Camylou,
I think being on clonazepam is going to work out better for you than xanax. The problem with xanax is that it is a very quick acting medication (and a potent one), but that it has a very short duration of action and a very short half life. Its generally only effective for about
4-5 hours. Klonopin has a slower onset of action, is roughly the same potency as xanax, but has about
twice as long of an active effectiveness (8-12 hours). After the full effectiveness period, it still retains partial effectiveness as part of the medication remains active in your system for about
24 to 36 hours after dose was first taken. With Xanax, there is a rapid drop off of effect after 5 hours, with any residule/partial effectiveness of the drug wearing off after about
8 hours. This can cause rebound anxiety and withdraw. Because Klonopin very slowly leaves your bloodstream, its risk of causing rebound anxiety is lower, and there souldn't be any withdraw experienced between doses if they are atleast once a day.
The only drawback might be some trouble getting up in the morning and a slight hangover effect, but as I stated, it should work better. My doctor told me that whenever possible, it is better to treat conditions with long acting benzos vs short acting ones.
PS- I generally post in CP, but since I take an anti anxiety medication for "night terrors", I do know a little bit concerning how some of these medications work :)