Posted by yxibow on September 12, 2009, at 4:01:52
In reply to Not understanding how Ativan works, posted by Girlnterrupted78 on September 8, 2009, at 12:04:52
> I started taking Ativan 1mg and I just have no idea when does it start working, what does it do, or whether it is working or not.
>
> I just feel more sleepy on it. I was so tired that I decided to cut the dose in half and take 0.5mg instead and that's ok but still makes me a bit sleepy.
>
> I used to take Xanax and Klonopin and I could tell when I was sedated on them. But not with Ativan.
>
> Does anyone here take Ativan? Could someone sort of tell me what it does for you and any details about when it starts working, how long it lasts, how does it compare to Klonopin and Xanax, etc?
>
> Does it really help for social anxiety, or are Xanax and Klonopin superior?
Benzodiazepines aren't all the same -- Xanax for some people tends to be a bit uplifting, Klonopin is often used for panic disorder, though there's nothing exclusive about that.Xanax has a fairly fast acting time so either with or without the Klonopin you probably would know. In fact its sort of superfluous I would think to double two benzodiazepines up if you're using it just PRN for anxiety.
Klonopin for me I found was very subtle and not noticeable.
Ativan is also somewhat fast acting, and like Xanax has a short half life... Xanax has a very short half life, Ativan has about a 12 hour half life, give or take.
How long have you been prescribed benzodiazepines ? Perhaps there's some habituation -- I mean for some people it could take months, some years... I still have to take one even though it doesn't work as well.
That's one sign that you don't "feel" anything on it... or the other sign, the subtle sleepiness is maybe you just dont respond to Ativan like you do to Xanax.
As mentioned by a poster, Ativan has often been used in hospitals to "calm" patients, at least I know in the past.
-- Jay
poster:yxibow
thread:916087
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090912/msgs/916610.html