Posted by Viridis on September 19, 2003, at 0:59:33
In reply to Re: Klonopin vs. Xanax XR - Info wanted, posted by jparsell82 on September 18, 2003, at 6:58:00
I take both Klonopin and Xanax (regular, not XR). I take Klonopin daily and Xanax occasionally, just for really stressful situations.
The Klonopin has remained effective at the same dose (1 mg/day) for about 2 1/2 years. Strangely, I seem to be developing tolerance to Xanax, even though I only take it once every week or two. Initially, as little as 0.25 mg was enough to calm me and anything over 0.5 mg made me very sleepy; now it takes about 4X as much to achieve the same effect. This happened pretty suddenly, after occasional use of Xanax at low doses for a couple of years.
I spoke with my pdoc about this, and he said that Xanax is unusual among benzos in inducing tolerance (for some individuals) even with intermittent use. He's very cautious with Xanax, but did tell me to take as much as I need (within reason) when I really need it. However, he emphasized that if I started to increase the frequency of dosing (combined with the increase in dose itself), that would be a major cause for concern, and he likely would stop prescribing it.
He remarked that Klonopin is tremendously effective for anxiety, and he feels much more comfortable prescribing it since so many of his patients (like me) are able to stay at the same dose for years and get the same anti-anxiety effects.
I have no experience with Xanax XR, but given my recent experiences and the advice of my pdoc, I plan to stick with Klonopin as my main anti-anxiety med and limit use of Xanax to special situations. Xanax is a wonderful med, and I want to continue to have it available and experience its benefits. For me, that seems to mean using it only when really essential, which is fine -- the Klonopin does a great job for all but the worst anxiety, and has yet to induce tolerance for me.
poster:Viridis
thread:261296
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030917/msgs/261538.html