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Sudden switch from Xanax to Klonopin
I may have did something very stupid today.
I had to go to my doctors for a bad sinuses infection.
I asked him could I switch from Xanax that I have been on for two years back to Klonopin that I started on for anxiety which slowly turned to panic attacks a few years ago.Theirs where the Xanax came in. So been on Xanax for two years now.
I had a reason for this, the xanax were making me feel worse and not lasting long at at all.
I also ask him of it was safe to do this sudden change and he told me since they were both in the benzo family he did not see a problem. He kept the Klonopin the same mg as my xanax 1mg three times a day.But after reading up on this I feel I may have made a mistake.
Has anyone here did this kind of a sudden switch?
If so can you please tell me if it worked out for you.I don't want to feel crazy or start having panic attacks again.
I am a single parent that has loads of stress as is.No need to make matters worse because I just got sick of the xanax's.
I wanted something to stop feeling anxious all the time and the Xanax does help for a bad panic attack but does nothing to help to keep me from feeling nervous all day. But will the Klonopin?
Really confused here. I trust my Dr I do but I think he just goes along with what I ask without doing any research on the switching over suddenly.
Wish I did not have to take any of this but the sad fact is I do.
Any help here please?
I had to go to my doctors for a bad sinuses infection.
I asked him could I switch from Xanax that I have been on for two years back to Klonopin that I started on for anxiety which slowly turned to panic attacks a few years ago.Theirs where the Xanax came in. So been on Xanax for two years now.
I had a reason for this, the xanax were making me feel worse and not lasting long at at all.
I also ask him of it was safe to do this sudden change and he told me since they were both in the benzo family he did not see a problem. He kept the Klonopin the same mg as my xanax 1mg three times a day.But after reading up on this I feel I may have made a mistake.
Has anyone here did this kind of a sudden switch?
If so can you please tell me if it worked out for you.I don't want to feel crazy or start having panic attacks again.
I am a single parent that has loads of stress as is.No need to make matters worse because I just got sick of the xanax's.
I wanted something to stop feeling anxious all the time and the Xanax does help for a bad panic attack but does nothing to help to keep me from feeling nervous all day. But will the Klonopin?
Really confused here. I trust my Dr I do but I think he just goes along with what I ask without doing any research on the switching over suddenly.
Wish I did not have to take any of this but the sad fact is I do.
Any help here please?
Best Answer
1 Comments
Thank you! Im going through the same thing, xanax for 15 years and forced sudden switch to Klonopin (1/2 the equivalent) and my anxiety is out of control, in a bad way. I was optimistic because of the longterm use of xanax and wanted to get away from pharmaceuticals all together, thought this would be my break; one benzodiazepine for another. :(
I will be looking for marked improvement within 5 days, if not, going back to my psychiatric nurse practitioner. Thanks again....so smart!
I will be looking for marked improvement within 5 days, if not, going back to my psychiatric nurse practitioner. Thanks again....so smart!
Many years ago my psychiatrist switched me from xanax to clonazapam (generic for klonopin). It is a long lasting benzo and I don't recall having a problem with the change.
We can't give you specific advice on medications. Only your psychiatrist can do that.
Check out nursegirls recent entry under Anxiety Guidelines. It spells out very clearly what can and cannot be discussed here re medication. She specifically gives the medical guidelines for clonazapam dosage. It may help you.
This topic can be found in archives as well.
We can't give you specific advice on medications. Only your psychiatrist can do that.
Check out nursegirls recent entry under Anxiety Guidelines. It spells out very clearly what can and cannot be discussed here re medication. She specifically gives the medical guidelines for clonazapam dosage. It may help you.
This topic can be found in archives as well.
Thank you. I don't have a psychiatrist only a GP. But will check out nursesgirls posts.
I understand you can't give that kind of advice,but was wondering had anyone else did this.But we all are different what works for some may not others.
I understand you can't give that kind of advice,but was wondering had anyone else did this.But we all are different what works for some may not others.
