cross-prescribed to Klonapin and Xanax XR ?

[bluntedskier]

I have prescriptions to Clonzepam AND Xanax XR at the same time..... is this bad?

I don't try and abuse them.... I usually take 3mg of Kpin a day and 6mg of Xanax XR in the morning.

I also have a script for Ambien which I take here and there.

My tolerance seems pretty insane though. Hopefully I will not be needing all this soon, they have diagnosed me as Bipolar1, and I think the lithium is starting to stabilize my anxiety and mood but I was just curious if anyone is, or has heard of people being cross-perscribed Benzos like that?

[bluntedskier]

some days I take less than prescribed, other days that I am more anxious I take a bit more.



Also, I know benzo withdrawl can be serious, it's only been about a month, I have a very good doctor who knows what he's doing (I don't think he knows I still have refills on the Xanax XR, he just wants me on klonapin and lithium), how heavy/long use do you have to use benzos for to start worrying about serious withdrawl as in seizures, tapering, rehab etc..... I feel like I am no where close to that point.

My hope is soon I won't have to take any of it, or just keep up with a slight amount of klonapin or xanax XR.


What are people's thoughts on Xanax XR? No one really seems to have tried it/know about it. I find that 6mg in the morning keeps me generally less anxious and in a calmer mood all day, but you can't really 'feel it' and I can't tell if it makes me crash or not .

[jamesBrown]

Holy crap man your taking a SHIT TON of benzo's for seemingly no apparent reason....bipolar disorder????......theres no need to take 3 mg's of klonopin(clonazepam) and 6 mg's of xanax in a single day for this medical issue. I dont think your doctor actually does know what he's doing.....for one thing he doesnt know you are taking the xanax XR....this inhibits him from actually doing his job correctly because he cant prescribe medications too you in the right amounts if he doesnt know what else your taking.

And you DEFINITELY need to worry about the withdrawal issue like you said....you can have sever withdrawal symptoms from benzo's(seizures, pain, etc..) after even a couple weeks of use. And at the doses you are at...I would assume that you WILL have a seizeure if taken off your medication abruptly, instead of a long tapering plan. You never know, that may happen.

And obviously you have a tolerance to benzos!!!....look at the doses you are taking...its rediculous....if you take that much klonopin and xanax daily, you most definitely will develope a large tolerance....you and your doctor have put you in a potentially very dangerous situation.

I personally think you should be looking into lowly lowering your doses, starting immediately, eventually leaving you at about a 2-4 mg/day range of ONE of those benzos....NOT BOTH.

For bipolar, I would reccommend the klonopin because it has a MUCH longer half life.

Please do some research and learn more about the drugs you are taking, you dont seem to understand very much about benzo's and that can be very very dangerous....not all doctors make right decisions...thats why they pay out the ass for malpractice insurance. You don't even seem to know how to spell the name of the drugs you are taking correctly...please do some more research for your own benefit. You might find yourself stuck with an incredibly serious addiction very soon, if not allready.

[bluntedskier]

I appreciate that post. I am definitely going to talk to him tomorrow... and my parents pay him like $500 a session so I mean he hopefully knows what he's doing.


And I have been dealing with serious anxiety, which is why for the all the benzos... I went to the ER twice from anxiety attacks before I was on any of these, couldn't go throgh that again.


But you're right. I need to stop taking one or the other I think.


Also, 6MG of xanax XR is different than taking 6MG of Xanax IR..... but yes its a lot. thanks for the wake up call.

I JUST HATE ANXIETY !!!

[jamesBrown]

I appreciate that post. I am definitely going to talk to him tomorrow... and my parents pay him like $500 a session so I mean he hopefully knows what he's doing.


And I have been dealing with serious anxiety, which is why for the all the benzos... I went to the ER twice from anxiety attacks before I was on any of these, couldn't go throgh that again.


But you're right. I need to stop taking one or the other I think.


Also, 6MG of xanax XR is different than taking 6MG of Xanax IR..... but yes its a lot. thanks for the wake up call.

I JUST HATE ANXIETY !!!

