klonopin vs xanax

[HypoDi]

Please can someone tell me which is better?
I am on Tareg for blood pressure, from specialist....then my GP put me on Wellbutrin and klonopin .... which my specialist took me off and said take Xanax only with the Tareg.
Any comments much appreciated.

[bettie1976]

xanax is a stronger, faster acting benzo. klonipin is a longer acting benzo and in my opinion not as strong. but then nothings working for me right now cept valium and even then i need large doses (like 40mgs at least) but my anxiety is from withdrawing from opiates and alcohol so i might not be the best person to answer this one. I do know that xanax is one of the strongest benzos...

[Raine9]

Xanax is very strong and addictive because it is, as bettie said, faster acting and the effects are short lived.  You should ask your specialist why he/she would have you take Xanax instead of Klonopin.  Does Klonopin and the Wellbutrin have some sort of negative reaction when taken with Tareg?  

[Raine9]

I read your profile and wow, you are so candid.  Good for you though.  You seem like a very positive person and a proactive one in terms of making yourself better!

Best wishes!

[RCA7591]

Tareg is the foreign name for Diovan (Valsartan), an angiotensin II receptor blocker. I take 320 mg daily.

Wellbutrin raises blood pressure in hypertensive or anxious patients, and therefore, should not be used comcomitantly with Tareg.

Klonopin is the agent of choice when cardiac manifestations of anxiety are present. Xanax is not approved for the long term management of anxiety disorders, and will lead to rapid tolerance and loss of efficacy due to its short half-life. This will cause severe problems in the near future.

Xanax is NOT stronger than Klonopin, they are equal in potency. Xanax's onset of action is immediate, while Klonopin's is delayed. This may give the impression that Xanax is stronger, but it is not. Whenever an anxiety disorder requires treatment over the long-term, Klonopin or Valium are the drugs of choice.

Klonopin works on the principal of steady-state, where by a constant plasma level of the drug is maintained, provided it is taken at least twice daily. The maintanence of steady-state has two beneficial effects: (1) It largely prevents tolerance, and (2) It provides round the clock coverage against the symptoms of anxiety and panic. Klonopin reaches steady-state in two weeks.

In contrast, the plasma level of Xanax peaks rapidly, producing beneficial effects for only 4-6 hours. The rapid peak and trough in the plasma level leads to severe tolerance issues. It also causes a sort of "rollercoaster" effect, with severe rebound of anxiety symptoms. Therefore, Xanax is indicated only for as-needed use, or intermittent use only. If it is used daily, the drug will lose its efficacy.

Valsartan (Tareg) may produce a heightended sense of anxiety. This is one side effect. A better choice would be Atenolol or Metoprolol, which are cardio-selective beta-blockers. Beta-blockers antagonize the effects of catecholamines (adrenaline) on the heart. Hypertension that is caused secondary to an anxiety state would benefit from beta-blockade. Valsartan modifies the renin-angiotensin system, which is responsible for the hormone Aldosterone. While it may lower your static blood pressure, it may be largely ineffective during a state of high anxiety.

Therefore, I'd recommend 50 mg, qd of Atenolol, and 1/2 mg, b.i.d. Klonopin. The two work in concert to reduce autonomic hyperactivity and anxiety induced hypertension.

Wellbutrin is absolutely contraindicated.

Ryan

[HypoDi]

Thank you Bettie for your input here, I appreciate it and I wish you all the best...you can do it ;-)
Thank you Raine, I have jsut had my sons memorial and his birthday woulod ahve been enxt week, so maybe sub consciously all this is takign it's toll. If you'd like to read  bit how I got to where I am slowly....  www.cranalysis.co.ls
Thank you for your kind words. I have had it rough in life, but am a survivor and strong iron will that I never ask " Why me? "  I always say " try me" :-) You gotta stay positive, but it's sooooooooooo hard.

Thank you Ryan for your info here, I really appreciate it. I became very sinus congested and mucousy on Rivotril " klonopin. I have stopped the Wellbutrin, as my specialist said, exactly what you say here, it caused Blood Pressure to raise. I woke up 2am this morning straight into a panic attack...they wake me up. He has changed to Zanor " Zanax" to try, if this fails, I will ask for valium maybe. I am not depressed at all, just get hit with no warning with panic feeling. I have always been such a strong person, but as you will read on my sons website, I had a very abusive husband, divorced him weeks after my son died..but it all catches up with you, and with me because as a child I was never allowed to express myself, I keep things inside, and put on a smiley face and sub consciously it wacks me ( smile)
Your knowledge is very very impressive Ryan. I have seen how much you have helped others on this site. You are an absolute Angel for helping so much.

