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Benzos Question about Klonopin and Ativan tolerance.

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xkore88

Greenlighter
Joined
Jun 18, 2013
Messages
18
So I have been on Klonopin which was prescribed to me for anxiety for about a year. I take 4 mg a day. Sadly the drug isnt having the same effect as it was before. I have built up a moderate tolerance to them and was wondering if I asked my psychiatrist to switch me to Ativan if I would automatically have a tolerance to it or was wondering if it is a type of benzo that would work on a low dose.


Is 4mg/day a high dose for klonopin? Should I ask for an increase or try Ativan.

Any opinions are appreciated.
 
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Hmm ativan isnt as strong as klonopin. But switching different benzos isnt gonna help, especially when the one you switch to is weaker than what your on. And yes 4MG is a nice dose, its not insanely high, but its high in most peoples eyes. I would suggest alprazolam but it doesnt last near as long as klonopin nor does the half life and youd have to dose even more than your klonopin.

If it relieves anxiety still though id just stick with it, if your using them recreationally or recreationally every once and awhile, you shouldnt as itll make things worse in the long run. Tell your prescriber and see what her/his opinion is

You would probably need something like 7-8MGs of ativan to get the same relief. I mean you could try XR alprazolam but it possibly wont make a difference. Who knows it could help though
 
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OP, 4 mgs, is a great dose for Clonazepam . I had the same problem as you in regards to the medicine not taking care of business. My doctor swabbed the inside of my cheek, sent it to a lab and now I take Valium. The medicine works great. Maybe give a gene test a try.
 
I used to take 4mgs of klonopin daily now take 3mg a day and it is great for just relieving both my general and social anxiety, but it doesn't get me really buzzed any more due to years of being prescribed and building a tolerance to benzos. I have tried Xanax, Ativan, and valium as well, and imo Ativan is the worst of the four. I wouldn't ask to be switched to Ativan it is half as strong as klonopin mg for mg and doesn't last long for me anyways... I would try valium. I started out with klonopin being the first benzo prescribed to me and it stopped working well as you said at 4mg a day then asked my doctor to try valium and traded my 4mg of kpin for 40mg of valium a day, it was great, lasted all day and was probably the most relaxing sedating benzo I have ever taken. I loved it and stayed on it for like 2 years until I had to switch docs, and my current doc didn't like valium so she put me back on klonopin and dropped my dose to 3mg a day... I wish I could get back on valium. I like klonopin and all but I LOVE valium!
 
Remember kids, doctors are like gold. Find a great one and hold on to them. Do your research and bring facts to your appointment to bolster your case.

I liked Clonazepam for the first eight years. Then the effects were still decent, but I was becoming bored with the drug and I thought it was slightly less effective. But taking it for eight years and being happy with it, is amazing.

Another thing about benzodiazepines is that the effects are somewhat subjective. That's why some people say .5 mg of Clonazepam equals 10 mg of Valium, while others say 1 mg of Clonazepam equals 10 mg of Valium and so on. I am currently happy on 40 mgs of Valium a day. I was on 3 mg of Clonazepam, before the switch. This is the first time I actually have extra benzodiazepines at the end of my script.

For a while, I needed a short acting benzodiazepine for rehab reasons. My doctor let me take Ativan 1mg. I burned through them quickly. They were nice hypnotics in my opinion and when you take one with 10 mg of Valium, they grow legs and last a lot longer.They are great for a dental exam or something short and they also help knock you out for sleep pretty also.

Everything I said is true, but subjective at the same time. As always, your mileage may vary.
 
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xkore88 said:
if I asked my psychiatrist to switch me to Ativan if I would automatically have a tolerance to it or was wondering if it is a type of benzo that would work on a low dose.

Is 4mg/day a high dose for klonopin? Should I ask for an increase or try Ativan.

Any opinions are appreciated.
Click to expand...
Yes, you'll automatically have a tolerance to the ativan, as both are benzos and act on the GABA-A receptors, they'll have different affinities for the different sub-types, but they are cross-tolerant
4mg is in the therapeutic as far as I know, but still it's not a low dose
Maybe you should think about tapering and therapy ?
 
for me, i remember being prescribed klonopin once and still to this day think ativan is one of the best benzos (in that its effects stick and linger for the rest of the day it seems like) though i'm on valium now. I think ativan is really underrated. I personally like it a lot for acute anxiety attacks
 
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