I understand where you are coming from, I too suffer from severe anxiety which cause me to have multiple "heart attack" like chest pains a day. Its SOOOOO painfull and annoying and it happens all the time.

My doctor has me on only 0.5 mg's of klonopin 3x a day.(1.5 mg's). That is nothing compared to your doses. I will admit that it doesnt completely take care of my symptoms and im trying to get my doc to up my dose to about 3-3.5 mg's a day because from experience(illegaly buying klonopin and self-medicating) thats what completely takes care of my problem without getting me "high". So I think its rediculous that your taking soooo many benzo's to control your anxiety issues. its more of a mental thing....your prescribed a shit ton of benzo's , therefore you think you NEED that much to take care of your symptoms, but you dont....just slowly lower your doses to a reasonable level and you will see it works just fine.

Im saying all this because what you are taking is VERY dangerous and risky to your health. Your not gonna overdose on that amount of benzos(allthough you might with alcohol mixed in) but you will experience potentially deadly withdrawal effects.

Just research the drugs your taking so you can better understand what your doing to yourself, and try to make the right choice for you in the long run.
Be safe.

[bluntedskier]

thanks bro i really appreciate this, I will bring this to my doc tomorrow for sure. +karma

[jamesBrown]

thanks bro i really appreciate this, I will bring this to my doc tomorrow for sure. +karma

Good luck man

[bluntedskier]

thanks.

And I just wanted to make it clear that this has nothing at all to do with getting 'high'



I dont feel any of the 'high' effects a-non tolerant user would. My tolerance is for sure insanely high, and I guess my goal is to taper that down.

For instance this morning I am taking 4mg XR and just my perscribed 1mg kpin x3 a day.

Then tomorrow maybe 2mg XR etc



I feel as though the XR is a lot less dangerous than regular bars ? At least that is what I have heard. Especially since there is no way to break the time release component.

[theantiadult]

i dont think its bad 2take both.it seemz like its having the intended anti anxiety effect.

[Veritaz]

Hey, I was just looking around the forum and bumped into your thread, it's funny I'm prescribed to klonopin 1mgers 3 times a day, even though I don't use them anymore, only for emergencies. I take 3mg Xanax xr 2 times a day, every 12 hours, it seems to fend off anxiety and panic attacks before they arise.

What you get em for? We should talk more

[Veritaz]

O and by the way I'm pretty much at the worst point in my life in terms of crippling anxiety, gonna get treatment soon somewhere.

[danktropolis]

those are high doses... usually you only take one type of benzo. i am prescribed xanax xr and ir, but only seldom use any ir. i take 1-2mg xr in the morning and that helps me cope a little more throughout the day. its not like taking a 1mg ir bar, its more subtle. used to treat anxiety and ptsd. i used to be on klonopin, but then switched to xanax for some reason. i try to take the least amount of benzos required a day, because taking it when you dont increases your tolerance and can turn you into a zombie. benzos can be very addictive, and difficult to quit

[jamesBrown]

those are high doses... usually you only take one type of benzo. i am prescribed xanax xr and ir, but only seldom use any ir. i take 1-2mg xr in the morning and that helps me cope a little more throughout the day. its not like taking a 1mg ir bar, its more subtle. used to treat anxiety and ptsd. i used to be on klonopin, but then switched to xanax for some reason. i try to take the least amount of benzos required a day, because taking it when you dont increases your tolerance and can turn you into a zombie. benzos can be very addictive, and difficult to quit

I agree with you 100%. The doses you are talking about are perfectly reasonable and the precautions you are taking are very responsible.
Im glad to see someone who understands thoroughly the risks and benefits that come with benzo use.

If you are taking doses much bigger than these....like the original poster is....you should have a major seizure problem and need the high doses to control that...otherwise...for anything anxiety related...those doses are way too high(6 mg's xanax and 3 mg's klonopin a day).....

if you look on medical websites the reccomended dose for someone with anxiety is .25-.5 mg's ...nowhere near what these people are taking.

