brandymac29 Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 I usually take .5mg of xanax in the a.m, and .5mg in the p.m before bed along with my AD and ToprolXL for MDD, PD, GAD, and OCD. My question is: What is the difference b/w alprozolam, clonazapam, lorazopam, and all the other benzo's? I have really good luck w/ the xanax/AD combo that I'm on, but I've have read here that a lot of people take other benzo's like clonazopam(sp). Is the clonaz stronger than the alproz? Or vice versa? Are they all prescribed for the same thing? Just wondering. I haven't seen a pdoc yet, just a regular gp, and I just wanted a litlle info about the xanax that I take. Is it a stonger or weaker benzo for example? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gretl Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 Hi Brandy! You can read about the different benzos on the Crazy Meds benzo page. For most people there are noticeable differences in the how quickly each benzo takes effect, how long it lasts, what secondary effects there are, and how addictive it is. These differences are especially apparently in the three most popular (in the US) benzos - Ativan (lorazepam), Klonopin (clonazepam) and Xanax (alprazolam) Some people can be addicted to Xanax after just a couple days on the minimum dose and go through the worst withdrawal symptoms possible when they stop. All benzos do work basically in the same way; they enhance the way GABA works. GABA is the neurotransmitter that really mellows us out. There are specific benzodiazepine receptors in the brain, but they don't seem to matter much to the desired effects of these meds. Those receptors may have plenty to do with the physical dependence and many drug-drug interactions. Everything else is all a matter of fine tuning specific effects. Are you planning to see a pdoc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandymac29 Posted October 25, 2005 Author Share Posted October 25, 2005 Hi Brandy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annabegins Posted October 29, 2005 Share Posted October 29, 2005 ive took xanax and kolonopin, and i think that kolonopin is a little less as strong, and it takes a little longer to kick in, but it lasts longer than xanax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sun_zoom_spark Posted October 29, 2005 Share Posted October 29, 2005 I've taken Xanax, Ativan, Valium and Klonopin. My experience? (this is me, not everyone). Xanax, Ativan and Valium made me pretty mellow. Klonopin is like a stiff drink. Whoosy and then really tired. Xanax is the best but doesn't last long enough. Then you have to keep popping them and then if you're lucky you won't get hooked. Ativan the same but last a little longer. Valium- been a long time but I really liked this drug (back when it was popular). Klonopin=Jack Black on the rocks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YinPhases Posted October 29, 2005 Share Posted October 29, 2005 Just to add my experience, I've been on Klonopin for years but was first on Xanax for a short period of time. Like the others said, Xanax is generally faster acting but doesn't last long enough to avoid multiple doses. It didn't effect me as much as most other people report so like with any of this stuff ymmv of course. The way I most often see these two drugs prescribed is using Klonopin nightly for persistent problems and using Xanax for "when you need it" situations. My pdoc had suggested the possibility of combining these methods when I was going through some irregularly stressful events. He suggested sticking to my nightly Klonopin dosage (instead of raising it) and taking very small doses of Xanax during the day if my anxiety got overly out of control or I was going into a situation that I knew it would be an issue. I opted to try taking a very small amount of extra Klonopin in such situations but it never really seemed to help in the short term like I needed it to. I can't give personal commentary on other benzos since the only other one I've used was Valium for a very short time (in which it was effective but I don't have regular day to day experience with it). Glad to hear your current combination is working well and good luck with the Effexor... Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Posted October 29, 2005 Share Posted October 29, 2005 Ativan makes me feel like I am walking through really thick molasses--all slowed down. Klonopin, alone, doesn't make me sleepy, just calms anziety, but combined with my restoril it makes it work so much better that I can fall asleep in the middle of a sentence. I'm supposed to take the klonopin nightly with the restoril and PRN otherwise. I'm on the .5 mg. "self-disintegrating wafer" and can take it up to every 4 hours (never have though) Tommy edited to correct spelling error Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimpmaster Posted October 30, 2005 Share Posted October 30, 2005 All the posters experience reflect pretty well on what the different benzos do. Essentially you can divide the most popular benzos into to groups, short acting and long acting. Alprazolam nd Lorazepam are the short acting drugs, typically lasting anywhere between 4 and 12 hrs depending on your frequency and tolerance. Diazepam and Clonozepam take a little longer to kick in, but last much longer, anywhere between 8 and 24 hrs depending on tolerance and frequency. Alprazolam is by far the strongest, hence its very effective but ideally you dont want to get hooked on it as its a bitch to discontinue. Lorazepam is a happy median for many people who need a stronger short acting benzo. Clonozepam is actually the next strongest to alprazolam, and is a favourite amongst many long term, frequent users as its both strong and lasts a long time. I personally use diazpepam and I find it to be really good, except that the tabs here only come in 5mg x 50 and I take 3-4 when I have a dose, hence the bottles dont last that long. Clonozepam usually comes in bottles of 200, which is another reason its popular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lei Posted October 30, 2005 Share Posted October 30, 2005 my experience basically matches the concensus. i'll just add my personal case study (i can't resist because i was consumed with your same question for some time and paid my dues finding what worked best for me.) i tend to metabolize stuff fast. so for me xanax/alprazolam would be great if i only needed it occasionally, and it kicks in nice and fast for panic, but for full-time anxiety coverage it lasted shorter and shorter so i had a rollercoaster effect trying to keep it going. clonazepam/klonopin lasted longer but not quite through the night and it made my head and mouth feel cottony. valium/diazepam is clean, smooth coverage for me. and despite some recent bumps on my road, i'm now finding it comfortable to taper oh and the so-called equivalency charts don't hold at all for me. i find klonopin to be much less powerful than measured vs. valium, so when i switched i felt better with less than 1/2 the valium than i expected. who knew? well my doc did but feeling was believing. aloha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Min Posted October 30, 2005 Share Posted October 30, 2005 I've taken Ativan (works like a CHARM!) and Clonazepam (generic Klonopin). The Clon really doesn't do much for me....or at least I can't tell that it is. I'm thinking of switching to Ativan. But you need to discuss it with your pdoc, when you get one. He/she will know which one will probably be best for you, GPs only have so much experience in psychiatry, I'm afraid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lei Posted October 30, 2005 Share Posted October 30, 2005 But you need to discuss it with your pdoc, when you get one. He/she will know which one will probably be best for you, GPs only have so much experience in psychiatry, I'm afraid. i imagine this is pretty variable. i get my meds from my DO (an MD with an extra year's study in bodywork etc.) my therapist is "only" a psychologist who can't prescribe. they both totally rock in their own ways and are a great combo. i've met good and bad of all kinds of docs, and in my case the best ones admitted they didn't always know what would work best, that we'd have to try things to find out. just my two cents on that aspect. aloha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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