Benzos Daily use of Xanax, switch to Diazepam or Klonopin

[Alexander16]

Hi all,

I've been on Xanax for chronic anxiety for 2 years, up until 3 months ago I was on .5mg-1mg daily, now at 2mg daily for the past month...Prior to going on 2mg daily I had been off xanax for 7 weeks and on Librium...Problem was it caused depression, but since being back on the xanax I've really noticed the "rollercoaster" effect (every 4-5 hours it wears off and I'm left extremely anxious).

I have used Diazepam in the past and found it great for calming me, found it very sedating though (15mg would put me to sleep easily). But I'm aware Valium is very similar to Librium (which actually did keep me on an even keel), it made me feel depressed after a few weeks of usage though and I couldn't get an erectuion on it (when using xanax or before using xanax I had a very high sex drive, no ED probs). If I were to cross over from 2mg xanax to 20mg Diazepam would I experience the same thing I did on the librium or would Klonopin be a better option, I've read Klonopin is similar to valium but doesn't tend to cause depression? By the ay, never experienced depression while on xanax or before using it...

Anyone got any advice?

 

[Alexander16]

I forgot to add that after 3-4 months on the .5 xanax it stopped working completely and my anxiety was sky high, never stopped taking it ecause of fear of W/Ds...but in hindsight even when anxiety wasn't on my mind and I felt great I was constantly "on edge", I'm thinking xanax actually worsened my anxiety while on it. I should also mention, I like to workout and run a lot, but while on Librium I noticed my breathing got very bad (1st week on librium I was taking 120mg for w/ds then 50mg/day afterwards. Would it be a wise decision to switch over to klonopin or valium?

 

[Lorne???]

Well 2mg alprazolam is equal to roughly 40mg diazepam and I doubt any doctor would give you such a high dose. But clonezapam and diazepam are really nothing alike aside from both being benzo's. IDK man, being sedated on 15mg Valium sounds unbelievable to me, but everybody's different, I suppose. But I can't give a good answer, it depends on what your looking for. But again, diazepam(Valium) is nothing like clonazepam, in fact clowns roam is actually more similar to alprazolam(Xanax) in terms of pharmacology...

 

[Alexander16]

It's odd, because I'd taken blue vals before and felt nothing from them, a friend gave me 2 strips of 5mg diaz and they really got me so relaxed/sedated...Also they'd last through most of the next day if i took them the night before...I'm prescribed 2mg xanax but try to take 1.5 most days, would an abrupt switch to 20mg Diaz be wise? What do you mean y clowns roam? Also are the muscle relaxant properties on clonazepam as strong as diaz, I'd like to be able to work out/run

 

[Burnt Offerings]

I am the same way, in regards to Valium. I've achieved sedative effects at doses as low as 10 mgs, it's awesome. Klonopin is more useful, though, and gives a nice anxiolytic effect without the stereotypical glassy-eyed benzo haze. And it just keeps going and going and going for this user. Sedative/muscle relaxant effects of Klonopin aren't as pronounced as Valium, at least for me.

Xanax is only useful for when I'm freakin' the fuck out and need something fast, which doesn't happen often for me fortunately.

 

[Alexander16]

Does Klonopin affect libido the same way valium does? I can't get it up at all while on Val, also is klonopin likely to make me depressed?

 

[Lorne???]

All benzos can exacerbate depression, some worse than others. But with clonazepam, well it is more likely to make you angry than depressed. It is known for paradoxical effects. But when taken PROPERLY, clonazepam tends to be less sedating than other benzos.

Clonazepam is a slow acting benzo, with a very long half-life, and fairly long duration of action(at least with chronic dosing, and or high doses). But my point, is it's hypnotic effects tend to be less pronounced than other benzos, but longer lasting. In conclusion, yes, I believe clonazepam would be less likely to mess with your libido.

