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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Sabrina2 on July 15, 2003, at 15:47:14
Hello all, I have been taking xanax for a few
years and have had no panic attacks in over four years. I had to go to a funeral and had no xanax left. I did not take it everyday. A friend of mine gave me klonopin and it made me feel good and also very clear. I liked it. I heard it has GABA in it. Can someone tell me the difference between xanax and klonopin. Thanks Sabrina2
Posted by linkadge on July 15, 2003, at 16:03:09
In reply to anti-anxiety medication, posted by Sabrina2 on July 15, 2003, at 15:47:14
These drugs don't actually have Gaba in them,
but what they do stumulate the brain's gaba mechanizms.Gaba is an inhibitory neurotrasmitter.
Anyway both drugs are similar in that they
enhance 5-ht as well.It is possible that the klonpin was a different strength than the xanax, perhaps stronger or weaker.
Although the mechanizms are *theoretically* similar, I havn't tried either drug so...
Good Luck
Linkadge
Posted by crazychickuk on July 15, 2003, at 16:24:32
In reply to Re: anti-anxiety medication, posted by linkadge on July 15, 2003, at 16:03:09
i wish they did klon in the uk.....
Posted by Jonathan on July 15, 2003, at 19:48:41
In reply to Re: anti-anxiety medication, posted by crazychickuk on July 15, 2003, at 16:24:32
> i wish they did klon in the uk.....
http://emc.medicines.org.uk/emc/industry/default.asp?page=displaydoc.asp&documentid=1726
Posted by crazychickuk on July 15, 2003, at 19:51:24
In reply to They do! We call it Rivotril® (or clonazepam) » crazychickuk, posted by Jonathan on July 15, 2003, at 19:48:41
wow didnt know that how freaky...
Posted by jlo820 on July 15, 2003, at 21:04:37
In reply to anti-anxiety medication, posted by Sabrina2 on July 15, 2003, at 15:47:14
Both Klonopin (clonazepam) and Xanax are high-potency benzodiazepines. The major difference is that Xanax is short-acting (its effects wear off in several hours) while Klonopin lasts much longer.
Posted by jlo820 on July 15, 2003, at 21:31:55
In reply to anti-anxiety medication, posted by Sabrina2 on July 15, 2003, at 15:47:14
Here is a good chart...
Posted by Viridis on July 16, 2003, at 7:09:25
In reply to anti-anxiety medication, posted by Sabrina2 on July 15, 2003, at 15:47:14
This is mostly just repeating what others here have said, but since I take both Klonopin (every day) and Xanax (occasionally), here's the lowdown:
Both are benzodiazepines, and the way they work is to increase the effects of GABA on specific brain cells. GABA is like a "brake" that prevents certain brain cells (neurons) from getting over-excited and sending unnecessary "panic" messages to others neurons, which triggers an overall anxiety reaction.
Xanax and Klonopin are somewhat different in structure, and as others have pointed out, Klonopin lasts much longer than Xanax (about 12 hours vs. 3-4 hours for me). Therefore, doctors are generally more comfortable with prescribing Klonopin (= clonazepam = Rivotril; all the same thing) than Xanax (= alprazolam). This is because short-acting benzodiazepines are thought by many doctors to have more potential for dependency than long-acting ones. A lot of doctors won't prescribe Xanax (or even benzodiazepines in general) at all, which is sad because they're so effective, and very few of the people who really need them abuse them.
Benzos are great drugs for anxiety, and the main caution is that if you take them regularly and decide to go off them, you have to do so gradually. Overall, I'd recommend Klonopin for general anxiety relief, and Xanax for "flareups" (you can usually take both at the same time with no problem).
This is the end of the thread.
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