Shown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by becksA on August 6, 2004, at 1:18:57
Currently I'm taking 2 or 3mg of Xanax XR twice daily for social phobia/anxiety....I know that usually people only take the XR once a day, but even 3mg twice daily doesnt seem enough! is valium simply a stronger drug yet similar in it's functions? Thinking about asking about it....(does it have an extended release version as well?)
Thanks alot
Posted by Violet4EVR on August 6, 2004, at 11:03:00
In reply to Xanax vs. Valium...., posted by becksA on August 6, 2004, at 1:18:57
Hey There :),
From what I have learned about both medications, Xanax is the stronger of the two. Xanax is known for acting fast, and the person can taking the medication can usually feel it starting to work. The only problem people may find with Xanax is that it has a very short half-life, meaning it only works for a short period of time (several hours) and withdrawal effects may be felt easier.
Valium on the other hand is less intense, and gradual. It has a longer half-life, meaning it stays in your system longer, and the effects of withdrawal may not be as apparant or intense.
Are you on any other SSRI's or SNRI's (Paxil, Zoloft, Lexapro, Effexor) for your Anxiety? If you are not, I would advise you to see your doctor about getting one of these medications. The effects of the Xanax will most likely be enhanced when on one of these medications (because your systems will be some-what sedated already).
Best of luck,
Violet
Posted by Ame Sans Vie on August 6, 2004, at 15:22:02
In reply to Re: Xanax vs. Valium...., posted by Violet4EVR on August 6, 2004, at 11:03:00
Is Xanax more powerful than Valium? Depends on whom you ask... Xanax tends to have more of an upbeat, "happy" feel to it for most; Valium seems to be more "mellowing"... a sort of "melt-into-your-chair" kind of relaxation. Obviously, these two drugs are better suited to different people in most cases.
As far as potency is concerned, however, Xanax certainly beats out Valium by a longshot. Milligram for milligram, Xanax is one of the most potent benzodiazepines available in the U.S. A 10mg dose of Valium generally possesses the anxiolytic properties of about 1mg Xanax. The other more well-known high-potency benzodiazepines would be Halcion, Klonopin and Rohypnol -- all about twenty times as potent as Valium (though Rohypnol is illegal in the U.S.).
Violet4EVR mentioned the addition of an SSRI to potentiate the effects of your Xanax, and it's not a bad idea, but let me suggest that you speak with your doctor about augmenting with nefazodone (the recently discontinued Serzone) or even grapefruit juice. Either of these can about double the peak plasma concentration of Xanax by inhibiting CYPIIIA4, the enzyme responsible for its degradation. My psychiatrist back in 2001 prescribed Serzone to me solely for this purpose (to avoid having to increase my Xanax dose of course, lol).
Best of luck!
~Michael
Posted by Fred23 on August 6, 2004, at 20:19:37
In reply to Re: Xanax vs. Valium...., posted by Ame Sans Vie on August 6, 2004, at 15:22:02
> Is Xanax more powerful than Valium? Depends on whom you ask... Xanax tends to have more of an upbeat, "happy" feel to it for most; Valium seems to be more "mellowing"... a sort of "melt-into-your-chair" kind of relaxation. Obviously, these two drugs are better suited to different people in most cases.
In these discussions I've been trying to inject the "how about Ativan" question, as it seems to be to in some ways preferable to either Xanax or Valium.
In other words, it simply has an anxiolytic effect with no buzz, so seems the "purest" of the lot.
Posted by Ame Sans Vie on August 6, 2004, at 23:05:14
In reply to Re: Xanax vs. Valium...., posted by Fred23 on August 6, 2004, at 20:19:37
> In these discussions I've been trying to inject the "how about Ativan" question, as it seems to be to in some ways preferable to either Xanax or Valium.
Yeah, it's definitely a good drug, but (once again) possesses some qualities which make it more effective for some than for others. For example, Ativan has well-documented anti-hostility effects and is used quite often in a hospital setting (usually along with Haldol) as an intramuscular injection to calm down hysterical and belligerent patients. The other side of the coin though is that many people find a distinct dulling of personality occurs when taking Ativan, which would be consistent with its anti-hostility properties. I personally don't respond at all to Ativan, even at doses exceeding 40 (yes, *forty*) milligrams in a single dose. Needless to say, I was quite a handful to try to placate during the three times I was institutionalized, lol. My first stay, they held me down and gave me a shot of haloperidol with 2mg lorazepam, saw I was still thrashing around and screaming an hour later and followed up with another shot of the same. Still nothing, lol. So they kept giving me shots of Ativan till they reached 12mg at which point they said, "screw it", and shot me up with Sodium Amytal.
