hi everyone, i have been on greenstone alprazolam 2mg 4x daily for roughly 7-8 months, prior to that it was clonazepam 2mg 2x daily for roughly a year-a year and a half then switched to 3x daily for a month or two before being put on the alprazolam, all for severe panic disorder/GAD. when i first began the alprazolam i never needed to take all 8mg's a day if it was just a regular day with nothing that would make me feel uncomfortable and im fully aware that my tolerance has gone up but now i feel like at the very minimum i need 6 mg's just to get thru a normal day. I go see my dr mid next week, i was wondering if i should continue on what i have been doing as i have been getting by, some events needing much more than the 8mg's but not often, or if i should possibly switch back to clonazepam for a month or two then back to the alprazolam and maybe have a small tolerance drop? ask about a combination of both, which i personally think would be the best with the long and short acting combination, or even if anyone thinks switching generics would help? thank you for reading all responses are appreciated
-
OD Moderators: Keif’ Richards | negrogesic
Benzos switch generic xanax?
- Thread starter noodles32
- Start date
I have the same two disorders you do, and have found Valium (Diazepam) to be the most effect. You don't necessarily even have to take it everyday once your previous benzo tolerance comes down. It's very long acting which works great for general anxiety, and some of it's metabolites have a half life in the neighborhood of 300 hours, so it build in your system over time to a degree.
I've found that this build up helps prevent a lot of situations that otherwise would from turning into panic attacks.
I've found that this build up helps prevent a lot of situations that otherwise would from turning into panic attacks.
yes i have been put on valium a few years ago, i believe it was 40mg's a day which is very weak compared to the 8mg's of alprazolam im on now but i am aware of the very long half life so ill discuss this with my dr, smutty i have never read up on phenazepam, i thought i knew most benzo's, ill do my research thank you
sekio
Bluelight Crew
I was under the impression that short-acting benzos like alprazolam are not very suited for long-term (>3mos) therapy, except as a "breakthrough" medication. 6-8mg of alprazolam is a huge dose!
You should probably think about switching to a long(er)-acting benzo like clonazepam or diazepam. Maybe diazepam plus 2mg alprazolam for "breakthrough" anxiety?
Phenazepam is not prescribed, it is an illicit grey-market benzodiazepine that many use to self-medicate. It's similar to clonazepam in effects - long half-life and not notably recreational.
There are also other options for anxiety control you should talk to your doctor about, because they have much nicer side effect profiles than benzodiazepines do, like 5-ht1a partial agonists (buspirone, trazodone, nefadozone), pregabalin, beta-blockers (propranolol), clonidine, and tricyclics (imipramine). Sometimes even mild sedatives like Atarax (hydroxyzine) can help. Even some SSRI and SNRI antidepressants have shown efficacy in GAD.
Some people also find high-CBD marijuana to help with anxiety.
You should probably think about switching to a long(er)-acting benzo like clonazepam or diazepam. Maybe diazepam plus 2mg alprazolam for "breakthrough" anxiety?
Phenazepam is not prescribed, it is an illicit grey-market benzodiazepine that many use to self-medicate. It's similar to clonazepam in effects - long half-life and not notably recreational.
There are also other options for anxiety control you should talk to your doctor about, because they have much nicer side effect profiles than benzodiazepines do, like 5-ht1a partial agonists (buspirone, trazodone, nefadozone), pregabalin, beta-blockers (propranolol), clonidine, and tricyclics (imipramine). Sometimes even mild sedatives like Atarax (hydroxyzine) can help. Even some SSRI and SNRI antidepressants have shown efficacy in GAD.
Some people also find high-CBD marijuana to help with anxiety.
Psykoton
Bluelighter
I also have GAD and panic disorder, tried a lot of meds; benzos, antidepressants, Lyrica, well, almost every drug type except neuroleptics and lithium. The best so far, have been a combination of Lexapro (SSRI) plus Xanax, although in a much lower dose than you are taking, but we are all different.
Have you tried Xanax XR, by the way? They may provide a smoother effect, gives the alprazolam sort of an artificially prolonged half-life.
Have you tried Xanax XR, by the way? They may provide a smoother effect, gives the alprazolam sort of an artificially prolonged half-life.
i have taken clonazepam and it did help my anxiety and the longer half life was a huge benefit but it wouldnt be effective for me when i needed the more calm feeling i get from alprazolam whenever going into some situation I would feel anxious in. I dont want to be on such a high dose of alprazolam taking pills every couple hours but its been the most effective medication and i have been on countless, to some you have mentioned like buspirone, pregabalin, ive taken so many different SSRI's and the SNRI's cymbalta and effexor with no help. i do take propanolol 40mg's as needed and i find that to be very effective.
tricomb
Bluelight Crew
^Problem with Xanax XR is that it's only available as a brand name so it's $$$$
Jeez, 8mg of xanax is quite a bit... and I thought I was overprescribed at 12mg/day with unlimited PRN. 8)
I don't take them ever anywhere near this dose, I keep it under 2mg, usually 0.5-1mg.
