new and needing much appreciated help

[LongtimeK]

hey everyone I am new here but have been reading some posts for the past week now and it seems to be a very helpful place to get support and read up on others experiences. Anyway i have had panic attacks since i was 16 when i nearly died. Since then I have been on 20mg Citalopram and .125 Klonopin(clonazeapam), I am now 29. This had all been effective for me until recently. My doctor had decided to pull me off clonazeapam and up my citalopram to 30mg, since he figured i did not need it anymore. I agreed since i felt somewhat stable. I was off the clonazepam for a month....then i had a severe panic attack that forced me to take clonazepam to stop it. I have restarted my clonazepam at a daily dose. However this time around i have found that the .125 dosage is not being effective at all. I have also developed depression which was not really an issue till the changes in my medication...it angers me that the doctor made this change and i have had to suffer with my anxiety returning with bouts of depression. Thanks for listening and i guess my question is does anyone have any similar experience with this. Would you recommend trying to switch my antidepressant, or up my clonazepam till i feel its effectiveness again? I have talked to my doctor and he was not much help... Any feedback is GREATLY appreciated.

[Annie0904]

Hi and welcome to NMP. I can understand your doctor wanting you to come off Clonazepam as it is only intended for short term use.
Have you had any sort of therapy to help with your anxiety such as Psychotherapy or CBT? This may be something you could discuss with your doctor.

[Worrychick]

Did you come off it slowly to allow your system to adjust? x
I know i had to with citalapram and also the increase could cause a temporary bad effect. Go back and have a chat with your Dr. I know my new medication took 6 weeks to work. xx

[LongtimeK]

Thanks for the generous responses. Since my dosage was low to begin with he suggested that i could just quit cold turkey while increasing my citalopram to 30mg. This only served to highten my anxiety and i began to become depressed which had never been an ossue before. I have returned to my previous dose by it does not seem to be working this time around:(. Any suggestions? Should i maybe switch medications or should i be toughing it out to see if time will help. Im just frustrated as now im very depressed and it was never an issue previously...:(. Thanks again for your replies