Xanax or Valium?

[dotcomer]

For some reason Valium does nothing for me. I love Xanax for anxiety and panic attacks. I hear that Valium is supposed to stay in your system longer therefore last longer. But I have to take 20 mg in order to feel like the 1 mg of Xanax. Does this make sense to anyone? They say 10 mg of Valium equals 1 mg of Xanax. But to me the effect is not even close! Is there something else that is effective that I can suggest to the doc. For me Xanax is a godsend. I don't abuse it and have been on the same 60 pill prescription that i received in Dec of 2007. I take it as needed. The downfall of the Xanax for me is that it does not stay around for awhile so I asked the doc what else there was and he said try Valium. On the bottle he prescribed it says to take 5mg 3 to 4 times a day. Well in order for me to feel anything i have to take 20 mg at once?

Any suggestions?

[Matt_H]

Clonazepam has a longer half-life than Xanax. Ask him about switching to klonopin or back to xanax. It's your treatment, tell him the truth, and tell him what you want.

[dotcomer]

Is Klonopin more like Xanax than Valium? Never tried Klonopin, but Xanax does do the trick. I wonder how the Xanax XR would be? Any help much appreciated.

[Mosel]

Clonazepam is what I was on for years. 1 mg/day. Read a bunch about this class of drugs (benzodiazepines). They can have a nasty amnesic effect. The often mentioned date rape drug is a benzo. The victim never remembers what happened the night before. So, if what you do in life requires an alert mind with a keen memory, this may not be the med for you.

[dotcomer]

Well I have taken Xanax for quite some time now and really dont notice much about memory loss. But I might take up to 1 mg a day. Havent really graduated much past that. I was just looking for something that I would have to take as much. Maybe like just waking up and taking a pill and be good all day. To bad nothing like that is out there.

[Mosel]

I'm not sure how much research you've done but I found a number of websites that discuss benzo's, their half-life, and their particular uses and differences. I chose Clonazepam (klonopin) specifically because it does remain in one system for a while, especially when taking on a daily basis. Xanax, I believe, is known to act quicker but not last as long.

[fernandogress]

Valium reacts slower, doesn't hit as hard, but lasts longer 20-100 hours. xanax reacts faster, hits harder, but lasts 6-12 hours.....5mg of xanax is comparable to 10mg of valium.Xanax imo is better for anxiety, sleep
valium more so for relaxation and muscle relaxation, especially after a hard workout.Valium stays in your system longer, xanax does not.

[jka1979]

I am currently switching from Valium to Xanax (not by choice, I ran out of my Rx for Valium and when I switched jobs I had to wait for the new insurance to kick in) So I am having real difficulties with Xanax, it's not the same as my 15mg of valium that I took at bedtime. I have to time manage everything with Xanax and I hate that feeling. Plus Xanax doesn't make me sleepy it just numbs me....

I can't wait to switch back

[TinfoilxTouch]

If you're taking it "as needed", then Valium is going to be WAY less effective than Xanax. Valium is plasma bound and has a half-life of up to 100 hours. This means that when you take 10mg one time, you have 10mg in your system. When you take 10mg on a regular schedule, you might have multiple times that amount in your system at a given time. It took about 2 weeks before I could feel the total effectiveness of Valium when I got off Xanax. It almost reminds me of the way SSRIs take time to be effective.

I'll give you the example that right now after six months or so, I can hardly tell when I take my 10mg dose. The 10mg going into my system is just a drop in the bucket of what's available in my body.

[JasonTodd]

Valium is MUCH weaker than Xanax for me.