# Clonazepam and Lorazepam dont work for SA.....one last benzo attempt....which one??



## Raptors (Aug 3, 2009)

So I was able to test Clonazepam and Lorazepam for a ride, each for about 1 week.

Neither seemed effective for SA for me

Clonazepam 0.5mg then 1mg - Made me drowsy, lose balance. Did nothing for SA. 

Lorazepam 0.25mg 0.5mg and 1mg - Killed other anxiety but not social anxiety, drowsiness 

It seems I dont respond well at to benzos.

I want to try one last benzo however. What should it be?


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

Try Alprazolam, if that one doesnt work give up on benzo's. Benzo's dont work for me either, none of them.


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## Himi Jendrix (Mar 24, 2010)

I would try Xanax next. I have tried klonopin and ativan as well and neither are as good as Xanax IMO. 

Its quick acting and very addictive stuff so be careful. It is a godsend if you are prone to panic attacks however. It is one of the best drugs for controlling panic attacks.


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## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

um well they are both very low doses
i would try 2.5Mg of lorazepam, its brilliant when given in higher doses
but yeah Xanax in 1Mg would work faster and be more potent than both i guess
although some people say Clonazepam is just as good, but i dispute that cuz i am on it and anything under 4MG is not really that beneficial aside from the fact that it does make me drowsy and sort of "meh" about life

Xanax or Triazolam would be your best bet, try to get one of them


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## meyaj (Sep 5, 2009)

Triazolam is crazily short-acting and EXTREMELY hypnotic, much better suited to insomnia than anything else, and most doctors wouldn't even dream of prescribing it for anxiety. It's very likely to induce amnesia, motor difficulties, etc, compared to many other benzos and generally isn't so great for daily function.

I would give valium a shot maybe, though it doesn't surprise me that benzos don't work for your SA. At best they can help temper certain ASPECTS of social anxiety that not everybody experiences anyways.

Xanax is also very short-acting and while many think it's the best feeling, it's usefulness for a chronic, 24/7 condition is kind of limited. You can squeeze a few hours out of it max, but if you need something just to help you function throughout the day, you're going to have to constantly be re-dosing in order to sustain the effects. There is a patented extended-release version of Xanax in the States that would probably be better suited, but it's quite expensive (not that its available to us in the GTA or even Canada for that matter).

If your SA isn't so generalized and is more limited to stuff like performance anxiety (giving speeches, speaking up at meetings, etc), and you function just fine most of the time, then a short-acting benzo is probably a better choice in that case.

So the reason I suggest valium, possibly, is because it's much longer acting, only really requiring a dose once or twice a day. But this is largely assuming you want fuller coverage throughout the day rather than just something to take for very specific situations. You haven't really described it much so right now only you can tell what would be more suitable.

Although I have to be honest... if both of those benzos don't work at all, then you're unlikely to see benefits from any of them. Generally if a person needs to try another benzo it's because it might make them too tired, or lower the mood too much, or basically any undesirable effect that might not be so bad with another benzo, but usually in these cases it's at least PARTIALLY helping with SA, it's just that tolerability is getting in the way of obtaining as much benefit as possible. Benzos pretty much all work the same way, the multiple effects simply being balanced in various ways, so if you're not seeing ANY benefit, it's doubtful you will.


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## mike8803 (Feb 21, 2010)

If you really have severe social phobia, benzo's are not going to work for you.
If you have 'anxiety' in social situations, but you do not FEAR them, benzo's should help. But if you tend to fear social situations where it overcomes your life, MAOI's should be looked into, or high doses of SSRI's (which usually dont work, in my estimation)


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## BearFan (Mar 22, 2008)

There is Xanax XR for longer duration. But xanax did help me with anxiety associated with depression. Start at .25 or .5 mg


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## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

Um if you do choose valium you will need a higher dose than what you were prescribed when u took Ativan(lorazepam) and Clonazepam, klonopin because its around 10MG of valium to have the same effect as 0.5-1MG of clonazepam or lorazepam or Xanax

Yeah i know triazolam is used for insomnia and fast acting, but the fact u only need 0.25MG means it will be less rather than more, i mean i would rather be on a smaller dose of something strong than a high dose of something with less potency


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

meyaj said:


> Xanax is also very short-acting and while many think it's the best feeling, it's usefulness for a chronic, 24/7 condition is kind of limited. You can squeeze a few hours out of it max, but if you need something just to help you function throughout the day, you're going to have to constantly be re-dosing in order to sustain the effects.


