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  • BDD Moderators: Keif’ Richards | negrogesic

What The Best Benzo for social anxiety?

OP I agree clonazepam. It's in a league of its own on par with Xanax in terms of strength (much more subtle as it kicks in but has the strength) and half life 24 hours. Your problem is your dose is pretty low see if you can up it to 1mg or better yet 2mg. Ask your doc and really push for the larger dose based on the fact you can just take 1 2mg and be set for the day no redosing. If you don't wanna go that high (cos only place from that is down) you will find 1mg to be an absolute life saver for chronic anxiety and agoraphobia. I'm not a ppl person, some clonaz and Im socialising like a boss
 
I would advise against Alprazolam if anything. The short duration makes it kind of dangerous to use for social anxiety. Since on a day to day basis you are probably running into a varying number of social events in your life. Clonazepam is better suited, take it in the AM and it should get you through most the day. The Alprazolam will not and you will find a need to keep redosing throughout the day, which will jack up tolerance much quicker and leave you wanting to dose more and more as it becomes less effective.

The .25 mg is a small dose, no doubt. Obviously the doctor is quite hesitant to prescribe you into dependence on a heavy dose of benzo.
 
Okay, why not try something like Cymbalta? It's used for certain forms of pain but is also an anxiolytic. I know of a few people who it really helped and they did not feel drugged at all.

Just my $4
 
There are many possible answers to this question.

Unfortunately, we can't really help you out all that much if you don't give us more info. First thing is first; is clonazepam the first drug you've tried for anxiety? If so, I very much recommend that you take something else. While Benzodiazepines are some of the most effective drugs in existence for anxiety - they're not sustainable in the long-term (due to tolerance) and a lot of people end up chasing that original, nice and relaxing, anxiolytic feeling. Although, now that I just thought about it - the title implies that you know about benzodiazepines and their risks. Again, they have benefits, especially for quick, sudden, immediate attacks of anxiety (panic attacks being one of them).

Anyways, to get to your real question - all benzo's are effective for anxiety. There really is no "one" benzodiazepines that's the best. There are ones that are more powerful, but more powerful isn't necessarily the best option. For instance, I could choose to be prescribed something much stronger than Ativan (Lorazepam) for anxiety. Probably a high dose of Klonopin or Xanax, however, Ativan (while it the one of the lesser benzos, and only gives me 50% of the anxiolytic effects of Valium or Xanax) I still opt over those for my sudden anxiety due to the fact that it seems to have the least amount of side-effects.

If I have a sudden attack of anxiety during the day - most of the time, I need to be able to get over that anxiety and get back to my life. Any other benzodiazepine would make me too sleepy to work during the day and I would no longer be able to function correctly if I took it. Ativan, while less power and not quite as anxiolytic, kills a lot of my anxiety and still allows me to feel mostly alert and awake. Any other benzo is going to make me look drugged and feel drugged. Especially since I work retail; their's no way I could take something like Xanax at work. I'd get fired instantly.

So all that is something to think about.
 
OP, the above posters are telling you the truth; benzodiazepines arent sustainable longterm and will lead to worse anxiety problems.
People think they should live life with no anxiety or stress but a ttle anxiety and stress can be a good motivating force if focussed correctly and not aloud ti run rampant over your life.
Simply put OP, you need to learn other ways to cope with your anxiety that doesnt involve benzos. If you need daily anxiety meds then I would look into pregabalin, its a fantasic tool.
 
Yeah you may be more inclined to talk to people, but you will also make a fool out of yourself being fucked up on benzo's. Not to mention, all the other shit that comes with taking that drug longer term.
 
Everyone is correct. Long-term, continued, everyday usage of Benzodiazepines will just cause more problems for anxiety in the long-run. They are best used short-term.

You can take them long-term and still have them be effective, however, if you don't take them everyday. For instance, I've been prescribed Ativan just short of two-years now. I'm prescribed it for panic attacks and I can take it up to 3 times a day if I want to. But I don't.

I don't take it everyday. On an average, I'll take it, usually 5 times a month and always in rapid succession. Take one, then another one the next day. Then two week later I'll take it three days in a row. But never for more than 5 days at a time.

I've managed to ward off phsyical addiction by doing this, and while I have a bit high anxiety than I would if I took it everyday, 3 times a day - I'm still functioning and anxiety isn't running my life.

So if you take benzo's on a schedule like the above, then long-term negative side effects won't be severe.

However, Unless you're getting these from a doctor, more than likely, you're gonna end up taking them everyday and fall into a horrible addiction.
 
tbh they all work just fine for me, diazepam is slightly superior but they all work well for social anxiety.
 
If you want something that's easy to get, legal, and can be taken at the moment of your anxiety, i would recommend Kava. And, if you make it in a coffee blend, you can just keep it in a thermos and drink it anywhere. I used to have really bad social anxiety too until i started drinking this. And there's no withdrawal like the benzos you're asking about so that's a plus too.
 
Benzos are a legal crutch, but a dangerous drug nonetheless. It's so easy to rely on them and on generous docs.

But once you build a tolerance to them, ie no more effects, better stop taking the pill and leave the tolerance go back down - better than upping the dose and getting into addiction. These pills are so tempting...
 
Bluesbreaker said:
Benzos are a legal crutch, but a dangerous drug nonetheless. It's so easy to rely on them and on generous docs.

But once you build a tolerance to them, ie no more effects, better stop taking the pill and leave the tolerance go back down - better than upping the dose and getting into addiction. These pills are so tempting...
Click to expand...

And that's why i say kava. I love the benzos just as much as the next person, but when it comes to safety, legality, and ease of use, there really is nothing better than a nice kava colada in a coconut cup with your friends on the beach. Plus, it's one of the only drugs you can get a reverse tolerance to so the more you drink it, the stronger the effects get.
 
use benzos only 2 or 3 times a week appear tolerance to the drug?
 
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duffboy said:
I do not need to take benzos every day. in fact at most a 2.3 times, will be taking q thus appears equal tolerance? q will be taking benzos have much trouble one day and the others drink alcohol?
Click to expand...


Im sorry? Can you translate that into something that makes sense.lol
 
in my opinion, xanax and ativan. i notice no help from most others even if i litereally eat a handful of Valium. 20 of more of them seem to have no effect. ativan is about half the strength of xanax but has a similar feel and works well. i'm also no fan of klonopin at all, but it beats valiums anyday... hope this helps.
 
I hate recommending xanax (alprazolam) for anything due to it's high physical and psychological addiction potential, but sadly I do have to say the quickest and most effective benzo for social anxiety is indeed alprazolam in absolutely ALL of my experience. I'm more talkative to anyone while on it, am able to be in crowds, and not afraid to speak. Klonopin just doesn't have that effect for me, Ativan has only ever been a stopper of panic or light sedative, and valium just makes me physically relaxed and laugh. I could see Valium/diazepam having good social anxiety benefits as well, but it's duration of those (strong enough) effects may not be as good as xanax, even though valium is long-acting. Social anxiety relief for me tends to need a good kick of something (very similar to how one feels after a few shots of alcohol or a few beers, their social anxiety has lifted) and xanax just simply kicks harder than valium. YMMV, good luck.
 
Do certain benzos have harsher withdrawals than others? Or does it just depend on the potency of your dose.
 
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