Posted by metric on April 7, 2009, at 17:23:54
In reply to Who has taken Klonpin for anxiety?, posted by garnet71 on April 6, 2009, at 15:38:06
> Has anyone used Klonopin for anxiety for say - one year - and who was able to taper off w/o problems?
>I've taken clonazepam for more than a dozen years. I've stopped at least half a dozen times. (Nowadays, I usually just take a single dose at bedtime.)
The decision to use benzodiazepines long-term is one that should not be made lightly. However, dogmatic admonitions that benzos should only be used for a period of weeks aren't much help to individuals with severe chronic anxiety either.
You can avoid withdrawal by tapering slowly. In practice, the dose will need to be reduced more gradually than your doctor is likely to recommend. This can be accomplished by preparing an oral suspension at the desired dilution if you have trouble breaking up the tablets. Do not rush the process. Taper at your comfort level.
I assume you're aware of memory-impairing effects of benzos. You won't be able to subjectively determine the extent of cognitive or memory impairment either. Benzos are very weak anxiolytics (IME), so these are all things to keep in mind when balancing the risks and benefits.
It's safe to take both clonazepam and alprazolam, BTW. In such cases, the alprazolam is taken for "breakthrough" anxiety -- occassions in which a large dose of the long-acting agent would be undesirable.
This has been a protracted non-answer to your question.
poster:metric
thread:889015
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090330/msgs/889272.html