![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by 1980Monroe on July 15, 2004, at 19:21:26
Just wanted to know
Posted by Rachel Terese on July 15, 2004, at 19:57:41
In reply to Ativan V.S Xanax, which is stronger?, posted by 1980Monroe on July 15, 2004, at 19:21:26
xanax works much better for me. i take it to fly and when i have panic attacks. ativan i used to take for sleep, but had to go up to klonopin because i developped a tolerancd to ativan really quickly. and i found that ativan wore off really quickly. what do you think?
Posted by 1980Monroe on July 15, 2004, at 20:43:37
In reply to Re: Ativan V.S Xanax, which is stronger?, posted by Rachel Terese on July 15, 2004, at 19:57:41
I dont know. What did Xanax feel like when it took effect compared to ativan? I have tooken Xanax before, but i had a ironic pardoc. effect of anxiety from it, felt very uncomfortable, but i have not taken Ativan.
I just wanted to know how xanax diffrs from ativan in effects.
Posted by Fred23 on July 15, 2004, at 21:26:40
In reply to Re: Ativan V.S Xanax, which is stronger?, posted by Rachel Terese on July 15, 2004, at 19:57:41
> ativan i used to take for sleep, but had to go up to klonopin because i developped a tolerancd to ativan really quickly. and i found that ativan wore off really quickly.
(The question I'm asking everyone, did you take name brand Ativan, or the generic lorazepam?)
And did the tolerance develop to just the sedative effect of the Ativan, or the anti-anxiety property, too?
Posted by JenStar on July 16, 2004, at 2:27:38
In reply to Ativan V.S Xanax, which is stronger?, posted by 1980Monroe on July 15, 2004, at 19:21:26
Here's my Ativan story, just for fun:
I was terrifed to fly and asked my doc for something to help; she prescribed Ativan. I took one tablet as we boarded the plane. It felt like nothing was happening, and I felt panicky, so I took another. Nothing welled up inside me except the crash fears, so I ordered a 4$ drink (even though the bottle clearly said NOT to drink while taking Ativan.)
After the 2 Ativans and the red wine and another red wine (bad, bad, bad), I felt: nauseous. Horribly, stomach-roilingly I-wish-I-had-followed-the-directions nauseous. It didn't help that there were messy storm clouds surrounding NJ and the plane had to circle over and over and over again.
But by the time we landed, I felt a heavy calm descend upon me, and I felt slow, like I was moving underwater. I was also very, very sleepy. The plane ride was fun, the bumps were neat (like a roller-coaster!) -- and why did we have to land, anyway, just when I was getting so comfy?
At a much later date I tried Xanax (for general anxiety, not for planes) and found it to be similar in effect to Ativan. My doc had told me it would work better for the anxiety I was feeling.
The moral of the story is that alcohol + ativan = nausea (for me, anyway.)
Good luck with your choice.
take care!
JenStar
> Just wanted to know
Posted by zeebop on July 16, 2004, at 2:46:32
In reply to Ativan V.S Xanax, which is stronger?, posted by 1980Monroe on July 15, 2004, at 19:21:26
> Just wanted to know
Hi,
I took both and I think the following :1mg Ativan= 0.5 mg Xanax.
Ativan better for sleep + no euphoria + has a stronger amnestic effects .
Xanax : a little stimulating + more euphoric + some mood -elevating effects.
Regards.
Posted by Sad Panda on July 16, 2004, at 10:31:38
In reply to Ativan V.S Xanax, which is stronger?, posted by 1980Monroe on July 15, 2004, at 19:21:26
What matters is which one is best for you :)
I like Temazepam or Oxazepam myself.
Cheers,
Panda.
Posted by Buckeye Fan on July 16, 2004, at 17:07:50
In reply to Re: Ativan V.S Xanax, which is stronger?, posted by JenStar on July 16, 2004, at 2:27:38
LOL!
Dear Jenstar,
I am laughing with you...not at you.
I think the only mistake YOU made was waiting too long to take your anti-anxiety medicine.I too tried.. (about 7 years ago) to mix my own "fear of flying" cure.
I think flying is probabley THE most fearful phobia I have ever experienced. It remains one of the biggest life challenges to me...and I admit I avoid it at all costs.( almost)
Well..to make a long story short...I was 14 hours away from home on Vacation....when I got a call, that I needed to return home for a funeral.I was stuck....
I couldnt Fly...and I was with a Golfing Buddy...and we had shared a car. ( It was 3 days early..and he didnt want to leave, nor was the deceased any relation to him.)
So......I decided to "fly home" that afternoon.At the time...the only medication I had tried was
.25mg of Xanax...as needed.So I began "popping" .25 xanax about 2 hours prior to my flight. Every 15 minutes..I would take another xanax, hoping the crushing anxiety I was feeling about flying would, abate.
Since it did not, to my satisfaction
..I did something I hadnt done before, nor since.
I began drinking alcohol at the airport bar...while popping xanax every 15 minutes.By the time I was in my seat, and the flight was ready..I felt no fear of flying. So thinking that "more is better"..I CONTINUED taking xanax and drinking those little bottles of alcohol on the plane prior and during take-off...along with a couple mixed drinks I ordered.
The last thing I remember before passing out was telling the young lady next to me how "pretty" the clouds were down below us~
I awoke after we landed as others were leaving the plane.
I stumbled to the baggage...somehow found my brother who was there to pick me up. From what he has told me, I was alternately yelling at him for parking so far away...and laughing at the fact that I had to come home early.I of course remember very little of the whole rest of the evening.
True story.....I am ashamed to say.
'Good flight tho....' (ha ha )
Buckeye Fan
Posted by Fred23 on July 16, 2004, at 18:21:29
In reply to Re: Ativan V.S Xanax, which is stronger?, posted by Buckeye Fan on July 16, 2004, at 17:07:50
Xanax peaks in 1 to 2 hours, while Ativan takes from 1 to 4 hours, per the charts.
My personal experience, as an Ativan beginner, is that it seems to really peak even later than that.
Posted by Fred23 on August 1, 2004, at 23:32:27
In reply to Re: Ativan V.S Xanax, which is stronger?, posted by 1980Monroe on July 15, 2004, at 20:43:37
> I just wanted to know how xanax diffrs from ativan in effects.
As others have stated here, individuals will have their own reactions to the various benzos, beyond what "the books" say.
My impressions of how they differ are that Xanax made me a bit aloof and distant, like having enough to drink to be too separated from reality, though relaxed enough to not be concerned about it.
Ativan is like having enough to drink to meaningfuly participate, and relaxed enough to perhaps be even more fully involved than if sober.
Xanax can create an artificial state of feeling good that can lead to being less motivated, vs. Ativan which just relieves anxiety, without interfering with motivation at all.
In other words, Xanax does "too much" in a way, while Ativan does "just enough," from my perception.
I am also finding that I need 1.75 mg/day of Ativan to do what 0.50 mg/day of Xanax did, but that the Ativan is preferable.
Posted by KarenRB53 on June 8, 2006, at 9:39:41
In reply to Re: Ativan V.S Xanax, which is stronger? » 1980Monroe, posted by Fred23 on August 1, 2004, at 23:32:27
I have a lot of anxiety so I definitely need a benzodiazepine however I don't have trouble sleeping so I'm wondering why the pdocs always say to take one at bedtime and then during the day. Would you get the full effect if just taken during the day and not at bedtime?
Thanks, Karen
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.