Question About Benzos

[Chrissy1972]

I have been on 20MG of Paxil for the past 7 yrs. Before that I was on 20mg Zoloft and Klonopin .25mg  once a day . I
About 3 months ago I had a panic attack at work, which was very tramatic as I had not had one in years. Since then I have been struggling hard to get a grip as I fell back into the negative thoughts area of anxiety. Work has been hard for me to go to as I have the fear of attacks.I went to my GP and was given .5mg xanax to take if needed.   I started CBT 3 weeks ago so I am hoping that helps. I also went to a Phys to review my med as if I am on paxil why I am having such panic. They tried switching me to Celexa and after 3 days I felt there was just too much seratonin going on, i couldnt sleep eat had tremers sweats just not good. I am back on my 20MG of paxil as that seems to be the only SSRI that doesnt make me feel crazy  & .5xanax which i always break into .25mg. Max I take is .75 a day and that is a really bad day.  
My question is about the Xanax, I feel it does wonders to ward off my anxiety when I cannot on my own. Being as though I was on Klonopin for almost 10 yrs (tapered off w/no problems) I dont think I will have issues with the Xanax yet all I read is such bad things about long term use. Should I possibly speak to the dr about switching back to Klonopin? Is one benzo safer than another?
Any help you can provide would be great.

Thanks!

[Chrissy1972]

Correction>>>I was on Klonpin .25  3 times a day then tappered from 2 to 1 then halved

[Paxiled]

Did you taper slowly off Paxil before switching to Celexa of just stop the Paxil and start the Celexa?  Because if you did, you're describing Paxil withdrawal, not necessarily Celexa side effects.  Not saying the Celexa would have worked, just asking because it's important to know which is which in case you have to make this choice again sometime.  And don't expect any med to completely eliminate anxiety attacks -- meds do help, but they don't cure, so they seldom get rid of all the symptoms.  Hope the CBT works for you -- if it does, that's more of a cure than any med.  As for the safer benzo, for long term use klonopin is usually considered "safer," but I think at times it depends on the person.  Xanax is known to reach tolerance levels more quickly, and it leaves the body much more quickly, but whatever you do, the med still has to work.  A "safer" med that doesn't work for you isn't really worth much.  But if klonopin works, it's probably a safer long term bet.  There are a lot of posts by Ryan in the archives that should help explain the difference for most people, though for any particular individual, it's impossible to predict which will work better or have the least side effects and such.  

[Chrissy1972]

Thanks for the response Paxiled. My Dr actually had me taper from 20mg to 10 paxil while starting 10mg Celexa. At this point I felt so miserable I just want to stay on the 20mg of Paxil. The Benzos really seem to help me as well so to me they are a godsend. I did not get addicted to the Klonpin after all that time & did ween myself off no issues so I am hoping this is the same for Xanax. What is Ryans Username on here?

Thanks Again!

[Paxiled]

He has a number after Ryan, you can find it in many posts.  You can always tell his posts -- very science based.  He's been on a lot lately.  I think you were suffering Paxil withdrawal.  It can be very difficult to quit.  If it works, just stay on it.  If you go off, do it more slowly, and I don't thing switching to another med will help and it can hurt since we tend to get side effects when starting a new med.  Just better to get through the Paxil withdrawal before moving on so you know what's what and whether you need to taper more slowly.  And most of us on ssris are also on benzos, I think.  Meds have been proven, at least for depression, to work better in combination than alone.  Probably true for anxiety as well.  Good luck.

[Paxiled]

Oh, and want to add one other thing.  Klonopin doesn't reach tolerance as often as other benzos.  Xanax does reach tolerance, so it isn't just like klonopin.  That's why for long term use psychiatrists usually put you on klonopin, and use Xanax for shorter term usage.  But all benzos can be hard to quit, or easy, it depends on the person.  And a lot of people have posted here who've been using Xanax a long time and it's the only thing that works for them.  So there are generalizations and then are real people.    

[Chrissy1972]

Thanks Paxiled

I had been on klonopin for 10 yrs and off for the past 5. Just started Xanax in May so thinking maybe its best to go back to the Knlopoin as Im still struggling daily with my anxiety & panic.

[fltricia]

What i noticed with the xanax is it brough more intense relief but with that I could notice abrubt differences of being on or off of it.  With Klonopin it slowly came on and slowly wore off.  

I take Vistaril for anxiety and sometimes I will split a .5 Klonopin if my anxiety is really bothering me.  The Vistaril increase the sedating effect of the Klonopin so that is why I probably haven't had to take an entire dose of it.