Posted by Ljoltof on February 17, 2006, at 16:51:56
In reply to Re: best med for GAD? » Ljoltof, posted by ed_uk on February 17, 2006, at 15:05:54
Ed:
Over ~8 years between 1mg-2mg Klonopin divided in two doses (bid) - morning/late-afternoon. The past 4 or 5 years have been 2mg daily though.
I am actually on both Klonopin and Valium currently, but I am slowly and safely subtracting Klonopin by .5mg at 2 or 3 week intervals and inserting an 'equivalent' dose of Valium to compensate. What I'm doing is essentially replacing the Klonopin for Valium while being as gentle as possible to my mind & body.
This schedule and dosing is by my design and my doctor is pleased with my decisions. Charts I found while researching suggested that 20mg Valium is equivalent to 1mg Klonopin.
From past experience with both meds *in my case!* I find 30mg Valium to be equivalent to 1mg Klonopin. I'm a fast metabolizer in general and also take a total of 60mg Adderall daily, certainly worth mentioning.
Why I prefer Valium is because Klonopin at some point brought a rise in my dysphoric/unipolar treatment resistant depression. It has made my depression and mood spike frequently. I've certainly become less sharp cognitively and experienced a now chronic effect of muscle pain and weakness as well as frequent headaches building up from pain in my very upper back. Also, the rarely noted side-effect of one side of the body becoming weaker than the other has hit me hard. I have done extensive physical therapy and had imaging done of my entire body. Imaging results came back with nothing abnormal showing. Valium has never displayed a hint of the above issues and I feel like I really got rested sleep when waking up in the morning. Most importantly - the Valium controls my anxiety at a much more consistent rate and never feels like a 'hard' drug.
**These are strictly my own experiences and I am not in any way attempting to scare people away from Klonopin. Please _never_ attempt to quit any of these meds without support from your doctor! If you read this and are concerned please speak with your doctor about whatever concerns you and go from there.**
> Hi
>
> What do you prefer about Valium compared to Klonopin? What doses do/did you take?
>
> Ed
poster:Ljoltof
thread:610272
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060212/msgs/610669.html