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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 16 of 16. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by odells1987 on February 28, 2001, at 9:36:29
I resisted taking medication for months but my panic has taken over. I have major attacks now daily. When I say major I mean major:) My pdoc gave me Klonopin .25 twice a day. Has anyone had success on this drug? Any side effects? I am also depressed and want to go back on zoloft. Anyone taking both a benzo and a ssri together? Any feedback would be appreciated. thanks.
Posted by ChrisK on February 28, 2001, at 15:22:00
In reply to klonopin--help please!!!!!!, posted by odells1987 on February 28, 2001, at 9:36:29
You are on a very low dose of Klonopin. If you are having really severe panic attacks, I woul be surprised if this amount would be enough to get you through. Benzo's like Klonopin can be taken with SSRI's without any major problems. Thay actually go quite well together in people who have anxiety and deprression problems.
You may be resistant to taking mds but please try to keep your mind open. There are people still hanging around here that are success stories thanks to medication. I for one have finally gotten back to feeling most of my emotions thanks to finding the right meds for me. Everyone has their own special med or cocktail. You will find something soon that makes you feel alive agin. Trust me, it can happen.
CHris
> I resisted taking medication for months but my panic has taken over. I have major attacks now daily. When I say major I mean major:) My pdoc gave me Klonopin .25 twice a day. Has anyone had success on this drug? Any side effects? I am also depressed and want to go back on zoloft. Anyone taking both a benzo and a ssri together? Any feedback would be appreciated. thanks.
Posted by TomV on February 28, 2001, at 15:51:22
In reply to klonopin--help please!!!!!!, posted by odells1987 on February 28, 2001, at 9:36:29
> I resisted taking medication for months but my panic has taken over. I have major attacks now daily. When I say major I mean major:) My pdoc gave me Klonopin .25 twice a day. Has anyone had success on this drug? Any side effects? I am also depressed and want to go back on zoloft. Anyone taking both a benzo and a ssri together? Any feedback would be appreciated. thanks.
That's a very low dose... if your panic is very severe I would recommend xanax. Works faster, and gives more complete relief from the anxiety. Literature shows that its very common to take 5 mgs per day to combat severe panic.
Of course there is the dependence issue. If you take that much for a long time it may be difficult getting off the med. But that may be a real far second to stopping panic.
TomV
Posted by odells on February 28, 2001, at 18:40:25
In reply to Re: klonopin--help please!!!!!!, posted by TomV on February 28, 2001, at 15:51:22
thanks for the info:)
Posted by lois on February 28, 2001, at 18:57:03
In reply to klonopin--help please!!!!!!, posted by odells1987 on February 28, 2001, at 9:36:29
Odells1987,
I am on clonipin 1mg at night and 0.5mg at day.Am on paxil-an ssri. BTW Zoloft *gave* me panic.I can't take an ssri with out a stablizer due to panic/ manic type symptoms, so i am also on lamictal and remeron(another type of AD) with all this.Also without a mood stabilizer such as lamictal I rapidly get tolerant to benzos--need more and more for effectiveness.
Lois
Posted by JohnM on March 1, 2001, at 20:54:39
In reply to klonopin--help please!!!!!!, posted by odells1987 on February 28, 2001, at 9:36:29
Klonopin is an excellent anti-panic medication. It can be mixed with anti-depressants.
I disagree with TomV's suggestion to try Xanax. It is a nasty drug and can cause a very uncomfortable "rebound anxiety" effect. It is also very difficult to come off of. Two words: Avoid it!
Posted by odells on March 1, 2001, at 21:07:52
In reply to Avoid Xanax, posted by JohnM on March 1, 2001, at 20:54:39
I tried xanax for 2 weeks. Flushed that shit down the toilet. Its bad news.
Posted by Cece on March 2, 2001, at 1:20:00
In reply to Re: Avoid Xanax, posted by odells on March 1, 2001, at 21:07:52
Well you know what guys- there isn't one rule or answer for everybody. I have flushed meds down the toilet, but xanax wasn't one of them- for me, it's been a REALLY helpful med.
And I would never try and scare somebody off trying a med that a good doctor suggested- who are you to know what's going to help somebody else? Maybe someday (in 100 years?), they'll have a blood test that will tell precisely what med(s) a particular person needs, but for now it's trial and error under intelligent, compassionate supervision.
I would try and talk someone out of self-medicating, or drinking toilet bowl cleaner.
