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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 14 of 14. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by SalArmy4me on August 23, 2001, at 13:08:43
I just learned that the company is making more Ativan again.
Posted by DiscoPuppy on June 13, 2002, at 20:11:11
In reply to Ativan is back, posted by SalArmy4me on August 23, 2001, at 13:08:43
Is Ativan better than Klonopin?
> I just learned that the company is making more Ativan again.
Posted by TedR on June 16, 2002, at 17:42:25
In reply to Is Ativan better than Klonopin?, posted by DiscoPuppy on June 13, 2002, at 20:11:11
Of all of the benzos that I have taken, Ativan has made me feel the most naturally relaxed. With Xanax, which I am currently on, I don't always feel in the best control of my emotions or feelings, a little disinhibition, I suppose. Klonopin gave me a similar effect to the Ativan, but I got a little more depressed on it, probably idiosynchratic. They are both damn good Benzos, and I believe the only problems I had with Ativan, were the first few days I had too much drowsiness, and Ativan appears to effect memory maybe a little more than does Klonopin or Xanax.
Posted by dove on June 20, 2002, at 12:56:32
In reply to Re: Is Ativan better than Klonopin?, posted by TedR on June 16, 2002, at 17:42:25
> Of all of the benzos that I have taken, Ativan has made me feel the most naturally relaxed. Klonopin gave me a similar effect to the Ativan, but I got a little more depressed on it, probably idiosyncratic. They are both damn good Benzos, and I believe the only problems I had with Ativan, were the first few days I had too much drowsiness, and Ativan appears to effect memory maybe a little more than does Klonopin or Xanax.
>I have had almost the exact same experience as the above poster with Ativan and Klonopin regarding both Klonopin's tendency to slightly lower my mood and Ativan-induced drowsiness. I take Klonopin everyday though, for mood-stabilization and anxiety. Whereas, I took/take Ativan for known events of intense panic or anxiety (i.e. dentist visits).
For me, Ativan works better for shorter periods of time or for special events. Otherwise, I experience too many downward rolls, as opposed to Klonopin, which seems to run at a more steady state. Ativan short-term, Klonopin for longer-term.
dove
Posted by BarbaraCat on June 20, 2002, at 23:14:05
In reply to Is Ativan better than Klonopin?, posted by DiscoPuppy on June 13, 2002, at 20:11:11
I just switched from clonazapam to lorezapam (the generics). I think I like lorezapam better. More mellow. I was starting to feel jittery on clonezapam which is a sure sign that a drug is not working anymore (a typical occurence for me).
Posted by hildi on September 6, 2002, at 14:48:17
In reply to Re: Is Ativan better than Klonopin?, posted by BarbaraCat on June 20, 2002, at 23:14:05
> I just switched from clonazapam to lorezapam (the generics). I think I like lorezapam better. More mellow. I was starting to feel jittery on clonezapam which is a sure sign that a drug is not working anymore (a typical occurence for me).
Hi. Are you still on the lorazepam (generic for ativan, right?), and if you are still taking it, is it still working for you? Did you not find it a problem with having to dose more often on the lorazepam than with the klon/clonezepam? Also, did or do you feel anxiety breakthroughs more on this shorter acting med?
Hildi
Posted by BarbaraCat on September 9, 2002, at 23:40:06
In reply to Re: Is Ativan better than Klonopin? » BarbaraCat, posted by hildi on September 6, 2002, at 14:48:17
Yes, I'm still taking lorezapam. It's reached the point where it's not doing much for me anymore, and I have to dose every two hours or so when I'm having a bad day. I have a pdoc appt this week and am going to pick his brain, but don't have alot of expectations. How about you?
> > I just switched from clonazapam to lorezapam (the generics). I think I like lorezapam better. More mellow. I was starting to feel jittery on clonezapam which is a sure sign that a drug is not working anymore (a typical occurence for me).
>
> Hi. Are you still on the lorazepam (generic for ativan, right?), and if you are still taking it, is it still working for you? Did you not find it a problem with having to dose more often on the lorazepam than with the klon/clonezepam? Also, did or do you feel anxiety breakthroughs more on this shorter acting med?
> Hildi
Posted by hildi on September 13, 2002, at 19:18:46
In reply to Re: Is Ativan better than Klonopin? » hildi, posted by BarbaraCat on September 9, 2002, at 23:40:06
> Yes, I'm still taking lorezapam. It's reached the point where it's not doing much for me anymore, and I have to dose every two hours or so when I'm having a bad day. I have a pdoc appt this week and am going to pick his brain, but don't have alot of expectations. How about you?
