Posted by Viridis on June 5, 2004, at 21:16:52
In reply to Taking a poll: what is best med for anxiety?, posted by Somaticide on June 4, 2004, at 20:15:32
Klonopin (clonazepam) is the "gold standard" for serious anxiety disorders, and many people take the same dose for years with no need to increase (like me and many of my pdoc's other patients). Discontinuation does require a slow taper, as with most antidepressants etc., but it has littIe reputation for addiction or abuse. I don't find it the slightest bit "numbing" or disorienting, beyond the initial adjustment phase of a week or two (and many other users here have reported the same result). In fact, I don't feel it at all, other than the huge reduction in anxiety. It has very long-lasting effects, which allows dosing (for me and lots of other people) once a day.
I have to say, though, that Xanax (alprazolam) is tops for very rapid anxiety relief (for me, anyway), and I always keep some on hand for especially stressful situations. However, if I use it often at all I develop tolerance. This isn't a problem -- it just means that I greatly limit its use, which is probably just as well. Since it has a fairly brief duration of effect, it has greater potential for dependency/dosage increase than most other anxiolytics. Also, some people find it euphoria-inducing, so many doctors refuse to prescribe it.
I have used Neurontin and it worked well for a couple of days, then completely stopped doing anything. It does seem to work well for others, though. SSRIs like Prozac and Zoloft make me extremely agitated, even after long-term use, and I now avoid them. They do help for some people though.
poster:Viridis
thread:353887
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040602/msgs/354137.html