again, my doctor shares this belief). That most find the right dose and do not go higher and higher. And like so many other drugs if you want off, you just shouldn't quit all at once. You gradually taper off. It's not a life long sentance. But if you do taper off many should mearly expect their old symptoms to return. Yes, it can be work getting off, but the key to minimize it is a very slow taper.
Sorry to be so detailed and long here, just thought some of this may help you. Whatever you do there is always hope, a new med, therapy, etc. Don't ever give up. Best of luck.
Rob
poster:RobertDavid
thread:616068
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060304/msgs/616462.html