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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
[email protected]Shown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by male34 on March 11, 2003, at 10:14:34
im on 10 mgs lex<6 week,still anxiety,doc says go on (benzo) diazapam 2 to 5 mg twice a day ,my ?? does the sleepy feeling wear off like a side effect goes away? and also has anyone had success with a benzo (im on diazapam) with anti-anxiety ,and panic going away? can i take diazapm (benzo) long term? if it works on anxiety im hoping?.feedback please my friends thanks! good luck 2-all
Posted by bluedog on March 11, 2003, at 11:02:48
In reply to Benzo(diaz) help,please, posted by male34 on March 11, 2003, at 10:14:34
I'm on 20mg Lovan (generic Prozac) and also take Diazepam every day. Personally I can say that I initially experienced some drowsiness, lethargy and minor problems with my concentration but these side effects did go away (I might add that I had pretty similar side effects when I first went onto AD meds). The Diazepam still works great on my anxiety though. I've been on Diazepam for over 6 months now and, other than the initial "break-in" period, have not had any side effect problems at all. My Pdoc (and I agree with him) thinks it's perfectly OK to be on Diazepam long term but be warned....there are posters here at PB who will vehemently oppose the use of Benzos under ANY circumstances. Just remember that ultimately the choice is yours and no-one can decide for you whether or not to take Diazepam on a long term basis.
I can take up to 30-40 mg Diazepam spread out over the course of the day and feel perfectly normal, though generally I only take about 15-20mg per day on a regular basis. (I reserve the higher doses for crisis situations).
You do have to build up your tolerance to the Diazepam slowly though. If your Doc put you straight onto 10mg per day without first building up your dose I'm not surprised you feel sleepy and lethargic.
Also are you sure it's not the Lex which is causing you the sleepiness rather than the Diazepam?
Good Luck
bluedog
Posted by Jaynee on March 11, 2003, at 14:14:58
In reply to Benzo(diaz) help,please, posted by male34 on March 11, 2003, at 10:14:34
Where are you? If you are in the States, Xanax Extended Release has been approved for use. Of course Xanax is the best for panic. Xanax XR is supposed to be easier to get off of than just Xanax, and doesn't cause the same sedation that Xanax causes. Of course time will only tell.
I find just a little bit of ativan works good for me. But when I am in an extreme anxious panic type mode, I have to take shit loads of ativan, plus I have to really practice the CBT, meditation, and everything else in my arsenal.
Some people like Neurotin, I have yet to get the courage to it.
Good luck, and let me know if you find the magic bullet.
Posted by zeliva on March 11, 2003, at 15:21:45
In reply to Re: Benzo(diaz) help,please, posted by Jaynee on March 11, 2003, at 14:14:58
What about busbar? I also take Xanex but very rarely and only 0.25 mg. I do know a lot of people who take it for anxiety and SP. It takes a while to work. It does sound like you take a lot of benzos. I know they are a bitch to get off of. Good luck. Also my Prozac gave me really bad anxiety the first twi months that is why I had the Xanex.
Posted by viridis on March 12, 2003, at 0:55:11
In reply to Re: Benzo(diaz) help,please, posted by zeliva on March 11, 2003, at 15:21:45
I'm biased toward Klonopin; it took about 1-2 weeks to get over the mild sedation etc. but now it works extremely well with no side effects. I also use Xanax occasionally, and it's very effective; I find it "stronger". I don't like diazepam (Valium) at all -- it makes me feel too drugged out. But we're all different.
And, if Neurontin can produce sustained anxiety reduction, I'd say go for it. You can easily mix it with benzos. I find it extremely mild (and it did help with anxiety for me very briefly), but the effects didn't last. Some others do well with it, though, and it's a very safe drug that's easy to get.
Posted by bluedog on March 12, 2003, at 4:09:06
In reply to Re: Benzo(diaz) help,please, posted by viridis on March 12, 2003, at 0:55:11
> I'm biased toward Klonopin; it took about 1-2 weeks to get over the mild sedation etc. but now it works extremely well with no side effects. I also use Xanax occasionally, and it's very effective; I find it "stronger". I don't like diazepam (Valium) at all -- it makes me feel too drugged out. But we're all different.
>
> And, if Neurontin can produce sustained anxiety reduction, I'd say go for it. You can easily mix it with benzos. I find it extremely mild (and it did help with anxiety for me very briefly), but the effects didn't last. Some others do well with it, though, and it's a very safe drug that's easy to get.HI Viridis
I'd love to give Klonopin a trial to compare the effects to my Valium but my Pdoc prefers to prescribe Valium for me. I live in Australia and there are apparently MUCH stricter rules, regulations and laws regarding the prescription of Klonopin than there are for Valium. This is why he chose to put me on Valium rather than Klonopin. There must be some social/political reasons for the stronger controls on Klonopin that probably have absoluteley no relationship to common sense.
Though the research on SP and anxiety seems to suggest that there would be no reason why Valium wouldn't be as effective as Klonopin for SP. Though as you say each individual reacts slightly differently to different medications.
regards
bluedog
Posted by viridis on March 12, 2003, at 22:25:38
In reply to Re: Diazepam versus Clonazepam » viridis, posted by bluedog on March 12, 2003, at 4:09:06
If Valium works, I'd stick with it. I may not have given it an adequate chance, but years ago when I used it, I always felt 'drunk" (in only the negative ways). Klonopin provides much greater clarity for me. But this is extremely individual-specific.
I don't know why Klonopin is so tightly regulated in Australia; I can't imagine anyone trying to abuse it, and pdocs here seem to consider it the "safest" benzo. But then, as you say, there seems to be little common sense when it comes to benzos.
Posted by Jack Smith on March 13, 2003, at 13:02:01
In reply to Re: Diazepam versus Clonazepam, posted by viridis on March 12, 2003, at 22:25:38
> But then, as you say, there seems to be little common sense when it comes to benzos.
There is pretty much no common sense when it comes to benzos. I can confidently say that benzos are hands down the BEST psychotropic class of drugs ever invented. They almost always work for their indication, at least in the short term (e.g. how often do you hear someone say that xanax had no effect on them?). Their safety has been proven beyond a doubt. Overdose on them rarely leads to long-term health problems.
Yet there are an astounding number of docs, even pdocs, who would prefer to prescribe classical antipsychotics for long-term use rather than Klonopin. Very weird. I wonder if Dr. Bob has any opinion on this?? Though, the chances of him answering are nil.
JACK
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