Posted by chemist on April 18, 2004, at 21:02:50
In reply to Re: Please!! Need Advice on Klonopin usage » chemist, posted by judy1 on April 18, 2004, at 19:25:30
> Hi,
> I probably should have been clearer about my dx- BP 1/ panic disorder, so in my case klonopin is used as a secondary MS (hence the fairly high dose) as well as treating panic disorder. I also have taken all the benzos, and still take xanax prn if I'm in the midst of a panic attack. I also found klonopin to be somewhat more depressing than xanax, and if I did not have bipolar disorder I would most likely use xanax also.
> take care, judyhi judy....klonopin has a half-life ranging from 18-50 hours, and the upper figure is probably more accurate. further, klonopin loses much of its efficacy after about 6-8 months, i.e., you hit the wall in terms of what it can do for you. valium has an even longer half-life - almost 1 week or longer - and i suspect that your lethargy is due to the klonopin buildup (you never have time for it to get out of your system, and you are taking quite a substantial dose). xanax is excellent prn for panic, but have you considered ativan, which does not cross the blood-brain barrier as quickly as valium (on a prn dosing, not chronic, and this is due to the presence of 2 chloro substituents in ativan vs. one in valium, plus there is a hydrophobic methyl group in valium that is not present in ativan, fyi) *but* ativan has a short half-life and a longer reidence time once it does cross the blood-brain barrier (up to about 1 day). you would feel less sluggish, and your system would have time to clear out the ativan so that the effectiveness would remain steady....let me know, and all the best, chemist
poster:chemist
thread:337299
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040417/msgs/337544.html