No two meds work exactly the same, so just because meds are in the same class doesn't mean they will necessarily cover for one another. Dosages are also different for different meds. There are correlations, but they don't correlate exactly. To be safe you should probably taper off a benzo rather than just switch, but a piece of advice that's often given on here is to do your meds with the medication specialist at a psychiatric practice. Some GPs are good, but the plain fact is they don't specialize in these meds; psychiatrists do. Best thing would be to discuss this with a psychiatrist who sounds like he or she knows what you're talking about (like anyone else, some are better than others). Good luck.
Thank you so very much I am willing to try this,
I am sick of that roller coaster it's hard,much to hard,
Because I am just sick of the hours of being jerky and a mess. I take my meds the safe way. I never over take more that has been prescribed for me. . But first and foremost I miss the old me before I had to start taking any of these meds,But maybe one day I will be able to taper off but right now,I fear I would have a break down if I did..
I am a strong person and can't even believe I did not understand enough to check out this drug before I took my first dose. But I guess at that point when the anxiety started then panic reared it's ugly head I would have chewed nails to make that fear go away.
ER trips thinking your going to die any minute, heart racing feeling like you going to pass out.. I think all of us here that suffer from panic attacks know what I am saying. It's a living nightmare to say the least..
But I do think I am going to wait until I get over this infection to make the switch a wee bit to sick to take on anything else right now. I'm on a strong antibiotic for seven days so after this I can try.
I will keep posting also this seems to help to be able just to talk to someone even if it is in cyberspace,but we are real people behind these keyboards and we came here for a reason.
It's just nice to talk about this without hearing negative comments from family members telling you it's all in your head and telling you your acting nuts..
That's painful and has drove me away from my family. When someone has GAD or Panic Attacks sometimes they just need a comforting touch from someone not to be told thier acting crazy.
Again thank you so much for breaking this down for me.
I also understand fully no one on the forum can give me medical advice.
I am sick of that roller coaster it's hard,much to hard,
Because I am just sick of the hours of being jerky and a mess. I take my meds the safe way. I never over take more that has been prescribed for me. . But first and foremost I miss the old me before I had to start taking any of these meds,But maybe one day I will be able to taper off but right now,I fear I would have a break down if I did..
I am a strong person and can't even believe I did not understand enough to check out this drug before I took my first dose. But I guess at that point when the anxiety started then panic reared it's ugly head I would have chewed nails to make that fear go away.
ER trips thinking your going to die any minute, heart racing feeling like you going to pass out.. I think all of us here that suffer from panic attacks know what I am saying. It's a living nightmare to say the least..
But I do think I am going to wait until I get over this infection to make the switch a wee bit to sick to take on anything else right now. I'm on a strong antibiotic for seven days so after this I can try.
I will keep posting also this seems to help to be able just to talk to someone even if it is in cyberspace,but we are real people behind these keyboards and we came here for a reason.
It's just nice to talk about this without hearing negative comments from family members telling you it's all in your head and telling you your acting nuts..
That's painful and has drove me away from my family. When someone has GAD or Panic Attacks sometimes they just need a comforting touch from someone not to be told thier acting crazy.
Again thank you so much for breaking this down for me.
I also understand fully no one on the forum can give me medical advice.
Can't be done after long term use of xanax... I tried this and was falling to pieces.Went to Urgent Care they said go back on the xanax go back to my doctor and do a taper. It takes the Klonopin to long to get into your system and I will suffer from panic attacks while trying this sudden switch.So this is from the horses mouth some may can do this but I was not one of them..
This was more than mild discomfort it was a mind altering, horrifying time.
So in my case and my case only. I will have to slowly do a taper between the two because of my onset bad panic attacks.
This is not giving anyone medical advice.Just my personal experience.Yes it can be done but not suddenly for some.
The doctor at Urgent Care told me my doctor should have known better than this.
This was more than mild discomfort it was a mind altering, horrifying time.
So in my case and my case only. I will have to slowly do a taper between the two because of my onset bad panic attacks.
This is not giving anyone medical advice.Just my personal experience.Yes it can be done but not suddenly for some.
The doctor at Urgent Care told me my doctor should have known better than this.
