Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 690959

Shown: posts 1 to 13 of 13. This is the beginning of the thread.

 

WHICH MEDICINE IS LESS HABIT-FORMING?

Posted by Amandafran on October 1, 2006, at 21:45:58

I need to know what medicine is the least likely to be habit-forming that I could take for Panic attacks? I know normally Ativan and Xanax are usually given...I have taken Ativan for Anxiety and had to stop it because I became to dependant on it...any suggestions? Is Xanax less habit forming? I tried Buspar years ago for anxiety and it didnt work...Ive also tried clonopin...any help would be great. thanks! :) I have a doctor's appt. on Tuesday and wanted to have an idea of the meds I could talk to him about possibly being able to use.

AF

 

Re: WHICH MEDICINE IS LESS HABIT-FORMING? » Amandafran

Posted by Philip N. on October 1, 2006, at 22:04:23

In reply to WHICH MEDICINE IS LESS HABIT-FORMING?, posted by Amandafran on October 1, 2006, at 21:45:58

Hi AF.

If I'm not mistaken Xanax is the toughest one to get off from of the benzos.

 

Re: WHICH MEDICINE IS LESS HABIT-FORMING? » Philip N.

Posted by Phillipa on October 1, 2006, at 22:38:21

In reply to Re: WHICH MEDICINE IS LESS HABIT-FORMING? » Amandafran, posted by Philip N. on October 1, 2006, at 22:04:23

Maybe but I switched to long acting valium so no withdrawal. Love Phillipa

 

Re: WHICH MEDICINE IS LESS HABIT-FORMING?

Posted by Jost on October 1, 2006, at 23:29:45

In reply to WHICH MEDICINE IS LESS HABIT-FORMING?, posted by Amandafran on October 1, 2006, at 21:45:58

Xanax has the shortest half-life so is easier to get dependent (since you need to take more) and harder to go off (for the same reason, the drop in effect after stopping is more dramatic and abrupt).

Valium's main metabolite has a long half-life (approximately 96 hours, give or take, if I 'm not misremembering).

Klonopin is also a very long-acting drug, I think-- although I don't know any details on that.

But it's not that hard to handle xanax, as long as you stay below the range where addiction can set in.

Jost

 

Re: WHICH MEDICINE IS LESS HABIT-FORMING? » Amandafran

Posted by tensor on October 2, 2006, at 5:49:00

In reply to WHICH MEDICINE IS LESS HABIT-FORMING?, posted by Amandafran on October 1, 2006, at 21:45:58

Every benzo is habit-forming, do you want to take it on a regular basis or just as needed? I've tried a lot of benzos and my opinion is that clonazepam produces less or almost no euphoria, this is good if you just take it as needed. Also, i was tapering down from 2mg to 0.5mg and it took about 8 weeks, sure i had withdrawals but it was not that bad. I had to restart because the symptoms of my SP/GAD were re-emerging.

/Mattias

 

Re: WHICH MEDICINE IS LESS HABIT-FORMING?

Posted by Racer on October 2, 2006, at 18:01:43

In reply to WHICH MEDICINE IS LESS HABIT-FORMING?, posted by Amandafran on October 1, 2006, at 21:45:58

If you want to avoid habit forming meds, you might try a low dose of one of the newer antipsychotics. They are used a lot for that these days. Seroquel or Risperdal might be good, based on what I've read here.

For what it's worth, if the label "anti-psychotic" bothers you, most of the tranquilizers/sedatives we give horses (and some that we give cats) are actually anti-psychotics. I know the name can be a bother, but the drugs themselves are useful even without psychosis. ;-)

 

Re: WHICH MEDICINE IS LESS HABIT-FORMING? » Racer

Posted by yxibow on October 2, 2006, at 18:14:57

In reply to Re: WHICH MEDICINE IS LESS HABIT-FORMING?, posted by Racer on October 2, 2006, at 18:01:43

> If you want to avoid habit forming meds, you might try a low dose of one of the newer antipsychotics. They are used a lot for that these days. Seroquel or Risperdal might be good, based on what I've read here.

I wouldn't go any more than "low" on Risperdal -- a regular dose of Risperdal isn't that much different in intensity than its analogue Haldol. Seroquel is mostly harmless at a low (50-100mg) level, the chance of TD is there but miniscule.

Xanax is more habituating because of its "immediacy" effect on the body, it is more gratifying than Klonopin or Valium. There's nothing wrong with a medically valid level of Valium on the system as long as one is prepared to ramp up and down slowly on a benzodiazepine as needed. Cold turkey is not something to do. Valium has an average of 24+ hours of half life and Klonopin 16+ in the general population. Klonopin should really be dosed twice daily, Valium doesn't need to be, but it doesn't hurt. Xanax has to be dosed up to 4x a day and thus is best as a PRN (as needed) medication rather than an ongoing prescription.

> For what it's worth, if the label "anti-psychotic" bothers you, most of the tranquilizers/sedatives we give horses (and some that we give cats) are actually anti-psychotics. I know the name can be a bother, but the drugs themselves are useful even without psychosis. ;-)


Ketamine isn't an antipsychotic (horse tranquilizer, pediatric anaesthetic, and atrocious street drug K.) -- its in a class of dissociative anaesthetics and is a very nasty thing.

