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Re: How sedating are benzo's? » Carlos

Posted by Thrud on March 18, 2002, at 16:48:53

In reply to How sedating are benzo's?, posted by Carlos on March 18, 2002, at 14:58:29

Hi Carlos,

There are a lot of benzos out there and each of them different. Some of them are so sedating they are used as sleeping pills or even short acting anaesthesia.

In the treatment of strong anxiety, generally only the "big three" benzos are considered: Klonopin, Xanax and Ativan.

I am currently taking 3mg/day of Xanax and have not taken the other two. For the first couple of weeks maybe it was sedating, but then it went away completely. I don't think I get any sedation at all from Xanax now.

As for Klonopin, generally I have not heard many complaints about sedation or anything else except dependence. You must remember that taking up benzos is somewhat like taking up smoking in that when you are ready to give up you must taper your dose SLOWLY. Your doctor will know this.

As for your other medications, I found all the SSRIs and similar ones to be very sedating, much much more than Xanax. For that reason and others I gave them up on favor of Lamictal, an anticonvulsant and mood stabilizer. It gives me energy (after an initial period of sedation), helps with depression a bit but doesn't help with anxiety at all (so I take Xanax for that). You may want to discuss this option with your doctor. As for compatability of your current medication and benzos, you'd have to ask your doctor.

I was on the SSRIs for over 10 years and even though I exercised a lot I could never get rid of the fatigue either. Keep Lamictal in mind. There are quite a few posts about it on this board and you'll get an idea of the pros and cons.

Good luck.

Thrud


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