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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by justjustine on August 21, 2004, at 17:53:46
i have been taking xanax for years (1mg or less a day) and recently had to switch doctors. my new doctor is insisting that i taper off of xanax, she put me on wellbutrin, and wants me to take .5mg klonopin at night because she says this will help me taper off the xanax.
thing is, without the xanax i'm a wreck, whether i take klonopin or not. now she says the xanax is "masking" my depression and i need to add lexapro to the mix. i can't seem to get below .75mg/day, which isn't much, but when i take less i just cry all the time? just thinking about being forced off it makes me upset.
opinions? xanax seems like it works to me, and i'm not very interested in more ssri's after going through effexor withdrawal for over a month this past winter... is it really that bad to be on a benzo long term? why can't i keep a medication that seems to work?
Posted by chemist on August 21, 2004, at 18:46:05
In reply to pdoc insists i stop xanax, posted by justjustine on August 21, 2004, at 17:53:46
hello there, chemist here....you did ask for opinions, and i have never failed to deliver in that regard. first, the factual information: xanax is not amenable to a comfortable cross-taper with klonopin or, for that matter, any 1,4-substituted benzodiazepine (valium and ativan being other common examples in addition to klonopin). thus, klonopin will help ease the switch, but it won't be smooth. further, on a dose/dose comparison, klonopin and xanax are indicated (in at least one source i have) as being equivalant at best (in terms of potency) or with klonopin being twice as potent as xanax. given the chemical disparity, and the 1:1 to 1:2 potency range, one would hope that (at least) 1 to 2 mg klonopin would be prescribed to supplant almost 1 mg xanax/day. xanax may in fact be doing something with your depression, namely, alleviating it: this is well-established in the literature. in my opinion, your doctor is ignorant of the pharmacologic inequity as well as the andidepressant properties of alprazolam (adinazolam is another one that has similar anxiolytic/AD properties, for instance) that are beneficial to you. as for being on xanax or a benzo long term, why not? clearly it works for you: the doctor is proferring an alternative for a situation that appears not to be in need of a fix. in my opinion - since you asked - i'd get another doctor sympathetic to your successful treatment regimen. all the best, chemist
> i have been taking xanax for years (1mg or less a day) and recently had to switch doctors. my new doctor is insisting that i taper off of xanax, she put me on wellbutrin, and wants me to take .5mg klonopin at night because she says this will help me taper off the xanax.
>
> thing is, without the xanax i'm a wreck, whether i take klonopin or not. now she says the xanax is "masking" my depression and i need to add lexapro to the mix. i can't seem to get below .75mg/day, which isn't much, but when i take less i just cry all the time? just thinking about being forced off it makes me upset.
>
> opinions? xanax seems like it works to me, and i'm not very interested in more ssri's after going through effexor withdrawal for over a month this past winter... is it really that bad to be on a benzo long term? why can't i keep a medication that seems to work?
Posted by zeugma on August 21, 2004, at 18:54:56
In reply to pdoc insists i stop xanax, posted by justjustine on August 21, 2004, at 17:53:46
> i have been taking xanax for years (1mg or less a day) and recently had to switch doctors. my new doctor is insisting that i taper off of xanax, she put me on wellbutrin, and wants me to take .5mg klonopin at night because she says this will help me taper off the xanax.
>
> thing is, without the xanax i'm a wreck, whether i take klonopin or not. now she says the xanax is "masking" my depression and i need to add lexapro to the mix. i can't seem to get below .75mg/day, which isn't much, but when i take less i just cry all the time? just thinking about being forced off it makes me upset.
>
> opinions? xanax seems like it works to me, and i'm not very interested in more ssri's after going through effexor withdrawal for over a month this past winter... is it really that bad to be on a benzo long term? why can't i keep a medication that seems to work?I can't imagine how it's worse to be on a benzo long-term than it is to be on an SSRI long-term.
As for Xanax 'masking' depression, I wasn't aware that doctors have gotten beyond symptomatic treatments. Prozac, Effexor 'mask' depression as well. Lexapro is no different.
Posted by gqllc on August 21, 2004, at 19:03:32
In reply to Re: pdoc insists i stop xanax » justjustine, posted by zeugma on August 21, 2004, at 18:54:56
I had the same problem, I have been on Dalmane for 25 years for sleep. My primary Dr. wanted me to get off of it in 3 weeks. Total disaster. I finally found a new Dr. that in agreeance with a Psych. that there was no reaon I couldn't stay on Dalmane for the rest of my life...because it worked for me and trying to get off sent me into a whirlwind withdrawal that was devestating. I also take SAM-e, Vitamin B complex and Vitamin C. Except for the numb tongue(they tried me on lexapro for 6 months) Everything has been getting better! Hopefully my numb tongue side effect from Lexapro will go away soon(been off Lex for 5 weeks.
Posted by ace on August 22, 2004, at 0:08:48
In reply to pdoc insists i stop xanax, posted by justjustine on August 21, 2004, at 17:53:46
> i have been taking xanax for years (1mg or less a day) and recently had to switch doctors. my new doctor is insisting that i taper off of xanax, she put me on wellbutrin, and wants me to take .5mg klonopin at night because she says this will help me taper off the xanax.
