Posted by bleauberry on July 26, 2008, at 18:13:16
In reply to Xanax XR to Klonopin....Desperate for some help !!, posted by WhatToDoNext on July 26, 2008, at 13:54:19
The cross taper with valium seems like a popular strategy.
You might be experiencing tolerance which would mean you are in a constant state of withdrawals, even though the dose is steady? As for xanax, in my personal use of it, post-xanax anxiety was a problem for a few weeks, so that could be part of it too. The different benzos hit different receptors with different emphasis.
You might have to consider something else to add to a benzo and maybe eventually replace it. If ssris have intolerable side effects, maybe pick the least offensive in your experience and take just small amounts of it. Zoloft = 12.5mg, prozac = 5mg, paxil = 5mg, lexapro - 5mg, etc. Not enough to do the job alone, but enough to pitch in as part of a concert.
Some anxieties are mistaken as something else. Some might call it bipolar, some might call it cortisol imbalance, daily clock out of whack, whatever. Doesn't matter. In any of those cases, the mood stabilizers can work. Depakote, lamictal. Sometimes lithium. And of course, there is always low dose seroquel, abilify, or zyprexa.
I hear you on side effects, that's why I am suggesting combining a couple or several things, all at very low doses, so they work in concert but don't burden you with side effects too much.
In the natural approach, Kira brand St Johns Wort or low dose (10mg-50mg daily) 5htp are worth a look. In my own trials, when ssris take several weeks to begin to work on anxiety, 5htp can do it within hours or several days. Here in medication land we tend to not think about the natural stuff out there, but there are some powerful ones. At natural forums there are people who found SJW fantastic after suffering years on ssris, as an example. Passionflower was shown to have the same efficacy as a benzo in an anxietys study. Lemon balm, skullcap, and valerian are also good in combos. I myself found the adrenal herbs such as siberian ginseng, ashwagandha, and astragalus very calming after a few days. They really tone down the whole cortisol/adrenaline stuff.
poster:bleauberry
thread:842142
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080718/msgs/842168.html