Posted by Else on July 25, 2001, at 18:17:43
In reply to Benzos, ADs, GAD, can this make one happy?, posted by kid_A on July 25, 2001, at 10:49:20
Benzos improve my mood much more than ADs do. That's mostly because the anxiety I feel makes me miserable. But benzos have the added advantage of not "numbing" me and making me indifferent to everything (the way Zoloft did ). I find that with SSRIs, your anxiety decreases because you just stop giving a s--- about everything. With benzos, you can still feel alive -- minus the anxiety. But I wouldn't compare them to alcohol. Alcohol produces a very noticable sense of euphoria when it kicks in. Benzos don't. It's virtually impossible for me to detect when these drugs start acting. They are very subtle and thus don't generate much euphoria. Of course if you're a very anxious person, seeing anxiety go away may well make you euphoric (it did for me anyway). But don't forget they can also cause depression the same way alcohol can. If you're feeling really low, they'll make you feel even worse. But if your mood is stable then I guess they can certainly improve it.
> Im taking a number of medications right now, primarily, Geodon, effexor (still at a low dose of 75mg), and xanax on an as needed basis.
>
> What I've found is that asside from the Geodon totally re-aranging my thinking, no longer do i sit and dwell on things and thrash and pace and have these feelings of intense anxiety that interfered with my ability to work... asside from that, the benzos relax me durring the day (sometimes, though not often) at night, and I feel functional and at times even carefree, happy... I don't necisarily feel entirely sedated, because I've been on them for long enough (I started out using them to control side effects, but now I use them as well to controll feelings of anxiety that still persist)... After dosing, I feel calmer (naturally), I even feel a little chipper... Is this normal...? Can benzos actually improve your mood?
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> When I was depressed pre-med, before I started my meds regimine I used to drink (still do some times, something Im looking into cutting down drasticly), and alcohol never made me that happy, I mean, at first I might be happy but by and by I would just be depressed...
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> I'm not talking about manic tendencies, but just a relaxed sense of well being, like I can manage the day with no problems... I know that xanax shouldnt be taken for every day stress, but I usually take it for stress that occurs that shouldnt be present, creeping anxiety that sometimes seems to threaten to spiral my day into a permanant bad mood until bedtime where i take a number of any different things to sleep...
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> Anyone else get 'happy' on benzos, rather than just anxiety-free?
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> ps. its possible the effexor could be having an effect on me too, but its at 75mg right now, so I have no idea, I definitely do notice the AD though... and the xanax is instantly recognisable 1/2 hour after dosing...
poster:Else
thread:71780
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010725/msgs/71814.html