Posted by RobertDavid on January 9, 2008, at 12:49:08
In reply to Re: Anxiety without clonzapam - RobertDavid, posted by brooke484 on January 9, 2008, at 11:30:49
> I do only take it every once in awhile and always wonder, "Hmm, why isn't this doing anything?" Years ago I took .5 mgs and then I found myself needing more, so I went up to 1 mg. Then I panicked and wanted off because I thought I would need more and more and more and I would never be able to get off it. So I withdrew from it all by myself (it took a year). I have often thought about trying it again, but am always too afraid. My biggest fear is that I'll need more and more and I'll be up to like 3 or 4 mgs and it will stop working. That is why I don't know if I can ever take it again, even though it was a miracle drug for me for awhile. Of course, now I'm so bad off I would do anything, so maybe I should reconsider. I suffer from major depression and anxiety.
Brooke: I understand how you feel. Years ago I was so afraid to take a "benzo" for the reasons you mention. But after trying all other SSRI's SNRI's and other psycho tropic meds without any relief I decided a quality life with a benzo, assuming it would work, would be better than the awful life I was living. That's when I sought out and found a doctor who was savvy about treating anxiety disorters. He put it to me like this. Anxiety is bad for you, its bad for your health and of course your quality of life. Klonopin has corrected the chemical imbalance, I finally have a life. He changed my thinking to "it's good for me, like a vitamin". When I take my 2mgs at night I have this sense that I'm taking something that is positive, that's good for me, it gives me comfort knowing that I'm so lucky to be taking it. That it is a medicine that has been taken by millions since the 70's. Well tested and little to no side effects (for me) compared to anti depressants that I don't believe are all that useful for treating SAD/GAD as primary disorters. That I can take it the rest of my life without concern of having to go higher on dose (though I do think there are periods where slight adjustments up or down should be expected). In fact, it was originally used to treat epilepsy (as I recall) and it's my understanding is approved at doses as high as 20mgs (I can't imagine taking that much!). So at doses of 1 to 4 mgs there isn't any safety issue as far as I'm concerned. And the "benzo fear" so many doctors and consumers have with "addiction" is mearly that if you want off, you just have to do it very slowly, but you can get off. But I think, why would I want to do that anyway???? I did get off it once just to see how I'd do, but it was just a reminder to me of how my old life was filled with fear. Though I realize benzo's are not for everyone, I do think there are so many who would get their SAD/GAD under control if they'd give it a legitimate try at a high enough dose to work. I suspect when you got stable at 1mg and didn't get all the relief you were looking the next step might have been to go up in dose in .5 increments and reevaluate every few weeks. I really strongly believe this, but my disclaimer is that I am not a doctor. My only knowledge of all this is from a decade of searching for my own solutions to treat SAD. Klonopin has turned out to be the single strongest tool I've come across. I have no doubt I will take it for the rest of my life assuming no breakthrough drug is approved down the road. I wish you all the best as no one deserves to suffer from these disabling anxiety disorters especially with a few good medicines that can help. Good luck!
poster:RobertDavid
thread:612893
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080105/msgs/805339.html