info on celexa and klonopin - Panic Disorders Message Board

LynneJW · 03-02-2004, 04:34 PM

Hi everyone,
could those of you on klonopin (clonazepam) please tell me how you have found this drug (side effects, etc). My doc said take 0.5 mg as needed, but on the bottle it says take .5 twice a day. Does it need to be taken on a regular basis to be effective?
If this drug doesn't work the doc has suggested celexa. Anyone taken it? What were the side effects, results, etc? I really don't want a drug that causes weight gain (paxil worked really well for me but the weight gain was aweful) and prozac didn't cause weight gain, but increased my anxiety and caused difficulty swallowing.
Any help would be appreciated.

Lynne

Martica · 03-02-2004, 07:54 PM

Well I was given the Klonopin to take until my Paxil kicks in. If it is a bad day I will take it around 11 in the morn because it takes about 30 minutes to kick in...so....if you wait until an attack, you have to suffer for all that time. I took Paxil about 5 years ago, and I guess I was lucky, I didn't have weight gain, so I'm back on it because my attacks recently reappeared. I haven't had any side effects with the Klonopin. It's very mild and at first just made me a tiny bit sleepy. Good luck and feel free to ask if you have more questions.

Cindy

PS- I think all of the SSRI's can cause weight gain in some of us---maybe we need to try exercising to up our metabolisms? Just a thought.

LynneJW · 03-03-2004, 04:31 PM

Hi Cindy,
thanks for responding. i feel better about the klonopin, knowing that it is mild.

As for the exercise for weight gain, believe me, this was not going to help me. While on the paxil I was a runner, averaging around 90 minutes of running 5 days a week, plus working out at the gym (weights, step class, and stairmaster) 3-4 times per week, as well as being a full time horseback riding instructor, which meant spending 6-7 hours a day, 5 days a week, on my feet running after horses and chasing kids around a barn. There was really no other way to increase my exercise without killing myself. As for eating, I was a vegan.
This is what I find so frustrating. If only it meant more exercise and less food, I would have no problem with the paxil, but this wasn't my case.
Lynne

Martica · 03-06-2004, 07:06 PM

Wow Lynne, I guess you don't need any more exercise! The last thing I need is to gain weight; that would really throw me into a depression. I guess I'll have to monitor my weight and see what happens. The problem with that is, since the panic attacks, I get NO exercise at all!

Good luck with your new med, and let me know what kind of side effects you get from that one.

Cindy

ItWontGiveUp · 03-07-2004, 07:00 PM

Klonopin was the first 'short-term' med for panic that really helped me so my opinion is positive but impartial. I was using Xanax before Klonopin and the Xanax made me dizzy among many other random side effects. The Klonopin had no side effects that I noticed at all until I had taken it for too long...my Psychiatrist and famly Dr. told me it was not a long term drug, and although I am not an idiot, I continued taking .5 mg twice a day b/c it was a wonderful break from daily panic, as my tolerance built up I would take more as needed. That was a wake-up call to stop taking Klonopin. I'm not trying to scare you away from it, it worked great for me, but I would use it sparingly.

If your panic is bad, do .5 mg twice a day for a week or two, then stop. If your panic isn't that bad, take it when you feel panicky, either one dose of .5 or one dose of .75. If you plan on taking it that way...when the panic strikes, chew the klonopin, it gets into your system faster and you'll feel better sooner. And trust me, it doesn't taste that bad (I've chewed some gross pills before, these are mild). Hope this helped somewhat.