Are Valium or Xanax the best for anxiety disorders?
Question posted by Todd Hanna on 19 June 2009
Last updated on 31 January 2013
This question has also been asked and answered here: Valium vs Xanax: Which is better?
22 Answers Page 2
valium been on xanax 3yrs off now bad withdrawls i mean bad valium lasts longer than xanax just be prepared for ur doc to one day take u off because these arent longterm med
I have taken Xanax, however, after the third day, I made a doctor appointment, I lost almost an entire day like I had a bad case of amnesia!I was prescribed .5 mg two tablets three times a day, but after what happened to me I'll never take xanax again, that really scared the heck out of me. I quit the xanax and I've been on Valium 10mg as needed three times a day. I've had very few occasions where I found the need to use it three times a day, I take one at bedtime for anxiety, and my muscle spasms. When I've had the need to use valium during the day, I found that I had total relief from my anxiety, and then I only took a half of it, 5mg. it lasted all through the day, where the xanax made me dizzy within a 1/2 hour and then it just stopped working, until the third day, where I don't remember what even happened. Albeit, we all have our own metabolisms that process this drug too. I have found complete relief with the Valium. Good Luck, I hope you find what helps you best.
yes, xanax definately creates partial amnesia
Hi midwestma, There was a post the other day from jk13, he was asking what he should choose for an anti anxiety med. He had it down to valium or klononipn. I answered that I was happy to see that he was leaning away from the xanax, because despite what someone said, it does cause a "high" and it does take away your memory for a certain amount of time. I couldn't get my point across, and it may very well be that the person who said she never got a "high" from xanax, but for all the people I know who have been on the "benzo merry-go-round, xanax came up as 1) being the shortest acting med. 2) making people feel a "high" and doing things they would not normally do. Of course your fear (all too real) is 3) forgetting whole periods of time. One would think a person would make some poor choices while taking xanax.
In fact, I knew a guy that told me he would go into a store and spend $20-$30 and then feel compelled to steal some small thing from the store. He couldn't understand why, but he did say he thought it was the xanax. That in itself, would be more than enough to make me try some other anti anxiety medication! That you so much midwest, your answer clarified my point to somebody else, doesn't matter who. Thanks for the neat answer! Fall Queen
valium/klonipine (klon is a 30 to 40 hour half life and valium is even longer) are the best in my opinion... longer the half life and rate of onset the less addictive and longer lasting it is... xanax is a little too fast in my opinion-iv lived with panic attacks and i hate them because like it says, it feels like a heart attack but you can live through them so a longer onset isnt that hard to deal with unless you really cant delay gratification/relief to prevent more anxiety later in the day (dont know about xanax XR though, iv heard good things)
Valium. I have an addictive personality and had absolutely no problems with taking Valium (in other words, I didn't feel the need to abuse it by taking more than prescribed). Xanax has such a short half-life that taking it made me feel high. Sure, it got rid of the panic... but so did the Valium.
This is something that's really different for every person, but xanax was a brutal nightmare for me and it's nearly impossible to come off of. While Valium may sound scary... I think it's best. This is all based off of my experience with anti-anxiety medication.
I also suggest exercise. Even just walking around a park or your neighborhood can help release all of that nasty adrenaline that's giving you (chemically) such a hard time.
Xanax is bad news though. Unless you want to get high, go with something that has a longer half-life.
i agree. xanax is almost impossible to get off. when you find an answer, let me know and I will do the same.
Exercise and meditation are much better than becoming dependent on benzo class drugs. Actually most anything is. I highly recommend avoiding Xanax and Ativan for long term use.
xanax,valium, or ativan seems to work the best
... but also can cause terrible side effects including increased overall anxiety and loss of effectiveness. These drugs are greatly over prescribed and are intensely habit forming.
Xanax has a very short half life and valium has the longest half life of all benzos. We feel the effects of xanax more quickly where the valium lasts longer. So Xanax is recommended more for actual panic attacks where quick relief is needed. Valium is recommended more for general anxiety disorder. Valium is usally prescribed in small doses spread out over the course of the day for general anxiety. Hope that helps.
As someone who has taken many different anxiety-relieving drugs, I would suggest that anyone being prescribed XANAX by their doctor should ask for Valium. Xanax is so highly addictive, and so very difficult to get off off, that I would not prescribe it to a tree stump. It's been my experience that the cast majority of general practitioner doctors do not know diddley squat about the dangers and/or effects of these classes of anti-anxiety, psycho-trophic drugs.
I have been on xanax for a long time now, and it is really hard to concentrate and really be aware of whats going on around you unless your medicaided who would want to be this way i have came down on my dosage and working on coming down more. I was just wondering does valiums actually work switching over so sudden?
