Hey guys. I am currently prescribed to 2 mg of xanax per day/as needed for severe panic attacks and anxiety. However, I hardly ever take it because of anxiety about the withdrawals. I have an appointment with my psychiatrist soon and am interested in seeing if I can be switched to klonopin. I feel like this would be more helpful for my situation because when I absolutely must take a xanax because of a bad panic attack, it ends up putting me to sleep and I can't really continue on with the day until I sleep it off. I know that klonopin is less intense and more longer lasting and I just feel as though it would be better for my situation, what with having to go to classes and such. What do you guys think? I've read a few posts and I see that some people have a clear distaste for this class of drugs but I really just wanted to get some opinions on making the switch from xanax to klonopin. Thanks so much.
The only reason to switch to klonopin would be the longer-lasting effects. You could still get the withdrawals though, because your body would still be getting used to having the drug. You may also want to look into valium. It lasts longer than xanax, but it's also not as sedating as either xanax or klonopin.
Try cutting the pill in half, and seeing if 1mg works for you, or quarter it and take .75 mg. I found out that if I take .75 of a bar, it sedates me enough so that I don't feel anxious, but I don't go to sleep...
It depnds on things like how frequent your panic attacks are, how frequently you take xanax now, and personal preference. Although most benzodiazepams are nearly equivalent other than potency and duration there are differences. I think benzos are God sent drugs for certain conditions but you will always have to deal with the timing of them and the high potential for withdrawl/rebound. First I'd try as polishman suggests and if that doesn't work switch to k-pins, valium, temazepam, or whatever your doc thinks is best.
