Posted by med_empowered on April 26, 2006, at 16:00:27
In reply to Mepobramate (equanil), posted by MrBrice on April 26, 2006, at 15:45:08
hmmm...meprobamate is a pretty old drug; it was introduced in the early 50s as a safe, non-addictive, non-barbiturate anti-anxiety drug..it was one of the first "tranquilizers," along with Thorazine (Thorazine was later viewed as having specific anti-schizophrenic properties). Anyway...think of Equanil like this: one the one hand, you have the barbiturates--addictive, mind-numbing, etc. On the other hand, you have the benzos--they share some properties with the barbs, but effective doses tend to have less of an impact on cognition, and they're safer (much, much safer) in overdose. Between those two, you have Equanil. It can kill in overdose, it can cause cognitive slowing, etc. but it isn't terribly addictive, and it can be pretty useful, just like a benzo.
So...I'd say just look out for some daytime sedation, and if you're taking other meds ask about possibly drug-drug interactions (its not as "clean" in that regard as benzos usually are).
PS--Do you know why your doc opted for Equanil? I've heard that its making a comeback in New York and other states that require triplicates for benzos--apparently docs prefer to RX old stuff rather than deal with the DEA and the whole triplicate "thing". Just curious.
poster:med_empowered
thread:637254
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060423/msgs/637257.html