Posted by fachad on September 16, 2002, at 12:13:34
In reply to Valium Underused Benzo. -- Why??, posted by Jim Bob on September 16, 2002, at 10:05:18
I would suspect that Valium is underused for several reasons.
First, it has a high profile as a "drug of abuse". Like Xanax, this makes some docs more reluctant to RX for it.
Part of the reason why it has this reputation is based on a pharmacological fact: it has a more rapid onset than onther BZDs because of it's lipophilicity. It is absobed more rapidly, and produces more of an onset euphoria than other BZDs.
Finally, when Valium is metabolized, other BZDs with very long half lives are produced in the process, and the end result is that they build up in the system over time. Klonopin has no active metabolites, so it is considered a "cleaner" med.
Just some posssible explanations.
> Hey all,
>
> I have a question for all of you. You may have seen my earlier post asking about benzo. tolerance. I realize that all benzos. work differently for different people, but why is it that most pdocs. seem to more readily use klonopin than valium?? Isn't klonopin far stronger and therefore more addictive than valium? I read somewhere that 0.5 mg. klonopin is equivalent to around 12mg valium. For me, valium is the only benzo. that works well without having a "crashing" feeling on the come-down. My pdoc. first put me on 0.5 mg. klonopin 3 times a day for chronic anxiety. This would be equivalent to about 36 mg. valium daily if the conversion is correct.
>
> When I told him that the klonopin was making me crash into depression as it wore off, and that valium never gave me that feeling, he withdrew the klonopin and put me on only 5-10 mg. valium daily. Why the sudden yank?? Is my conversion not correct? Is there some reason why pdocs. hesitate in prescribing valium? Now, since 5 mg. valium does nothing for me, I'm forced to ration my 10 mg. of valium once a day during my most anxious period. What should I do??? The only other med. I'm on is Ritalin LA 20 mg. daily.
>
> Thanks,
> Jim
poster:fachad
thread:120007
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020914/msgs/120017.html