Posted by tecknohed on October 16, 2007, at 13:44:29
In reply to Re: Anyone doing well on Marplan?, posted by brooke484 on October 16, 2007, at 9:43:31
> I wish I could just jump to 40 mgs but I've always had to take it slow. I mean, 25 mgs is giving me quite a bit of anxiety already. I'll go up to 30 this weekend and then stay there until I see my doctor. And yes, I do take ativan, but it's not working like it used to (maybe I need the brand, not generic). And I have klonopin too, just in case. I used to take a benzo maybe 1-2 times a week, but with Marplan I find I need it every day! Hope this starts working soon. I need some relief!
>
> brookePerhapse daily use of a benzo isn't such a bad idea. It depends which way you look at it I suppose. On the one hand daily benzo use will inevitably lead to dependency of some sort, though not necessarily 'addiction'. Yet the way I see it is, if it helps & you can stabilize yourself on a particular dose then a benzo can be used indefinitely. For example, if my combo of clonazepam + Marplan works then I will stay on it for as long as it continues to work, hopefully for the rest of my life. There is no shame in it.
Fact is many many people use benzos daily without needing to increase the dose. Ceratainly some benzos are better tolerated long term than others. Clonazepam (Klonopin) seems one of the least likely to need frequent increases in dosage, once you get to the right dose. My pdoc is certainly happy for me to stay on it indefinitely, as long as it is helping.
Also, if you have social anxiety (do you?) then Klonopin may be a better option for you than Ativan, especially for daily use.
Of course what you do is entirely yours & your docs decision. The above are just my own thoughts on the matter.
I really do hope things work out well for you. And if you ever want to talk more privately then feel free to babblemail me.
Good luck!
poster:tecknohed
thread:789356
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20071009/msgs/789599.html