Xanax and Klonopin, however, have been very good to me... can't say the same for Valium, though.
> In other words, it simply has an anxiolytic effect with no buzz, so seems the "purest" of the lot.Oh, I definitely wouldn't say that. I personally have five friends that are benzodiazepine "weekend warriors". That is, they get whatever they can get their hands on and use it to augment their nights out at the bars on Fridays and Saturdays. Their benzos of choice are Xanax (of course), Valium (ditto), and Ativan! Luckily Klonopin isn't on their list -- I have enough problems without friends begging me for my drugs <g>.
~Michael
Posted by Fred23 on August 7, 2004, at 0:55:32
In reply to Re: Xanax vs. Valium.... » Fred23, posted by Ame Sans Vie on August 6, 2004, at 23:05:14
> Yeah, it's definitely a good drug, but (once again) possesses some qualities which make it more effective for some than for others. For example, Ativan has well-documented anti-hostility effects
(Which may explain why I'm getting more mellow with my co-workers, then.)
> The other side of the coin though is that many people find a distinct dulling of personality occurs when taking Ativan, which would be consistent with its anti-hostility properties.
> Xanax and Klonopin, however, have been very good to me... can't say the same for Valium, though.
> I personally have five friends that are benzodiazepine "weekend warriors". That is, they get whatever they can get their hands on and use it to augment their nights out at the bars on Fridays and Saturdays. Their benzos of choice are Xanax (of course), Valium (ditto), and Ativan!
As I posted elsewhere, my perception of the difference between Xanax and Ativan is that Xanax gives some sort of separation from reality, like having had too much to drink that one is "out of it" while Ativan is like having had enough to drink where one is relaxed and fully and jovially participating in something.
But, each person does have their own unique reaction to each particular benzo. It seems that most of the discussions here pit Xanax against Klonopin or Valium, but less frequently against Ativan.
Posted by Ame Sans Vie on August 7, 2004, at 2:24:36
In reply to Re: Xanax vs. Valium.... » Ame Sans Vie, posted by Fred23 on August 7, 2004, at 0:55:32
> > Yeah, it's definitely a good drug, but (once again) possesses some qualities which make it more effective for some than for others. For example, Ativan has well-documented anti-hostility effects
>
> (Which may explain why I'm getting more mellow with my co-workers, then.)lol, yes, that very well could be.
> As I posted elsewhere, my perception of the difference between Xanax and Ativan is that Xanax gives some sort of separation from reality, like having had too much to drink that one is "out of it" while Ativan is like having had enough to drink where one is relaxed and fully and jovially participating in something.
I think that's certainly true, but usually only in the beginning of treatment. The pleasant, contented happiness associated with detachment from the 'real' world that alprazolam provides typically doesn't doesn't last long once a patient is stabilized on a certain dose for a few weeks or so. I'm led to speculate that lorazepam may exert a different type, quality or amount of effect upon the serotonergic and dopaminergic systems than alprazolam does. It's known that alprazolam, for example, causes increased serotonergic function in select areas of the brain, at select receptor subtypes. Lorazepam may be less precise... perhaps it induces a more widespread and/or less selective increase of 5-HT function, which in turn causes temporary downregulation of dopaminergic function to compensate. One possibility would be lorazepam causing increased activity to occur at 5-HT1a receptors (as buspirone [BuSpar] does) all the while diminishing the activity of dopamine at key receptors, such as D2, which are commonly implicated in paranoid and delusional disorders and are common targets of dopamine antagonists used to treat psychosis/hostility/mania. Anyway, such a combination of serotonin potentiation, dopamine downregulation, and benzodiazepine agonism could certainly lend itself nicely to a relaxing, jovial experience, as you put it. Of course this is nothing but an educated guess. I'm sure I'm wayyyy off, lol.
> But, each person does have their own unique reaction to each particular benzo. It seems that most of the discussions here pit Xanax against Klonopin or Valium, but less frequently against Ativan.
I just think Ativan isn't prescribed as often these days as it perhaps should be. I've seen well over a dozen psychiatrists and not one of them has ever recommended Ativan to me -- Tranxene, Serax, Halcion, Restoril, ProSom, Doral, Dalmane, Paxipam, Librium, Valium, Xanax, Klonopin, Lexotan and Mogadon... but never Ativan. The one time I did use it, it was prescribed per my request.
For many people, though I hate to pidgeonhole, it appears that lorazepam and diazepam are better suited to generalized anxiety disorder while alprazolam and clonazepam are generally more helpful with social phobia, agoraphobia, and panic disorder. And there is, of course, that subset population of the elderly and those with hepatic impairment for whom lorazepam is a very attractive option as it undergoes glucuronidation, bypassing the liver.
~Michael
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