Posted by viridis on September 30, 2002, at 2:51:12
In reply to Anxiety Disoder Medication, PLEASE help, posted by Mr. Cushing on September 30, 2002, at 0:34:16
If your problem is primarily anxiety, then you might talk to your doctor about benzodiazepines -- Klonopin, Xanax, Ativan, etc. A lot of doctors are afraid of these drugs because they're supposedly "addictive", but for people with genuine anxiety disorders (like me) they can work wonders, and are very safe if used as directed. I notice you're on an extremely low dose of Klonopin (clonazepam) -- maybe you could ask your doctor to increase the dose, and just try this for a while. Although individuals vary, the general consensus is that the real anti-anxiety effects kick in around 1 mg/day or so.
I had a terrible time with standard antidepressants like Prozac, Zoloft, Wellbutrin, etc., but Klonopin has been wonderful (1 mg/day, plus some other drugs for mood stability and ADD, but I think Klonopin is the cornerstone) . Xanax also helps me for occasional breakthrough anxiety.
The key is to find a doctor who really understands anxiety disorders (a psychiatrist or psychopharmacologist would be best). Of the benzos, doctors tend to be least afraid to prescribe Klonopin, and it's been the best benzo (for me) so that's the one I'd ask about first. It might be the answer (and you've already taken it, just at a very low dose), so it's certainly worth a try if you can get a higher-dose prescription.
Again, I stress that seeing a psychiatrist/psychopharmacologist is crucial. A lot of GPs are irrationally averse to prescribing benzos, even though for many people, they're the best anti-anxiety drugs around, with the fewest side effects.
poster:viridis
thread:121617
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020922/msgs/121625.html