Posted by silvercoin on July 13, 2006, at 13:09:31
In reply to HELP!!!, posted by kaseyintrouble on July 12, 2006, at 14:45:03
> I am pretty upset with my prescriptions for initially xanax and then klonopin. I have always
> had anxiety but had a major panic attack three years ago. The doctor gave me an anti-depress. and it didn't work so he called in xanax and the bottle said take every 4-6 hours. I had so much relief and was happy. It wasn't working very well after two years and I was starting to have trouble sleeping so I went to an actual psychiatrist telling him I want to get off it. He said let's try Klonopin. I thought it was a less severe drug and he acted like it was no big deal. That worked for a little while but then I sufferred from more anxiety then I ever had and could not sleep. I told him a month ago that I wanted to get off it. I was on 2 mg. for 8 months at that point. He talked me into upping the dose the 3 mg and then things went downhill. My sleep got even more erratic and I started crying and feeling depressed which is something I have never had. I'm now getting off it but am feeling very weird. It's only been a few days but I still can't sleep and have read up on the drug to find out it's horrible! I read one sight that said it can be ten years before you stop feeling the side effects from going off it. Please, can someone tell me a positive story or am I doomed to a drug that makes my anxiety worse
> and will I ever sleep normally again? Plus, the psych. was a jerk and said he wanted to keep me on it and add something for depression. I have never been depressed until he upped my dose from 2 to 3 mg. overnight. I told him it's the meds that made me sad all the sudden. Has this happened to anyone else?
Drugs like this that work on GABA can cause or worsen depression in some individuals. I developed benzo dependency on a high dose of Halcion and experienced remarkably unpleasant withdrawal symptoms followed by a long lasting and severe depression with unrelenting insomnia. I did not think I would ever be able to sleep again but eventually was able to. I think the reference to a ten year withdrawal period is a wild exaggeration, but my experience is that the after effects can linger for some months. I would suggest a slow taper to minimize the severity of the withdrawal symptoms. Also, work on trying to deal with your anxiety on more of a cognitive level to minimize the usage of this class of drugs that can be rather problematic.Todd
poster:silvercoin
thread:666460
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060709/msgs/666745.html