Anyone been on benzos (Ativan, Xanax, Klonopin..)?

[ijack]

My dad uses Ativan for flying and it's kind of ridiculous how drugged up he gets - like he ends up drooling all over himself.
I've used xanax and it doesn't really do much for me, but most people love it.

[Deleted]

Yes but I would only use them in a "OMG I seriously cannot deal right now moment." And they're not safe for TTCing so I made myself stopped taking them. Good luck.

[clickerish]

If you need it, you need it. But, I would advise only in the case of real emergency as far as Xanax goes. Some stuff happened to me when I was in undergrad, and I was prescribed Xanax for anxiety attacks. I got really attached, and eventually figured out that Xanax was what was giving me most of the panic attacks I thought it was supposed to be preventing.

[Deleted]

There's no withdrawal from them if you use them as directed because they only last a few hours (for me anyway).

[Tea-rific]

I took klonopin for some night related anxiety ( I was having anxiety fueled night wakings). I took a really small dose but it did help. I was worried about getting addicted, but I did not have any issues.

[dreamgirl]

I have been on Xanax to help deal with anxiety. They helped so much. I took mine more as needed, but there were days, especially at work, that I would take half in the morning and half at noon just to help take the edge off. I was on a low dose and it helped so much.

I am not on it currently, but am going to talk to my dr about getting back on it.

[falada45]

I take Klonopin on an as-needed basis in addition to 40 mg of Prozac daily. Generally I just take the Klonopin for social anxiety where I'll be around lots of people or in strange situations. My psychiatrist prescribed 60 pills in December and I've taken 15 since then, so I don't think I'm in any way addicted. I just try to use them in situations where I know I'll be stressed or when I feel like a panic attack might be approaching. Otherwise, I don't touch them.

I've never really had severe side effects with Klonopin. It doesn't make me particularly sleepy, just helps take the edge off.

[Kore]

My doctor only prescribes me about 15 0.25mg Xanax pills/year, and I take them very sparingly. They are a tremendous help for when I feel the panic coming. I pretty much never take them two days in a row, so I'm not too concerned about developing an addiction. They just make me feel...calm. Normal. Not drugged or high.

[Deleted]

I have been on Klonopin daily for 3.5 months. I am in the process of a very slow taper and will be completely off of it in a few days. My anxiety was absolutely out of control in January, and my psychiatrist put me on Lexapro and Klonopin. Addiction was my concern as well, and I was very, very reluctant to agree to take Klonopin. Also, my H is very anti-benzos, and I was worried that he disapproved.

After a long talk and lots of questions for my psychiatrist, I felt comfortable that she would supervise my medication very closely and not allow me to become addicted. I actually had to take a rather high dose to have anxiolytic effects--0.75 mg at night at 0.5 mg in the morning. I remember Bridey saying that she couldn't get out of bed in the morning after taking 0.5 mg at night. Apparently I have a high tolerance for Klonopin, or my anxiety was that bad that I needed a lot of it to make a difference.

After about two months, I felt comfortable that the Lexapro was controlling my anxiety, so under my psychiatrist's supervision, I began a slow taper off of the Klonopin. At first I just tapered my morning dose and kept taking it at night. (I was a little more attached to my nighttime dose because I was having so much trouble sleeping before starting it.) Once I was off of my daytime dose, I started very slowly tapering my nighttime dose: 0.75 to 0.5 to 0.25 to 0.125 mg, which is where I am now. 0.125 mg is such a small dose that I am hoping I will still be able to sleep when I go off of it completely in a few days.

I understand your trepidation--you do need to tread very carefully when taking benzos. My best advice is to talk to your psychiatrist about your concerns, why he prefers Ativan vs. other benzos, how long you are likely to be on it, etc. I think that benzos can be great for certain situations and when supervised very closely.

ETA: My psych felt that a daily dose would be less psychologically habit forming than taking benzos as-needed because if I took them as-needed, I would start to feel like "OMG I am so stressed give me the drugs NOW." Whereas now there's not a lot of psychological addiction, other than my need to sleep at night, because I take them at a prescribed time every day.

