Posted by wendy b on January 13, 2004, at 12:24:41
In reply to Xanax or Ativan....thoughts please, posted by krazybirdlady on December 17, 2003, at 12:44:18
Wow, sorry to hear about your kidney stone; I've heard that's a REALLY painful experience. It's neat thay gave you Xanax, but it's perfect for those panic-attack type symptoms like hyperventilating. I am bad with pain - would probably have hyperventilated with a kidney stone, too. And then it's hard for the ER people to treat you when your respiration is compromised, right? Ugh.
I was first prescribed Xanax when I was having all-day panic attacks, sweating all day at work, I mean, sweat POURING down my arms as I'm sitting there at the computer trying to get stuff done. It was PTSD from an abusive relationship. So Xanax got rid of those symptoms completely.
I noticed it slowed me down and sometimes made me tired, so I have also used it at night (one-half mg., usually) when I can't sleep because of racing thoughts or anxiety. I have also used it to calm me down before events or situations that I know are going to be emotionally tough. It helps sooo much. And yes, you could think of it, as you say, as "potent stuff," or just as: It simply WORKS as it's supposed to do. Much safer than Valium. Doctors prescribe it because it's faster-acting, thus good for panic-type symptoms.
Ativan I have had no experience with, but anecdotally, it's supposed to be milder than Xanax. One friend had a p-doc who for some reason would not prescribe Xanax, even though she needed it for PTSD; he'd only give her Ativan, but she desperately needed a quick calm-down med. A lot of docotrs who don't know about psych meds are afraid of benzos, as you probably already know.
Klonopin delivers an all-day type of relief for people who suffer from generalized anxiety. A close friend takes it, and for her, Klonopin is better than the quicker action of Xanax. She gets a "smoother" feeling from it. So it really depends on what symptoms you're trying to treat, and I post so rarely, I don't know your situation.
But I am a total believer in Xanax; I feel safer just having the med around, even though I rarely go through time periods when I need it every day. I ask my doctor for a refill every three months or so (i.e., it takes me three months or more for me to go through 60 1-mg. tabs). So if you're worried about potential addictive qualities, don't (unless you have had real addiction problems in the past). I have been on the same dose for 10 years, and many other reports on PsychoBabble tell the same story.
best wishes, Wendy
> well, just wondering if anyone out there could lend some insight as to a question about the difference in effects. went to ER today for a kidney stone. didn't want narcotics but ended up hyperventilating due to pain, anxiety based, i guess. they gave me Xanax. wow..i really didn't think it was that potent, as i immediately felt relief, and was able to stand the pain with relatively mild narcs (1 oxycodone 5 mg). i remember quite a few years back when my father died, the Doc was good enough to prescribe Ativan for a weeks time to help me sleep. now i thought that was fairly strong because it put me to sleep within 20 mins or so. always believed xanax was shorting acting and not as intense. but personal experience now changes my opinion. any thoughts, personal experience, etc.?? i am now finding that clinical reports and personal experience are two totally different things...Thx...
poster:wendy b
thread:290969
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/subs/20031208/msgs/300197.html