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!

[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.

[Jade59]

bettie1976/ryan   So Valium and Klonipin are similar?

[Jade59]

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.

[barfer]

I couldn't have said it better myself!  You showed great control.

[xanweaner]

Thanks...there's no reason to "shoot the messenger" especially when our messenger has the expertise and knowledge that Ryan has....

[lynn57]

You misunderstood Ryan's post.  He said for people who have never taken valium a starting dose may be 5-10 mgs three times a day.  If you had previously taken ultra potent drugs like Xanax or Klonopin you may need 10 to 20 mgs of valium t.i.d.  He did NOT tell anyone that 10-20mgs of Klonopin or Xanax t.i.d. would be a proper dose.  Please read his post carefully.  Obviously if 25 mgs of librium is equal to 1/2 mg of Klonopin this would not make sense.   Ryan's stats are amazing and I always look forward to his advice. I have been on Klonopin.  It is very potent.  After 5 years I was still on 1 1/2 mgs a day. It's not the fastest acting but keeps you steady.  Since it is such a "steady state" drug it doesn't cause a quick change in emotions leaving it harder to abuse.  Drug seeking behavior usually leans more towards the fast acting benzos.

[xanweaner]

Many people need a faster-acting benzo for particular situations in their medical conditions. Xanax does have its place, as does Klonopin, Valium, Ativan, etc.

The problem that comes into play is when the short-acting benzos are used over a long period of time, and also, when it's time to get off of them. But, that can also be said about many psychiatric meds. I don't think that people who are suffering and turn to a benzo to "quiet the beast" are drug seeking...they are just trying to get a sense of calm to hopefully get their lives back on track.


I

[lynn57]

I did not mean to discredit faster acting benzos. Everyone that uses them is certainly not drug seeking. I personally took Ativan for a short time and it helped tremendously.  When you need that quick response during a panic attack they are wonderful.  I was merely saying that does not make them stronger.  Klonopin may not act as quickly, but if you need something a little longer to get to a steady state, it's great. And it definitely is stronger. Also I was a bit upset that Ryan's post was misunderstood. When uniqueflower thought he said to take 10 to 20 mg's of Klonopin or Xanax T.i.d., that was scary.  Everyone has to slow down and really read his stats.  They make sense.

[jikram]

I am a chronic patient of panic attacks, palpitation and anxiety and tried each of the above-mentioned medications, such as Librium, Valium, Ativan and Xanax. I found Ativan and Xanax more effetive and suitable.
My physician has advised to add up Buspar, 5 MG combined with Xanax 0.5 MG
Does somone at the Forum has some experioence and information about Buspar?
Jikram

[xanweaner]

Ryan has posted some great info. about Buspar - you might try doing a search on it here in the forum, and when you see posts by his name - pay particular attention to those. He's provided some great info. on Buspar.

I would caution about relying upon Xanax as your long-term management of your panic attacks. It's best to be used for only short-term periods, or taking it as an "as needed basis".

It would be interesting to know more about how your Dr. prescribed the different drugs - what dosages, how many times/day, etc. Perhaps they weren't dosed properly for you to receive the full therapeutic benefit. As I'm learning here, that's the key component for success in using the longer-acting benzos, like Librium, Valium, and Klonopin.

Good luck....and I hope you receive the info. that you're looking for.

[jikram]

Thank you for such a useful information. Your analysis is very logical and helped me psychologically to gain confidence.
Right now I am sticking to Buspar 0.5 mg and xanax 0.5 mg, when needed.
I will talk to my physician about Klonospin at the next visit.
Jikram

[illogirl]

Hi Ryan,

thank you for all of the great info:) I just spoke with my psych today and he said he was switching me to klonopin (I have been on xanax for
a very long time). My diagnosis started as anxiety with depression and then became "mildly" bi-polar, but I keep trying to tell the docs anxiety is my BIG problem--I've lived with being moody my whole like, but panic attacks out of the blue leave me weak and very upset.

When I have a panic episode my heart pounds like a drum, my breathing is all off and I shake alot. The episodes can leave me tired for days. Anyhoo I just tried lithium and just felt flat and even more depressed.

Thanks for reading this--does klonopin sound like it will do the trick?
(oh I also take ambien for sleep problems--I wake up all the time).

thanks again!
illogirl

[Northcoast]

Very informative post.  Question: Is Klonopin just for people with panic attacks?  I have what I would describe as generalized anxiety.  Just feel stressed a lot of the time with muscle tension and a lot of anticipatory anxiety.  Never had a panic attack in my life.  My doctor put me on xanax for a while but now he's moved me to Klonopin.  I just saw him and asked him to increase the dosage, so now I'm on .5 mg twice a day (had been on .25 mg twice a day).  My concern is that a lot of people mention panic attacks when they discuss Klonopin and since I've never had those I'm wondering if this is the correct medication for me.  Also, I asked my doctor if I would be on this for the rest of my life and he said that I could take it as needed.  I asked him if he meant I could not take it if I was feeling well and then start taking it when a stressful time came up and he said yes.  Does that sound right?  I'd appreciate any advice people have for me.  

[xanweaner]

YAY - you're baaaaaaaack...........
We've missed you............

♫xan

[illogirl]

Last night I picked up my script for Klonopin I took half a pill (of a .05 dose)
and suddenly started to feel super sleepy. Has anyone else had this happen to them?
I thought the stuff took 2 weeks to build up in your bloodstream. About 2 hours earlier
I took a Xanax (.25 dose) since I am supposed to overlap the 2 meds. Xanax never left me sleepy and out of it---I liked the med cos it just reduced my anxiety levels, but the feeling from Klonopin was weird and tired, Will this pass?

thanks for any input--I'm getting anxious just thinking about taking Klonopin:)
illogirl

[Sadiecal]

My doctor just prescribed me Xanax for anxiety. She believes my anxiety is due to my Grave's Disease which makes affects your heart rate. I don't think this is so. I feel nervous and anxious most of the time. Especially in social situations. I've never had a panic attack in my life, but get VERY nervous when put in situations where I have to speak to a large group of people or again in social settings. I don't know if Xanax is good for this or not. I just want to feel normal in these situations, not nervous. I was on Klonopin for a while and I think it was helping. I am just wondering if this will as well. She told me to take one before going to bed. Since it has such a short life, how would this help me the next day? I'm confused. Plus I took one today and couldn't stay awake!

[ettebette]

I have been taking Xanax XR for many years, and will be starting Klonipin shortly for my generalized anxiety disorder.  In all of your posts, you've talked about Xanax, but not Xanax XR.  Xanax XR is the slow release form of the drug, and differs for regular Xanax.  The reason I'm switching to Klonipin is that I feel that Xanax XR is not working well anymore for me.  I take Effexor XR for depression and anxiety, and I also take Lyrica for headaches and anxiety as well.  So, you can see, I'm a mess as far as anxiety issues go!  Can you shed some light on Xanax XR vs plain old Xanax?  Thanks so much!

Ellen

[illogirl]

Hi Ryan,

Why did you write to Ellen that Klonopin could worsen her depression?
I have been on Klonopin for about a month and a half and I have noticed an increase in depression (I am NOT on any anti depressants).
Overall I just roll with it and try and stay positive and I started to get acupuncture along with talk therapy. This week I will see my p-doc and I'm sure all of this will come up in my visit.
Do you think Klonopin causes weight gain as well?

thanks,
illogirl