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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 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?
Posted by curmudgeon on July 12, 2006, at 15:50:41
In reply to HELP!!!, posted by kaseyintrouble on July 12, 2006, at 14:45:03
Hi, Kasey:
This thread might be redirected to one of the other boards......Anyway, I'll tell you a little bit about my experience with Klonopin. I took it, at 2+ mg/day for almost 8 years. My shrink didn't tell me about the addiction/withdrawal stuff. Nor did she realize that Klonopin contributed directly to my explosiveness (medical term: disinhibition), although she was trying to treat that with other meds. During previous times that I was briefly without the drug (brief hospitalization, ran out, trying to stop), the extreme discomfort and insomnia I was experiencing was due to withdrawal, although I was unaware of the reason. I tried a slow taper in 2004 but failed. Last December I stopped cold turkey because I wanted to and had no source for prescriptions. The discomfort started about 4 days later and was horrible. This time I suspected withdrawal and found www.benzo.org/uk, where I found gobs of info about these drugs and the problems associated with them. My withdrawal symptoms, which were getting worse and would continue for about 2 weeks, matched many of those described on the website. The insomnia (which sleeping meds didn’t help) was the worst, followed by extreme agitation, shakes and ringing in my ears. The site’s descriptions of long-term problems scared the crap out of me. It got so bad that my wife wanted to check me into a hospital but I didn’t feel that it would help. At the height of my withdrawal, I spoke to the doc who was prescribing it all these years (I had moved to another state and no longer had a shrink) and she was willing to re-prescribe Klonopin for an extended wean-off but suggested that I stick it out since I had come this far. I agreed. It was hell but the symptoms started to abate after about 2 weeks. The longest lasting problem was insomnia. I took Ambien (which now was working) most nights until recently. Finally, I am sleeping on my own. I sleep lousy but I’ve had sleep problems most of my adult life. And it’s kinda ironic that the Klonopin was originally prescribed for sleep problems. The upside is that I survived the ordeal. Personally, I feel that benzos are often treated by docs as innocuous drugs. But anyone who’s gone through withdrawal would not agree. But I’m OK now and I’m sure you will be, too. The only thing I’m not sure about is whether cold turkey or slow taper is better….except for the fact that during slow taper, you have the drug in your possesion; too easy to take more. Best wishes.
Posted by curmudgeon on July 12, 2006, at 16:55:00
In reply to Re: HELP!!! » kaseyintrouble, posted by curmudgeon on July 12, 2006, at 15:50:41
"your mileage may vary" - that phrase is used often on this site and elsewhere. Each of us has different levels of sucess with meds. I've had similar experience as you with temporary relief only to end in disappointment. Ultimately, I have to deal with my problems since meds don't work.
Posted by Dinah on July 12, 2006, at 18:51:25
In reply to HELP!!!, posted by kaseyintrouble on July 12, 2006, at 14:45:03
Hi and welcome to Babble.
Curmudgeon's right, and I do think you'll get more responses on the medication board, which is (plain) Psychobabble, so I redirected it there. Here's a link.
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060709/msgs/666460.html
It can get a bit confusing here, with all the boards. Social's for chatting, support, and just having fun.
FWIW, I've been on one mg Klonopin for over eight years and still find it helpful and haven't increased my doseage. But everyone's different, and if it's not helping you you should definitely find a doctor who's willing to listen.
Dinah
This is the end of the thread.
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