I finally found a psychiatrist willing to treat my debilitating anxiety/panic with Klonopin.  I have never used medications like this before, but they work well for my mother. 

He prescribed me 1 mg Klonopin to be taken 3 times a day.  In addition he wants me to take Baclofen 3 times a day to help w/ my tension headaches. 

This just seems like a lot of dope-you-up medications for me to be taking!  Does anyone else think so?  I have to stay awake during the day, I have 3 little kids that depend on Mommy being awake!

Do you think I should ease my way in to taking them, or just start out full force?

IMHO, as a fellow anxiety patient, thats quite a bit of Klonopin to start out on.  I'd probably try just taking 1mg in the morning and then playing it by ear.  Klonopin is long-lasting so a morning dose will probably get you through until the evening, at which point you can take another if you're starting to feel anxious again.

Of course, if the anxiety comes back around lunch time, you can always take it like the doctor recommended (3x a day)...but like I said, most people find Klonopin to be long lasting and rarely need to take more than one pill to get them through the day.

Benzodiazepines (klonopin, ativan etc) are relatively safe medications, so you can have more leeway in adjusting the dosage. Some seizure patients are given up to 20mgs of Klonopin/Clonazepam at a time....so theres not much need to worry about overdose if you overlap your 1mg doses.

Let us know how things go...

btw: the starting dose for klonopin is usually 0.5 mg.

ok gonna stick in my 2 cents since i've taken the generic form clonazepam. when i started out 0.5mg controlled my anxiety without making me really sleepy. so i was calm but alert. if i took 1mg it was like whoa sleepy as and headed for the bed before i wound up on the floor. that was before i built a tolerance if you can break the 1mg pills in half i'd suggest trying half a pill first and seeing what effect that has on you.

NZer

Have to agree with NZer, I used them as a sleeping pill before I started on Seroquel.  I would start at .5 mg to see how they affect you, especially since you are responsible for kiddies.  Sulu

I also agree w/ PP's.  I would try breaking them in half, and maybe even try taking it PRN (as needed.)  Even if that ends up being daily, you might find that would only need it once or twice a day at .5 mg's.  IMO it's better to start at the lowest and least doses when it comes to benzos. Of course it goes w/out saying that I am not a Dr., and there might be a reason your dr. feels that you need that exact dose and schedule.
I personally take .5 mgs of xanax daily which I believe is a little stronger then Klonipin.  But even though I have been on it since last nov., I still start out w/ a .25 mg dose to see if it might work.  Somedays it dose. 
I hope it works for you! 

I used to take a lot of benzos for a year or so. Started Klonopin 3mg a day. Now I take 0.5 mg. at night since I started Seroquel a while back.

As stated before, K has a LONG half-life so there really isn't a need to ramp up your dose too much. The only time I took a lot of benzos was when I was very manic and they don't work for mania too well.

Good luck.

Thanks everyone.  I have taken .5 mg 2x today and I plan on taking 1mg to go to sleep (stupid night time startle response) .  I've also taken my 10mg baclofen and besides being a little sleepy the first hour after I take them, I feel great. 

I actually found myself being happy today and I was not panicked about why I was so happy (sorry if that doesn't make sense).  I always get suspicious of myself for just being happy, I just know the let down is coming, know what I mean?  It didn't happen today.  I just had a good day

Oh I am so happy for your success.  Know what you mean about usually panicking if things are going well, thinking it won't last.  But you know what, sometimes you actually get to be happy for extended periods of time and I hope this is one of those times for you.  Sulu

Jeepdiva, I'm glad to hear its working for you. Since I had formerly had an addiction/dependance on alcohol to hide from the panic and my other monsters, the various docs have been reticent to give me benzos. However, benzos seem to be the only thing that makes life half bareable. I'm glad it helps 

Jeepdiva81,

To start with 3 mg is a bit much. If it's use is not very urgent and important, it's probably better to start with less. You could call the doc and ask him why he prescribed such a high dose.

And baclofen for headaches ? It's a muscle relaxant. I have no idea if it might work, but why not take something that is designed for tension headaches ? Baclofen is not without side effects and risks, including psychosis.