Klonopin vs Valium

Discussion in 'Pandora's Box' started by bloodraven51690, Feb 8, 2009.

  1. Sooo, ive been on benzos for panic disorder for around 6 months. Ive changed from xanax to ativan to klonopin. But now im starting to realize just how dependant I have become on these drugs and I dont like it. I have an appt with my doctor next tuesday and im going to ask him about switching to valium in order to taper off of the benzos. Ive read that valium is easier to come off of and Im looking to see if any of you have a first hand experience with this. Im not asking for medical advice as my doctor can help me with that, more I am looking for the strengths and weaknesses of each. Thanks in advance.
     
  2. #2 High I'm Chris, Feb 8, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 8, 2009
    http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/index.htm

    This manual should help you greatly before you go see your doctor. Through out the manual there is a lot of information on what you are looking for (about switching to Valium).

    I will edit this post in a little while with some more info.

    "First, Valium has a far longer half-life than most other benzodiazepines (see above). This allows for a steady, smooth reduction in dose over time. It also permits you to take your dose less often. In some cases, you can take your entire daily dosage before bedtime. This reduces problems of micro-managing your dose by taking another pill every few hours. It also can aid in sleep, which can be a large issue during withdrawal.

    Second, Valium is low in potency relative to most other benzodiazepines and comes in tablets of 2mg, 5mg and 10mg. As a practical matter, you can make cuts as small as 0.5mg. This is the equivalent of somewhere between 1/20th and 1/40th mg of Xanax or Klonopin. Given the importance of making the smallest cuts possible, particularly as you approach the end of your taper, this is a very large benefit.

    Finally, some people, including some experts believe that the newer, high potency benzodiazepines such as Xanax, Klonopin, and Ativan tend to produce more severe withdrawal syndromes. So far the evidence of this is purely anecdotal. There do not appear to be any studies that conclusively correlate severity of withdrawal with benzodiazepine type."

    Source: http://www.benzo.org.uk/ FAQ #16


    Also, here's a specific link in the Ashton Manual about switching to long-acting benzo's.

    http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/bzcha02.htm#11
     
  3. thanks man +rep
     
  4. #4 High I'm Chris, Feb 8, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 8, 2009
    No problem my man. After going to see my doctor last week (thank you swisher for the suggestion) I'm officially two + days without any Klonopin (I've been tapering for a couple months almost to an unnecessary point. Been on .125-.25 mg a day.) I wish I could remember who posted the manual here first a while ago so i could rep them haha oh well. Anyways, may I ask how many mg's you've been on for these 6 months?
     
  5. I take 1 mg in the morning and 2 mg and night around an hour or 2 before I go to bed. But I gradually got to this dose and my doctor doesnt seem to have any problem prescribing me a higher dose everytime I see him. I started off taking .25 mg xanax 3 times a day tho. So hopefully I will be strong enough to get off of this medicine as I think its hurting me more than its helping at this point and I dont want to become more dependant than I already am.
     
  6. You are on a (consistently) higher dose than I was ever on. I was prescribed .5mg of klonopin twice a day until I was suddenly dropped off the medication after my doctor left. I got a new doctor and she decided that since I have been diagnosed with polysubstance abuse it would not be wise to prescribe me any benzos (completely understandable btw).

    After that I decided to go my own route and bought quite a few (20-30) 2mg klonopins At first it was of course meant to be recreational and after 2 months of taking 1-3 mg a day I realized what i was doing. From there i slowly went to 1, then .5, etc. There was roughly about 4.5-5 month daily use in there.

    You do have an advantage though. Unlike me you have a doctor who is prescribing them and is hopefully educated enough to help set you on a schedule. I'm pretty confident you will have no troubles getting off them (IF you are serious about it of course). I think the best thing to realize during this process is that you do NOT want to be on these for years, as the withdrawal and process will only get worse. This is coming from someone who has severe anxiety and panic attacks. Although benzo's can be life saving for some, I'd rather learn to control my anxiety in other ways.
     
  7. My doctor usually gives me a few extra pills but recently ive been craving my next dosage and have even taken recreational dosages of 5+ mg. This often leaves me without pills a few days before my next doctors appt and I am unable to sleep when I miss the dose before bed. And I really do want to get off of them but I have irritable bowel syndrome also which makes for a really bad time when the withdrawals hit. But I am going to ask my doctor about all of this and see what he has to say. After all, I had no idea what benzos were before I was prescribed them and somehow they have been prescribing them for an absurdly long time( 6+ months) while they are only recommended for short term use. I feel like they didnt tell me that I would eventually be addicted if I took them long enough. Oh well ill make it.
     
  8. OH MY GOD. Haha IBS is the worst my friend. That is my main symptom of anxiety by the way. You'll be fine man trust me. Your craving is very typical and you need to tell your doctor that you are. There are people who are on benzo's for their entire life but I don't see how this is plausible. I would highly recommend working out and just fighting the urge not to take more if you are craving. Everything will work out, good luck man. Feel free to ask me if you have any questions and there are a lot of people on here with knowledge about benzo's as well
     

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