>
> thing is, without the xanax i'm a wreck, whether i take klonopin or not. now she says the xanax is "masking" my depression and i need to add lexapro to the mix. i can't seem to get below .75mg/day, which isn't much, but when i take less i just cry all the time? just thinking about being forced off it makes me upset.
>
> opinions? xanax seems like it works to me, and i'm not very interested in more ssri's after going through effexor withdrawal for over a month this past winter... is it really that bad to be on a benzo long term? why can't i keep a medication that seems to work?
You obviously need a new doctor, who treats patients as people not textbooks!30 yrs of Xanax shows great results- no cancer, no tolerance, but for some dependance.
I take Xanax and it has a great AD effect and has helped me so much with Nardil and Zyprexa.
Xanax allows me to be free....and I never get withdrawals from it.
Stick at what works- there are plenty of docs out there so get another- it doesn't have to be a psych, it can be just a family doc...
Take care, and be kind to yourself,
Ace
Posted by ace on August 22, 2004, at 0:25:07
In reply to Re: pdoc insists i stop xanax » justjustine, posted by chemist on August 21, 2004, at 18:46:05
: xanax is not amenable to a comfortable cross-taper with klonopin or, for that matter, any 1,4-substituted benzodiazepine (valium and ativan being other common examples in addition to klonopin). thus, klonopin will help ease the switch, but it won't be smooth.
I agree 100% here Chemist....
Ace
Posted by SLS on August 22, 2004, at 6:41:09
In reply to pdoc insists i stop xanax, posted by justjustine on August 21, 2004, at 17:53:46
> i have been taking xanax for years (1mg or less a day) and recently had to switch doctors. my new doctor is insisting that i taper off of xanax,
What reasons did your doctor give you for wanting you to discontinue Xanax?
I get angry when I hear doctors wanting to have their patients discontinue these very useful drugs because they are benzo-phobic without having a medical reason to be so.
A friend of mine suffers from schizoaffective disorder. She was kept in complete remission for several years taking a very simple regimen of Risperdal + Xanax. When she changed doctors, the new doctor insisted she discontinue Xanax and replaced it with Neurontin. She has been hospitalized 8 times since for psychotic episodes and has lost her housing. Over these last two years of hell, all her stubborn doctor would have needed to do was to write a prescription for Xanax to give her her life back. Ultimately, she found a rather shady GP to prescribe it for her. She has been fine ever since.
She has no complaints about memory.
I am certainly receptive to learn what it is about these drugs that would make it in a patient's best interests not to take them. Does anyone have a good argument against their use in cases like these?
Find a shady GP!
- Scott
Posted by rickoshay on August 22, 2004, at 7:58:06
In reply to Re: pdoc insists i stop xanax, posted by SLS on August 22, 2004, at 6:41:09
Posted by Joy on August 23, 2004, at 9:05:20
In reply to pdoc insists i stop xanax, posted by justjustine on August 21, 2004, at 17:53:46
Get another doc who is understanding and not a benzo phobic doctor [of which there are many]/ I take Xanax [alazopram] .5 at night and if needed during the day [not too often]. I will stay on it forever, it has helped me so much, and it's very inexpensive. Cheap effective medications don't make money for drug companies so docs don't push them.....just my oh so humble opinion.
Joy
Posted by iris2 on August 23, 2004, at 15:26:16
In reply to pdoc insists i stop xanax, posted by justjustine on August 21, 2004, at 17:53:46
> i have been taking xanax for years (1mg or less a day) and recently had to switch doctors. my new doctor is insisting that i taper off of xanax, she put me on wellbutrin, and wants me to take .5mg klonopin at night because she says this will help me taper off the xanax.
>
> thing is, without the xanax i'm a wreck, whether i take klonopin or not. now she says the xanax is "masking" my depression and i need to add lexapro to the mix. i can't seem to get below .75mg/day, which isn't much, but when i take less i just cry all the time? just thinking about being forced off it makes me upset.
>
> opinions? xanax seems like it works to me, and i'm not very interested in more ssri's after going through effexor withdrawal for over a month this past winter... is it really that bad to be on a benzo long term? why can't i keep a medication that seems to work?i have been taking xanax for years (1mg or less a day) and recently had to switch doctors. my new doctor is insisting that i taper off of xanax, she put me on wellbutrin, and wants me to take .5mg klonopin at night because she says this will help me taper off the xanax.
>
> thing is, without the xanax i'm a wreck, whether i take klonopin or not. now she says the xanax is "masking" my depression and i need to add lexapro to the mix. i can't seem to get below .75mg/day, which isn't much, but when i take less i just cry all the time? just thinking about being forced off it makes me upset.
>
> opinions? xanax seems like it works to me, and i'm not very interested in more ssri's after going through effexor withdrawal for over a month this past winter... is it really that bad to be on a benzo long term? why can't i keep a medication that seems to work?Get a new pdoc! I took xanax for years and still do sometimes. I have had a couple of pdocs that were "benzo-phobic and made me go off it. It was terrible. I agree with everyone that has posted here.
These doctors need to perscribe what is benificial to the patient, not the hewest SSRI or next chical. This rediculous thing about it being "addictive". Even if it really was very addictive, so what! If it benefits you what is the problem? It does not mask depression , if anything it helps, especailly with associated anxiety.
This makes me very angry. Do not let someone do this to you or mess with your own self knowledge about what works for you.
irene
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