Posted by alan on August 21, 2002, at 22:54:44
In reply to benzo monotherapy-Advice please you benzo users!, posted by hildi on August 21, 2002, at 17:51:01
> I have been reading many posts about benzos and am interested in trying benzos alone-to give my body a much needed break from the AD's which give me too much increased anxiety and other cruddy feelings.
> I have major anxiety d/o and depression.
> Would xanax be the 'best' benzo for this, or would it really depend on the person? I have read posts that mentioned xanax as being one benzo with AD effects. And I have read other posts that mentioned klonopin causing increased depression for some. Is xanax really that 'special'?
>
> I am getting ativan and klonopin soon, would that be as good as xanax?
> I just tried valium and hated it!
> Hildi
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I had to go through a period dechiphering whether the depression or the anxiety was primary. After countless trials with 3 different docs, I finally told the one I'm with now "if you were always battling relentless anxiety, you'd be depressed too!".That's all he had to hear. I experimented with all of the bzd's until I found a combo that worked - Klon maintainence and ativan PRN (or xanax PRN if you wanted to try that instead of ativan).
The dosages fluctuate with the waxing and waning of my anxiety levels so if I get above 2 MG klon I get some of the depressed feeling from it. But that isn't that common. I then lower my klon dose and add ativan in along as part of the maintenence schedule and that seems to take away the hints of depression.
Anxiety definitely causes a hopelessness and depressed feeling - sometimes it takes awhile to figure out which one is driving which.
Alan
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bzds to try in mono or combination:
xanax and ativan - shorter half-life
klonopin and tranxene - longer half-lifeCombine a long (maintainence) with a short (PRN).
poster:alan
thread:117297
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020821/msgs/117335.html