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Re: Thinking about taking klonopin Viridis » Lainy

Posted by Viridis on July 24, 2003, at 0:14:06

In reply to Re: Thinking about taking klonopin Viridis, posted by Lainy on July 23, 2003, at 7:27:54

Hi Lainy,

Well, my situation is a bit complicated, but it finally seems to be under control. My official diagnosis is panic disorder, major depression, and ADD. The pattern with me (and my pdoc agrees) is that I get disorganized, stress out over this, and become severely depressed as a result. In other words, for me anxiety leads to depression, and the anxiety seems to stem largely from my ADD situation.

For years, doctors addressed just the depression aspect of things and gave me meds like SSRIs, Wellbutrin, etc., saying that anxiety is simply a byproduct of depression, so treating the depression is the key. I responded very poorly -- just got more anxious, had more panic attacks, and hated the side effects of the ADs. I became quite convinced that the anxiety led to depression, and finally found a psychiatrist who agreed.

As soon as he started me on Klonopin (1 mg/day), plus Xanax as needed, I felt much better and stopped having panic attacks, severe depression, etc. Once that was stabilized, we addresed the ADD issues, so now I take a small dose of Adderall (10 mg/day), and recently Strattera as well (currently 60 mg/day). That's further improved my focus and mood. I just can't touch SSRIs or everything falls apart.

I'm still using just 1 mg Klonopin, although my pdoc has given me the option of increasing it as needed. But I don't need to, so have declined the offer. If my anxiety flares up, I take a bit of Xanax (once in a while) and that seems to take care of the problem.

Oh, and I take 1200 mg Neurontin/day, but it doesn't seem to do anything for me (good or bad), so I'll probably drop that one quite soon.

I really think Klonopin is the key med, because it allowed me to settle down, think clearly, and rationally work out a drug combination that's appropriate for my situation, with the help of a very good psychiatrist who doesn't just hand out whatever med the drug co. reps are pushing this month.


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