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Hi guys. I need help also. I have been on Klonpin for 30 years. At this time I am on .75 mg. I have a very hard situation at home. I have a bi-polar 2 daughter that is under mental help that I am supporting while raising her two girls. My husband also suffers from the mood disorders which has caused me much anxiety over the years. Recently, my daughter went on a mania high and took 20 of my klonpins. For two weeks I had to go on half doses and it has about killed me. My doctor said there was nothing he could do about it. I have an appointment with him today to discuss getting off this med. I have not had over 4 hours sleep in the past 1/1/2 weeks. My husband takes trazadone at night. I was wondering if there was someone that is on trazadone and something else besides Klonpin to control the anxiety. I feel like crap today and I have so much to do. What do we do?
Replies to "Hi guys. I need help also. I have been on Klonpin for 30 years. At this..."
I'm a tapering off Effexor and klonopin kinda gal right now....so I can only tell you what has been suggested to me...but not tried. I'm not aware of any true anti-anxiety drugs that work better than a good ol benzo...or bad ol benzo. Valium has a longer half-life than klonopin (which is why it is sometimes used to help people who are having problems getting off klonopin)...but it is still a controlled substance like klonopin. Your MD might be able to write a prescription for a different dosage of klonopin if the problem is getting it filled without looking like you are med-seeking and getting caught up in the FDA compliance web; however, if the MD isn't willing to write the scrip, then they might be uncomfortable with how much you are taking -- but it is worth an ask.
In my case, we are considering both Wellbutrin and Trazodone if I need something once I've tapered off. Trazodone will help you sleep but I don't know how it affects anxiety. Wellbutrin has a reasonable reputation as an antidepressant with some anti-anxiety effects. But as I'm sure you know - every person reacts differently.
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Hello @imabamagal and welcome to Mayo Connect
I appreciate that you shared your story with us. It does sound like you have a lot on your plate right now with many responsibilities. I can certainly understand that you need to sleep well at night in order to keep up with your busy schedule.
Trazodone is an antidepressant medicine (non addictive) and is primarily prescribed for sleep issues. Here is an article about it from Everyday Health website,
https://www.everydayhealth.com/drugs/trazodone. If you click on the link you can learn more about Trazodone.
Here is a link to another article from the National Institute of Health regarding Trazodone,
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMHT0012504/
Many of our Members on Connect have used it for sleep and have also used it when coming off addictive meds.
Have you ever had a sleep study done to determine if you might have another problem contributing to insomnia?