All benzo family drugs will provide you with relief of symptoms with variation in half life and effective dosage etc. However these drug tend to become less effective in patients over time and can lead to a greatly increase anxiety level with breakthrough anxiety even at high benzo dosage. Valium is the least likely of them to cause this but unless your anxiety causes you a lot of trouble in your life I'd recomend avoiding them all together. They are Incredibly habit forming and prescribed in a ridiculously liberal way.
I'm going to add this because people reading these posts need to know both sides of a pill. I used Xanax for severe Panic attacks for months.. 10 years ago. I did not refill them. My symptoms were calmer and seem to be okay. I went months with no signs of withdraw or sickness and began again like 7 months later. I have a sensitive system. We are all different and I don't to start with put this stigma of omg I'm gonna withdraw in there every time I take something. I take care of myself and I and my doctor have a really good relationship. It wasn't til a few years ago my panic was a everyday deal, I take it daily. Mind you on vacations and outings where I feel safe I don't. Never had a problem of omg I need to get my pills deal. Never. So like I said everyones system handles medications differently and just because one had a problem doesn't mean you will. Take your meds as prescribed and keep your doctor informed as to your wellness and live to be happy and productive.
I think it depends on your level of anxiety. I take two medications, one is quick acting - klonopin (there is a generic) and one is for long term effects and addresses GAD as well as Social Anxiety Disorder and the underlying Depression that accompanies anxieties, Effexor. We all react differently to medications so whatever you try, you'll start out with a smaller dosage - and if you have a responsible health care provider - you should expect to see them every 2 weeks for a med check which should include you filling out a 8-10 question sheet. Be honest with yourself and your provider. I thought I only needed to be on the meds for 6-12 months, but I may be on them for alot longer. I can tell you that these meds help me feel like myself!!
After a particularly bad day at work I shared a Klonopin with my hubby who was walking around in a stupor within a half hour. He was like, " I can't believe you take 3 of these every day"', it was a real eye opener for me. He outweighs me by about 40 pounds and I realized that my brain is really putting out alot of different chemicals because the 3 mgs I take over the course of the day DO make me feel normal, not wasted.
So Todd, I don't know if your regular doc is prescribing or a specialist, but both of the drugs you mention have only short term effects. Feel free to email me if you want to discuss further because some of the longer term antianxiliticals have sexual side effects (low libido) that effect both men and women.
I agree with doxipups. I used to be able to take 7mg of xanax and 4mg of clonazepam, and I gave my roomate 2mg of Clonazepam and he fell asleep and then asked me how I can take that everyday and be awake and full of life. I guess tolerance exists for a reason
I have panic disorder and i was on xanax for almost 4yrs i decided i wanted off i started gettin weak,passing out, dizzy,numbness , all from xanax yrs of being physically addicted n sick n not knowing y i did 2wk detox been off for 6 months now and iam alot better but still have pain, burning and digest trouble jerking and shakin at nite .Numbness legs feet hands arms head everywhere , balance is off everything moves up n down ,theres so much that can happeb wit that pill if stopped even after few wks its unreal i rather die than ever ever take benzo again anxiety i will take over that pill that messed me up anyone on it should consider tapering off n gettin on something safer not as physically addictin , its just like drinkin beer when takin that pill , good luck
people are different, medications are different, what works for one person can cause lots of problems for another, that being said I don't think a doctor should just write a prescription for a drug like Xanax and send you on your way till next time, those drugs are effective and useful when they are used I mean really used in the right way, you can't just start on a drug like Xanax (any drug for that matter) and expect it to solve the problems, if you can't control yourself enough to allow the medicine just enough to help you then it can be a very serious situation, I don't think its a bad drug I think it can be misused and cause people who already have problems and allow things to get a lot worse, I have been on the medication and I would not allow myself as bad as things were to take it the full dose I could have had, I had panic so bad that I was afraid I could not tolerate any more than I already had to deal with,
some doctors won't prescribe these medications, I also think some doctors don't take time enough to get to know their patients that causes further problems, I need the doctor to guide me through and help me to be the best I can not allow me to become a bigger problem than I started out with and before I finsih I am not against the use of these medications but I believe that the doctor (mine included) should not just randomly trust me with this, if I go into the office and the doctor see's exactly what I am doing with what is prescribed then thats one thing but to have a doctor who won't take the time to know you and what the problems are then thats not the doctor you need for these type of problems
Hello doxipups. I disagree. Klonopin is a slow acting benzodiazepine. It is not fast acting. Regards, pledge
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valium, xanax, anxiety, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder
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