-- Jay

 

Re: WHICH MEDICINE IS LESS HABIT-FORMING? » yxibow

Posted by Phillipa on October 2, 2006, at 19:16:05

In reply to Re: WHICH MEDICINE IS LESS HABIT-FORMING? » Racer, posted by yxibow on October 2, 2006, at 18:14:57

I took xanax for years and it never ever was euphoric for me just relaxed me. I have a prn now for it. But usually don't take it. No desire too. So if it was euphoric wouldn't I want to? Love Phillipa

 

Re: WHICH MEDICINE IS LESS HABIT-FORMING? » Phillipa

Posted by yxibow on October 3, 2006, at 0:51:51

In reply to Re: WHICH MEDICINE IS LESS HABIT-FORMING? » yxibow, posted by Phillipa on October 2, 2006, at 19:16:05

> I took xanax for years and it never ever was euphoric for me just relaxed me. I have a prn now for it. But usually don't take it. No desire too. So if it was euphoric wouldn't I want to? Love Phillipa

For you maybe it wasn't euphoric. But then you have been taking Valium since it was out practically so you may have gotten cross-pollinated to benzodiazepines in general. And some people don't experience euphoria on one, but do on another. Generally though Xanax (and Ativan) are more euphoric and immediatly gratifying than other benzodiazepines.

For myself though, it doesn't bring great euphoria, but it is a more immediate PRN when I have a bad day with my visual disorder. In terms of benzodiazepine equivalency it is piffles compared to the Valium I take, but the uptake is faster, that's all.

 

Re: WHICH MEDICINE IS LESS HABIT-FORMING? » yxibow

Posted by Racer on October 3, 2006, at 12:34:48

In reply to Re: WHICH MEDICINE IS LESS HABIT-FORMING? » Racer, posted by yxibow on October 2, 2006, at 18:14:57

> >
> > For what it's worth, if the label "anti-psychotic" bothers you, most of the tranquilizers/sedatives we give horses (and some that we give cats) are actually anti-psychotics. I know the name can be a bother, but the drugs themselves are useful even without psychosis. ;-)
>
>
> Ketamine isn't an antipsychotic (horse tranquilizer, pediatric anaesthetic, and atrocious street drug K.) -- its in a class of dissociative anaesthetics and is a very nasty thing.
>
> -- Jay

My point was just that, even though they're called anti-psychotics in people, they're considered effective sedatives in other animals -- NOT that they're safe because they're used in other animals. Just trying to reduce the stigma of the label...

 

take anything that will lower caps (nm) » Amandafran

Posted by Franz on October 6, 2006, at 9:51:48

In reply to WHICH MEDICINE IS LESS HABIT-FORMING?, posted by Amandafran on October 1, 2006, at 21:45:58

 

haha! (nm) » Franz

Posted by tensor on October 6, 2006, at 11:39:32

In reply to take anything that will lower caps (nm) » Amandafran, posted by Franz on October 6, 2006, at 9:51:48

 

Re: WHICH MEDICINE IS LESS HABIT-FORMING?

Posted by tessellated on October 14, 2006, at 15:22:02

In reply to Re: WHICH MEDICINE IS LESS HABIT-FORMING? » Racer, posted by yxibow on October 2, 2006, at 18:14:57

I don't find infrequent use of benzo's problematic except on memory. makes me very forgetful of where i put my keys etc. additionally, they've been around so long that we know they don't cause many probs xcept tolerance, and addiction. i'm very suspicious of the hype behind seroquel, as well as all the anti-psychotic/neuroleptics. they all have been shown to have long term/chronic affects on the brain.

i would prefer the minor discomfort from a tapered benzo, than a lasting parkinson like disorder.

If anything here discussed is used only rarely its probably not a problem regardless.

> > If you want to avoid habit forming meds, you might try a low dose of one of the newer antipsychotics. They are used a lot for that these days. Seroquel or Risperdal might be good, based on what I've read here.

even 25mg of seroquel knocks me out for over 14hrs and kills any motivation. ruins the next day. depression. a good option for psychosis, but i think way overhyped.

> I wouldn't go any more than "low" on Risperdal -- a regular dose of Risperdal isn't that much different in intensity than its analogue Haldol. Seroquel is mostly harmless at a low (50-100mg) level, the chance of TD is there but miniscule.

i would only use these as a last resort.

> > For what it's worth, if the label "anti-psychotic" bothers you, most of the tranquilizers/sedatives we give horses (and some that we give cats) are actually anti-psychotics. I know the name can be a bother, but the drugs themselves are useful even without psychosis. ;-)

probably because they cant tell us how they feel, and they are given mainly to stop bothering the owners ie barking, etc.

> Ketamine isn't an antipsychotic (horse tranquilizer, pediatric anaesthetic, and atrocious street drug K.) -- its in a class of dissociative anaesthetics and is a very nasty thing.

Ketamine has been used sucessfully as a non respiratory sedating anesthetic. Its an incredably safe med for killing pain due to it's dissassociative effects on the body. the reason it's rarely used on humans is to to its psychedelic effects that freak people out, but at low doses its been used as an alternative to even elderly patients as a pain killer. It absolutely has strong affects on body image, temporal, and perceptual awareness, and has been used with varied sucess for depression, addiction, PTSD, at high doses which appear to induce a near death like experience. The illicit street use is dangerous because it puts the user into a "k-hole", a profound psychedelic near comatose state, which is often unexpected and therefore dangerous.
Banning its use on animals is unfortunate, because there are few other alternatives which are as short acting and safe for minor surgeries. and the animals can't complain about the psychelic affect.
8ted
>
> -- Jay


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