[cjeanette]

I have klonopin for as needed. I have not had an issue.

[StJess80]

I have a script for xanex because of my anxiety. My script is written for 1-2 a day, as needed. I take vyvanse, which seems to up my anxiety, and I also take zoloft.

I have ADHD, so anxiety just goes hand in hand, from my experience. I talked to my dr about becoming dependent, and she said not to worry about it, if I need it, take it. I probably take 3-4 a week though, and don't feel dependent on them at all. I also take ambien to sleep, so I don't know if that plays into it or not.

Also-I take bystolic (which is a beta-blocker) because my vyvanse raises my blood pressure, but it also has an anti-anxiety effect. Perhaps something like that might work better for you.

[bcv513]

I take Ativan for panic attacks and flying. I haven't flown in two years, but I am already nervous about flying for my honeymoon next June. My doctor prescribes 0.5mg of Ativan and I still bite it in half. It's probably more of a placebo affect, but it works. I don't get drugged but I am calm enough to function. I probably take it once or twice a year.

[welder'swife]

I was diagnosed with PPD/PPA when DD was born. I was admitted to the psych ward when she was 9 months for a suicide attempt. she's now 2.5yo, and I am down to monthly therapy sessions and monthly psychiatric appts. I was weaned off of Abilify (stupid MFer drug made me gain 30+ lbs!!) about two months ago, and my Zoloft was cut in half. I am now on a half of a .25 of Xanax every morning. It has made a very noticeable change in my mood; I highly recommend finding a dose that works for you with the help of your doctor.

[dexteroni]

Jenny, I'm sorry you're having problems again. My mom has occasional anxiety flare-ups and she has a 0.25 mg Ativan prescription that she takes on an as-needed basis. So if you want to keep your dose as low as possible, it might be worth a try to take half and see if it helps.

[Deleted]

The only time I have ever taken benzos is a couple xanax right after my ex-H left town and I was having extreme anxiety. They basically just acted as a sleeping pill. I don't think you have to worry about addiction if you only have 10 pills. lol. Just take them sparingly to get you through the hump and I'm sure you'll be fine.

[scrippster]

I took ativan very briefly when I was having a particularly difficult time with anxiety. It just made me relaxed and mellow. I had a total of 8 pills and used them over a two-week period. In my experience, I just stopped caring about stuff on ativan, but I was able to function. I think if you're aware of the possibility of addiction and communicate it to your doc and only use it when you really feel like you need it, you should be fine. If it's a tablet you can also cut it in half; sometimes that will be enough to take the edge off.

[Deleted]

I use clonazepam occasionally. I used it more a few months ago, but I've been using it less recently. I have to take it at night, though, because I wouldn't be able to function during the day on it. My anxiety was causing a lot of sleep issues, so this helps.

Good luck, Jenny.

[badtzmaru22]

My DH has taken Ativan and Klonopin. He used to take Ativan in addition to his usual meds "as needed". Recently, his psych switched him to klonopin to take daily, but he doesn't like it. Ativan works fast and lasts a shorter amount of time, where the klonopin takes longer to act, but also lasts longer, however, the klonopin makes him to sleepy and out of it to function. He has not had any addition issues with either of them.

Good luck! Finding the right combo of meds and therapy sucks. I hope something helps you- sorry it's rough right now.

[Deleted]

I have taken zanex just a handful of times in extream situations. I just took a half and it just put me to sleep.

Now the damn dog is on zanex. Yea, no joke. He has to take 2 before going to the vets, getting nails timmed, and when we have people over. Seems to work great for him!

[starlily]

I've taken xanax a handful of times. I usually limited my use to right before bed, because it knocks me out, even just 1/2 a pill. Other than the drowsiness, I didn't have any side effects.

[missajane]

I take ativan "as needed" and sometimes that is more than once a week, and sometimes it will be a month before I need it at all. It is short acting, but it is enough to get me through the initial anxiety so I can focus and calm myself using things from therapy then. I don't get the sleepy, zoned out issues others have mentioned. I am also on another more long term anti-anxiety anti-depressant. This is just for the really bad days.

Good luck and I hope this gets you through your rough patch.