>
Hi Barbara. I am trying klonopin, also ativan, at the same time on a low dose SSRI. So far I have been somewhat disappointed. The anxiety has not subsided as much as I'd hoped (on either med) and the sleepiness and burning eyes, spaced-out feelings I get from either of these meds are quite unexpected and unpleasant.
I am still trying to find the right combo/dosing amount. And I am still clinging on to the hope that benzos may work for me. Please let me know what your pdoc says. . .
Good Luck!
Hildi> > I just switched from clonazapam to lorezapam (the generics). I think I like lorezapam better. More mellow. I was starting to feel jittery on clonezapam which is a sure sign that a drug is not working anymore (a typical occurence for me).
> >
> > Hi. Are you still on the lorazepam (generic for ativan, right?), and if you are still taking it, is it still working for you? Did you not find it a problem with having to dose more often on the lorazepam than with the klon/clonezepam? Also, did or do you feel anxiety breakthroughs more on this shorter acting med?
> > Hildi
>
>
Posted by BarbaraCat on September 14, 2002, at 17:24:09
In reply to Re: Is Ativan better than Klonopin? » BarbaraCat, posted by hildi on September 13, 2002, at 19:18:46
Hi Hildi,
Are you taking both at once, or alternating? I found alternating every other day to be almost potentiating and kept things interesting. Taking both at once would seem a little heavy handed in their effect?I'm almost off Remeron and so am experiencing some rocky moments. I guess life is just difficult for all of us, at least it sure seems so. It's even more so with AD withdrawal anxiety - whew! I've been very grateful for lorezapam during this time and notice it when I'm not on a consistent dosing. Stress can lead very easily to despair and depression for me and so I'm finding that it's important to nip anxiety in the bud. My goal and prayer is to really commit to getting an exercise regimen since that's the best medicine I know of for me. Once the habit is ingrained I know it will be easy and something to look forward to. Right now it's hard work, humiliating, hurts and I just don't wanna. I know it's the answer for me in the long haul, but I will not let my chill pills too far out of sight. I'm going to ask pdoc for a Xanax trial and will let you know the outcome, but Jeez, I'm giving up hope that any pill exists that will live up to my expectations.
Posted by hildi on September 20, 2002, at 16:49:46
In reply to Re: Is Ativan better than Klonopin? » hildi, posted by BarbaraCat on September 14, 2002, at 17:24:09
> Hi Hildi,
> Are you taking both at once, or alternating? I found alternating every other day to be almost potentiating and kept things interesting. Taking both at once would seem a little heavy handed in their effect?
>
> I'm almost off Remeron and so am experiencing some rocky moments. I guess life is just difficult for all of us, at least it sure seems so. It's even more so with AD withdrawal anxiety - whew! I've been very grateful for lorezapam during this time and notice it when I'm not on a consistent dosing. Stress can lead very easily to despair and depression for me and so I'm finding that it's important to nip anxiety in the bud. My goal and prayer is to really commit to getting an exercise regimen since that's the best medicine I know of for me. Once the habit is ingrained I know it will be easy and something to look forward to. Right now it's hard work, humiliating, hurts and I just don't wanna. I know it's the answer for me in the long haul, but I will not let my chill pills too far out of sight. I'm going to ask pdoc for a Xanax trial and will let you know the outcome, but Jeez, I'm giving up hope that any pill exists that will live up to my expectations.Hi Barbara. I completely know what you mean when you say you don't think any pill will meet your expectatons. I am so disappointed in everything I have tried, so I am just hanging in there and trying to cope.
This has been an incredibly emotional summer. I have hit bottoms I never wish to go to again.In the beginning, I thought I would be bold and go off AD's. I was so sick of feeling emotionally dull and physically sick from them, plus I wanted to try natural methods of AD's and anxiety control.
I have found out the hard way that there is no natural method that works for me. I also have confirmation that I not only have an anxiety d/o, but major depresson as well-if there was any doubt of that before it is completely gone now!!
I have cried more this summer and hit more emotional bottoms than I can even believe.I also have tried various other AD's, besides the SSRI's, and none of them help, only make me freak out. Now I am trying to go back on prozac or zoloft again, because they DID work once, but my depression has hit so low that I am having a very hard time getting the ssri's to work this time around.
This summer I also have tried valium, ativan, Klonopin, and now xanax. I have very mixed feelings about these meds- I was hoping for more relief from the anxiety than I am getting from them.
