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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by andyboy on January 21, 2003, at 17:18:08
Hi All,
Its been awhile since Ive posted, but thought Id share a concern...
Been on Klonopin for just shy of 2 years now and it has worked great. I mean, i finally gained my life back, after 4 previous years of constant worry, panic, and anxiety. I have been thinking as of late however, if my dose was too low to begin with, as although i felt tremendous relief- there was still that lingering "pit in my stomach." Mind you, my panic/anxiety was pretty bad before I went on Klono. I take 2mg/day - 1 at 10am and the other after dinner (7pm). I have been debating (along with my pdoc) about bumping up to 3 as i still have some social phobia/anxious times. One part of me goes for it as i know how well 2mg has worked, but aanother part of me is reluctant- not because of dependance or addiction, but because does 2 lead to 3, then 3 to 4 etc.? Was my dose too low to bgin with? Not sure. I tolerated the initial side effects very well.....
Any feedback would be great!!!
Thanks
Andy
Posted by River1924 on January 21, 2003, at 17:56:57
In reply to Raise Klonopin dosage?, posted by andyboy on January 21, 2003, at 17:18:08
Try it. I don't have any side-effects (to speak of) from klonipin and I've been able to take 2,3,4 and 6 mgs a day as needed. I generally stay with 1mg three times a day. I don't expect the drug to take away all my anxiety by itself but I wouldn't worry about drug doseages creeping up. The drug is addictive but I've never felt any need to take more than worked. Peace and Good Luck, River.
Posted by Alan on January 21, 2003, at 20:43:41
In reply to Raise Klonopin dosage?, posted by andyboy on January 21, 2003, at 17:18:08
> Hi All,
> Its been awhile since Ive posted, but thought Id share a concern...
> Been on Klonopin for just shy of 2 years now and it has worked great. I mean, i finally gained my life back, after 4 previous years of constant worry, panic, and anxiety. I have been thinking as of late however, if my dose was too low to begin with, as although i felt tremendous relief- there was still that lingering "pit in my stomach." Mind you, my panic/anxiety was pretty bad before I went on Klono. I take 2mg/day - 1 at 10am and the other after dinner (7pm). I have been debating (along with my pdoc) about bumping up to 3 as i still have some social phobia/anxious times. One part of me goes for it as i know how well 2mg has worked, but aanother part of me is reluctant- not because of dependance or addiction, but because does 2 lead to 3, then 3 to 4 etc.? Was my dose too low to bgin with? Not sure. I tolerated the initial side effects very well.....
> Any feedback would be great!!!
> Thanks
> Andy
-------------------------------------------I take klon and vary the dosage according to the waxing and waning of my anxiety. Perhaps you should consider the same or alternatively have some xanax or ativan to take PRN (as I do) when I need instant relief because of breakthrough panic. If the breakthrough is more pronounced I figure it's time to up the klonopin. I take anywhere from 1.5 - 3 mgs but have taken more and de-escalated as my symptoms allowed.
By the way, the vast majority of the panic population stay at or around their theraputic dosage. The myth of escallating dosages out of control was long ago dispelled and it occurs usually in those that have addiction proclivities in the first place, craving the drug or simply to get high as an abuser.
Sustained medical dependence does not = "addiction" - where increasing amounts are needed to get a high or to achieve the same effect.
It's true of any bzd but it's woth reading and understanding to alleviate your concerns:
http://panicdisorder.about.com/library/weekly/aa031997.htm
Best,
Alan
Posted by HIBA on January 21, 2003, at 23:34:07
In reply to Raise Klonopin dosage?, posted by andyboy on January 21, 2003, at 17:18:08
Hi Andyboy,
A little bit of social phobia cannot kill you or disturb your lifestyle. Infact it can be benficial on some occassions. So, if the amount of klonopin you take now is at least working for you to be fairly social, I will advise you to stick with it. There is no harm in rising the dosage when the anxiety is on the rise to a level that to disrupt you from keep going. But a little bit of anxiety plus social phobia is always should be welcomed, because they will make you more positive and help you avoid unwanted social interactions. I don't mean generalized anxiety or severe social phobia, which is always distressing and should be taken seriously. But it is obvious from your post that you are being helped by 2 mg of klonopin and simply you are looking for an augmentation effect. No! Use medications wisely. Remember even water can be toxic, if used more than what we need.
