All of this is based off of my opinions, some facts, and some experiences, so take it as you will. Out of the four big Benzo drugs, their half life ranks as following from shortest to longest (IIRC): Alprazolam/Xanax, Lorazepam/Ativan, Diazepam/Valium, Clonazepam/Klonopin. Obviously there are other benzos but those really are the big four used in common psychiatry for anxiety disorders. Likely your Dr. is opposing switching you over because the shorter the half-life, the more addictive the drug is as it metabolises faster and thus exits your system leaving you wanting more, which can also make it easier to abuse/misuse the medicine. That, and Benzos are getting a lot of flack lately, as I noted in my thread, mainly because people are taking them on top of other CNS depressants (usually opiates and alcohol) and are falling out left and right. I have been prescribed to all of these before, and unless you have really bad sudden onset panic attacks, you are better off with a longer lasting benzo. If you have generalized anxiety and you feel like the Valium isn't cutting it, I would talk to your doctor about going on Clonazepam, and I would be really surprised if your Dr. turned that down considering it is widely seen as the safest Benzo on the market. I found it to to be the most useful for general anxiety as it's long half-life stays your system for like a day actively or so, so there aren't as many, if any, ups and downs like you would get from drugs like Xanax and Ativan. It is just a steady stream of relief. Despite it's long half-life, Clonazepam is one of the more potent benzos out there, I believe it has a 1:1 ratio with Xanax, the potency is just spread out more. If your Doc is stuck on Valium or some reason you can always try a new doc, and while Ativan may be okay, still be careful, I have seen so many people spin out on short acting benzos like Xanax and Ativan just after a couple of months. Granted, that can happen with any of them, as they are all extremely addictive to the point that sudden withdrawal can kill you. Good luck, I managed to switch from 20mg of Valium a day to 2mg of Clonazepam a day and since then I have noticed a world of difference in terms of anxiety relief.