I'd try clonazepam, it is a good, strong, long lasting benzodiazepine that tends to be reliable if your someone who needs to take benzos everyday. But it is not as good for acute use, you don't switch if you only take benzo's on an as-needed basis.

And the thing about the clown was a typo. What I meant is that clonazepam is more like alprazolam than anything else, in fact they are quite similar, but clonzepam is slower acting, with a longer duration of action, and much longer half-life. Clonazepam also tends to be less sedating.
But seriously, clonazepam and diazepam(Valium) are nothing alike, don't worry about that. Diazepam is super fast-acting, with a short duration; it is also mild, and quite sedating.(I was only suprised 15mg sedated you because you already on a high dose of Xanax) Clonazepam is slow acting, with a long duration of action, and it is highly potent( 1mg clonazepam=20mg diazepam) so they are worlds apart. And again, clonazepam SHOULD be less sedating. As far as depression, they're is no way to tell. Unfortunately that is a side effect of all of the benzodiazepines.

 

[phatass]

If I were to cross over from 2mg xanax to 20mg Diazepam

2mg xanax is closer to 40mg valium, if you are succeptible to depression from benzos maybe klonopin is a better idea yes.

 

[Alexander16]

Thanks for the replies Lorne...I've never experienced depression with Alprazolam, even at hight doses 4mg...With Diaz I noticed I'd feel down the next day after use and I got severly depressed while on Librium...I saw posts about Klonopin causing depression and that kinda scared me, but I feel taking Xanax 4x a day is just making things worse, constantly "watching the clock" for my next dose.

I was surprised too, I'd been given 100 5mg Diaz, but weird thing was the 10mg ones I'd tried before didn't ht me that hard as far as I can rememer, so maybe they were strong knockoffs.Would a straight switch from xanax to klon be safe or should I cross over slowly?

 

[Lorne???]

Yeah, Librium and Valium are both "classical" benzodiazepines, so it is not surprising they both had similar adverse effects(depression)

But you can switch from Xanax to clonazepam immediately. That is one reason why I suggested it. Alprazolam(Xanax) and clonazepam(Klonopin) are equipotent. That means that 1mg alprazolam=1mg clonazepam.

So you can literally switch from whatever dose of alprazolam you are on, to the exact same dose of clonazepam. But clonazepam lasts longer, so you will only need 2-3 doses per day.

In fact, if you want to really reduce adverse effects, I would suggest taking two (slightly) larger doses per day of clonazepam. 1.5-2mg, twice per day, will be plenty to control anxiety, with less adverse effects than taking 1-1.5mg 3x per day.(though YMMV)...

Good luck with the switch!

 

[thurston]

I just jerked off about an hr and a half after taking 1.5 mg of klonopin. Klonopin is great for my anxiety and does not leave me feeling drowsy, plus it lasts a long time.

 

[butcher22]

i take between 10 to 20mg of diazapam a day, sometimes more and it actually helped me start getting boners again. even while drinking as long as i dont get way too wasted. fucking lithium killed my sex drive and i would go soft in every pussy i was in if i could manage to get it up in the first place. was usually like trying to shove an oyster through a coin slot. with diazapam i am back to having a normally functioning wang and last longer too. to overcome the fatigue i force myself to work out, even if its just a little, or do something physically that i really dont want to do at all and that seems to help a lot with giving me more energy and less depression

 

[OntarioGuy]

but clonzepam is slower acting, with a longer duration of action, and much longer half-life. Clonazepam also tends to be less sedating.
But seriously, clonazepam and diazepam(Valium) are nothing alike, don't worry about that. Diazepam is super fast-acting, with a short duration; it is also mild, and quite sedating.(I was only suprised 15mg sedated you because you already on a high dose of Xanax) Clonazepam is slow acting, with a long duration of action, and it is highly potent( 1mg clonazepam=20mg diazepam) so they are worlds apart. And again, clonazepam SHOULD be less sedating. As far as depression, they're is no way to tell. Unfortunately that is a side effect of all of the benzodiazepines.