[bluntedskier]

Hey, I was just looking around the forum and bumped into your thread, it's funny I'm prescribed to klonopin 1mgers 3 times a day, even though I don't use them anymore, only for emergencies. I take 3mg Xanax xr 2 times a day, every 12 hours, it seems to fend off anxiety and panic attacks before they arise.

What you get em for? We should talk more

anxiety. I am on lithium too, and it's seeming to help, the hope is eventually soon i wont need any benzos, or just a small amount

I wasnt always like this, it started in like the last year/ year and a half. Same reason I stopped smoking weed a while ago too, it gives me panic attacks. same with a lot of stimulants, so i stay away from them, except adderall every once in a while to bang out mad creative work and then take kpins for the come down


My doctor is out of Cambridge, right next to Harvard where I live and I am pretty sure he knows what he is talking about..... he said I should not be concerned and there is only issues when people are on doses like this for a long period of time then go completely cold turkey suddenly.


I agree with whoever said trying to take the least amount of benzos per day though... sometimes it's only like 1mg kpin and 2mg xanax XR, sometimes its a lot more


I also don't think many of you understand anything about Xanax XR..... it's nothing at all like regular bars or IR xanax.

Even when I had no tolerance to them, I remember taking like 6mg for the first time in the morning and I just felt mildly calm all day, thats about it.


I don't think it is that bad of a treatment plan to take XR that provides an overall, subtle calming mood that lasts the entire day, then if you still feel a spike in anxiety due to a situation, triggers, randomly etc, then pop 1mg of klonapin or so.

[bluntedskier]

That being said, if I were taking 6mg xanax IR AND 3mg Kpin, I would be FUCKED. that is true.

[jamesBrown]

Trust me....I know PLENTY about xanax XR. Just because its slightly less dangreous(only in some ways) than IR xanax is , does not mean that I should treat you any differently in this scenario....meaning, you are still taking a HIGH dose, whether or not it is XR or IR doesnt matter, your still getting that much drug into your system, every day....THAT is the important point here...

...because like I said earlier, the issue is NOT overdose.....its the fact you have SOOO much benzo's in your system everyday....which puts you at SERIOUS risk for seizures and other deadly effects when you are taken off the medication. I think you need to STOP saying over and over again that "its xanax XR not IR....i think you need to understand that"...or...."i dont think you understand the difference between xr and ir"......NONE of that matters....all that shows me is that you think you are being safer by taking xanax xr...which is a rediculous idea and you should never think like that again. Its still XANAX in high doses and THAT is what matters. Please listen to me......the fact your taking XR DOES NOT MATTER AT ALL....you are still at serious risk of having seizures.

Whether the medication is released in your body very quickly, or over many hours, doesnt matter...its still being released within a day...which is obviously causing a huge tolerance to develope...which will in turn result in seizures. Its very simple.

[jamesBrown]

I also think you have a little too much faith in your doctor. Most of the doctors I have ever been to have said/done/etc.. STUPID things. They only know what they remember from medical school....and some of that shit is completely false....therefore, not everything your doctor knows/says is trustworthy....no matter where he went to school.

For example, doctors are taught that suboxone is an unabusable drug because of the fact that it contains nalaxone....this is 100% false information...but since they recieved this information from "credible" sources....they tend to believe it, and then pass it on to you.....who believes every word they say because they are doctors and are supposed to know what they are talking about.

Trust me, there are thousands of other examples just like this that I could tell you. It all comes down to the fact that its simply stupid to completely put faith in everything your doctor says or does.

[happygoluckygal]

"also don't think many of you understand anything about Xanax XR..... it's nothing at all like regular bars or IR xanax"

That is absolutely NOT true at all. Xanax is xanax, the only difference is that the med you are taking is specifically designed to be longer acting versus the shorter acting original Xanax. BOTH versions carry the exact same issues, tolerance, w/d's, etc.