I hated the valium. Then I got the Klon and ativan and I started out alternating these two to see which I liked better. I had inconsistent results. Some anxiety relief but also more depression (as if I needed any more) and also somewhat bizarre behaviors-such as doing things I normally wouldn't do. I really wasn't feeling high, but also I felt like I really wasn't there, either. . . does that make any sense? It is kind of scary and also very disappointing. I felt very sleepy on these meds and also emotionally dull. All this time I was alternating low doses of zoloft or prozac.
What do you mean when you said that alternating the klon and ativan was 'potentiating'? Making them stronger? I think I felt the same way.
So anyway, I decided to try xanax instead. I really am a wuss. I have been on xanax for about three days now. This also makes me sleepy and kinda 'crazy'. So I am now trying very low doses of this, spacing out the doses, too, and seeing if that helps.Have you tried xanax yet?
I wish I knew why I get such a bizarre reaction from everything I try.
I know I need the meds. Just wish to find the right one, and dose.
Hildi
Posted by BarbaraCat on September 20, 2002, at 19:02:36
In reply to Re: Is Ativan better than Klonopin? » BarbaraCat, posted by hildi on September 20, 2002, at 16:49:46
Dear Hildi,
I really feel for you. It sounds like you've hit the bottom and it's so scary there. I sure know it well. I've had 'depression' for lack of a better word, for most of my life and the dark places a person can descend to are really quite amazing. If I ever have enough presence of mind and energy I'd love to write a book or two. Stephen King is retiring from writing and I can easily take over for him.I'm actually doing very well on my current regime. Down to 12 mg of Remeron from my high of 90 and will stay there because it's working better than at the higher dosages. I'm seeing a naturopath and am on intense therapies and a Zone-based diet. I've been researching new theories on the 'why' of what I've been feeling - depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia, crazy. Been finding out alot of interesting things having to do with reactive hypoglycemia, hormones of all kinds, pH balance, and how interrelated body/brain systems are and how hormones are the links. It's fitting together many disparate pieces of the puzzle and I have greater hope now than I have had in many years. It all seems to depend on diet to balance our biochemistries -- in ways few of us are aware of. I've been following the ideas as well as I can and am feeling very much better.
In the meantime, you need relief. I should remember your dx but I don't. I know I've been helped with taking neurontin and lorezapam at the same time. I know I need a mood stabilizer and neurontin seems to help and be relatively benign. Someone on this board recently said that he was prescibed Adderall for bipolar II, which is very weird, but it helped him within a day. Sometimes our diagnoses dictate our treatments and it turns out our diagnosis is all wrong. I didn't do well on ADs alone and adding lithium and neurontin seemed to be the ticket, although nothing really helped all the way. Would you mind telling me your symptoms and the meds you've been on? Also if you have any physical health issues. I feel your pain from the bottom of my heart and know the desparation and despair first-hand. If I can gain relief from this nighmare, anyone can. It may not last, but I thank God while it does! Please reply when you feel up to it and hang in there, baby. - BarbaraCat
Posted by hildi on September 21, 2002, at 17:20:54
In reply to Re: Is Ativan better than Klonopin? » hildi, posted by BarbaraCat on September 20, 2002, at 19:02:36
Posted by hildi on September 23, 2002, at 19:47:45
In reply to Re: Is Ativan better than Klonopin? » hildi, posted by BarbaraCat on September 20, 2002, at 19:02:36
> Dear Hildi,
> I really feel for you. It sounds like you've hit the bottom and it's so scary there. I sure know it well. I've had 'depression' for lack of a better word, for most of my life and the dark places a person can descend to are really quite amazing. If I ever have enough presence of mind and energy I'd love to write a book or two. Stephen King is retiring from writing and I can easily take over for him.
>
> I'm actually doing very well on my current regime. Down to 12 mg of Remeron from my high of 90 and will stay there because it's working better than at the higher dosages. I'm seeing a naturopath and am on intense therapies and a Zone-based diet. I've been researching new theories on the 'why' of what I've been feeling - depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia, crazy. Been finding out alot of interesting things having to do with reactive hypoglycemia, hormones of all kinds, pH balance, and how interrelated body/brain systems are and how hormones are the links. It's fitting together many disparate pieces of the puzzle and I have greater hope now than I have had in many years. It all seems to depend on diet to balance our biochemistries -- in ways few of us are aware of. I've been following the ideas as well as I can and am feeling very much better.
