Oxazepam is my fav, doesn't have the residual grogginess of valium (its the metabolized form of diazepam).

Being different chemical compounds the different benzos have varied extents of similar effects for instance valium and xanax have the most potent euphoric effects whereas klonopin and ativan have the least.

bromazepam is a nice substitute for xanax sometimes becuase they both have extremily short halflives

ok so after reading all of your guys post thanks for posting i would likke to know how much valium differs from xanax? yes i know its supposed to be weeker, but does it have any different effects?

With regular use, diazepam is metabolised into other benzodiazepine drugs, the levels of which build up over time. Therefore, when you withdraw from it, it is much smoother, and some residual effects can last for days.

With occasional use, diazepam has similar effects to alprazolam, but is still safer as it does not 'switch off' as suddenly as alprazolam.

As for it being weaker, well that shouldn't be an issue if doctors prescribed the correct doses. Take enough diazepam, and the effects can be as strong as you like. But the problem is that a lot of doctors do not realise that prescribing 2mg doses of alprazolam is like prescribing 40mg diazepam. It is ridiculous. The 2mg 'bars' of alprazolam are a nonsense product. They should be taken off the market.

It's hard to decide if alprazolam is the problem, or the doctors prescribing it. It's probably both.

The drug would make more sense as an occasional hypnotic. Other than that, it's best avoided.

They all cause drowsiness, relief of anxiety, and skeletal muscle relaxation. Patient response varies as it does with any drug, but apart from onset, duration of action and active metabolites (or which alprazolam has none), the benzodiazepines are a much of a muchness.

I know this will sound stupid so I will say I'm sorry to start.
What exactly does "halflife" mean.
I've always wondered that when I read someone post about it.
Thanks in advance.
K

The time it takes for plasma levels of the drug to decrease by 50%. It is often (but not always) an indication of the duration of action of the drug. The levels of a drug in your body decrease logarithmically; a graph of plasma level against time would look somewhat like a slide at a park.

Klonopin is my god send. I take 1mg to go to bed, and the next day it also keeps me anxiety free. It also fights off my depression. I also have Rx for Xanax, but i don't trust it to get me through anything thats longer then 4hrs. Dont get me wrong through, Xanax is very helpful for those random panic attacks.

I agree Klonopin is a godsend but I heard it wasn't good to take to put you to sleep, and I would think it would wear off by the morniing. Is there a reason you take it at night and have you tried taking it in the morning?

I personally like Xanax, and i've tried Klonopin before..they used to be my favorite but now it's just something in my brain chemistry i guess that favors the Xanax. It's actually wierd because i used to love the Klonopins so much. I've been taking just the Xanax now for about three months- 1 mg to 1 and a half a day.

Sometimes i feel like i still need something at night to help me sleep better but i don't want to use up all my Xanax for that.

I've heard that problem mostly happens with xanax and ativan (you mean like they where off to fast?). klonopin just stays in system for long time. I get mild amount rebound anxiety about 6-8pm the next day, but whats really going to trigger anxiety at that time (beside nancy grace lol) I redose that night and im good to go to bed and for the next day.

Funny enough though that you would talk about taking a dose twice a day. My MD today said he wanted me to take it take it twice a day now. That's fine by me.

And one more off topic... topic, wouldnt it be amazing if the real reason I was had a mood disorder and awful anxiety was because I had seizure disorder or just some disease that needed to be treated? that would be such overwhelming burden lifted off of my weary shoulders. I guess I really need to stop watching House lol

Favorite benzo... the one I'm taking or the one that works.

Xanax withdrawel is hell, trust me. Better to keep them for panic attacks and valium for everyday anxiety.

Doc has me on 3 mg X's a day along with Zoloft and Ambian to sleep.

Am going to start a slow taper off x's using V's. Wish me luck!

I certainly will, and please fire that doctor. Taking 1mg Xanax 3 times a day is pretty much guaranteed to get you addicted.

You may have to replace alprazolam with diazepam gradually - see the benzo.org.uk site.

That site is a waste of space. I hope to god that it gets shut down one day.


If people were just sensible with their meds. I've been on Clonazepam for 6 years. Take it as needed with propranolol. Can go weeks without it no withdrawal, nada, noubt.


It is the ONLY drug that gave me my QUALITY OF LIFE back. I would recommend to anyone with social phobia to try it.

Benzophobes are a waste of space. They say stuff like 'benzos can make you go blind, .......IF YOU INJECT THEM IN YOUR EYES'

wtf.

The benzo.org website is not a waste of space when someone is looking for some measure of direction when trying to escape from benzodiazepine addiction and "was not just sensible with their meds." Wouldn't it be dandy if everyone was just sensible with their meds?
The information on their website is not 100% agreed upon by everyone who reads it but almost all of the people I've seen who make light of it are people who are in some stage of denial about their personal drug situation. Why would they pay any attention to it otherwise?
Dr. Ashton has long worked to inform and assist anyone who wants to stop taking these drugs. It sounds like you have no interest in doing that and, thus, would have no particular use for the website.
It may be a waste of space for you now but wait until you need help getting off downers. Then you might change your mind.

