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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 15 of 15. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Snowie on October 21, 2004, at 15:28:50
Help! Anybody who is or has taken Xanax XR, can you please tell me whether or not a co-pay of $50 a month for 30 2 mg. pills of Xanax XR is worth it for social and general anxiety disorder? My pdoc gave me that script today, along with a script for generic Klonopin in case my insurance wouldn't cover Xanax XR. Because Xanax XR is not a preferred med on my insurance plan, my co-pay is $50 rather than the usual $10. Please give me your thoughts ASAP so I can decide which med to get. I liked regular Xanax years ago, but didn't like the breakthrough anxiety before my next dose. I developed depression while taking Klonopin after about 6 mos. many years ago, but I may not have that reaction now.
Thanks.
Snowie
Posted by jboud24 on October 22, 2004, at 6:05:11
In reply to Is Xanax XR Worth $50 Every Month?, posted by Snowie on October 21, 2004, at 15:28:50
Posted by Glydin on October 22, 2004, at 8:42:04
In reply to Is Xanax XR Worth $50 Every Month?, posted by Snowie on October 21, 2004, at 15:28:50
I did a brief switch from Klonopin to Xanax XR. In comparison, Klonopin (generic) worked better for me plus, 2 weeks of K costs me app. 50 cents and 2 weeks of Xanax XR costs me $12.00. This is one of those situations that trialing might be the only way to know what suits you best - control and pocketbook wise. A brief trial is probably all that's needed - it was for me.
Posted by ed_uk on October 22, 2004, at 9:11:45
In reply to Is Xanax XR Worth $50 Every Month?, posted by Snowie on October 21, 2004, at 15:28:50
One possibility could be to use regular Xanax again but to take the doses closer together to reduce the risk of breakthrough anxiety.
eg. If you were taking 4mg Xanax/24hours you could take 0.5mg every 3h instead of taking 1mg every 6h. I know it's inconvenient to take it so often though.
Ed
Posted by Snowie on October 22, 2004, at 16:29:42
In reply to Re: Is Xanax XR Worth $50 Every Month?, posted by ed_uk on October 22, 2004, at 9:11:45
Ed,
That's the main reason I finally stopped taking regular Xanax, which was the need to seemingly be constantly taking it, or watching the clock to see when my next dose was due. Although I took it for years, that was enough to make me feel uncomfortable, i.e., more like an addict needing a "fix," although it never affected me like that. It just calmed me down and made me feel normal, or at least normal for me.
Snowie
> One possibility could be to use regular Xanax again but to take the doses closer together to reduce the risk of breakthrough anxiety.
> eg. If you were taking 4mg Xanax/24hours you could take 0.5mg every 3h instead of taking 1mg every 6h. I know it's inconvenient to take it so often though.
> Ed
Posted by Snowie on October 22, 2004, at 16:33:58
In reply to Re: Is Xanax XR Worth $50 Every Month?, posted by Glydin on October 22, 2004, at 8:42:04
I so totally agree, so I have purchased both and will try one and then the other to see which works the best for the money. My only fear of Klonopin is the depression I got after 6 mos. My fear of Xanax XR is the $$$$, and concern over whether or not it will work that well.
Thanks.
Snowie
> I did a brief switch from Klonopin to Xanax XR. In comparison, Klonopin (generic) worked better for me plus, 2 weeks of K costs me app. 50 cents and 2 weeks of Xanax XR costs me $12.00. This is one of those situations that trialing might be the only way to know what suits you best - control and pocketbook wise. A brief trial is probably all that's needed - it was for me.
Posted by theo on October 22, 2004, at 18:46:36
In reply to Is Xanax XR Worth $50 Every Month?, posted by Snowie on October 21, 2004, at 15:28:50
Posted by Glydin on October 22, 2004, at 19:04:16
In reply to Re: Is Xanax XR Worth $50 Every Month? » Glydin, posted by Snowie on October 22, 2004, at 16:33:58
> I so totally agree, so I have purchased both and will try one and then the other to see which works the best for the money. My only fear of Klonopin is the depression I got after 6 mos. My fear of Xanax XR is the $$$$, and concern over whether or not it will work that well.
>
> Thanks.
>
> SnowieHi Snowie,
Hope it works out for you whichever way you go. We are all so different and have differing experiences. I use only Klonopin, so the depression thing is something I do get concerned about, but despite the posts of others experiences comparing the depressive nature of one benzo over another, I think all benzo's, by nature of the drug class CAN cause depressive symptoms in SOME folks. Because I don't use an AD (despite more trials than I care to recall) use of Fish Oil along with my K keeps me doing pretty well and quite functional. Every now and again, I feel the need to try something new and I usually regret it. Klonopin has been a lifesaver for me as others have found other meds to be a lifesaver for them. Good Luck.
