switching from triazolam to alprazolam

[Colbert123]

I have a doctor appointment in a few days and I'm currently on .5 mg of triazolam at night, I have p.t.s.d and social anxiety. In the past I've been prescribed pretty high mgs of alprazolam, I'm not sure what to tell my current doctor that triazolam really helps me with sleep but xanax helps me get thru my day and feel some what normal. I know xanax is NOT a cure to my disorders but it is a helpful tool when I'm having panic attacks. I get them all the time and I need a way to put that to my doctor in where I don't seem like I'm "drug seeking". And advice would be great! And please no one tell me how dangerous and addictive benzos are I know I have been taking them for years.

 

[Keif' Richards]

The best part about your current situation is that you're not trying to lie or cheat the doctor in the first place and are taking your medications for a serious condition. This is great, as it means you don't have to manipulate/guide the doctor, you just have to tell him or her exactly how you feel, what has worked and what hasn't.

There's nothing wrong with saying "this worked. I want to keep doing it. I prefer A over B for the following reasons. etc." My advice is to keep it clinical. State your experience, outcomes and positives/negatives of each medication.

One issue that you may have now or in the near future is that triazolam (Halcion) is rarely prescribed, I believe for its abuse potential, which coincides with its fast and powerful effects. What this means is that you're doctor may try to move away from this medication if it's at all possible and put you on something less "abusable", like the alprazolam.

I say state your case, lay your cards on the table and be honest. Mention how when your medication works it has various positive effects on your life. Maybe you're happier because you get more sleep, you're most anxious in the evening and this has improved with treatment and so on. Good luck.

 

[Speed King]

Can you take a longer acting benzodiazepine like Clonazepam. Pretty strong and safe. Also, what about Ativan?

 

[Gaz_hmmmm]

If he's using a benzo' to get to sleep (Not stay a sleep!) then triazolam with it's short half-life is a good choice. Alprazolam would be too.

Clonazepam would be good for social-anxiety but too long lasting for sleep.

Colbert123 tell us what country you're in and that way we can find out what benzo's are used there and what's be best for your situation!

Do you use any substances recreationally?
This info' is'nt good when it comes to harm-reduction but I found NMDA receptor antagonist drugs ala Methoxetamine, Ketamine, PCP etc to be the best anti-anxiety drugs for my social anxiety.

You should look into them. Magnesium in the following salts citrate/sulphate (Mg Sulphate is Epsom Salts) and celeated Mg act on the NMDA receptor as an antagonist.
Obviously not as strong as Ketamine, Methoxetamine (MXE), Diphenidine, DXM etc but still it helps with regular depression, bi-polar depression, suicidal ideation, pain tolerance, muscle relaxation, deeper REM sleep and general well-being.

If you don't wanna pop pills or can't afford to supplement Mg (Epsom Salts are extremely cheap!) then drinking cocoa (Not hot chocolate but 100% cocoa powder!) helps as it contains alot of magnesium.

 

[Burnt Offerings]

I think it's interesting how similar the triazolam and alprazolam molecules are

 

[Speed King]

Temazepam is a nice sleeper

 

[What was it?]

Alprazolam is a triazolam-derivative. Both have a very, very bad withdrawal. Probably not a bad idea to go from triazolam to alprazolam initially as you might get some withdrawals if you go onto a different sleeping med immediately. Long-term you want to get off the benzos or at least down to something weaker like temazepam. By the way, alprazolam is not considered an hypnotic benzo per-see but could still do the trick. Other common benzos for insomnia are nitrazepam, flunitrazepam and the Z-drugs. To be honest, if you can get to sleep on diazepam it's probably the safest. It's a good all-rounder and easy to taper down off. But as always, get professional advice from a doctor!

By the way, triazolam really scared me the few times I used it and i did not find it in any way recreational compared to alprazolam (as far as benzos are recreational at all...). People do bad things on alprazolam, and worse things on triazolam. Same goes for the wds. Of all the benzos triazolam is hand-down the most evil. There's a report somewhere online that some people get intraday withdrawals and hallucinations within 2 weeks use. Not sure if you've ever experienced any intraday rebound effects OP?