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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by amyedwa on May 18, 2004, at 16:20:17
I am currently on a pretty high dose of Xanax (between 4 mg and 6 mg daily) and have found myself becoming quite tolerant of the drug (though it was great for the first 6 months or so. Anyway, I'd eventually like to ween off of it completely and become semi-normal again (I also take 20 mg of Paxil and Seroquel before bedtime) but my anxiety during the day is just awful. I hear that Klonopin and Ativan are decent replacements for withdrawing and would like any help I can get (especially because I have built up a tolerance to the Xanax and run out very quickly). I have a script for the both of them, but am unsure of what dosage will work. Truley my doc is clueless and due to insurance reasons I cannot change him right now.
Posted by btnd on May 21, 2004, at 16:18:38
In reply to Xanax to Klonopin or Ativan?, posted by amyedwa on May 18, 2004, at 16:20:17
Klonopin and Valium are good for getting off benzos. Ativan is not, since it is short-acting like Xanax.
Posted by Anthony Quest on May 24, 2004, at 4:30:34
In reply to Re: Xanax to Klonopin or Ativan? » amyedwa, posted by btnd on May 21, 2004, at 16:18:38
The following chart compares mg to mg various benzos. There is no uniform chart of equivalent doses because people vary and responses to different meds vary but these are as good as any.
Obviously if you feel any withdrawal symptoms, consider tapering up.
Also, there is incomplete cross-tolerance from Xanax to Klonopin or Ativan but it's not that much. You'll likelky notice it for a week or so but then you'll be back to where you started I think in terms of tolerance.
You might want to consider alternating on 2 week ativan/ 2 week xanan sort of schedule. That way you could keep getting a little incomplete cross-tolerance - this is something a lot of narcolepsy suffers do with there meds.
Ativan is probably closest to Xanax in terms of it's duration of effect I've found and Klonopin is still relatively short-acting compared with Valium or Librium. If you want to discontinue completely, benzos, you might consider Librium or Valium which have much longer half-lives than either Xanax, Klonopin, or Ativan
http://www.dr-bob.org/tips/bzd.html
http://www.betterway2health.com/Benzoequiv.htm
Posted by Caper on June 2, 2004, at 2:11:42
In reply to Xanax to Klonopin or Ativan?, posted by amyedwa on May 18, 2004, at 16:20:17
Hi,
I agree with the previous posts, you definitely want to go with the medicine with the longest half-life, Klonopin. The shorter time a med lasts, the more you take and the more you crave.
I've detoxed from alcohol with Ativan (short acting- a bit longer than Xanax) and with Librium (one of the longest lasting, along with Valium). The Librium detoxes were by far the easier- much more comfortable. Plus they come in 25mg and 10mg capsules, so you start with one or two 25mg and then only one 25mg, then go down to 10mg only if you're having withdrawal symptoms.
If you could get an Rx for Librium that might be ideal. It hits you slowly, but fades away slowly too, so you're not caught up in that vicious cycle of quickly needing more because Xanax wears off so fast. With long acting benzodiazapines you don't notice that it's wearing off suddenly. It's very gentle.
Hope this helps. Good luck.
Caper
> I am currently on a pretty high dose of Xanax (between 4 mg and 6 mg daily) and have found myself becoming quite tolerant of the drug (though it was great for the first 6 months or so. Anyway, I'd eventually like to ween off of it completely and become semi-normal again (I also take 20 mg of Paxil and Seroquel before bedtime) but my anxiety during the day is just awful. I hear that Klonopin and Ativan are decent replacements for withdrawing and would like any help I can get (especially because I have built up a tolerance to the Xanax and run out very quickly). I have a script for the both of them, but am unsure of what dosage will work. Truley my doc is clueless and due to insurance reasons I cannot change him right now.
This is the end of the thread.
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