Benzos Xanax XR vs Valium & Clonazepam?

[speedballs_over]

Those of you with clinical experience having been prescribed either valium or clonazepam for anxiety and who have also taken Xanax XR - how does Xanax XR rate? What would you say is an equivalent dose b/w X XR and Valium or clonazepam? How was your Xanax XR prescribed, once a day? Twice? Dose?

My psych is hesitant to switch me too Xanax XR from 20-mg valium, stating that an equivalent dose of Xanax XR (1-mg) wouldn't hold me. If that's true, and I could image it might be, what daily dose of Xanax XR would equate to ~25-mg Valium?

Thank you. Not asking for help to get high. I really need this info to make a decision in my own best interest, since my doc would prescribe it, but felt she was doing me a favor by simply upping my valium dose six milligrams. Kinda pissed me off as Valium is, i think, is exacerbating my mild depression to become moderate depression.

Since she already said she'd do it, but wanted me to try valium for two more weeks please don't read this as asking how to get drugs from a doc. I already "have it", just not in hand, and I may decide to stick with one of the others.

If only clonazolam was prescription so i could have my dose controlled... Having that myself to dose at will doesn't work well...

 

[Speed King]

You know the answer is opinionated as f***, right? I've had them all and I prefer Valium. The other ones are fine, but my preference is Valium, Clonazepam and then Xanax.!

 

[speedballs_over]

Yeah... 1000 different opinions for sure, gather enough and I can sort of get a rough idea. Thanks for the feedback.

My main concern now is that I feel valium may be exacerbating depression. . My psych kinda laughed off the depressing link until i reminded her it's been demonstrated clinically that valium can worsen depression while triazolo benzos have been shown to have anti-depressant properties. Then she backtracked and had to agree. Hence her willingness, but hesitation to prescribe. Maybe it's just the taper I've been on...?

I do best with Xanax, but like the idea of an XR formula.

 

[Ilove2nod]

My experience with all three of them is about like speed king posted. Valium>Clonazepam>Xanax XR. I have been prescribed valium and klonopin, but have only obtained Xanax xr from a friend. So ime I loved valium! It lasted the longest, or about as long as klonopin, but it also just made me so happy all damn day and night, 24/7, I was super stoked on life and all of the the things I had like my job, my car, a place to live... just basic stuff. It made me like 10x happier to have everything I did, thankful would be the right word. Not just that, but it obliterated any and all anxiety I had, and I loved the muscle relaxant properties to valium as well which is something klonopin and Xanax don't have. Also slept perfect every night as well. I didn't have a single bad thing to say about it, and wish so bad I could still be on it, but the current doc I see wont prescribe it.

So klonopin comes in a close second place to valium, it is almost somewhat like a Xanax xr in some ways, comes on slow, smooth, a bit subtle, and at this point after being on it for nearly 4 years with a script of valium in between instead for a year, I have become very tolerant to it. Recreationally its no where near as good as valium to me, but it still does a damn good job at keeping anxiety away and helping me sleep. I love it, and don't know what I would do with out it, it has helped me become so much more social and less anxious/nervous than I was before taking it in the past. It was the first benzo I had ever been scripted and while it worked a little better when I first got on it, I still feel its effects, they are just subtle, but they are there. Another thing I love about kpins is that they taste like a piece of candy, somewhat minty and sugary tasting! that is a plus for sure.

Now Xanax XR is a lot like regular IR Xanax, just comes on a little bit slower and lasts a little longer as you would expect from any XR med. Still not as long lasting as valium or kpin at all, but it is definitely more of a noticeable effect it gives off than at least klonopin, I think valium is still better. Think regular Xanax, but with less of a kick when it hits you and it kind of comes on in waves as it is released into your bloodstream, sort of like if you take an oxy ER, well at least an OC when they were still in the US, not sure if you ever took one before or not, but it is that same kind of release mechanism as the old OCs had when you just took them orally, but with Xanax instead, obviously. It is a nice benzo for sure, but tbh I still prefer my klonopin, as whenever I take Xanax I take it for the instant punchy effect it has, just for a little breakthrough anxiety relief or if I am running low on my kpins. Xanax XR to me at least is somewhere between IR Xanax and klonopin in the effect it gives, just a little stronger but shorter lasting still than klonopin even in its XR form. still a nice benzo though, beats the shit out of Ativan aka lorazepam, which I have no idea how that is even a schedule 4 narcotic.. its so weak to me it should be an OTC med, some people like Ativan though lol. Benzos will always be different from one another from person to person. while one person may love valium, they may also hate Xanax or while one person may love Ativan they may hate klonopin... and so on. everyone reacts very different to most benzos from what I have seen.

 

[Speed King]

See, now my turn. Ativan is not that bad, depending on the reason you need it. 2mg of Ativan are great for say a dental cleaning. They are good for boring anxiety, if that makes sense. I personally lost days on them on occasion. Another thing about the Xanax ER. It may be a little harder to kick.

Not a bad thread. Keep'em coming.