[healinginprogress]

I was prescribed Klonopin 0.5mg PRN for anxiety and was taking it about 2-3x a week for a while. Recently life events have caused my anxiety to sky rocket and my pdoc wants me to take it consistently a few hours before bed to help me calm down enough to get to sleep.

My main fear has always been dependency with Klonopin because I can physically feel it working and not being anxious is pretty much the most amazing feeling I've ever felt.

But, my question is, after how long of consistently taking it does it become something I have to wean down? When I was taking it 2-3x a week there might be a time I didn't take it for a week or two and would be fine. If I take 0.5mg for 1 or 2 weeks, a month, etc. am I going to have to wean down or could I go cold turkey? I know 0.5mg is a pretty low dose, but it also works really well for me, so physiologically it's doing something.

Asking my pdoc is on my to-do list, but who knows better then the internet anyway?

Thanks

[still_crazy]

hi. with such a relatively low dose, as-needed use...I dunno, lol. I"m -not- any kind of expert, but I'd personally see about a slow and easy tapering plan, when you and the doctor decide to ditch the Klonopin.

one relatively common maneuver is to switch Klonopin (or ativan, xanax, etc.) over into Valium. With Klonopin, I think the formula is Klonoping dosagex20=(roughly) Valium equivalent.

Valium is more sedating than Klonopin. It also has more pronounced muscle relaxant properties. Valium acts quickly and has a long half life. Plus, it comes in a variety of pill sizes and a liquid. If tapering off Valium starts getting rough (happens...not common, but it does happen...), then the Valium can be converted into Librium. Librium was the "It" tranq before Valium. Roche advertised it to doctors as "the drug that tames tigers" and "Whatever the diagnosis: LIBRIUM!".

anyway...Librium is a lot like Valium, but even more sedating, even more muscle relaxant properties, etc. Fast acting (I think...), long half life, a couple pill sizes out there. Not as strong as Valium, mg per mg; I think the conversion is Valiumx5 or something.

on the plus side...valium and librium don't cause drug induced depression as often as Klonopin. Its...kinda scary, that Klonopin is the current "it" benzodiazepine...for a while there, it was the Mother's Little Helper of last resort, because of its drug-drug interactions, difficulty tapering, and the tendency to cause depression. of course...then it went generic, and all the addiction shrinks decided it must be "safer" than the other benzodiazepines, because there's far less euphoria...ugh.

ok. hope this helps. :-)

[*Laurie*]

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