ativan to clonazepam

[larkin13]

i have been on ativan for a while, 1mg 4 times daily. but it has stopped working. i have sever anxiety and a panic dissorder. im wondering if the doc will give me clonazepam in exchange for the ativan. or valium or something. has anybody switched from ativan to clonazepam? or from ativan to valium? if anyone has, or has information. it would be greatly appreciated. thank you guys.. you guys help more than doctors do..

[RubyWitch]

As I said before, larkin, if the Ativan is no longer working for you, which isn't surprising, your doctor needs to be consulted as a change in medication is probably called for. Ativan, like Xanax, should not be taken for longer than 4 months. (You must taper slowly off this med)
You need to talk to your doctor about going onto a long-term med like Klonopin. (There ARE other long-term meds besides Klonopin)

You write:   "i feel as if my doctor might not even talk to me about diazepam or clonazepam because of what people say on here."

First of all you must understand that if you read a lot of posts here, you WILL find bad things written about every medication in the book. But keep reading because you WILL find good things written about every med in the book. It all goes to what we repeatedly say on this forum which is that we are all different, we all react differently to medications and what may work for you will not work for someone else and vice versa. It is often trial and error until we find the med that works for us.
What is unfortuante is that there are millions of people out there who are on "Brand X," or "Brand Y," and they are very happy with it, they feel good and the medication has helped them to live and feel "normal" again. But, by and large, they aren't the ones writing to us.

Why do you think your doctor won't consider something because it's been written about here? I doubt your doctor reads this forum. Which is too bad. I think this forum should be required reading for everybody in med school.
But you won't know how your doctor is thinking until you talk to him.

You talk about not having a good childhood, losing many of your best friends to death and imprisonment and that you feel alone all the time. Those are some very large red flags which say to me that you need some therapy and in my humble and non-medical opinion, I think you will find the root of your anxiety and panic in your past.
I'm sorry to keep repeating myself, but the meds will only mask the problem. They will take away the symptoms, but they will do nothing to fix the problem which is much deeper inside you.
Peace
Greenlydia        

[larkin13]

well yes, ive been on ativan, started at .5mg under the tounge, then 1mg ativan pills for 10 months. at first when i started taking the ativan my anxiety was manageable. but now im finding with every passing day the ativan just doesnt do what i want it to. my anxiety piles up, and i worry so much that the medication wont work. to be honest i think im quite tolerant to these types of drugs. and the reason i need this type of medication is anxiety and panic attacks. i also didnt have a very good choldhood and have lost many of my best childhood friends due to deaths and imprisonment. i just feel alone all the time. and i know valium works quite well when taken as needed. its gonna be strong at first but so was the ativan. i feel as if my doctor might not even talk to me about diazepam or clonazepam because of what people say on here. but when my meds, (ativan) arent working.. clearly there needs to be a switch.

[RubyWitch]

Well, hello again. I just responded to your first post............
There are many people here who have switched meds and hopefully they will post you with their experiences.
You are wondering if your doctor will change YOUR meds. The only way to find out is to discuss it with him as we have no way of knowing. But if the Ativan HAS stopped working for you, then your doctor should switch you to something else. It's always good to hear other peoples stories but you absolutely must remember that their experience with a particular med is just that........THEIR experience. It may not be YOURS. We ALL react differently to medications and it frequently comes down to trial and error. The choice of which medication to switch to is one you and your doctor need to make together after discussing the pros and cons of each possibility. Ask questions so you can make an informed decision. And while you're there, why not talk to him about a referral to a good therapist or psychiatrist. Meds will definitely help with your anxiety and panic symptoms, but they just cover up the real problem, they won't cure you. If you want to get off the benzo merry-go-round, you need to find the root cause of your anxiety/panic and deal with that.
I wish you the very best.
Peace
Greenlydia

[cj29]

How long have you been on the Ativan?  It is usually prescribed short term and has a short half life unlike Klonopin that is usually prescribed more long term.  I have taken both before.  My doctor had me wean off of the Ativan very slowly first, but ensure you consult with your doctor about doing this.  Another great resource in my opinion, is your pharmacist that fills the prescriptions.  Quite often they are more accessible and might actually have more useful information from time to time...keep us posted!