Xanax to Klonopin

So, I had been on .25mg of xanax twice a day for two weeks, and then tapered to .25mg in the morning and .125mg at night. On Saturday night, I decided to taper off to none at night (my sleep was really bad from the xanax as I would wake up as it wore off I guess, but my sleep got worse). Sunday, Monday and Tuesday during the day, as I took one in the morning around 8:30am, I started to feel really awful in the early afternoon. Tuesday was really bad...and my wife told me that it was probably because I went off the xanax too early. Started feeling shaky, panicky, weak, wobbly, headaches got wrose (pressure headaches). Tuesday night, I switched to Klonopin as my MD had prescribed last week (but I was wary of switching). I had a pretty ok sleep, and took one in the morning (twice a day is the min at .25mg). Felt really tired, out of it, out of my body on Wed morning, and then wed after 12 I started feeling really anxious...just terrible, and it got worse...ended up leaving work and calling my MD, who said that the Xanax was something I was feeling withdrawal from or rebound anxiety (at such a low dose?), and the Klonopin takes a bit to build up in the body to reach its effectiveness. He told me to take .125mg of xanax up to 3 times in a day when I start to feel like I'm going to have an 'anxiety attack". So, I took one and in a little while I felt a bit better, and took my klonopin at night. Had a very good sleep for the first time in like 1.5 months, and then this morning felt pretty passable. Just started to feel shaky in the arms and a bit like...that feeling in my body like something was going to come on, so just took .125mg of xanax.

Anybody else experience this? I just want some reassurance here, really. I don't want to be taking 2 drugs but I can't handle little "attacks" like yesterday afternoon.

[M4Y0U]

The way to switch to from a benzodiazepine to another is using the cross-tapering technique which is you taper the Xanax slowly and slowy introduce the Klonopin with the Xanax until you are only on Klonopin.

Call your pharmacist or doctor for more information. I cannot give you medical advice so follow doctor's order.

Yes it is normal that you can feel the withdrawal from the Xanax since its very short lived and fast acting. The Klonopin will eventually reach its full therapeutic effect when you are off the Xanax after slowly reducing it.

M4

[Peanutbct]

xanax and klonpin can be worse then good sometimes.  Our bodies become to dependable on them.  Keep talking to your doctor.  Ask him if maybe your body has become addicted and needs off the xanax and maybe something thats not go addictive but can still help with your anxiety.

[Paxiled]

When you improved after taking the Xanax, this had nothing to do with the klonopin -- it meant you were in withdrawal.  That' s the treatment for withdrawal -- go back on the med at the last dose at which you felt fine and taper more slowly.  You can't necessarily just switch from one med to another even within the same class of med -- they don't work the same and you might not metabolize them as well.  So the one should be tapered down first and go on the new one toward the end of your tapering or after you've tapered off.  This is also useful, because it lets you know which symptoms are withdrawal from the old med and which are side effects of the new, and lets you make a better determination of whether the new one is working for you or not.  I think you just need a better guide than whoever told you to just switch and you'll be fine.

[Jawny]

Yeah it's been a bit rough. I tried to find info on any withdrawal from a low-dose of Xanax (.25mg twice a day) at a short duration (2 weeks full dose, then 1 week 3/4 dose, then a few days 1/2 dose), but I can't imagine it would be that bad? Meanwhile, last week, every afternoon, I started to feel very weird, anxious, shaky, weak, etc. Even had to leave work on Wednesday because it was too much (which is totally letting the anxiety win). I took 1/2 a .25mg tab of xanax on wed and thur, but have not had one since then, and have only had .25mg clonazepam twice a day (7 in the morning and 7 at night) since then. I started taking Clonazepam on mond night I think. Waiting to see, because my doc said that it takes a bit to build up in the blood to its full effect. Is this true? I just hate having to take drugs anyway. I almost want to just stop taking Clonazepam too (been less than a week of taking it), or maybe just have it at night to sleep better for now. Thoughts???

[Paxiled]

I guess it depends on how bad your problem was originally.  I always think if the problem wasn't significantly interfering in your life, therapy is the best option.  When it does, then medication is often the only way to get things calmed down.  Klonopin does take longer to work than Xanax, and lasts longer in the body, but it doesn't take that long.  But it is unusual to get a strong withdrawal with such a short duration of use.  But we're all different, which is why we can only give you general info but not anything that would be specific to you.  You know, you could even have had a bad reaction to the Xanax -- I did, it made me way more anxious, not less.  Some meds just aren't for a given person.  Hope you figure it out, but I say trust your instincts.