It seems as though your doctor's plan is to stabilize you on the Lithium, hence decreasing your need for the benzos, at least at such high doses. Your doc not fully knowing what you're taking and how much you're taking is a HUGE problem, you are putting yourself at a major disadvantage in that any decision your doctor makes regarding your treatment is made without having all pertinent info. Also, can you clarify exactly how your doc prescribed your meds to you? As in, what it says on your Rx bottle? It is SO very important to follow those instructions and NEVER take it upon yourself to simply adjust your doses yourself. That goes for ANY medication you may be Rx'ed. If you feel a med isn't working, you approach your doc and go from there, not take matters into your own hands....that only leads you down a bad path.

You're right, anxiety sucks. I also am a lifelong anxiety sufferer, so I know first hand all about it. However, sadly, you have put yourself into a position where you are going to experience some probably significant rebound anxiety as you decrease the benzo doses. So, your initial goal of decreasing your anxiety only served to skyrocket your tolerance, caused you to up your own doses, which of course again increases your tolerance, and so on and so forth...see the wicked cycle?

It's good that you have faith in your doctor, but a word of caution. ONE, WE are always ultimately responsible for our own health and well being and there is NEVER an excuse for not being educated about any sort of medical treatment, be it a med or otherwise. I'm not saying you are not educated about your meds, I am just cautioning you. So many people just hand themseves over to a doc, never ask a question, and blindly follow their advice. It's important to have faith in yor doc, just make sure it isn't blind faith. Also, to reiterate what I said above..you are putting your doc at a disadvantage (and yourself as well) by not being honest about your ACTUAL medication regimen.

You need to sit down and have an honest face to face talk with your doc and be straight with him. You need a SLLLLOOOOOOWWWWWWW and very closely monitored benzo taper plan, which needs to come from your doc, but again, only after you "come clean" with him...otherwsie you are possibly putting your treatment AND yourself in jeaopardy. You need a holistic treatment plan than includes more than meds. Have you had any kind of therapy thus far? CBT, or cognitive behavioral therapy is a very successful form of therapy in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Your goal should really be to get to a good stable place on the Lithium, with an "as needed" benzo to be used only in the event of increased anxiety....with whatever kind of therapy you find helpful. Therapy is vital because it will teach you coping techniques and ways to manage the anxiety....which is irreplaceable. No med beats actually LEARNING how to attack anxiety when it rears its ugly head.

Lastly, is your doctor a psychiatrist? If not, you need to find yourself one to manage your condition. Just like someone with a heart condition would be under the care of a cardiologist, it is vital that our mental health be monitored and treated by the specialists who know the most about disorders, and their treatments.

Best of luck.

[jamesBrown]

^^^everything she said....i agree with....

beautifully put happygoluckygal......well done.....props...etc...etc..

Ive ben trying to get the same points across to him for a day now. Maybe hell listen to an attractive young woman such as yourself.

[stray cat]

i'm going to disagree with most of the other posters and tell you to rely on the advice of your doctor.

yes, you are taking very high doses of benzos every day, and if you stop immediately, you are at much greater risk of seizures or even death. however, because your doctor knows what you take daily and for how long you have been taking it, he's not just going to cut you off and laugh while you shake on the ground.

i've met people with severe anxiety issues (e.g. bad agorophobia, where they wouldn't leave the house at all for months) that were legitimately prescribed like 12 mgs of xanax a day long-term. i wouldn't advise someone who gets mild panic attacks sometimes to take that amount every day or anything, but apparently it allowed this person to lead a much more normal life (in tandem w/ counseling, etc) where other treatments had failed. then again, i wouldn't advise anyone to take anything because i'm not a doctor. so there you go, take what you read here with a grain of salt and take your doctor's advice over ours. if you really question his ability, ask another doctor.

EDIT:: it goes without saying that you should tell your doctor how much you're actually taking if you've been taking more than prescribed for a long period of time

[jamesBrown]

i'm going to disagree with most of the other posters and tell you to rely on the advice of your doctor.

yes, you are taking very high doses of benzos every day, and if you stop immediately, you are at much greater risk of seizures or even death. however, because your doctor knows what you take daily and for how long you have been taking it, he's not just going to cut you off and laugh while you shake on the ground.

i've met people with severe anxiety issues (e.g. bad agorophobia, where they wouldn't leave the house at all for months) that were legitimately prescribed like 12 mgs of xanax a day long-term. i wouldn't advise someone who gets mild panic attacks sometimes to take that amount every day or anything, but apparently it allowed this person to lead a much more normal life (in tandem w/ counseling, etc) where other treatments had failed. then again, i wouldn't advise anyone to take anything because i'm not a doctor. so there you go, take what you read here with a grain of salt and take your doctor's advice over ours. if you really question his ability, ask another doctor.

