YES! you need to switch under dr. supervision,to clonazapam or diazapam..

Yup...as rachel said, you have to switch to something else under doctor supervision.

another benzo should help more for a while, but also you should try a prozac type med
many have taken your K dose for years with no problems caused

Thanks,to all for the responses. I have been on diazapam, and it just "took the edge off" of my panic attacks. (I have major ones.) I am also taking Pristiq, and find that helps, but nothing has helped me as the klonopin has.

Right now the sensations of panic are very mild, and don't occur every day - but if they worsen, I will definitely look into changing meds - Janet

I've had anxiety/panic all my life too, and medication has really helped me as well. Klonopin works very well. I have been on Prozac for four years and it is amazing. However, over the years, I have noticed the SSRI's will lose their effectiveness after a few years of taking them, so every few years I have to make a med change. Thanks to the Prozac, I am now only taking Klonopin "as needed". Amazing really! I had been on it daily for many years as well. (I did have to slowly wean off it). Paxil was also extremely good - for me.

In regards to being menopausal, I am just coming out of the "hot flushes" and they truly feel like anxiety/panic! Thankfully they do ease up, but it took almost two years for me. I would tell myself with every hot flush that is was "normal" and I seemed to do ok :)

Snowshadow,

Thanks for your response. Are there any special qualities that Prozac has which other SSRI's don't? If so, I may consider switching from Pristiq to Prozac, although I am afraid of gaining weight on Prozac, as this has been a problem with the other SSRIs.

I had really bad hot flashes when I was peri-menopausal, but it turns out I was anemic at the time, and when I corrected the anemia, the flashes stopped. So it's always good to see what your hematocrit is to rule out anemia if you're having hot flashes. But it sounds like you're done with them - congratulations!

Janet

I've been on many different meds over the years, and Prozac and Paxil were the two best - for me. I definitely had weight gain on Paxil, but no weight gain on Prozac :) I don't know why these two meds worked so much better than the others. But I can honestly mostly cope using klonopin only as needed, and I get major panic attacks too. I also did Cognitive Behavioral Therapy a few years ago, and that, and the medication have been wonderful. Definitely worth looking into, if you haven't tried it.

The hot flashes I guess I "inherited" from my mom. She had a terrible time with them, and also had anxiety/panic/depression.

Thanks - I'll consider switching from Pristiq to Prozac and speak to my MD about it -

Janet

I have been on Pristiq for 4 years 100mg. i have severpanic attacks where i think i am about to die. i have gone cazy and my legs give out from underneath me. i have dropped 2 50mg of pristiq two months ago and i have to say that was the worst withdrawal ever. the past two weeks i have been hit with (for the first time in years) sever panic attacks. i am wanting to change my meds but i am so scared of flipping out! i have had to take some lorazipam just to get threw a work day twice these past two weeks. i dropped my dose because i was feeling jeavily over medicated on 100mg and almost falling asleep behind the wheel. needing naps every day! what is the best SSRI?

Yes, over time the medicine that used to help us, dos'nt as much anymore. This could be for a lot of reasons. I would go back to your doctor and discuss your feelings. If your doctor is ''vague'', and does not answer your questions, maybe it's time to change your doctor if you can. Zoloft has realy helped me. What do you mean about ''break through'' panic attacks? I know panic attacks are not fun, and they suck. But remember, we did not ask for this, we went thru a trama that was'nt our fault. But, now we are left with coping with a disorder that is not fun to have, I know, along with panick attacks, I have 4 other disorders as well. You hang in there, stay strong. We are our only advocates! That is why I think this web site is wonderful. You will not always feel like this, things are going to get better. You need to find another medication that will help you. Write me back to tell me how you are doing..

Angel.

Thank you for your compassionate response. I am, thank God, doing better than I was when I originally wrote the post above. I'm thinking now that maybe the intense heat wave we had here was part of the reason I was experiencing some symptoms I hadn't had for a very long time, or maybe it was menopause-related.

What I mean by "breakthrough panic" is mild to moderate feelings of panic that fight their way to the surface, for lack of a better way to put it - but these feelings of panic are just a fraction of what I used to feel. It's my mind which is creating all these scenarios of "what if the klonopin stops working, and they can't find anything that can help me - what if I have a bad withdrawal from klonopin", etc. I have had very intense, back-to-back panic attacks for a good part of my life, and I NEVER want to go back to feeling like that, or having that kind of life again. So I am hoping that I can get more years out of the Klonopin, and not have to switch meds, especially now that I am feeling almost completely better.

I may consider a new MD if I have to switch meds, and he is still "vague". (English is his second language, which is part of the problem.)

A lot of people have written in this forum about how Zoloft worked for them - but I have put on so much weight from antidepressants (I know it is from the meds, because I eat a very healthy diet and I exercise...) and I can't afford to put on more weight. Is Zoloft one of the meds that can add weight?

Thanks again, Janet

I always find when i have my hormone shift, monthly that my anxiety is harder to deal with, so maybe it is because of the menapause that you are feeling breakthrough symptoms. My sister is on zoloft and has been for years, and i know others on it too.My sister says it helps her to lose weight and she is very skinny, the others have said the same. my doc is about to put me on zoloft so i have been researching it and the common denomination on different web sites say that zoloft does not have the weight gain side effect. I have to go on some sort of benzo while i flip my meds, Does Klonopin make you drowsy? i thought it was mainly used at night to make you sleep?

Thank you for your information about Zoloft and weight gain - I will definitely speak to my MD about changing from Pristiq to Zoloft the next time I see him -

Although I am on a high dose of Klonopin, I only feel drowsy some mornings when I wake up, but not all the time. I must really need this high dose, as I have had no side effects from it. I take Trazodone to help me sleep, although it doesn't seem to do much good. It is supposed to act as a "booster" to the antidepressant, though.

I would advise anyone who is considering starting on Klonopin to research it very carefully, as it is a powerful drug which is supposed to be very difficult to come off of, although some people have no problems doing so. But it has been extremely effective for me in eliminating my panic attacks.

Janet

I am noticing that too with the Lexapro that I take. Lately I have been having a few break through panic episodes. This is why CBT is so important. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy I mean. CBT can give you the coping tools to last a life time. I am reading a self help book at the moment. Hopefully that will help. I really don't want to get stuck on the ole choppin' and changin' meds routine. The meds are important to help you initially get a handle on the depression they can also be of use in helping you to focus on the CBT but as a long term solution, probably not a good idea.

Yes, one does build up a tollerance to medications after a while. Still, you mentioned menopause which can very easily cause panic attacks, so it is hard to tell which is exactly causing the panic. I too am going through a situation where after many years of being almost panic free, my anxiety level is starting to increase once again. I have had surgery for endometriosis back in March, and I know my panic attacks are centered around hormonal shifts as well.