g8orgirl Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 I take Ativan only when I need it, which is about once a month on the nights I have real difficutly falling asleep or when the paranoia kicks in as it tends to make me anxious. I always thought either Xanax or Valium were the strongest benzos but I'm not sure on that. I like the Ativan, it does the trick but I'm just curious where it lies as far as how strong it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notfred Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 Klonopin, Xanax and Halcion are, mg to mg, 2 to 4 times stronger than Ativan. Long length of action, short, ultra short. Strong is kinda hard to define, everyone has different concepts as to what it means. There is mg to mg comparison, ie dosage required to get the same effect, lower doses are the stronger ones or length of action, ie the longer acting benzo is stronger. Or simply the one that fucks you up the most, which is highly individual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 I think it depends on the person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ncb Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 Klonopin seems to help with panic attacks and anxiety like so much better than any of the other benzos. But, I think it is also the most addictive of any of the benzos. This is what I have read, and this has been my experience. I am sure that it does ultimately depend on the individual person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizmo Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 In my experience, Xanax hit me the hardest and the fastest. It relieved my anxiety the most. But it also wore off the fastest. I personally found the klonopin took too long to kick in for my PRN usage, and Ativan wasnt quite strong enough to get rid of all my anxiety. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
confused Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 What do you mean by strong? xanax is very fast-acting. I liked klonopin better than ativan because it lasted longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acquiring labels daily Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 Klonopin seems to help with panic attacks and anxiety like so much better than any of the other benzos. But, I think it is also the most addictive of any of the benzos. This is what I have read, and this has been my experience. I am sure that it does ultimately depend on the individual person. All of the benzos have abuse potential. Klonopin actually tends to be less so because it has such a long mechanism of action. It is really hard to get a 'buzz' of any sort from Klonopin, so people usually don't abuse it unless they are desperate and usually already dependent on something else. Also- I hate the term addictive. If someone has a legitimate need for a medication they may get dependent upon it. Dependence is different from addiction. Dependence is where a patient's body has become accustomed to a certain dosage of a medication, and a taper schedule has to be set in order to safely stop. We have to have taper schedules for most of our anti-depressants when we stop, but that doesn't mean that we are addicted to them, does it? Of course not. Our bodies are just accustomed to having a certain amount of the substance, and a taper is necessary to avoid nasty side effects. The same goes for those who have been on a scheduled dose of a benzo for a long time. Addiction is something completely different. Addiction is about a psychological need for a physical sensation. Whether it is for the 'high' of meth, or the 'down' of benzos or alcohol, addicts crave the rush that they get from the drug itself. I know that I never even get a rush from my Klonopin, because it is appropriately treating my anxiety. I think it is that way for most who use benzos, and is why it is so sad that they have gotten such a bad rap. Can benzos be addictive? Absolutely. If not taken as directed, or if prescribed willy-nilly like valium was in the 50's it sure can be addictive. But in the hands of responsible physicians and patients benzos are not something to be feared. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crtclms Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 ALD, I argue with people about this all. the. time. Of course, I has a vested interest. Yes, I am taking them appropriately, and using them for a legitimate ailment (GAD). My dose has not been changed since I started taking it 7 years ago, and I have leftover tablets every month, so I am definitely not addicted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAL9000 Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 I'm really confused at the difference between addiction and dependence. Aren't they really two sides of the same coin? My doc told me that some drugs have a much higher potential for "addiction" and that some people were more easily addicted. Like a "personality" for Addiction. Is dependence on a drug just (as an example) can't sleep without taking a nightly ambien. And that it would be only an addiction if the person enjoyed some non intended feature? Ambien might be a bad example because I don't think you can get a "buzz" from it. Would it be addiction if you strongly wanted a drug to dial down your panic attacks and got really uptight worrying that your doctor was going to take you off or switch you to a drug that didn't work? A lot of this still confuses me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notfred Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 I'm really confused at the difference between addiction and dependence. Aren't they really two sides of the same coin? My doc told me that some drugs have a much higher potential for "addiction" and that some people were more easily addicted. Like a "personality" for Addiction. A) There is a pinned topic on this very question. Read it. B) This has been discussed to death and it seems to make no difference to explain it because no one seems to listen (or at least retain) or people wish to remain ignorant. What do you mean by strong? xanax is very fast-acting. I liked klonopin better than ativan because it lasted longer. I outlined three ways to define strong in my post above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizmo Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 I think ALD made a very eloquent and informative post about the differences between addiction, tolerance, and dependence. I suggest you re-read this post and the pinned one as notfred suggested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wooster Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 In case its too much work to look above... Dependence is where a patient's body has become accustomed to a certain dosage of a medication, and a taper schedule has to be set in order to safely stop... Addiction is about a psychological need for a physical sensation. ETA: There can also "misuse" of medications in the absence of addiction. This would be, for example, taking medications for the "recreational" benefits, taking them not as prescribed, and/or taking prescription medications that aren't yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAL9000 Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 I looked at the pinned topic. So addiction just means you have an urge (no physical "need") for a drug. Dependence is a physical need for a drug or you feel like crap. And both do (often) go together. I get it (At last) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonicwhite Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Xanax is the strongest it peaks in a hour and leaves in about 4 to 6 hr's. Klonopin is about the same as xanax but it has a longer halflife. So there isn't really no peak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billbobaggins Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 Klonopin for me, btw does anyone find the side effects of them just as bad as the panic attacks?? , then there is rebound anxiety after taking 3days worth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimpmaster Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 Xanax is probably the fastest acting and strongest "pound for pound" benzo. It peaks pretty quickly and also tapers off pretty quickly, compared to other benzos. Valium (diazepam) is a good too, though not as strong and acts for a lot longer than xanax. Here in Australia its pretty much xanax or valium - our docs don't seem to go for clonazepam or lorazapeam unless you are bipolar or have epilepsy. I once tried oxazepam but it didn't work for me at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crtclms Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 I take Xanax, because I have trouble with Klonopin, but Xanax is fairly strong and fast acting. I have a blood level built up in spite of its half life, because you build a level if you take it on a schedule. But when I take Xanax PRN, I feel better within 20 minutes. My husband has 2mg ativan pills for seizures, and I sometimes take one when I have a horrific headache (it relaxes me, or *something,* but it helps). 2mg of ativan is quite a wallop, and it hits really fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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