Going from xanax to klonopin

[Zali]

After a long slow taper of 3-1/2 months I got off .25 mg. of xanax 3 times a day, for  total of .75 mg. a day.  I had been on xanax for 5 months.  My internist then put me on klonopin at .5 mg. just at night.  She said this would be much better than xanax because it would be longer lasting and much easier to get off.  It seems to me it would be harder to get off one .5 mg. tablet a day.  I do not have seizures or panic attacks.  I get to sleep OK and sleep 6 to 8 hours.  I am awakened by episodes of feeling tingly and very hot, which has been diagnosed as anxiety.  I don't feel mentally anxious.  The physical feeling now continues off and on during the day.  I told the internist I would like to discontinue the klonopin but she wants me to stay on it.  I am an elderly woman. Does anyone have ideas about this switch?

[Zali]

This was the best comment.

[Zali]

I appreciate your comments.  What you said agrees with what my neurologist said to me last week.  I visited her on another matter:  numbness in my toes.   When she asked about my medications, she said, "You know, you don't need to take these."  She was referring to klonopin and the small amount of trazodone I take for sleep.  Otherwise, my only med is Maxzide for the heart plus some vitamins.  I'll look for a good therapist.  Thanks.

[Zali]

Thanks so much for your input.  I really don't want to get into an antidepressant.  Of course, I'll get medical advice for whatever I do.  I think I need to find a therapist.  You are right:  the choice of being on meds is mine.  Thanks again.

[Paxiled]

Nobody can tell you what med works best for anxiety, as we all react differently.  Zoloft can also be problematic and won't necessarily work for you.  But the real question here seems to be, why are you taking meds that affect the brain at all?  If you don't feel anxious, benzos aren't the right med for you.  You're sleeping well, you're not anxious, so your problem lies elsewhere.  Anxious people feel anxious; the physiological effects are secondary to the stress that causes anxiety and that anxiety causes.  Problems with sweats and tingling can be exacerbated by these types of meds.  To me, it sounds more hormonal, but as I'm not an expert, I obviously can't diagnose you, but if I wasn't feeling anxious I wouldn't ascribe my problem to anxiety.  Seems simple to me.  If it were me, I'd find a different doc, and if I did think it was anxiety, I'd see a therapist or if I wanted medication I'd see a psychiatrist who knows these meds, not a general practitioner.  Good luck.  Oh, and as the above post says, you're the boss, the doc works for you, if you want to quit, quit, it should be fairly easy as you haven't been on the klonopin that long.  And tell your doctor that long klonopin usage can be very hard to quit, just as bad if not worse than Xanax, so I don't know where that info comes from.  Certainly doesn't match what any of my psychiatrists have told me.

[M4Y0U]

Yes,

the switch is because Klonopin is longer lasting which means it's better for long-term use. Anyway in my book if you want to discontinue Klonopin you should do it with the cross-tapering method by slowly introducing diazepam (Valium) into the withdrawal process, diazepam is the best benzodiazepine for tapering. It's half-life is even longer than Klonopin

I think it's your choice if you want to get off this medication and that you have the right to want to stop it. Don't let anyone tell you want to do if you feel you don't need it anymore then they should respect this choice and let you try a tapering schedule and see how it goes. Once you're off it then you will know if you want to get back on it or not.

A better alternative for your anxiety would be a soft antidepressant like Zoloft.

Any change in your medication, dosage or schedule must be addressed with a qualified physician. When in doubt about the qualification of a physician or don't feel safe with one change to another one.

M4