I wasnt telling him to not have faith in his doctor....i was, like you, teling him to not have blind faith in his doctor.....meaning, if his doctor tells him to do someting, or take this medication at these doses...than its a good idea to researh it on you own as well in oreder to understand it even more making sure he knows what hes doing.....not all doctors know what they are doing, bu not all doctors are idiots. And its also true you must be completely honest with your doc as to what benzos you are taking so he can properly help you.

But I think we can all agree that this person(the OP) has gotten himself into a potentially very dangerous situation and believe it or not people...it is possible for him to be cut off from his daily benzo dosage at any time...there are a hundred scenarios I could think of explaining this, and allthough they are unlikely, they are still possible, and your life is worht more than to risk it on soething lie that. You never know, for example, your doc could find out that youve been taking extra benzos on the side and he would interpret that as you abusing your medication and consequently cut you off from all of your rescriptions immediately....and this obviously puts you in a deadly circumstance for obvoious reasons.

[stray cat]

oh yeah, j.b., i don't disagree with what you're saying at all. i think it's always wise to inform yourself about what you're taking and it never hurts to question a certain treatment program if you believe it might not be the safest/best course of action. additionally, i totally agree that taking additional medication in addition to what's prescribed can severely hamper the treatment's effectiveness, limit the dr's ability to properly diagnose and treat symptoms, and be potentially dangerous or life-threatening. and sure, the doctor could stop prescribing or the OP could be stranded on a desert island for that matter, but no decent physician would allow someone to go cold turkey off high doses of benzos taken for more than a couple weeks. hell, go to the er, and they'll prescribe. anyway, my point was only that this guy's physician, with the advantages of medical training and face to face interaction, is in a much better position to diagnose and treat him than some dudes on the internet who don't know him but know a cursory amount about certain drugs, like most of us here.

[happygoluckygal]

stray cat, while you make some excellent points, the problem here is the OP has NOT been honest with his/her doctor about what he/she is taking and exactly how much. That needs to happen before anything else can!

For some people, long term benzo treatment can be the right choice, but there are so many issues with benzo treatment that can actually worsen anxiety in the long run, which of course, would not be desired.

[stray cat]

for sure. i made the mistake a few years ago of selectively ignoring the "as needed" on my ativan prescription, and now i pretty much get panic attacks if i don't take 3mg a day. definitely not an optimal long term daily treatment option in my case or for a lot of people who have things like "generalized anxiety disorder" but don't have the patience to let low-dose ssris or whatever other solutions take effect.

also, OP, you should be honest with your doctor about what you're taking. if it's only been a couple weeks u've been taking that amount, u can probably safely scale back over a period of time yourself. otherwise, i'd say tell for sure.

[jamesBrown]

I may not know ALL the details and what not of the OP's medical history and current medical treatment.....but I do know how much medicine he is taking for what medical disorder and I know for a fact that that is a DANGEROUS amount of benzo's to be taking for anyone....much less someone with just severe anxiety. Those doses are clearly for people with serious seizure disorders only...not for people who have anxiety...its stated in ALL of the respectable medical journals on the web.....very clearly.....anxiety disorders- 0.25- 0.5 mg's on average (allthough it could increase a little more than that obviously because of individual circumstances and because of tolerance developed overtime) and people suffering from severe seizures- 2 mg's - 4 mg's a day on average....which is till less than what you are taking fo anxiety. And like I said....I have a VERY SERIOUS anxiety disorder where I feel like im having a heart attack several times a day...its horrible....and all i get is 0.5 mgs 3x a day of klonopin......allthough I need a little bit more than that to completely take care of my symptoms...the point is still there that your taking way too many benzos for your disorder....its extremely dangerous.