march Posted December 13, 2016 Share Posted December 13, 2016 I read somewhere that when you take a too low dose of a benzo all you get is the side effects and no real anti-anxiety therapeutic benefit. Is this true for you? Is there a sweet spot? Xanax at .375mg (1 1/2-.25mg pills) not completely "helping" with anxiety/panic feeling much, but just getting too strong side effects(loopy/drunk feeling). Taking more scares me (side effects) and taking less is just more side effects and even less therapeutic benefit. Any ideas? I also think I hate Xanax. It's what I've always taken but in tiny doses because it seems too strong and too ineffective all at once. It wears off way too quickly too, like 3-4 hours. Unfortunately my dr says he will only prescribe either Xanax or Ativan. I'm not so keen on Ativan the few times I took it; too sedating. I've taken benzos off and on for years. I've been taking it sparingly in low doses for a few weeks now but have to start taking something daily to calm my CNS for a little while. Deemed "medically necessary" right now for me as I'm in an extreme stress state with my SNS stuck in high gear. Did everything I could naturally for 9 months, didn't get much better and finally gave in. Other meds are not an option for me right now because I'm too fragile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alien Navel Cord Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 So, howcome the doc won't prescribe klonopin? Have you brought this up to them? It seems very inappropriate of a doc to only select a few medicines that may help when there is a broader range that should be considered. IMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyRedhead Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 (edited) My pdoc prefers to prescribe Klonopin more than any other benzo because it's much longer acting than Xanax or Ativan. In general, most people only have to take Klonopin once a day. I do have to wonder about a pdoc who will only give the shorter-acting benzos when there are other options....Just my opinion. Edited December 19, 2016 by CrazyRedhead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alien Navel Cord Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Same here CrazyRedhead. My docs all said klonopin because it is longer acting. Anything shorter, they said, has a high potential for abuse because you need more of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
march Posted December 22, 2016 Author Share Posted December 22, 2016 On 12/19/2016 at 1:19 PM, CrazyRedhead said: My pdoc prefers to prescribe Klonopin more than any other benzo because it's much longer acting than Xanax or Ativan. In general, most people only have to take Klonopin once a day. I do have to wonder about a pdoc who will only give the shorter-acting benzos when there are other options....Just my opinion. 5 hours ago, Alien Navel Cord said: Same here CrazyRedhead. My docs all said klonopin because it is longer acting. Anything shorter, they said, has a high potential for abuse because you need more of it. I finally got my Dr to prescribe klonopin and I don't like it at all. I'm really bummed because I thought this would be the one! 0.25mg feels just like I took Benedryl; woozy and tired, but still anxious. 0.375 feels like one too many drinks, my nose feels numb! It's GIVING me anxiety! ? I'm also having restless sleep on it. I do well on Valium (I think) but I probably won't be able to get an rx for it as it is deemed too "old". This is so frustrating! I just want to find one that works! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thunder Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 Some people do still take Valium. If you've taken it before and it worked, I would definitely mention it, since "what has worked before" is usually a good starting point for figuring out meds (and not just psych meds). I don't remember if you've posted this somewhere before, but if you need something on a daily basis, have you tried any non-benzo options, like SSRIs? In my experience doctors prefer to at least try something along those lines if your anxiety is pretty consistent, and stick to benzos for occasional needs - although many people on this board do take benzos on a regular scheduled basis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alien Navel Cord Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 12 hours ago, march said: I finally got my Dr to prescribe klonopin and I don't like it at all. I'm really bummed because I thought this would be the one! 0.25mg feels just like I took Benedryl; woozy and tired, but still anxious. 0.375 feels like one too many drinks, my nose feels numb! It's GIVING me anxiety! ? I'm also having restless sleep on it. I do well on Valium (I think) but I probably won't be able to get an rx for it as it is deemed too "old". This is so frustrating! I just want to find one that works! Ah.. yes klonz has the abilty to do that. After you take it for a while the sleepiness side effect goes away for most people... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyRedhead Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 (edited) 2 hours ago, Alien Navel Cord said: Ah.. yes klonz has the abilty to do that. After you take it for a while the sleepiness side effect goes away for most people... Agree with this..... OP, maybe your doc could up your dose just a bit to .5 mg?....That was my starting dose, and I gradually built up to 2mg over a years time. The sedating effects went away in about 2-3 months for me, but is still working okay for anxiety....I've noticed a lot of docs don't like giving valium anymore-I've never tried it personally.... Valium has a very long half-life of around 100 hours, so it tends to build up in your system after awhile, from what I've heard from others....If it worked for you before, though, your doc might be willing to give it a shot....It wouldn't hurt to ask him, anyway, if the klonopin doesn't work out for you. Edited December 22, 2016 by CrazyRedhead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alien Navel Cord Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 I thought valium and xanax had short half lives which is why doctors tend to prescribe clonazepam? I may be mistaken but that's what I had gathered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyRedhead Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 (edited) Xanax does have a short half life (varies from 10-20 hours).....Valium has half life of 32-205 hours (big variance).....Ativan half life 9-20 hours, and Klonopin (clonazepam) half life is 19-50 hours... This is helpful comparison chart: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_benzodiazepines#Pharmacological_properties_of_common_benzodiazepines Edited December 22, 2016 by CrazyRedhead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alien Navel Cord Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 Oh, thank you! That helps a lot. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtac Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 Ativan and Xanax tend to be more sedating benzos (excluding those used for sleep, like triazolam and temazepam.) My pdoc reluctantly prescribed Xanax after trying Valium and Klonopin, because of the short half-life and high potential for abuse. Surprisingly it works the best for me, and I find I need less and less of it as an anxiolytic. Like every other psych drug out there, people tend to react differently, so if the short/mid benzos aren't working, perhaps a longer one like Klonopin would work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thunder Posted December 23, 2016 Share Posted December 23, 2016 I don't really find Ativan (or Xanax for that matter) to be sedating. My pdoc and I settled on Ativan for an as needed med since it lasts long enough to avoid some of the high/lows of Xanax, but had a quick enough onset to be more useful as a PRN. We discussed trying it and possibly switching to Klonapin if I ended up taking the Ativan fairly often, especially if I was taking it multiple times a day regularly, since then the longer action could provide better coverage. But I only take it maybe a couple times a week, so we stuck with it. I've only take Xanax twice, both times single prescriptions for specific events where the shorter, more powerful effect was desired, so I can't really say much about my experience with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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