I agree with you about Clonazepam, Sandy. I've been on Clonazepam 0.5 mg (1x or 2x per day) for a few years now. It doesn't work as quickly and it doesn't calm me down as much as Ativan, but I think that's a good thing for me. I don't get the memory loss I got on Ativan. I can also take one at work if I'm feeling panicky and still be alert enough to do my job well. Ativan makes me much more drowsy. Clonazepam basically just takes the edge off my anxiety and cuts out that "sensory overload" I get sometimes. I have also found that because it doesn't give me that INSTANT calm like Ativan, I haven't worried about becoming addicted to it. I have actually decreased my dose over the years and sometimes go days without taking one. Recently, I have just been taking one occasionally before bed to help me sleep -- because I found that I was having more trouble falling asleep at night since I've been on Lexapro.

When I had really severe agoraphobia, Clonazepam worked wonders for me. I was reluctant to try any benzos because I was afraid of addiction, so my doc recommended Clonazepam and told me it was the least-addictive of the benzos. Within 3 days of being on it, I actually went on a short shopping trip with my sister... That was HUGE because my agoraphobia had been so bad, I would normally have a meltdown if I had to step outside my front door. I hadn't been to a mall in nearly 4 years at that point. So, I am incredibly grateful that my doctor gave me Clonazepam. It was the first step in my recovery -- calmed me down enough to start therapy and try other meds.