Benzos Before an exam

[aced126]

The last exam I took, I had a massive panic attack in which I almost fainted (probably because I had little breakfast), and was one of the worst experiences of my life. I have never had any of this before an exam before in my life. I honestly don't think I can deal with another one of these episodes. Also, no other drugs had been used for at least 2 months.

I was thinking if 2mg diazepam would be good to control this. I am aware all benzos impair logical decision making, but the impairments would be minute if at the threshold anxiolytic dose. I have experienced benzos a few times, before, 30mg made me wobbly and eventually put me to sleep, and 10mg caused anxiolysis but no impairment. What do you guys think?

 

[TheSacredTree]

Depends on if you think you can stay awake during the test, on a benzo.

A stimulant may be better for the test depending on how you react to them. If they make you hyper and jittery, stay away in this situation but if they calm you down and make you focus, maybe worth a shot.

 

[deos68]

you won't faint during a panic attack sure as hell feels like it though if feel that way it's because you are hyperventilating and your co2 level is dropping and you are taking in to much o2
try holding your breathe every so often

i wouldnt take the 2mg of valium right before maybe an hr or 2 before hand
just dont go overboard because it can and will make you miss the test all together by making you fall asleep ha
2.5mg to 5mg gives me a nice calmness that i can still function
30mg is a bit much most people will black out on that dose

 

[aced126]

Well, stimulants make me feel anxious, so I'm going to stay away from them. Surprisingly I didn't black out when I took 30mg; I remember all the events until I went to sleep around 3 hours after ingestion. Are you sure I won't faint? I have fainted before and the symptoms right before when I did faint were exactly the same this time. Using the logic that 2mg dosed tablets are sold, I'd guess that that dose would be ideal for anxiety but not cause too much cognitive hindrance.

 

[Scarfo]

If possible, I recommend seeing a doctor about your panic attack. If you have some underlying health issues, you'll want to get them addressed instead of masking them with a benzo.

If you go the benzo route, try a test run on a low dose. See if you can study and recall all the info you need to while on them. I strongly recommend that you don't take them on any kind of regular basis. A benzo habit is a bitch.

 

[aced126]

Thanks for the advice, I have read too many benzo addiction/WD stories to ever take benzos on a regular basis lol. Once the exam starts, the anxiety disappears though, so I literally just need something to get me through the ~1 hour period before the exam.

 

[deos68]

of course you'll pass out if you are taking in nothing but o2 and have no co2 left its rare but it can happen
the usual would be feeling dizzy and gasping for air
but if you have fainted before you need to get checked out for that asap
if you did in fact faint seems benzos are not the answer due to the severity which you have exp
maybe a SSRI or something would be a better route as benzos are short term and not long term
any benzs you will get some form of mem loss it's normal if you can experiment and see what works for you
keep any benzo intake to a min and not daily it wont cause you any harm

 

[aced126]

How would an SSRI help acutely? I heard they take a few weeks to start working, and what does modulating serotonin have to do with anxiety? Bear in mind I'm not depressed (actually very happy generally lol), and I very rarely get panic attacks in extreme circumstances only.

 

[aced126]

I read up about hyperventilation and actually that seems like the exact problem I have! All the symptoms listed occurred in me. Next time I get a panic attack (which will probably be a while anyway), I will try to hold my breath and see if it fixes the problem.

 

[deos68]

SSRI's are not only for depression they will calm down anxiety and panic attacks also
you feel like shit because your o2/co2 ratio is not balanced hell right now you can breathe in and out as fast as you can and bet you dont get dizzy
i have the same thing i got told by a doc 4 to 8 breaths a min is "normal" i sometimes take in 15 + breaths a min see the diff
i usually take a deep breath and hold it for 5 to 10 secs then let it out i do it a few times and usually calms me down