Glydin
Posted by Cecilia on October 23, 2004, at 2:36:24
In reply to Re: Is Xanax XR Worth $50 Every Month? » Snowie, posted by Glydin on October 22, 2004, at 19:04:16
I`ve also been wondering about askng my doctor about switching from clonazepam to Xanax XR, though I`m sure my HMO won`t cover it. When I first tried Xanax about 4 years ago it was like a miracle-the first med of the many I`ve tried that actually helped me. My doctor switched me to clonazepam to avoid the frequent dosing but I didn`t think it was working as well so went back to Xanax. I didn`t mind the frequent dosing during the day but found out I would wake up at night when it wore off, plus the miraculous effect seemed gone anyway so I switched back to the clonazepam. Frankly, I really don`t know whether it`s doing anything or my body`s just used to it. Certainly I`m still plenty anxious, and depressed too, though I was depressed long before I ever went on clonazepam. I`ll be interested to hear your comparison of the two. Cecilia
Posted by Snowie on October 25, 2004, at 11:29:20
In reply to Re: Is Xanax XR Worth $50 Every Month?, posted by Cecilia on October 23, 2004, at 2:36:24
Cecilia,
I'll cut and paste what I wrote to Dee above about Xanax XR, see quoted below:
"I convinced my pdoc to give me 2 mg. of Xanax XR instead of 1 mg., since that's about how much I had been taking of regular Xanax when I went off Xanax and onto Tranxene (no, actually when I added Neurontin to the mix I had tirated down to about 1 mg. of Xanax a day). However, since Xanax XR is so expensive I wanted to make sure I got enough to last me the whole day, not to mention the whole month.
I took the first pill Saturday morning, and within a few hours I was sound asleep. When I woke up several hours later I felt okay, but not drugged out like I feel when I take a bite from a .25 mg. pill of Seroquel. An hour or so later I started feeling a little anxious, so I took a little Neurontin. That helped for a while, but later that evening I realized Xanax XR wasn't going to last the whole day, so I took .5 mg. of Klonopin, which worked pretty well. So, based on my first dose of 2 mg. of Xanax XR, I'm not impressed. .5 of Klonopin 2 x a day along with a little Neurontin mixed in seems to be working pretty well, so I may give the Xanax XR to my sister to see how she likes it (she takes regular Xanax anyway)."
I hope this helps. So far (I probably won't try it again), I'm very disappointed. Maybe I took too much, but it seemed like it worked too much all at once and then pooped out at the end. If Klonopin is working for you - and it sure costs a whole lot less - stay with it! Just my opinion.
Snowie
> I`ve also been wondering about askng my doctor about switching from clonazepam to Xanax XR, though I`m sure my HMO won`t cover it. When I first tried Xanax about 4 years ago it was like a miracle-the first med of the many I`ve tried that actually helped me. My doctor switched me to clonazepam to avoid the frequent dosing but I didn`t think it was working as well so went back to Xanax. I didn`t mind the frequent dosing during the day but found out I would wake up at night when it wore off, plus the miraculous effect seemed gone anyway so I switched back to the clonazepam. Frankly, I really don`t know whether it`s doing anything or my body`s just used to it. Certainly I`m still plenty anxious, and depressed too, though I was depressed long before I ever went on clonazepam. I`ll be interested to hear your comparison of the two. Cecilia
Posted by Cecilia on October 27, 2004, at 1:22:53
In reply to Re: Is Xanax XR Worth $50 Every Month? » Cecilia, posted by Snowie on October 25, 2004, at 11:29:20
Well, I can`t really say that clonazepam is working for me. But I`m afraid to go off it in case I`d be even worse without it. Cecilia
Posted by Snowie on October 28, 2004, at 13:31:02
In reply to Re: Is Xanax XR Worth $50 Every Month?-Snowie, posted by Cecilia on October 27, 2004, at 1:22:53
Cecilia,
I took Xanax for years and finally it stopped working for me. I then went on Tranxene, which never worked that well to begin with. Now I'm taking Klonopin, which seems to be working fine so far. I'm taking 1 mg. in the AM and 1 mg. in the PM. I may be wrong, but it seems that if one benzo stops working, you have to try another. Then, if that one stops working, you can either try a different one or go back to the first one and see what happens. I've had bad luck with Klonopin twice previously. Now it seems to be working great.
Snowie
> Well, I can`t really say that clonazepam is working for me. But I`m afraid to go off it in case I`d be even worse without it. Cecilia
Posted by Newwife on October 30, 2004, at 15:52:13
In reply to Re: Is Xanax XR Worth $50 Every Month?-Snowie » Cecilia, posted by Snowie on October 28, 2004, at 13:31:02
my advice is go with klonopin. it only costs me $15 for 100 pills but i have insurance, thank god. do you have insurance? klonopin is great and really has a great way of calming you down. good luck!--jess
Posted by Snowie on November 1, 2004, at 13:24:39
In reply to Re: Is Xanax XR Worth $50 Every Month?-Snowie, posted by Newwife on October 30, 2004, at 15:52:13
Yeah, I did. Thanks!
Snowie
> my advice is go with klonopin. it only costs me $15 for 100 pills but i have insurance, thank god. do you have insurance? klonopin is great and really has a great way of calming you down. good luck!--jess
Posted by Newwife on November 2, 2004, at 17:52:44
In reply to Re: Is Xanax XR Worth $50 Every Month?-Snowie » Newwife, posted by Snowie on November 1, 2004, at 13:24:39
This is the end of the thread.
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