Back story so everyone knows my conditions. I'm a combat veteran and deal with a heavy hit of PTSD. My main offender under the PTSD umbrella is anxiety and sleep. If something bad happens that would normally make someone take a minute to digest, I immediately go into panic attack mode. I start breathing heavy, chest gets super tight, and I feel like I'm blacking out. Sleep...I just can't turn that fight or flight off. Like ever. I'm not up thinking about the war or anything like that...I just can't sleep. When I was in the army I was on 1 mg of Clonazepam once a day. Then was switched to .5 mg of Xanax once a day. It was a while ago and I can't remember the differences, but the civilian doctors said "no, Xanax bad. Back on Clonazepam!". I don't take Clonazepam every day. Only if my day is turning to crap and I feel the anxiety coming on, I'll take it. But there are points in my life where I'll take it every day as prescribed. But if I have one of those weeks, I start to feel WD afterwards....bad. And, I also don't feel my Clonazepam having much of an affect anymore. So, there are times I'm taking my clonazepam just to take the edge off the withdraw symptoms. I had a panic attack yesterday while already on Clonazepam and it did absolutely nothing. As if I didn't even take it that morning. What I've been finding recently is I feel I'm more in the realm of needing something that's fast acting and short lasting. Also been learning about the half-life between the two. Clonazepam with a half-life up to 36-38 hours, while Xanax is give or take like 12 hours.

My question - taking a Benzo with a 36–38-hour half-life every day, doesn't the amount in your blood just keep compounding? Whereas if I took Xanax at the same rate I take Clonazepam, it wouldn't be? (as much). With what I described, and someone who preferably has experience with both medications - who has some advice on this? I'm due for a refill on Clonazepam this weekend and tomorrow I have a doc appointment to get my next 3 refills signed off...but instead thought I would ask my doctor about switching me to Xanax...but kind of scared to ask as Xanax has this really bad name around it for abuse (where obviously both can be heavily abused in the same amount). Does Xanax sound like its more meant for my needs over Clonazepam?