Whats More Addictive?

[amber711]

I have gotten so many different responses to this question and very confused.  I am taking xanax for panic attacks daily .25mg 4 times day.  I feel its very good but I don't like the kind of head feeling its gives me sometimes.  I have taken it 2 1/2 months and either I have to stop ( I know withdraw) or switch to klonopin.  I will not take any ssri's cause I don't want to start more side effects.  Now, people told me klonopin is more addictive than xanax.  What the heck, does anyone have correct answers.  I don't know if I need this xanax anymore and I do expect to have some withdrawal but how do I know what to do?  All these dr. and therapists want to keep me on meds and even put me on Paxil which they say isnt addictive but I've heard thay say that but people get bad reactions coming off of them and I don't want to start anything I have to take for years.  My friend takes zoloft and if she forgets a day or two she starts to feel weird and bad so why are thye lying and saying they arn't addictive.  Also, Paxil puts on weight and I am already 20 lbs overweight and am working on losing those.  What to do?  

[MrGreen]

Xanax, in my opinion, is the worst of all tablets. Hardest to get off of. Never just stop it. It will cause you great harm if you do just stop it. Klonopin is a longer acting tablet. Not designed for the same quick kick in effect Xanax has. The withdrawls from Klonopin would not be as bad as they would be from Xanax. Everything has withdrawls. I would be more asking which would the hardest to get off of. Xanax would win the race in my books. Everything that has ' may cause drowsiness ' is addictive. Or tablets that are to relax you. They are habit forming. We need them once we begin taken them. Simple as that. Doctors maybe don't want to scare you. They may see the word addictive as a bad word and used in the wrong way. Who knows their thinking. They live in their own little worlds at times.

[jakegorzen]

both Klonopin and xanax are addictive.
Xanax is more addictive and troublesom because it has a short half life, and you have to take it more often meaning that your downward spiral of tollerance and withdraw will happen allot quick, and to more of a higher degree then what it would be with klonopin.
If you do decide to get off the xanax, you should taper to either Klonopin or Valium because of its long half life.
If you try to taper with xanax.......you will feel the withdraws allot more in between doses.

[Paxiled]

Technically, a drug is only addictive if you have to take more of it to keep up the same effects, like heroin.  On the other hand, who cares about technicalities?  Paxil can be very hard to quit and can have a lot of side effects.  My experience is one of the worst on record, but there's thousands of stories on the net about how hard it can be to quit Paxil, and about its side effects.  On the other hand, you need what you need, but that wouldn't be the first choice anymore of most psychiatrists.  As for Xanax and klonopin, all benzos are hard to withdraw from after long-term use.  If you stop suddenly, it can be very difficult, even deadly.  But since everyone's different, your experience won't necessarily match anyone else's.  I tried xanax for a short time, but it actually gave me more anxiety attacks.  I've been on klonopin for years, and after pretty much killing myself with Paxil withdrawal combined with a quack shrink, I don't think I'll be trying to go off it anytime soon.  Because you haven't been on xanax for all that long it might not be that hard to quit, but, on the other hand, you've been taking it four times a day.  

What you might want to do, if you haven't done this already, is see a good psychologist to help you make up your mind and work on your problem in a non-med way, too.  My experience is that psychologists often have a better knowledge of drugs than psychiatrists, because they see patients more regularly and for longer sessions and therefore hear a lot of stories about how these drugs work and affect people, whereas psychiatrists tend to be pretty dim and just accept what pharmaceutical companies tell them, especially the ones who work with insurance companies.  Remember, a psychiatrist only makes money if he puts you on drugs, otherwise psychologists do the same thing with longer training and are cheaper.

Hi, Jake.  

[freebird227]

Xanax for some reason is making a comeback..... I remember taking it in the early eighties Today I take klonopin and it is starting to get a bad rap. This is between you and your podc. it is great that you are gathering experience from others to be well informed but  ultimately its up to you.
  For me being a recovering Addict I would rather not feel the meds going into my system I only want the benifits. In the 8 years that I have been on klonopin I have never found it necessary to abuse my script. Again it really a personal choice.
  Keep doing your research and I'm sure you'l make the right discission for yourself. God Luck !!!!!!!!!!!   (*`~*)

[SouthernLady458]

I can tell you from my experience....I was on Xanax for a few years, and tried to stop cold turkey.  What happened to me is that after the 5th day without xanax I ended up in the hospital with a grand mal seizure.  Please talk to your doctor about tapering off, and how to do it.  I no longer take it but think it's good for some conditions if taken as prescribed and only stop under the doctor's supervision.

[ILADVOCATE]

I've had more than my share of long term side effects of various meds but I've been on Klonopin 10 years without a problem. Every benzo has a potential for a person to build up a tolerance to it but the shorter acting ones like Xanax have far more of that potential than Klonopin. Xanax is generally meant for occasional use for relief from anxiety as it has a short half life. As for anti-depressents they are not addictive in the same way. Best thing if you want to know is go to the medication website or an informational site such as "Depression Central".