Again, an occassional rise in dosage in the periods of severe anxiety and stress will never lead to abuse or tolerance. But don't try to utilize the euphoriant (I must be very careful here when using the term "euphoriant") effects of benzodiazepines. Use this extremely safe medications wisely. The benefits will be beyond imagination, as it is widely regarded that "A patient who is doing well on benzo-monotherapy is the luckiest of psychiatric patients"
Good luck to you, take care
HIBA
Posted by viridis on January 22, 2003, at 0:41:51
In reply to Raise Klonopin dosage?, posted by andyboy on January 21, 2003, at 17:18:08
I've done very well on 1 mg K/day for about a year and a half, for anxiety and panic attacks. Early on, though, my psychiatrist asked me several times if this was enough -- he said that panic patients often need "several times" that amount, and that I shouldn't worry about finding an optimal dose; the key thing is to keep the anxiety under control, and different people require different doses.
Since this dose works for me, I've declined the offer to increase it (and my pdoc is pleased that such a small amount is effective). But he definitely considers 1 mg very low for people with severe anxiety disorders, so maybe you are taking too little.
I do sometimes experience "breakthrough" anxiety in stressful situations, and for this I take 0.25-0.5 mg Xanax. It's extremely effective and works fast. I use it sporadically -- sometimes I don't take it for weeks at a time, sometimes I'll take it a couple of days in a row, just depending on what's going on. If your anxiety is episodic, this might be a way to augment your Klonopin without increasing the daily dose, but if K just isn't doing what it should on a regular basis, I'd try increasing the dose a bit.
One other thing (and this is very "fringe"): recently I've been taking 100-200 mg of L-theanine (an amino acid found in tea leaves) a couple of times a day. I've tried lots of supplements, herbs etc. for anxiety and never had much luck, but this actually does seem to have a mild calming effect that augments Klonopin well. I really don't think it's just placebo effect. L-theanine is widely used in Japan, and is fairly well studied. I certainly don't think it would solve major anxiety problems on its own (I'm sticking with the benzos), but it does seem to add a bit of calmness and clarity, so might be worth a shot. It's relatively inexpensive and appears to be quite safe (you could get the same dose by drinking a lot of green tea). Anyway, just a thought, as a possible add-on for anxiety.
Posted by Mary Leffingwell on January 22, 2003, at 5:39:28
In reply to Raise Klonopin dosage?, posted by andyboy on January 21, 2003, at 17:18:08
Hi Andy, I was taking 4 a day up until a week ago, because i just got off taking 4mg of xanax a day. I am now down to 3mg of Klonopin, i take one in the morning as soon as i get out of bed, then i take one around 1:00 and then i take my last one around bed time. And so far it has kept me level. Sometimes when i have had a very stressful day, i do feel the stress breaking through. But i am able to cope with it and i do try to exercise cause that does seem to help, and when i mean exercise i walk my dog about a mile and thats it.
Hope this helps.
Posted by judy1 on January 22, 2003, at 12:22:07
In reply to Raise Klonopin dosage?, posted by andyboy on January 21, 2003, at 17:18:08
I pretty much use the same strategy as Alan, I take 6mg/ klonopin a day now and supplement with xanax at really stressful times. That seems to work well because I haven't raised my klonopin in 3 yrs. (actually lowered it a couple of times) and get the instant relief xanax affords when I need it. Best of luck-judy
Posted by andyboy on January 22, 2003, at 13:03:18
In reply to Re: Raise Klonopin dosage? » andyboy, posted by judy1 on January 22, 2003, at 12:22:07
This is the end of the thread.
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