Question. I am switching from Xanax 1/2 dose 1x day at night to clonazapam 1/2 .5mg also 1x daily at night. And I was told to just switch. However it's the first night and its not going very well. I have a performance in two days and I'm wondering if I should switch back until after the performance or will that just make me crazy. Xanax has helped me sleep altho i know its not ideal it has helped a lot. Help
This is an older thread, and many times, people aren't getting answers to their questions. Please start a new thread so that people can address your concerns:
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/new_with_new_subject?forum_id=71
Thanks!
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/new_with_new_subject?forum_id=71
Thanks!
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Xanax is a potent, short-acting agent which carries a half-life of 11 hours on average (range 6-11). Given the short half-life, there is no appreciable accumulation of the parent compound (Alprazolam). This means that Alprazolam peaks rapidly and delivers the full clinical effect within hours. There is no delay, given the short half-life. The downfall to the short half-life is an abrupt and trough in the plasma level. The drug is metabolized and eliminated rapidly, and this leads to tolerance and rebound anxiety with prolonged use (loss of efficacy). Therefore, Xanax is not suggested for long-term use.
Klonopin is a very potent, long-acting agent which carries a half-life of 36 hours on average (range 18-50). Klonopin relies on the principals of steady-state and accumulation. Given the prolonged terminal half-life relative to Xanax, Klonopin accumulates on repeated dosing. When dosed twice daily at the minimum over a span of two weeks, Klonopin accumulates to a steady-state plasma level (the level which represents clinical efficacy). Once this level has been attained, the drug will provide round the clock coverage, eliminating the "roller coaster" effect appreciated with Ativan or Xanax. Given that there are no abrupt peaks or troughs in the plasma level, the development of tolerance and loss of efficacy is very uncommon. Therefore, Klonopin is thought to be suitable for long-term use (unlike Xanax).
Equivalency - 1 milligram of Xanax = 0.5 mg of Klonopin, once steady-state has been attained (for single dose use, they are equipotent).
Both drugs are highly potent Benzodiazepines with similar binding affinities to the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor sites. In that respect, there is little clinical difference between them. Where there is a major difference, however, is in their half-life variations and attainment to steady-state. Additionally, the onset of action and duration of action varies considerably.
T-1/2 (terminal half-life) is the period of time (expressed in hours), that is required for 50% of a drug to be eliminated from the body. Conversely, it can also express the rate at which the drug reaches a steady-state level. The following demonstrates this principal. A drug is assumed to accumulate to a steady-state figure within 5 half-lives:
T-1/2 Steady-State:
1 Half-Life = 50% accumulation
2 Half-Lives = 75% accumulation
3 Half-Lives = 87.5% accumulation
3.3 Half-Lives = 90% accumulation
4.5-5 Half-Lives = 94-97% accumulation (clinical steady-state)
From the above, we know that Xanax carries an average T-1/2 of 11 hours. 50% of 3 milligrams (1.5 milligrams) accumulates within the first 11 hours - the remaining 97% after 55 hours, or 2.3 days.
We know that Klonopin carries an average T-1/2 of 36 hours. 50% of 3 milligrams (1.5 milligrams) would accumulate within the first 36 hours - the remaining 97% after 180 hours, or 7.5 days.
Inversely, half of the 3 mg Xanax dose is eliminated in 11 hours, and all of it after 55 hours (2.3 days). Therefore, if Klonopin is directly substituted in place of Xanax in EQUIPOTENT dosages, it will not sufficiently accumulate to steady-state in time to cover the discontinuance of Xanax. However, you were given twice the equivalency of Klonopin relative to Xanax. This means that after 36 hours (1.5 days), Klonopin will reach one-half of steady-state, which is the equipotent dosage to the dosage of Xanax that you are currently on.
11-36 hours of minor discomfort is plausible, but nothing more. After one week, you should begin to notice a major improvement. No more "roller coaster" effect.
Therefore, your doctor is 100% correct. Nothing I have written here constitutes medical advice, only fact. Ignore anything else you have read on this subject and follow your physician's instructions.
Take care.