Taking pills all day long isn't that hard. I have a small bottle with a 2mg Xanax in my pocket right now so I don't have to walk downstairs to my stash of pills if I feel like taking one. Don't have anything to drink at hand, but I'm very used to chewing them.


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## meyaj (Sep 5, 2009)

UltraShy said:


> Taking pills all day long isn't that hard. I have a small bottle with a 2mg Xanax in my pocket right now so I don't have to walk downstairs to my stash of pills if I feel like taking one. Don't have anything to drink at hand, but I'm very used to chewing them.


Not quite as practical when you're not housebound  You may be stuck somewhere where you don't want to be popping pills. Beside, your blood levels are going to be like a roller coaster, something with a longer half-life would be considerably more stable.


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## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

well for a longer acting benzo then i guess Clonazepam is the way to go or Diazepam but you have tried these

Triazolam i only mentioned because its incredibly strong
i guess its like a super Zopiclone or something lol because that works well for sleep and insomnia when taken properly

oh i found a list of the most common benzodiazepines which you could ask you doctor about
some of them are relatively old

oh and here is a list of the most common benzodiazepines 
I deleted the ones you have tried already
*Common benzodiazepines*

flurazepam (Dalmane)

Diazepam (Valium)

quazepam (Doral)

triazolam (Halcion)

alprazolam (Xanax)

estazolam (ProSom)

flunitrazepam (Rohypnol)

temazepam (Restoril)

oxazepam (Serax)

razepam (Centrax)

have u tried prazepam? or temazepam?
and dalmane, which i have not heard of until now


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## Raptors (Aug 3, 2009)

Thanks for the help!

Well the thing is...I dont really show any physical side effects of social anxiety except a more rapid heartbeat. 

It's all in my head. I'm not convinced benzo's will make me more sociable.


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## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

Raptors said:


> Thanks for the help!
> 
> Well the thing is...I dont really show any physical side effects of social anxiety except a more rapid heartbeat.
> 
> It's all in my head. I'm not convinced benzo's will make me more sociable.


I am sure you would find with a stronger benzo that the social issues would be affected, in a positive way i guess the thing is on them you feel great to begin with then come down rapidly

A higher dose would definitely help
It seems a lot of people here like Xanax OR Valium as valium is okay long term and seems to work, if you are given a proper amount, not a piddly little 2MG tablet once a day but with Xanax, 1-2MG would be all you would need

this is bad advice but have u tried some Vicodin?


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

meyaj said:


> Not quite as practical when you're not housebound  You may be stuck somewhere where you don't want to be popping pills. Beside, your blood levels are going to be like a roller coaster, something with a longer half-life would be considerably more stable.


It's not hard to take pills with you. I've chewed hundreds of Xanax pills over the years, so it's quite possible to consume them anywhere if you have a drink or not. And if anybody asks what you're taking (and they won't in my experience) just lie as they won't know.

I haven't noticed any roller coaster effect and it's not as if I even come close to taking it on a rigid schedule. Sometimes I take a whole lot, other times I might go 16 hours without a dose.


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## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

Well thats good you can go 16 hours without Xanax but that could be cuz u already have a lot of them in your system. I am tempted to take them but i know even if i found a doctor who would say yes, i am a little scared of the addiction potential, i mean they are strong right? and maybe too potent for me as my anxiety does not have me housebound or terrified to step into a public place.

I used to have agoraphobia, i wish i had taken benzo's then oh well i lived through it i guess

ultrashy, how long have u been on Xanax for? just curious?


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