Doc says ok to stop cold turkey from klonopin after 3 weeks

[riderofrohan]

I have been on Klonopin for 3 weeks. 0.5 mg twice a day. I really don't know if it has done much other than make me get depressed more often. I went on it for anxiety. I had been fighting the anxiety with talk therapy for 10 months, but finally I just felt I needed something. I had asked my doctor about trying Buspar. She said that it would make me feel drugged and that I should take Klonopin. I've been reading about it and have gotten pretty scared. My doctor also started me on lexapro last week at 2.5 mg because I was sensitive to zoloft and i told her I was getting depressed. She said I could take the klonopin with the lexapro for about 3 months and then go off the klonopin. For the first week I was on klonopin I was feeling a little better as far as anxiety went, I was actually sleeping in during the morning where before I would wake at 5:00am with anxiety and just lay in bed for hours dredding the day to come. Anyway, the klonopin doesn't seem to be working as much anymore as I have about the same anxiety as I always do, I'm not sure if it has anything to do with the lexapro that I've been taking or what. Anyway, when I told her about my anxiety still being around my doctor said I could try upping the klonopin to three times a day. I told her about what i've read on benzo addiction and she told me to stay off the internet because klonopin is totally safe and non-addictive, if you're on it for years you will become addicted but not short term. She said if I was concerned then I should just quit taking it. When I asked her if I go off what I should taper, she said I could just stop taking it because I've only been taking it for 3 weeks. Is this correct? I have only been on it for 3 weeks. I found a website called the roadback and it said to taper off 2% every 14 days, but if I did that my taper would actually be longer than I've been on the drug itself. Is my doctor correct, can I just quit taking it cuz I've only been on for 3 weeks? If not what should I do for a taper. Like I said what I read on the roadback website seems crazy cuz I would be on the drug longer going off than when I went on.

One thing I've been wondering about is that my anxiety starts up when I wake in the morning. Could this be because I take my klonopin at 6:00 pm and now it's been 11-12 hours since my last dose and now i'm getting rebound anxiety. I thought the whole point of klonopin was that it stays in your system and just kind of evens you out. Anyway I'm really, really scared and everyday I keep taking it I feel like I'm going farther down a hole that I won't be able to get out of. I'm just mad that she didn't let me try the buspar since I've read that it is nothing like a benzo. Please someone give me advice.

[M4Y0U]

Hello there,

First thing you have to know is that Lexapro will take a while to take action and make you actually feel better. If after 1 month you se improvement at all you could try another kind of anti-depressant in the family of the serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). Here are some examples:

* Venlafaxine (Effexor) - The first and most commonly used SNRI. The reuptake effects of venlafaxine are dose dependent.

* Desvenlafaxine (Pristiq)

* Duloxetine (Cymbalta, Yentreve)Duloxetine is contraindicated in patients with heavy alcohol use or chronic liver disease.

Give Lexapro some time to work and maybe one day it will be like a miracle day and it will start do wonders. Otherwise talk to your doctor about trying the drugs i suggested you above.

Remember that we are not doctor here and it is important to have the opinion of you doctor before considering quitting or switching medication.

As for the Klonopin question i would still recommend you quitting it by slowly reducing dose to avoid any panic attack or heavy anxiety even if you have been on it for only a short time.

Again i think it is important you talk to your doctor about all your concern and the opinions expressed here are mine and should not be replaced by the opinion of a qualified doctor.

Best regards,
M4

[Paxiled]

I'm personally more cautious about using the snris.  They can be very hard to take and extremely hard to quit.  I would give the Lexapro a good trial and try other ssris or tricyclics before trying snris, but that's just me.  As for the klonopin, why run the risk?  I agree with the above, why not just taper off slowly?  And as for buspar, it really didn't do well in testing; I think it lost out to placebo.