Guest monty Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 I have been taking klonopin for a few years, now taking lexaprop with it - 20mg a day. The lex is working a bit for the ocd - obsessing no compulsions. The klonopin just doesn't work like it use to, I get more tired and less anti anxiety from it. I heard ativan was good, any other ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest monty Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 I have been on clonazepam for a few years. It use to work great but now it doesn't work as well. I am on lexapro now at 20mg a day and doing OK but it does make me a bit tired. ALong with the klonopin this sucks. So I was wondering if I would get better relief from something else and heard ativan was good? Also read a post in the anticonvulsants section about klonopin having side effects, anyone know theM? I read the page but don't seem to see the bigger issues that were referred to in that post. What are AP or PS/MS symptoms? Anyone switched from klonopin? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penny Century Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 I have been on clonazepam for a few years. It use to work great but now it doesn't work as well. yeah, the sucky thing about benzos is the tolerance factor. I am on lexapro now at 20mg a day and doing OK but it does make me a bit tired. ALong with the klonopin this sucks. So I was wondering if I would get better relief from something else and heard ativan was good?all benzos are sedating. ativan has a shorter duration of action thought. so depending upon what you use it for, ativan may be better because you will be drowsy for a shorter amount of time if you are taking it on an as needed basis. if you are taking it daily, a switch to ativan would mean that you would need to be taking your med more times per day. Also read a post in the anticonvulsants section about klonopin having side effects, anyone know theM? I read the page but don't seem to see the bigger issues that were referred to in that post. What are AP or PS/MS symptoms? i posted in that thread, but i will do so here as well. we were taliking about klonopin's AC and MS properties... meaning, klonopin can stand in as an anticonvulsant or a mood stabilizer. these aren't side effects of klonopin, this is how klonopin works ... it's an anti anxiety med, and also can be used as an anti convulsant or a mood stabilizer. though it is very rarely used as an ac or ms on its own. maybe it plays backup in a cocktail. if all the acronmys we use around here confuse you, there's a Glossary in the new users board (or you could just click that link.) of course asking for clarification on what something means is always ok and we hope that you always do so if you need it. Anyone switched from klonopin? yes. but not to ativan. klonopin makes me a bit... weepy? i know, weird. but i had always been weary of shorter acting benzos. though valium is making a come back because it is so long-acting. (valium is very useful for tapering off a benzo) ok, i'm rambling. i'm now on xanax xl.. which is xanax extended release that lasts 12 hours (would be 4 dosings of xanax otherwise) and it works quite well and i personally find it less sedating than klonopin. though xanax has the super dirty name in terms of addiction and abuse amongst the benzos. i think part of the reason for this is its short period of action, requiring multiple dosings and leading to a sorta pill popping mentality. but another part is that xanax does "feel" different from klonopin, and that feel is really good for some people. and the extended release doesn't get around that so if you're worried about that issue, i wouldn't reccomend it even though it works for me. i'm sure someone will come along who has gone from klonopin to ativan. i mostly wanted to make sure you got the clarification on that side effect isssue. best, penny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 And they seem to work a little different for everybody. I do well on clonazapam, but ativan makes me feel like I'm walking through molasses. Tommy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batou Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 Same here, we all react differently to different meds. I took ativan at night and could nver wake up in the morning. Xanax will put me to sleep but there is no way I could ever take it during the day. Klonopin I can take during the day and any drowsiness side effects I either did nto have or got used to the side effect, aka drowsiness was only a side effect for me. I can also take Valium during the day without drowsiness. You do not mention when you take klonopin? Daytime, nighttime, multiple daily doses? Klonopin is a longer lasting benzo, so some people can take it at night and have the anit-anxiety effects last for the next day. But you mention you do seem to have built up a tolerance to klonopin, so may not be an option. Many people think Buspar is useless and does nothing for anxiety, but in some cases it does work and it doesn't have the addiction potential like the benzos. Erika Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MellowYellow Posted February 5, 2006 Share Posted February 5, 2006 I have been taking klonopin for a few years, now taking lexaprop with it - 20mg a day. The lex is working a bit for the ocd - obsessing no compulsions. The klonopin just doesn't work like it use to, I get more tired and less anti anxiety from it. I heard ativan was good, any other ideas? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You would probably just have to try the Ativan and see. I like klonopin, but it only lasts a few hours. Ativan has never done anything for me personally but YMMV. Does the lexapro really stop obsessing? If so, I think I want to try that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loon-A-TiK Posted February 5, 2006 Share Posted February 5, 2006 I used to feel great no matter what benzo I took. 1 mg of K would put me out like a light, but I could do .5mg and be fine. NOw I pop 1.5mg at night and can't sleep a wink (this may be also because of the WB side effects). This is going to be a topic with my pdoc when I see her next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bianca Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 Loon-A-Tik How long have you been taking the WB? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batou Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 Loon-A-Tik How long have you been taking the WB?<{POST_SNAPBACK}> At what time of day do you take the WB? Is it Wellbutrin SR or XL? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johngalt Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 Klonopin has a half-life of something like 40 hours, so if you are accustomed to the "peak" which comes from Ativan, Xanax, etc., you may think it isn't working at all. For the same reason, it takes at least a week to assess the dosage of Klonopin with any sort of accuracy. All benzodiazapines have some risk of dependency, of course, but speaking only from my own experience, I have had no trouble, I believe because of the long half-life. I've been on and off it several times over a period of at least seven years and never noticed any withdrawal symptoms or anything of the sort. This may be a bit off-topic, but I have had reasonably good luck using trazodone for sleep (though too much causes a hangover and be warned--that stuff can lead to the most intense and at times disturbing dreams on record!). I have also found the antihistamine Vistaril (hydroxyzine pamoate) helpful at times. Increasingly I find that many pdocs have seemingly never heard of the stuff, but it works wonderfully in reducing panic attacks and preventing "globus hystericus"--that terrible gagging lump in throat sensation some of us are prone to. I have taken it regularly since 1987 with no sign of tolerance or habituation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelanor Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 I switched from klonopin to ativan. But klonopin never really helped me. It got rid of panic attacks, mostly because I felt too stoned to care. I also had really bad nightmares if I took it before I went to bed. The ativan works a lot better for me. I don't feel as foggy on it, and it kicks in a lot faster. It's probably worth trying if you feel like the klonopin isn't helping anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bianca Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 Loon-A-Tik How long have you been taking the WB?<{POST_SNAPBACK}> At what time of day do you take the WB? Is it Wellbutrin SR or XL? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I take it the am with my other drugs. And I take 300mg XL. After being on both Cymbalta and WB for a while now sleep isn't that bad for me. Most of the time I could probably fall asleep just fine but the doc wants me on a steady dose of k. So I do take it at night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest monty Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 Mellow Yellow - I have been on the lexapro for like 2 months or so, started at 10, didn't do much, then moved to 20 and been on that for like 3 weeks or so. It seems to help a bit but so far I have noticed: Tired if I take it during the day, but keeps me up sort of at night if I take it in the evening. I take ambien cr to sleep and klonopin during the day which might be the tired part, so waiting to hear from a new person I am going to see and find out what I do next. want to switch my benzo and find out about the sleeping pill long term and the lex dose I do think the 20 has helped me a bit though with the ocd - well just obsessing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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