dosage increase

[rich999]

Hi friends
Me again!
I'm am still having a terrible time on CIT (GAD) and it appears to be doing nothing for my Anxiety. I really don't know what to do, my pdoc says stick with it but I am thinking I need to either a. Have a dose increase or b. Taper off. Just waiting for a call
Back from him. My days are horrendous and I am severely struggling. I am thinking I should just increase to see what happens, I don't think things could ever any worse and I don't want to lose the investment already made. What are your opinions please?
Sorry to keep on about this but this forum is great support.
Thanks
Rich

[Stormsky]

Sorry you are struggling, but I'm no fan of meds, so can't advise on that front.

[arfasc]

how long are you on it and what dosage?
Would be nice to follow your doc or see another doctor as well.
Are doing any other therapy or actions for your anxiety?
Do you have any family / friends support?

[keithwms]

Hi friends
Me again!
I'm am still having a terrible time on CIT (GAD) and it appears to be doing nothing for my Anxiety. I really don't know what to do, my pdoc says stick with it but I am thinking I need to either a. Have a dose increase or b. Taper off. Just waiting for a call
Back from him. My days are horrendous and I am severely struggling. I am thinking I should just increase to see what happens, I don't think things could ever any worse and I don't want to lose the investment already made. What are your opinions please?
Sorry to keep on about this but this forum is great support.
Thanks
Rich

Rich, remind me, what supporting meds are you taking? Do you have anything like klonopin? And what is your work reality, are you able to taking something mildly sedating for a couple days? If so then klonopin is something to consider, and the sedating effect can be mitigated.

I would strongly recommend against coming off cit in the very near term; if you are really at that level of desperation, then it'd probably be best to switch to 10mg escit and give that a try first, before abandoning the cit/escit ship altogether. The startup crap, bad as it is, is a huge investment and I wouldn't want you to lose that. I think the last thing you want is to get switch to a totally different med and have to start from scratch.

[rich999]

Hi all
20mg and 5 weeks give or take. I have family support still but there is only so much they can do.
Keith, I have lorazapam (not much) but that is really only short term and provides only
a few hours of rest bite. Is klonopin longer lasting?
I am working from home or trying to at the moment.
My mornings seem to start OK and then everything goes belly up.
Thanks
Rich

[keithwms]

Rich, my understanding is that klonopin, which can safely be taken a few times a day, is more of a longer-acting anti-anxiety/panic solution. People do use it on a routine basis and for extended periods to lower their anxiety levels. So that might make more sense for you than something that has shorter-term effects like inderal.

In other words, if there is a high anxiety baseline, then you probably want a longer-acting med to help reduce that.

Klonopin carries some dependence risk, but honestly I think the risk is slight if used properly and routinely, and I'd be much more worried about dependence on the shorter-acting benzos that people pop like candy. I was using klonopin at a small fraction of the standard dose and it knocked back my anxiety in a big way. And I solved the drowsiness with a bit of tea or coffee.

[arfasc]

Do you take it in the morning or night?
I had the opposite effects, morning bad and evening OK
Try to speak with your doctor or to see another one in case.. don't just stop all together.

[rich999]

Hi all
20mg and 5 weeks give or take. I have family support still but there is only so much they can do.
Keith, I have lorazapam (not much) but that is really only short term and provides only
a few hours of rest bite. Is klonopin longer lasting?
I am working from home or trying to at the moment.
My mornings seem to start OK and then everything goes belly up.
Thanks
Rich

[keithwms]

Is klonopin longer lasting?

Yes, klonopin (clonazepam) is longer acting and you won't feel the effects stop abruptly; you can take it 2 or 3 times per day and reduce your anxiety baseline that way.

Lora and similar are used more for short-term panic attacks.

[rich999]

Do you take it in the morning or night?
I had the opposite effects, morning bad and evening OK
Try to speak with your doctor or to see another one in case.. don't just stop all together.

Hi, I take it in the morning. My pdoc was horrified when he found out I was taking it in the evening when I first started.
Rich

---------- Post added at 19:05 ---------- Previous post was at 17:46 ----------


Yes, klonopin (clonazepam) is longer acting and you won't feel the effects stop abruptly; you can take it 2 or 3 times per day and reduce your anxiety baseline that way.

Lora and similar are used more for short-term panic attacks.

Thanks Keith. I am very worried that CIT is not going to work for me and then I don't know what to do. In your opinion do you think a dosage increase would be wise? Just in case the drugs are in my system but are just not working as required?

Thanks
Rich

[keithwms]

Thanks Keith. I am very worried that CIT is not going to work for me and then I don't know what to do. In your opinion do you think a dosage increase would be wise? Just in case the drugs are in my system but are just not working as required?

Well I don't think we know yet whether cit is the right med or whether you're at the right dose. I would not do anything to the dose until you feel calm enough to consider it carefully. that's not something you should do out of panic or extreme anxiety... it is something you do when you are well enough to think it through rationally and calmly. So the first thing is to get to that state.

It's certainly possible that cit isn't right, but I think you need to give it more time or switch to escit before drawing that conclusion. My point is, how much worse would it be to go another couple weeks on cit or transfer to escit and try another two weeks on that? Because if you don't do that, you could lose a big investment in adjustment time. Sure, you can wean off cit and then try other things, but then you're looking at two weeks minimum to get the cit out of your system, plus new adjustment time on the new med. So in the big scheme of things, a couple weeks more on cit or escit seems prudent. Right?

The best thing I can offer you for comfort is the knowledge that quite a few of us went through a rough month or so. and many of us also needed some other additional med to help us through that... and I'm not at all convinced that you have the right one.

At the very least, I would try to get some klonopin as soon as possible, and perhaps get a second opinion if necessary to boost your confidence in your treatment route.

:bighug1:

[martin222]

i think you need to give it more time,