Going from Xanax to Klonopin / visa versa
I personally was on Xanax for a number of years. It was a dangerous medication for me. If I went off Xanax for one to two days – the withdrawal symptoms were horrible. There were a little bit of hallucinations and I would lay in bed all day with the television on. I had one of these jobs that I would work twelve hours a day for three or four straight days and then off three or four. I would take the Xanax when I was at work – just to get me through – but then go cold turkey on my days off. I didn’t want my body to become used to Xanax, so that’s why I only took it on my days at work.
However, things really got bad for me. It got to the place that even at work, I would go through some horrible symptoms, even though I was taking my Xanax. I needed a switch and knew that Klonopin was less potent and could help me function a lot better. So I went to my doctor and got the medication changed.
There was a difference. I did notice that Klonopin took longer for it to “kick in”, but it wasn’t like this up and down emotional roller coaster ride like I was on Xanax. Things were more stable. I was glad that I made the change.
Don’t get me wrong – there are still a lot of things wrong with Klonopin, but I’ll take the current med over Xanax any old day.
Now if you are on Klonopin and are thinking about switching over to Xanax, I wouldn’t recommend it. If someone ask me which is more dangerous and the side-effects are worse – I would say Xanax. I’ve had experience with them both, and I would never, ever take Xanax again.
So if you are on Xanax and want to get off this medication, I would first try Klonopin and then try to wean yourself off of that. It’s much easier to get off of Klonopin than Xanax…by far.