That website is part of the reason a lot of people are not getting the right treatment for their social anxiety. Doctors are not going to prescribe benzos in the UK in case we inject them into our eyeballs and become blind. Why do you think people are on these boards?

There are only certain things that I will inject into my eyeballs that I know are safe.

Every time you reply to my posts there is always an underlying hint that you think I am hooked on 'downers' as you would put it.

There is a BIG difference between dependency and addiction. Is a diabetic addicted to insulin because they need it everyday to function? Short answer, NO.

Agreed. I think overall, benzo.org is a great site.

It's the people who slag it off who are a waste of space, and time.



It won't be.



But many aren't. And neither are the prescriptions from many a doctor.



Bully for you. But there are others in the world besides you.



Back from what? When did your problem start? Why did it start? Perhaps if you find the cause, you might find the solution. What about non-drug methods? What other drugs did you try?



A poor recommendation, and one of the reasons benzo.org.uk exists. Try recommending CBT or non-drug methods first. Then try non-addictive drugs. THEN consider benzodiazepines. A good doctor will climb this ladder, rather than jumping straight to the top.



I've never seen a "benzophobe" on this site. And please show me the stuff these people say; I would be genuinely interested.



You tell me.

A p!ss-poor analogy. If an insulin-dependent diabetic's pancreas were to suddenly function normally again, insulin could be stopped immediately without withdrawal symptoms.

If a benzo-dependent patient were to suddenly conquer their anxiety, the benzodiazepines, could not be immediately stopped without withdrawal symptoms.

In addition, benzodiazepines have reinforcing properties, are used recreationally, and have a street value. None of this applies to insulin.

Well, ....I am out to make people aware that there is a cure for social phobia. Clonazepam is great for social anxiety.

I got put on SSRI's for anxiety and they were absolutely ridiculously useless for me. SSRI's are not as safe as doctors will lead you to believe.


Nobody has suffered withdrawal until they have experienced Effexor withdrawal. I wouldn't wish that on anybody.

Just like a diabetic needs insulin, ....my brain need gamma aminobutyric acid. No therapy of CBT [censored] could produce that.

So what is this cure? Because clonazepam is not a cure, just like morphine does not cure a broken arm. It is a palliative, and does not treat the underlying cause.

In addition, taking benzodiazepines to mask symptoms of anxiety is likely to make the underlying cause worse with time, because the body will adapt to being rewarded with the drug whenever an anxiety-causing situation arises.

Who told you that? And since you previously had a good quality of life, do you think that your brain suddenly stopped producing this substance one day?

I take it you haven't tried CBT.

Nardil and Clonazepam are gold standard for Social Phobia because of their gaba enhancing properties.

Look, ....this is a Drugbuyers forum and believe you me, ....most people are trying to find reliable offshores for benzos. So this is a pointless exercise in futility.


I've tried CBT and group therapy, ssri's, trycyclics, snri's ......you name it.

last time i hit active topics, people were looking for a lot more than just benzos... and trust me gillet, you are arguing with the wrong person. besides the fine doc that logs in every once in a while, you will be hard pressed to find anyone here more knowledgeable about medications and ailments than nephro.

Have you ever heard of a diabetic trying to refill his prescription a week early?
Have you ever heard a diabetic complain that someone "stole" his insulin or it fell in the toilet or his dog ate it?
Have you ever seen anyone on these discussion boards trying to buy insulin on the Internet because their doctor isn't compassionate and won't prescribe "the dose they think they need?"
Have you ever heard of people exchanging estimates about what the current street prices are for insulin?
Do diabetics suffer from tolerance problems when they take insulin for a long time and have to keep increasing their dosage to get the same "effect?"

That tired old comparison of insulin to psychoactive substances is a dog that won't hunt. Of course a diabetic is not addicted to insulin.

.......guess I'll head back to Social Anxiety Support.

Phenelzine is most definitely not the gold standard for anything, be it combined with clonazepam or not. It is indicated for depressive illness.

So what changed? You had a good quality of life before your problem, so what changed?

"Phenelzine is most definitely not the gold standard for anything."

Nope, ....that is what SSRI's are suppose to be for.

Seriously, where do you get your information, .....because it is laughable.

Nardil has long been the Gold Standard for Social Phobia. Just look over at SAS or Psychobabble. Due to it's gaba properties.

Benzo's mixed with stimulants and beta blockers, OR an MAOI's (Both Nardil and Phenelzine, Probably even more so Phenelzine due to it's stimulant properties) work wonders for social anxiety.

.....and before you start going on about the dietary restrictions with foods high in tyramine like you mention EVERYTIME I talk about an MAOI. The dietary restrictions have been renewed and are far more relaxed these days.

I have many more problems than social phobia! Thanks, Nepro for the site!!

A PDR

I stand by everything I have said.