wanting to swap from zanax to klonopin

[wendles_1970]

I have been increasing addicted to xanax, which i've been taking on & off for about 10 yr period (with some long periods without). In the past year I have found it easy to "get" and so I was taking 0.5g initially & now, a year later, up to 2mg/day. I feel i would need 3mg/d to make me feel normal but don't want to up it. I just miss those days of blissing out & managing all so well. Lately, I have been trying to take 1mg but end up not being able to at least resist another half. On this does I'm cranky & irritable, so i'd up it to 2mg/d. I am a pain in the #ss to live with to be truthfull. I know the idea is to cut down slowly, more slowly, but I am hoping to do it with klonopin. Once i tried a packet - and it actually worked well for me - it allowed me to kick a 1mg xanax addiction that i'd had for 4 months, then i had a break from both, & then i went back to the devil i knew - xanax. I want to be free..i am hoping with the klonopin, that i'll take it as short term as possible, don't want to bring on another addiction! any thoughts here?

[wendles_1970]

Thank you for your reply! yes i believe addiction began the problem - although it was more of a psychological addiction - i felt relief and anxiety free - i felt like i was walking on air so to speak, so I obtained it from dr and yes would take more than prescribed - because yes, i wanted the relief - is that the same as a high? however, now the problem is tolerance & dependence, i no longer feel the euphoria i once did. In fact i feel, and i expect because of my increasing intolerance, that i would need about 5mg to get that feeling and i am not going to go there. So it has come full circle, that which gave me relief has left without coping skills. I agree i need to go to a dr and i am thinking about that seriously. It's just that i am a health professional, I know every dr personally around here. I saw a psychiatrist who prescribed them but kept a tight lid on it. I could go afar to see a dr but it will always be on my record - it would like make the newspapers for sure. I don't know what would happen to my daughter...& so on, so on....I know these sound like excuses, but they have some validity. i was hoping to do on my own, with the help of a psycholgist friend. your mesage was so helpfull, thank you! i will definately think strong & hard about seeing a dr i can trust

[nursegirl6572]

Hello and welcome!  

First of all....who is NOT a pain in the a$$?  Really?  ;0)  Us PIA's are what makes this world interesting.

Few things first before I will give my opinion on your situation.  When you say "addiction"...do you mean you were actually taking the Xanax recreationally?  Doing things you would consider out of character for yourself to OBTAIN the drug?  Reason I ask is...there are a couple of terms people tend to throw around interchangeably..."tolerance", "dependance" and "addiction".  Now, while there are obviously some similarities and gray areas, and while one may eventually lead to another, there are also some very pertinent differences that are relevant in your type of situation.

"Tolerance" refers to the need to occasionally increase the dose of the med in order to reach the same initial desired effect.  In other words, your body becoming used to it and requiring more.  "Dependance" is when your body needs the medication to function at the same level and without the drug, withdrawals would occur.  "Addiction" is when a person displays maladaptive and inappropriate behaviors to obtain the drug, often for recreational purposes....to get "high".  This would include engaging in illegal activities, "doctor shoping", etc.  It also often includes taking a med not as Rx'd (taking more, more frequently, and when not needed).  Those are pretty basic definitions, but you get my drift.

From what it sounds like, your issues are more with tolerance and dependency (guessing here).  Now, of course those can be problematic for people as well, especially if you have a desire to eventually come off these meds.  However, if you're speaking of an addiction, my advice to you would be a lot simpler...seek help to detox off these meds and seek out an alternative non-habit forming type of Rx for your anxiety.

If the former, then you have some options.  First, you have to decide if you feel you want to try to discontinue these types of meds at some point.  If you DO, you need to discuss that with your doc and formulate a plan.  Trading the Xanax for the Klonopin isn't probably going to help you with that, but again, you need to talk with your doc about it.  If these meds work for your anxiety and you don't mind being on them long term (many people decide the trade off is worth it), then I would absolutely recommend asking your doc about Klonopin...for a few reasons.

For one, you "tried" it already and it seemed to work for you.  Two, your Xanax tolerance is growing and it would make sense to switch to a long acting benzo to help with that and to tackle a lot of the "ups and downs" you're experiencing with the Xanax.  Klonopin is a good choice for a lot of people because of the steadier state of action, more consistent control of anxiety, and definitely less troublesome tolerance issues.  It still shares the tolerance and dependency effects, but usually not as severely.  For example, while you may require an increase in your Xanax dosage every 6 months, you may only need to bump the Klonopin yearly or less.

Either med would require a medically supervised taper (by your doc) when and if you decide to d/c it.  Please keep in mind that people d/cing these meds often have to deal with some pretty significant rebound anxiety after the meds are stopped.  It doesn't last forever, but it can be bad enough to make a person wish they had just stayed with their regimen.  So, if you DO decide this with your doc, be SURE to implement an alternative way of treating the anxiety BEFORE the meds are d/c'ed.  That being said...what else have you tried?  Any other meds?  Therapy?  If you have only ever taken a benzo, you might truly want to look into adjunct forms of anxiety treatment.  Not only will that help you "cope", but it would likely decrease your need for the meds....you may be able to stay on a much lower maintenece dose.  

One last word of warning.  It sounds to me like you were adjusting your meds alone, without the guidance of your doctor.  PLEASE be very cautious doing this, as this will only exacerbate your tolerance issues ten fold.  In the very least, if you ever feel a med isn't working as well as it should..ring your doc on the phone.  Never play doctor...it's important to always discuss these issues with the prescribing physician.

Hope that helped....let us know how you're doing!