Hmmm. Yes, but certainly not in that order. Add nos 4, 5 & 6 as being lorazepam, bromazepam and triazolam.
I would certainly prefer to take alprazolam before ANY other benzo; its potency, the purer and far more pleasant, less heavily sedating effects are far more to my liking.
The cost of my Xanax script made me change to lorazepam 2.5mg qds; onset of action is roughly the same but lorazepam just doesn't have the pleasant feeling alprazolam gives.
Diazepam is far too sedating at far too low dosages to be of much interest to me, so that woukd certainly be the last in a 'preference' list. Valium brand has not been available here since about 1997 and the generics dispensed (Actavis and Teva for the greater part) are of much poorer quality than those from other EU countries - Terapia, Apaurin and the Abbott Roche-Licenced Valium brand from India feel far nicer and help my anxiety/panic symptoms better by far than any of the garbage dispensed in the UK.
Triazolam is superb at doses of over 0.75mg, but too addictive and 'moreish'; tolerance develops faster than almost every other on the list so I'd class it as an occasional treat.
Lexilium by Alkaloid of Macedonia is commonly found online, is licenced by Roche, should therefore be identical with LEXOTAN, but for some reason (as with Pfizer South Africa 2mg Xanax) is much more subjectively potent and pleasant than the same thing made elsewhere. A mystery.
I am prescribed, and have been now for over 10 years, clonazepam 2mg tds - but since Roche withdrew Rivotril in the UK (a consequence of directives issued to pharmacies to dispense the cheaoest available generics - thank the Lord that LONGTEC Oxycodone m/r are precisely the same tablets as branded Oxycontin; made on the same production line at the same factory, same imprint, everything except the different blister pack! - because Actavis RELTEBON and Lannacher OXYLAN, the only other generics available, are both complete duffers feeling around half the strength of OC/LONGTEC, and my docs seriously underestimate my pain levels forcing me to use Private Prescriptions online to top up my analgesia; I need rescue meds since OC lasts only 6 hours average, not the 12 as stated on the box. But I digress.
BRomazepam is not currently licenced in the UK, but I am able to get a 180 day supply whenever I take a bus to Continental Europe, bringing back a good mixture of 12 qnd 6mg tabs along with my Palfium (dextromoramide) which has been withdrawn in Ireland now so I must go to Netherlands for my supplies. Bromazepam, my average dose being c.24-30mg, gives Very similar anxiolysis to diazepam (ie larger doses required, but being much less sedating, more like medazepam than diazepam, that ancient and relatively rough drug). I think the reason diazepam is so popular in Scotland is that doctors here use it as the first benzodiazepine they think of, maybe because of the long half life, disregarding the dreadfully high sedation levels - something your average Scottish pillhead prefers to a better and more pleasant BZD effect, of which alprazolam, in my opinion, has no equal. We can only get branded Xanax here, no generics at all, but only up to 0.5mg strength, forcing me to use my Belgian pharmacy, where 2mg bars are cheaper than 0.5 'UPJOHN 55' pills are here!
I missed out the information re my prescribed clonazepam. The generic has serious bioavailability problems compared with Roche branded Rivotril, so I make sure that I always have a supply from Roche dispensed in the Low Countries to hand. If left with only the Auden McKenzie generic, I would be needing 8 - 10mg daily instead of 6mg. It is by far the best BZD or, in fact, any tyoe of drug, on the market which has a preventative effect for panic attack as well as epilepsy. Xanax is the perfect drug for acute anxiety attacks, but the recommended treatment given in the BNF to doctors is lorazepam 4 or 5mg IV.
So I'll finish up by saying that clinically, alprazolam is without doubt the best, followed by clonazepam and bromazepam; recreationally, alprazolam comes second to triazolam in high dosage, and I will stick out my neck by saying that the Terapia (formerly the Romanian State Pharmacy company, now owned by Ranbaxy but still as superb in quality as ever) brand of diazepam comes third.
Inasmuch as the word 'euphoria' can be applied to BZDs, alprazolam wins by a distance, and flutoprazepam or triazolam come next. Flutoprazepam can now be had only from Japan, branded RESTAS (1 & 2mg available). Come to think of it, prazepam itself (Lysanxia, Centrax) isn't too bad either!
If we want to talk 'zombies', I have seen enough to convince me that the average Scottish diazepam user, whose average dosage is in excess of 100-150mg, is the personification of such!
Older thread, yes. But I want to share my .02 on the 3.
My favorites in order,
1. Diazepam
2. Clonazepam
3. Alprazolam
Diazepam is the most complete benzo IMO.
With the longest half life, best muscle relaxing properties, mood lift, and euphoria, Diazepam has it all.
It also doesn't make you Zombie like like Alprazolam and Clonazepam do in higher doses.
Since 0.5mg Clonazepam = 0.5mg Alprazolam = 10mg Diazepam,
There's no comparison there. I don't see ANYONE picking 2mg of Clonazepam or Alprazolam over 40mg Diazepam for recreational purposes.
I also don't see anyone picking 0.5mg of Clonazepam or Alprazolam over 10mg Diazepam for theraputic purposes.
I know they're all Rx'd for different things, but they're also all Rx'd for the same thing also, Anxiety.
The value of Diazepam out weighs both Alprazolam and Clonazepam.
Esp when Alprazolam and Clonazepam are supposedly 4x more potent than Diazepam.
But that's stupid because there is NO WAY I'm going to choose 2mg of Clonazepam or Alprazolam over 40mg Diazepam.