Thanks for reading this.

Take care everyone :-)

Elaine

[bettie1976]

"Klonopin is the agent of choice when cardiac manifestations of anxiety are present. Xanax is not approved for the long term management of anxiety disorders, and will lead to rapid tolerance and loss of efficacy due to its short half-life. This will cause severe problems in the near future."

I was told by the last doctor I saw that valium and xanax were the strongest of the benzos. At least for me xanax is certainly stronger because back when I was abusing I could take 4 mgs and pass out. If I take Klonipin it does nothing for me. I also wanted to add that all the benzos Ive tried (valium aside) recently, ativan, klonipin, librium, have worked for a few days and then done nothing to help at all. Im very aware of how addictive xanax is and its definitely not for long term use. Just wanted to clear that up.

[FMXSMKR]

bettie1976/ryan   So Valium and Klonipin are similar?

[RCA7591]

"I was told by the last doctor I saw that valium and xanax were the strongest of the benzos."

quote^

Klonopin and Xanax are both twenty-times stronger than Valium. However, what you perceive subjectively will vary with these three agents. Valium produces stonger sedation/hypnosis, and it may *subjectively* appear to be more potent than Klonopin, even though it really isn't. Some folks attribute sedation to potency.

Librium was the first Benzodiazepine, the model drug. 25 mg of Librium is equal to:

-10 mg of Valium (Diazepam)
-1 mg of Ativan (Lorazepam)
-1/2 mg of Klonopin (Clonazepam
-1/2 mg of Xanax (Alprazolam)
-15 mg of Serax (Oxazepam)

If Valium helps you, there is nothing wrong with that. Valium is a good drug. Like Klonopin, tolerance to the effects of Valium is rare. The starting dose (for a person who never took it) is 5-10 mg, three times daily. For those who were on the ultra potent drugs (Klonopin, Xanax), 10-20 mg three times daily may be required.

Unlike Ativan/Klonopin/Xanax, Valium has several active metabolites. The beneficial one is Oxazepam, which lasts roughly 8 hours. This is why Valium is dosed three times daily. The other (Desmethyldiazepam), has a half-life of 200 hours, and accumulates between 5 -10 times that of steady-state. This accumulation prevents tolerance.

Librium is very similar, but much weaker than Valium. Typical dose is 25 mg, three times daily. Librium is the safest Benzo.

Ativan/Klonopin/Xanax possess strong anti-panic properties, and are good for panic disorder. Valium and Librium are good for generalized anxiety, acute alcohol withdrawal, and various other things.

At any rate, when treating something long-term, Klonopin, Librium, and Valium are three good choices. Tranxene is another, but it isn't used much anymore.

Ryan

[FMXSMKR]

Thank you so much for this excellent info.  I have to write it down free-hand, the computer cuts off the r-side when I print.  I am going to talk to my doc re: Valium.    

[uniqueflower]

Wow.  RCA7591 posted some scary dosages.  To readers:  if you're the type to self-medicate, please consult a Pharmacist rather than RCA7591's post; I guarantee you that a PharmD will say 10-20mg of xanax or klonopin 3 times daily is very dangerous...especially for a starting dose--you'll fall into the deepest sleep you've ever been in within 15-30 minutes of taking 20mg of xanax or klonopin your first time; if klonopin, you won't wake up for quite a while.  Ask a PharmD to calculate the maximum safe dosage for your weight, and RCA7591 obviously doesn't understand that dosages are directly proportional to weight.  If you ever take that much, call 911 and/or a friend to drive you to the ER and have your stomach pumped and/or ingest large amounts of activated charcoal.  He must have gotten all of his information from wikipedia or the like, or really mixed up his research.
YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!

[xanweaner]

A quick FYI to you re: Ryan....he is probably our most knowledgeable of posters here in this forum. As you are a newer member here, you've missed out on a wealth of information that he's provided to many people in need and desperate for help and assistance. When he posts, you can be quite confident that you'll definitely learn something. So, be sure to really take the time to read carefully before attempting to discredit him.