Posted by zmg on November 27, 2006, at 22:50:47
In reply to Re: Difference between Ativan and Valium? » Quintal, posted by ace on November 27, 2006, at 21:33:57
How about the difference of short versus long acting benzos. I've been taking Valium, 30-40 mg a day for about a year and a half. I imagine this is a high dose (I hadn't been seeing a doctor).
I recently stopped the Valium, gradually over the course of at least a month. I was grouchy for about a week, a few transient headaches (might have had a little cold). Aside from the way different benzos effect different people (always the Xanax vs. Valium arguments, etc) it seems to me the most important difference would be half-life.
I'm glad Diazepam has such a long half-life as I'm sure it made the titration much smoother and was more 'forgiving' when I'd miss a dose or forget and take the next days (coming off the Valium I notice I became more forgetful then normal).
FTR I started out at about 10-20 mg's. I was never using it exactly responsibly, but I never felt the need to go above 40 and the times that I did it only seemed to decrease my coordination, not alleviate any excess anxiety (or buoy my mood).
All and all it was a very useful drug for me.
poster:zmg
thread:707968
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20061123/msgs/708063.html