Posted by herpills on June 29, 2009, at 15:35:59
In reply to Small Dose Depakote better alternative to Benzos, posted by morganpmiller on June 29, 2009, at 5:29:18
Very interesting post, thank you for sharing this. I always wondered if Lamictal works on GABA too? I have had very little anxiety on it for the last year or so. But I always thought maybe I was suffering from dysphoric hypomania instead of anxiety? herpills
> Since Depakote increases levels of GABA, I'm wondering if, at fairly low doses, say 250mgs, it might be an alternative to using more addictive drugs like klonopin in the treatment of anxiety. While it may not have quite the powerful immediated relief that klonopin or other benzos have, it may stabilize someone and give enough relief to be able to manage their lives and do other things to treat their anxiety. At a low dose of 250 mgs, I do not think liver toxicity and other side effects would be a concern for the average healthy person. Furthermore, depakote is a fast acting mood stabilizer, the effects are usually noticeable after the initial dose. I propose low dose depakote as a better alternative to klonopin when treatment of anxiety is daily over a long period of time.
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> Some advantages to using depakote over benzos like klonopin:
> -A tolerance to benzos like klonopin may build over time, requiring a higher dosage for effectiveness. This is less likely to happen with depakote.
> -Depakote may promote neurogenesis in the hippocampus and other areas of the brain that are damaged by chronic anxiety. Klonopin does nothing like this.
> -Depakote exerts neuroprotective effects on the brain which may actually protect against neurodegenerative diseases such as alzhiemer's. Due to this and other possible mechanisms, depakote may actually help to increase life span.
> -Depakote is less likely to make someone depressed in the way that klonopin can.
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> I have not seen any evidence that klonopin and other benzos have any potential benefits for the brain in the long run.
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> Maybe proposing that low dose depakote or a low dose of other mood stabilizers like lithium should be considered as a better alternative to klonopin and other benzos for long term maintanence treatment of anxiety is unrealistic and unsubstantiated. I just can't help but wonder if many would be better off in the long run taking a little bit of depakote everyday rather than klonopin, valium, xanax, etc. I know the powerful relief may not be there. But if you can feel better and function better, you can do all the other things like exercise/stretching, meditation, yoga, etc. to feel even better and have even less anxiety. JMHO
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poster:herpills
thread:903736
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090620/msgs/903793.html