Posted by Viridis on August 18, 2003, at 0:53:24
In reply to Re: Benzo advice please! » Ame Sans Vie, posted by Jasmine Neroli on August 16, 2003, at 1:10:04
I do best with Klonopin daily, but also use Xanax on an as-needed basis (occasionally). Klonopin is very helpful for lowering overall anxiety with no side effects for me (except at the very beginning), but it's pretty subtle and sometimes isn't enough for really stressful situations. I find that Xanax comes on more quickly and provides a noticeable decrease in anxiety (one trick for really fast relief is to dissolve it under your tongue, if you don't mind the bitter taste).
Benzos are generally fine taken as-needed. The main thing to watch out for is that if you aren't used to them, they can make you sleepy, spacey etc. I found this wore off with Klonopin within a week or so of daily use, and don't notice this so much with small doses of Xanax. Some posters here have also found that it took a week or more of Klonopin use to really see the benefits.
If you are going to take a particular benzo just now and then, you should experiment a bit with doses and your reaction to make sure it doesn't zonk you out at work, or if you have to drive etc. For occasional, immediate and short-lived anxiety/panic situations, I'd lean more towards Xanax (alprazolam); for general anxiety relief on a regular basis I'd go with Klonopin. But of course, everyone reacts differently.
poster:Viridis
thread:251128
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030812/msgs/251748.html