Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 337716

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clonezepam made me more anxious! why?

Posted by TheOutsider on April 19, 2004, at 10:34:28

I feel like such a freak, I took 0.5mg of generic clonezepam, and half an hour later I began to feel panicky.

Could this be because I'm using a dodgy brand?

I previesly responded quite well to diazepam.

Can anyone explain why this might happen?

 

Re: clonezepam made me more anxious! why?

Posted by EERRIICC on April 19, 2004, at 23:04:28

In reply to clonezepam made me more anxious! why?, posted by TheOutsider on April 19, 2004, at 10:34:28

Same thing happened to me after using clonazepam for awhile. Switching benzo's seems the best idea. Good Luck

 

Thanks for info! What benzo did you switch to?

Posted by TheOutsider on April 20, 2004, at 10:12:18

In reply to Re: clonezepam made me more anxious! why?, posted by EERRIICC on April 19, 2004, at 23:04:28

> Same thing happened to me after using clonazepam for awhile. Switching benzo's seems the best idea. Good Luck

I just wondered what benzo you switched to?
And whether you also have social anxiety, like me.

 

Re: clonezepam made me more anxious! why? » TheOutsider

Posted by Rick on April 21, 2004, at 3:58:35

In reply to clonezepam made me more anxious! why?, posted by TheOutsider on April 19, 2004, at 10:34:28

> I feel like such a freak, I took 0.5mg of generic clonezepam, and half an hour later I began to feel panicky.

First of all, it's absurd to feel like a "freak" because of some response you had (or failed to have) to a med.

Now that that's out of the way...

Clonazepam usually takes a good 45 minutes or more to begin "working." According to the monograph, peak blood concentrations are achieved 1-4 hours after dosing. I think the same is true for diazepam, but maybe you were just naturally feeling less anxiety when you took the diazepam...or maybe your own body chemistry metabolizes diazepam quicker than clonazepam. Regardless, these things can always vary by person, and for some meds it can also vary by whether you ate anything shortly before or after taking it (I'm not sure if food delays the absorption of clonazepam).

Also, maybe you need 1 mg of clonazepam instead of .5. You didn't say if this dose has proven adequate for you in the past. The most typical dose of clonazepam for panic disorder is 1 mg taken as a single or two divided doses daily, with some people needing to titrate up to 1.5-2, or occasionally even more. (But on the flipside remember that taking a BIGGER dose than you need is ill-advised and can actually REDUCE effectiveness). Finally, some people say that certain generic versions of Klonopin have seemed subpotent. I take Teva, and find it as potent as the brand-name. I've seen more criticism of Purepac (which Walgreen's dispenses around here) than other generics, but even so, other people have said it works fine for them.

Rick

 

Re: Thanks for info! What benzo did you switch to?

Posted by Rick on April 21, 2004, at 4:11:43

In reply to Thanks for info! What benzo did you switch to?, posted by TheOutsider on April 20, 2004, at 10:12:18

> I just wondered what benzo you switched to?
> And whether you also have social anxiety, like me.

I know you were asking another poster this question, but I thought I'd mention that I take clonazepam for severe non-depressive generalized social anxiety. After five years, it works just as well as ever. It took me awhile to learn that just 1 mg/day (all first thing in the morning) actually works better for me than higher doses. (I think I mistakenly assumed that I needed the average nmaximum dose given in the study below). It's best to take it regularly, not just as-needed.

Before clonazepam I tried Xanax, which wasn't anywhere near as helpful. In placebo-controlled tests, no drug has ever outperformed clonazepam in treating social anxiety:

Clin Psychopharmacology 1993 Dec;13(6):423-8.

Treatment of social phobia with clonazepam and placebo.

Davidson JR, Potts N, Richichi E, Krishnan R, Ford SM, Smith R, Wilson WH.

Department of Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710.

Clonazepam and placebo were administered in a double-blind pilot study to 75 outpatients with social phobia. The mean maximum dose of clonazepam was 2.4 mg/day at endpoint (range, 0.5 to 3 mg). Treatment was continued for up to 10 weeks. The results of an intent-to-treat analysis indicated superior effects of clonazepam on most measures. Response rates for clonazepam and placebo were 78.3 and 20.0%. Drug effects were apparent on performance and generalized social anxiety, on fear and phobic avoidance, on interpersonal sensitivity, on fears of negative evaluation, and on disability measures. Significant differences were evident by week 1, 2, or 6, depending upon the rating scale used. Clonazepam was well tolerated in general, although unsteadiness and dizziness were more severe and persistent than was the case for placebo subjects.

Rick

 

Re: clonezepam made me more anxious! why?

Posted by glenn on April 21, 2004, at 6:02:35

In reply to clonezepam made me more anxious! why?, posted by TheOutsider on April 19, 2004, at 10:34:28

Yes I had exactly the same response to valium, with 30 minutes I was sweating shaking and felt very bad.
Librium was very depressing and klonopin did nothing, however xanax was perfect.
We all vary, I beleive what we experienced was called the paradoxical reaction, it is usually found at the end of the list of possible side effects.
You are right to switch, try lowish doses first, I have never gone above 0.5 xanax and now I only need 0.25.
Good luck, you will probably like me find one that is excellent.

Glenn


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