I was taking steadily increasing doses of Valium for paralyzing post-mania anxiety, and I was very wary of becoming addicted to the Valium, as my climbing tolerance was obvious: I could feel that the effect of a 10 mg dose took 40 mg to replicate only a couple months later, and benzodiazepine addiction is rumored to be hell, so asked my pdoc if he could prescribe something instead of benzodiazepines.

He put me on gabapentin, an anticonvulsant also used to treat neuropathic pain, first 400 mg per day with reduced Valium, now 1200 mg per day without the Valium; the maximum recommended dose according to my pdoc is 3600 mg a day.

Though the anxiety has not completely subsided (as should be evident from the freaked-out tenor of some of my posts), there has been an appreciable improvement, and my need for the Valium has subsided substantially. Ask your pdoc: gabapentin, aka Neurontin. I take it in conjunction with the anticonvulsant Depakote.