Cece
Posted by lois on March 2, 2001, at 21:40:47
In reply to Avoid Xanax, posted by JohnM on March 1, 2001, at 20:54:39
>
> I disagree with TomV's suggestion to try Xanax. It is a nasty drug and can cause a very uncomfortable "rebound anxiety" effect. It is also very difficult to come off of. Two words: Avoid it!I second that.Caused me to panic when it wore off in about 5-6 hours. Ativan is better, lasted about 8 hours.Clonipin is the best for me,lasts 12 hours or so,but I like to take only one bnz at a time now just on clonipin.(Neurontin gave me confidence too.)
Lois
Posted by Joy on March 3, 2001, at 17:43:36
In reply to Re: Avoid Xanax, posted by Cece on March 2, 2001, at 1:20:00
I find Xanax [generic] very helpful for me 30 minutes before bedtime. I never use it in the daytime. I take Prozac in the morning. I have no problems with Xanax, and it works much better than Ambien for insomnia. Just my two cents! We're all different.
Joy
> Well you know what guys- there isn't one rule or answer for everybody. I have flushed meds down the toilet, but xanax wasn't one of them- for me, it's been a REALLY helpful med.
> And I would never try and scare somebody off trying a med that a good doctor suggested- who are you to know what's going to help somebody else? Maybe someday (in 100 years?), they'll have a blood test that will tell precisely what med(s) a particular person needs, but for now it's trial and error under intelligent, compassionate supervision.
> I would try and talk someone out of self-medicating, or drinking toilet bowl cleaner.
> Cece
Posted by JackD on March 4, 2001, at 2:47:18
In reply to klonopin--help please!!!!!!, posted by odells1987 on February 28, 2001, at 9:36:29
Klonopin has been helping tremendously with my anxiety. I take 2 mg a day in two doses. It works GREAT! Initially it made me tired, but so far, no side effects as far as I can tell.
Posted by odells on March 4, 2001, at 17:03:05
In reply to Re: klonopin--help please!!!!!!, posted by JackD on March 4, 2001, at 2:47:18
how long before the tiredness went away?? I take .25 twice a day and sometimes I feel like Im in a fog. I still have some anxiety too. Maybe I need a higher dose:)
Posted by Cece on March 5, 2001, at 2:12:06
In reply to Re: klonopin--help please!!!!!!, posted by odells on March 4, 2001, at 17:03:05
> how long before the tiredness went away?? I take .25 twice a day and sometimes I feel like Im in a fog. I still have some anxiety too. Maybe I need a higher dose:)
It seems like klonopin (like just about everything, I guess) effects people very differently. I have taken a very low dose (.125mg) at night for about 8 yrs- if I take twice this dose, I am in a total grog-fog and depressed for a couple of days. I am just now tapering to try my med mix without it at all, because I suspect that I am so sensitive to it that it is still fogging me. So far (X 5days), I'm fine at .0625mg- no increased anxiety.
Xanax works great for me as an anti-anxiety med, and I haven't experienced side effects- it does have to be taken oftener, becuz it is short acting. But there have been posts by people here who hated xanax, and loved klonopin, and could tolerate substantial doses of klonopin without side effects. So, trial and error, and patience.
By the way, at one point I was taking my low dose of klonopin with Zoloft- no problem in the combo. I don't take any SSRI now, but do take a TCA, Nortriptyline- no problem in that combo either.
Good luck,
Cece
Posted by Cmat on March 7, 2001, at 2:12:04
In reply to Re: klonopin--help please!!!!!!, posted by odells on March 4, 2001, at 17:03:05
> how long before the tiredness went away?? I take .25 twice a day and sometimes I feel like Im in a fog. I still have some anxiety too. Maybe I need a higher dose:)
I just want to say that while 0.5mg Klonopin may be low for one person, 0.5mg may me too much for another.
I myself couldn't use more than 0.25mg klonopin about eightteen out of every thirty days without getting really depressed. However, I could tolerate 0.5mg Xanax daily for months with feeling no depression or fogginess.
We react to medication in individual ways.
Chris
Posted by LG on March 7, 2001, at 18:59:49
In reply to Re: klonopin--help please!!!!!!, posted by Cmat on March 7, 2001, at 2:12:04
Does Klonipin help anyone with depersonalization? It seems to help me with general anxiety and preventing attacks, but I still get very depersonalized...I am new to Klonopin and I am hoping that the more my body gets used to it it will leave me less foggy and depersonalized.
Posted by jb on March 10, 2001, at 1:21:54
In reply to Re: klonopin--help please!!!!!!, posted by LG on March 7, 2001, at 18:59:49
> Hi. My experience with Klonopin is that it keeps you relatively foggy, at levels of about 3 mg/day. Lower levels are possible if you use Klonopin to augment an anti-depressant. I intend to ask my psychdoc to prescribe Modafinil to offset the foggy, depersonalization, and short-term amnestic effects of Klonopin. Maybe you should think about investigating the same.
Good Luck. JB
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