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Switching from Xanax to Klonopin

I currently take a total of 1 mg Xanax each day (4 doses of .25). My doctor wants me to switch to Klonopin - he's put me at .5mg 2x/day. I am looking on the web for an "equivalency" chart, but see conflicting information. Some say that they are 1:1, others say Klonopin is 2x stronger. Does anyone know which is correct? Thanks for whatever information you can provide!
Anne
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I am wondering does klonopin work fast acting like zanax I am not having very good luck with it..
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I am currently on Xanax 1mg QID for bipolar disorder.  My doctor wants me to switch to Klonopin 1mg QID.  I tried taking Klonopin 0.5mg BID a few months ago and it seemed like after about 4 hours (when it felt like the Klonopin was wearing off) I would have a full blown panic attack.  My panic is so bad now I cannot even work.  I am just worried the Klonipin may be too sedating since it seemed like the 0.5mg made me tired.  I only tried it for two days though, since I was having such bad panic attacks when the Klonopin wore off.  I should also mention I have bipolar 1 and and also am on Depakote 250mg BID, Buspar 30mg BID, Lexapro 20mg, BID (I think that is it).  I was on Lamictal but it gave me a horrible rash.  I am just scared.  Any advise would be helpful.
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I am on 1.5 mg of Klonopin a day.  I understand from other web resources that this equates to 30 mg of Valium per day.  But, I used to be on 15 mg of Valium a day and it seemed to be stronger.  My psychiatrist and pharmacist seem to think that Klonopin is less potent than Valium or Xanax.  This contradicts what I read on the web.  Are they misinformed or are they right?   I think they are right from personal experience,.
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Avatar universal
You're the best, Ryan. Thanks so much. I hadn't thought about coming off the Trazodone, so I'll definitely ask my psych when I next see him. Do you know what the proper tapering off schedule for that is? I've been on it since June 26, I believe.

Also, a friend of mine is on Klonopin .5 mg. She takes 1/2 a tablet in the morning and a full one at night. She said her psych recommeded, in the beginning when she was taking a full mg each day, that she do .25 mg in the a.m., then .25 again in the afternoon, and finally .5 mg before bed. Is that a traditional dosing regimen? I'd like to ask my psych about that, too. She said she switched to that because the full tablet in the am. was making her really tired.

I'm so happy to be on Klonopin, actually. That sounds kind of crazy, since a few weeks ago I was flipping out over being on ANY kind of benzo. But I do feel better knowing that it's a longer-term drug. And that toleranace isn't likely. Thanks again, Ryan!
Anne
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Thanks, Ryan and Lorrie -
I made the switch the other day! The first day on Klonopin, thursday, I felt pretty good for a few hours directly after the a.m. dose (which was a .5 mg tablet). I can only describe it as "calm." Then I started to feel a little jittery/nervous around noon. It also included being a bit spacy, ringing in the ears, fast heartbeat, a little tightness in my chest, and slight tremor in my arms and hands. It only lasted a few hours, and the rest of the afternoon was fine. But I definitely felt like I needed the second dose in the p.m. Yesterday, my second full day on Klonopin, I felt good pretty much the whole day. Maybe a blip here and there where I was aware of some anxiety, but nothing too bad. And I slept pretty well, too, (I also take Trazodone 75mg, which was giving me sleep, but consistently interrupted - I'd sleep for 2 hours, then be up for a few minutes, then sleep for a few hours, up for a few, etc. Last night I slept all the way through from 11:15 - 5:30!). Today is the third day on Klonopin, however, and I'm feeling extremely tired. It started directly after the morning dose (which I might add, I also felt a bit anxious before taking that). I figured the fatigue would go away by mid to late morning, but it hasn't. It's now 3:45 and I'm still feeling kind of sleepy, though I wasn't able to actually take a nap while my 4-year old took hers. Drats! I feel just a touch of underlying nervousness. But overall, kind of calm along with the tired feeling. Strange!  

Ryan, are these things all pretty normal, given the switch? I was only on Xanax .5 mg for 5-6 weeks before making the switch (my initial dose was prn, then it got changed to .5 mg bid, but early on I usually only took 3/4 - 1 tablet each day. Gradually got up to a total of 1mg each day a few days before I made the switch to Klonopin this past thursday. Thanks for whatever insight you can give!
Anne
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Avatar universal
Clonopin has a longer half life.  Xanax is for situational anxiety and works right away and does not last as long.


Lorrie
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Avatar universal
Oops, the dose of Klonopin my psych wants me to take is .5mg tablet ONCE a day, (not twice a day as I said in my earlier post). He said I could split it in half - one half in the a.m. and another before bed.

I should mention that I did try to switch about 3 weeks ago, without much success. I don't know, however, if my fiddling with my sleep meds at the same time caused me to have increased anxiety (Ryan agreed that it probably did). So, now I'm ready to try again, because I really don't want to stay on Xanax long -term. Everyone seems to agree (my gp, psych, and pharmacist) that Klonopin is easier to get off of, when the time comes. Help! Anyone, please let me know what you've heard re: dosing equivalency! Thanks so much,
Anne
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