>
> In the meantime, you need relief. I should remember your dx but I don't. I know I've been helped with taking neurontin and lorezapam at the same time. I know I need a mood stabilizer and neurontin seems to help and be relatively benign. Someone on this board recently said that he was prescibed Adderall for bipolar II, which is very weird, but it helped him within a day. Sometimes our diagnoses dictate our treatments and it turns out our diagnosis is all wrong. I didn't do well on ADs alone and adding lithium and neurontin seemed to be the ticket, although nothing really helped all the way. Would you mind telling me your symptoms and the meds you've been on? Also if you have any physical health issues. I feel your pain from the bottom of my heart and know the desparation and despair first-hand. If I can gain relief from this nighmare, anyone can. It may not last, but I thank God while it does! Please reply when you feel up to it and hang in there, baby. - BarbaraCatHi Barbara. I didn't mean the last message to be short, nor this one. But right now I'm on limited time again.
Right now I am actually feeling OK- guess what ? The xanax is actually helping with the anxiety and I am not feeling tired or out of control like I did before, on ativan or klonopin. Maybe I just should have given those other two more time, but I felt wierd and had the feeling xanax might actually be better for me, and it turned out to be OK, so far at least.
I am taking 25 mg zoloft, 6.6 mg prozac, and 25mg xanax (3 times day for the xanax). I planned on either dropping the prozac or the zoloft when I start to finally feel better, but the last couple of days have been nearly "OK' so I am scared to change anything.
All the physical symptoms I have experienced are too many to mention now, but let me just say that I suspected hormones, then endocrine imbalance, blood sodium levels off, etc. .. and also hypogylcemia -some of these due to the meds,too!
Anyway, I definately have the hypogycemia, but that is the least of my worries. Everything else checked out fine medically and I was very surprized. I think the higher dose of zoloft (that I used to be on) really made me sick, so as soon as my serotonin levels go back up I want to stay on a low dose regimine, a very low dose along with a benzo.
I remember feeling like crude after taking prozac for a while, when I first started taking ad's, so this confirms that after a while the levels build up in my blood/body and I need less, not more.
I definately think I have ADD in addition to major depression and HUGE anxiety d/o. I am interested in trying something for this, but that will come later.
Anyway, I gotta go for now-more later.
Tell me more about this zone diet when you have the chance. I am becoming very interested in food choices and food combining.
Hildi
Posted by BarbaraCat on September 24, 2002, at 23:49:37
In reply to Re: Is Ativan better than Klonopin? » BarbaraCat, posted by hildi on September 23, 2002, at 19:47:45
Hi Hildi,
I know what you mean about short on time. I just started working again today after being out on disability for almost 1-1/2 years. It's a contract job for about 6 weeks and I'm going to have to relearn how to streamline and budget my time. It's so difficult to do things right, to shop for and prepare fresh healthy meals, to get bills paid, clean house, blah blah blah, when so much energy is spent working. But it's also just as stressful to be out of work and worrying about surviving. I sure do hope I can keep my resolution to not get crazed and keep cool because that's what got me so sick to begin with.OK, now for the educational channel on Zone diet. There are many others cropping up with different names, but I'll call it the Zone diet because Barry Sears started the whole thing and he's Dr. Zone Diet. Basically its using protein and fat to delay the entry of sugar into the blood. Mood swings, adrenaline spikes, energy crashes, weight gain, all sorts of problems that we're all too familiar with, are the same symptoms seen in insulin imbalances. Hypoglycemia and diabetes are insulin imblances as well as other conditions not so evident on routine blood tests. High glycemic foods are bad news for blood sugar problems. These foods are carbohydrates with high sugar content, the most obvious being sugary sweets, honey, but also corn, potatoes, refined foods like flours, pasta, bread, bananas and so on (sigh, all the comfort foods) that aren't so obvious. It's not a low carb diet like the Atkins diet. It's also definitely not a low fat diet because good fats are necessary for metabolizing fuel. It's a balancing act between protein, carbs and fats. Once the blood sugar imbalance is addressed, all other hormonal systems begin to balance, such as thyroid, sex hormones, cortisol. For me it seems to be the missing link in why I've had so many health and emotional issues, even though I thought I was eating so healthy - hah! Carb city! Plenty of books out but the place to start definitely is 'Entering The Zone' by Dr. Barry Sears. An interesting one just out is called 'The Perricone Prescription' by Nicholas Perricone, MD. It addresses it more from a beauty angle by preventing 'carb bloat' and it's the same premise, but I like his dietary ideas maybe better than The Zone.
This is the end of the thread.
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