Posted by 3 Beer Effect on June 20, 2002, at 14:52:21
In reply to Klonopin or Xanax for Social Anxiety??, posted by BobS. on June 19, 2002, at 19:41:30
Klonopin has been proven to be effective for social anxiety at doses of 2-4 mg per day (in adults), split into 3 doses/day. Several double-blind clinical trials showed a long term improvement rate of up to 85% and it is said the only thing more effacious for social phobia is the much more dangerous MAOI anti-depressant Nardil. A study on Xanax showed significantly less improvement, especially in the long term.
My own experience has been than Klonopin is not quite as good for Social Phobia as those studies would indicate since it kind of gives you a 'blah' dull feeling. It gets rid of anxiety around others but does not necessarily make you more outgoing (as does alcohol). It seems to work best for social phobia for me when taken with low doses of the psychostimulant/ADD medication Dexedrine/Dextrostat 5-10 mg 2x per day, but it seems as though the Dexedrine is doing most of the work in helping with (my) social phobia. Higher doses of Dexedrine/Dextrostat such as 10 or 20 mg 2x per day are better for ADD than for social phobia. Adderall tends to cause more anxiety than Dexedrine/Dextrostat & Ritalin generally doesn't help at all with social phobia or makes it worse.
Xanax & Valium have been the 'problem children' of benzodiazepines because they are subject to much more abuse than Ativan & especially Klonopin. Xanax & Valium have a rapid onset & peak of action, & short half lifes which tends to make them more desirable as drugs of abuse than drugs with a slow onset of action, long time to peak effect, & long half life such as Klonopin & to a lesser extent Ativan.
In contrast to Xanax & Valium, Klonopin seems to cause no euphoria. Ativan may also be a good choice, although some think it is slightly more addictive than Klonopin.If you are worried about potential abuse of these medications you might want to put them away somewhere & give your teenage sons their daily dose either the night before or the morning of, each day they are taking them. Being curious teenagers, I would be worried that they would escalate the dose or overdose if they had full access to a month's supply of benzodiazpine pills, which could cause disinhibition, incoordination, & loss of rational thinking which might get them in trouble at school or if they are of driving age, a DUI or traffic accident.
3 Beers........
poster:3 Beer Effect
thread:110299
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020617/msgs/110341.html