Posted by Daveman on March 27, 2001, at 1:43:56
In reply to Re: Effexor side effect or Xanax Rebound?, posted by AnneL on March 26, 2001, at 17:56:45
Hi Anne:
First of all, I'm not an expert, I can only share my experiences and what I've learned though this unexpected trip I've taken through depression, panic and insomnia. If you have a good pdoc (I do), you should discuss these issues with him/her.
My experience was that after being on Xanax 6 weeks, I was beginning to develop interdose rebound anxiety. This I'm sure was largely due to the short half-life of Xanax (half-life is different from the length of its primary effect- half-life is the time it takes for half of the med to leave your system completely). Xanax has a half life of 6-19 hours. Basically, when the half-life ends, you lose any assistance the drug is giving you.
Klonopin, by contrast, has a much longer half-life, 19-60 hours. I found that I could take as little as one dose a day at bedtime and it completely covered all Xanax withdrawal symptoms.
You say you've only been on the benzos two weeks. Everyone is different, and I suppose it is theoretically possible for you to have developed a dependency. However, according to what my docs have told me, and what I've read, it is highly unlikely. I found it very easy to taper off at 8 weeks. Also, it does not appear your doses have been very high.
If your doc approves, you might try taking Remeron instead of Klonopin one night and see if you have any rebound symptoms the following day. I'd bet you won't. If you do, you'll have to taper down, but if the Remeron is working that should not be a problem.
I wouldn't assume you have a dependency because of what happened with Xanax. Xanax is a particular drug which some people just can't take due to it's "whoosh" in and out of your system and its short half life. It has to be taken quite frequently to maintain constant blood levels. It is a very effective drug for panic disorder, but is very tricky for other patients. I'd bet with the short time you've been on Klonopin you can get off with little difficulty, but again I urge you to work with your doc on this.
Good luck and keep us posted!
Dave
> >Hi Dave,
> Thank you for sharing your thoughts on Remeron and Trazadone. All you have to say is heart palpitations and I think I'll save that for last! (I know everyone is different. . .) My question is do you think I need to taper off the Klonopin if I have only been on benzos for two weeks now. The reason why I even ask this, is that the one night I didn't take either Effexor or Xanax, that's when I had a monstrous panic attack and of course had no other recourse but to take Xanax in the wee hours of the morning. How do I taper off one med and begin, lets say on Remeron? Any help would be greatly appreciated. By the way, I slept well again last night on my Klonopin 1 mg. regimen and seem to be doing very well on the low dose Effexor. Thanks in advance. Anne :)
poster:Daveman
thread:57460
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010319/msgs/57643.html