You're taking a shitload of benzodiazepines, relying on that for your mental wellbeing is NOT going to turn out well.
PLEASE get some help, you are in dangerous territory. Switching to Klonopin and then back to Xanax is not going to help, the only thing that helps is not taking them everyday and nowhere near as high dosages as you've been taking.
Jeez, 8mg of xanax is quite a bit... and I thought I was overprescribed at 12mg/day with unlimited PRN. 8)
I don't take them ever anywhere near this dose, I keep it under 2mg, usually 0.5-1mg.
You're taking a shitload of benzodiazepines, relying on that for your mental wellbeing is NOT going to turn out well.
PLEASE get some help, you are in dangerous territory. Switching to Klonopin and then back to Xanax is not going to help, the only thing that helps is not taking them everyday and nowhere near as high dosages as you've been taking.
tricomb thanks for the concern, trust me i know im in a deep DEEP hole and to make it even worse im only 21. no im not some kid lying to my dr to get the prescription then abusing the drug this is something ive been dealing with since the age of 13, it has honestly turned my life around, things i would have never done for a million dollars im able to do, but of course with all the good comes the bad and im scared to death coming off this drug, when that times comes i want to do it as slow and hopefully as comfortable as it could be. do i want to come off of it now? my honest answer is no because out of the 50+ different drugs and different categories of drugs ive tried, this on top of the beta blocker propanolol have been the most effective, if i could find the answer to getting off or changing to a different less dangerous drug and still be able to live a functionable life not one prisoner to my home believe me when i say i would not think twice
lol smutty, no more phenaz your gonna black out and rob someone or do something stupid. As for noodles your best bet is to slowly start taking less until you take just enough to kill your anxiety, don't try to get a buzz at all. I know benzos feel like a god send while your on them, they do for everyone. But they take you no where in life, they are seriously the biggest illusion when it comes to getting a prescription. Best of luck man
half a gram in 3 days???
heard of another guy in a forum saying he was doing 30mg at a time and it was like nothing.....ive fried me benzo receptors
one lingering effect I'm feeling......stupidity and lack of communicating effectible
no loss of motor control, no sleepiness........im done with this shit after this batch.....biggest waste of <no price discussion> I've ever spent on the 2 g
ill try etiliozam
heard of another guy in a forum saying he was doing 30mg at a time and it was like nothing.....ive fried me benzo receptors
one lingering effect I'm feeling......stupidity and lack of communicating effectible
no loss of motor control, no sleepiness........im done with this shit after this batch.....biggest waste of <no price discussion> I've ever spent on the 2 g
ill try etiliozam
Last edited by a moderator:
I've been using Alprazolam ER (the generic for Xanax XR) for several months now. It is a little more expensive than Xanax IR or Klonopin, but it does come in generics, so the difference is not huge.
I switched from Klonopin and am very happy I did. Klonopin had too long of a half-life, so I ended up increasing my doses due to rebound anxiety (this is from taking it every day and same dose at the same time for several months - basically, as prescribed). At the time I knew that Xanax IR worked better for my symptoms, but was too powerful for all-day use (I used the IR in the evenings).
I find that Xanax XR is the perfect middle ground. It has a shorter half-life than the Klonopin, so you build tolerance more slowly. It is also more powerful and effective for anxiety than Klonopin. It is much smoother than the Xanax IR and you only need to take it twice a day to maintain the level that works for you.
Given your current dose (I would really try to decrease that), I would recommend trying to get Xanax XR (generic) 3mg twice a day + Xanax IR (generic) 2mg once a day if needed. Please try to decrease the dose though, as 8mg is very high. Even 6-7mg would be much better. Any reduction is good.
I switched from Klonopin and am very happy I did. Klonopin had too long of a half-life, so I ended up increasing my doses due to rebound anxiety (this is from taking it every day and same dose at the same time for several months - basically, as prescribed). At the time I knew that Xanax IR worked better for my symptoms, but was too powerful for all-day use (I used the IR in the evenings).
I find that Xanax XR is the perfect middle ground. It has a shorter half-life than the Klonopin, so you build tolerance more slowly. It is also more powerful and effective for anxiety than Klonopin. It is much smoother than the Xanax IR and you only need to take it twice a day to maintain the level that works for you.
Given your current dose (I would really try to decrease that), I would recommend trying to get Xanax XR (generic) 3mg twice a day + Xanax IR (generic) 2mg once a day if needed. Please try to decrease the dose though, as 8mg is very high. Even 6-7mg would be much better. Any reduction is good.