Actually diazepam lasts longer then clonaz. Clonaz ， has a half life of ~36 hours diazepam ~200 hours. And I think it's more sedating esp with long term use with it's metabolites temazepam and oxazepam building up

I just recently switched from a 8-10 mg per day xanax/clonaz habit to à one daily dose of 100 mgs of diazepam and it works for me....I spent 3 weeks in hospital for the transition tho

 

[Alexander16]

You found Clonoaz sedating? I don't want to be sedated all the time, xanax doesn't sedate me it just keeps me calm, ut valium puts me to sleep

 

[tricomb]

switch to diazepam, clonazepam is garbage.

 

[Rybee]

Diazepam every time. It's been tried and tested by millions of people, millions of times.

 

[Lorne???]

Actually diazepam lasts longer then clonaz. Clonaz ， has a half life of ~36 hours diazepam ~200 hours. And I think it's more sedating esp with long term use with it's metabolites temazepam and oxazepam building up

I just recently switched from a 8-10 mg per day xanax/clonaz habit to à one daily dose of 100 mgs of diazepam and it works for me....I spent 3 weeks in hospital for the transition tho

Well, 100mg is a huge dose, and it took 3 weeks to make the transition...

But I am tired of repeating myself. DIAZEPAM HAS A VERY SHORT DURATION OF ACTION. Shorter than Xanax, clonazepam, phenazepam, etc.

Anyone who's taken a regular dose will have realized this. Hell, I've taken over 100mgs, and it still lasted only 4-5h.

It's high lipid-solubility means that it is rapidly redistributed from the CNS to other body tissue. Granted, very large doses could likely last longer, by saturating other tissues, by my experience with large doses only slightly increased the duration.

But the bottom line, is that with benzo's, half-life is irrelevant to they're duration. Lorazepam lasts much longer than diazepam, or even alprazolam despite it's shorter half-life.

 

[Lorne???]

http://www.ccjm.org/content/57/Supplement/S-6.full.pdf

For anyone interested in the pharmacology of benzo's, read the above paper(don't worry, it isn't that long).

It summarizes the characteristics of 4 of the main benzo's(diazepam, clonazepam, lorazepam, and nitrazepam) and explains why diazepam has such a short duration(and rapid onset.)

It even provides binding affinities(!) for the 4 drug, which are quite hard to find. (BTW, clonazepam's (ki) value is (0.5), very high! That makes it the fentanyl of benzodiazepines. It's lipid solubility is also lower than all of the other benzo, explaining it's killer duration...)

 

[OntarioGuy]

Well, 100mg is a huge dose, and it took 3 weeks to make the transition...

But I am tired of repeating myself. DIAZEPAM HAS A VERY SHORT DURATION OF ACTION. Shorter than Xanax, clonazepam, phenazepam, etc.

Anyone who's taken a regular dose will have realized this. Hell, I've taken over 100mgs, and it still lasted only 4-5h.

It's high lipid-solubility means that it is rapidly redistributed from the CNS to other body tissue. Granted, very large doses could likely last longer, by saturating other tissues, by my experience with large doses only slightly increased the duration.

But the bottom line, is that with benzo's, half-life is irrelevant to they're duration. Lorazepam lasts much longer than diazepam, or even alprazolam despite it's shorter half-life.

I dunno man diazepam keeps me out of withdrawal 10 times as long as xanax and 3-4 times longer then clonazepam

 

[Lorne???]

Well to be fair, chronic administration is different than acute. My father was prescribed 50mg per day, but his doc was quite liberal about refills, so he took double that, and he said it held well.

But for me, even large doses didn't last that long, so it depends on the person...

(But I do know that the idea that diazepam lasts longer than clonazepam is silly, clonopin has every property in the world that gives it it's killer duration, not to mention an extremely high binding affinity...

Also, at VERY HIGH doses of diazepam, it's metabolite, not diazepam comes into play...(although it is just a partial agonist, still) )