Posted by Snowie on October 12, 2004, at 0:16:52
In reply to Re: Help with anxiety/benzos, posted by mattw84 on October 9, 2004, at 11:15:28
Guess I'll put in my 10 cents to these benzo posts. I have probably social anxiety with a little agoraphobia mixed in for good measure.
My first pdoc started me on Xanax years ago, with great success at first. I must have been taking about 2-3 mgs. of Xanax per day. Unfortunately I was never told about the dependency issue of Xanax, and, of course, after I started reading up about it I got spooked, although I continued taking it. I didn't get any highs from taking Xanax, but I did get the rebound withdrawal symptoms before my next pill, which I didn't like. It made me feel something like an addict, which bothered me.
I tried Klonopin for several months until I started experiencing depression for the first time, and eventually went back to Xanax. I later tried Klonopin again with terrible results. This time I had withdrawal symptoms from Xanax I suppose, which was surprising since I didn't have it the first time I switched from Xanax to Klonopin.
I've also tried Ativan at some point, and I've been taking 15 mg. of Tranxene in the mornings for a couple of years. I augment that with Neurontin which keeps my anxiety level manageable.
Now down to the nitty gritty about what worked and what didn't work so well for me. Xanax worked very well for many years on anxiety and social anxiety. No highs, just that darned rebound anxiety before the next pill that I didn't like. Klonopin did wonders for my social anxiety the first time I took it, but I felt spaced out while on it some of the time. No highs on it either, but I developed depression after about 5 months of taking it, plus I also developed a bit of aggression, so I went back to Xanax. Like I said, the second time I tried Klonopin I went off of it quickly because I had strange withdrawal effects supposedly from the Xanax. Ativan didn't really do anything for me to be honest. It could have been a sugar pill for all the good it did. A couple of years ago, Xanax seemed to poop out so I tried Neurontin, which helped a lot for some reason. I then started taking Tranxene. Tranxene doesn't help much at all with social anxiety but it does okay with general anxiety, as long as I supplement it with Neurontin.
I'm considering Xanax XR, but have heard good and bad things about it. I would love to find something that lasts a long time without the rebound withdrawal effects I experienced with regular Xanax, doesn't cause depression that I experienced with Klonopin, and helps with social anxiety (unlike Tranxene or even Ativan). I also don't want anything that would cause me to gain weight.
Snowie
poster:Snowie
thread:399779
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041007/msgs/401952.html