[hopeless85]

My son started seeing a therapist for his social anxiety and depression. The therapist recommended his family doc put him on zoloft so he has been on that a week. After seeing the therapist yesterday, my son said that he is also recommending an anxiety pill that is taken as needed. So when he feels anxiety attack coming on or when he knows he will be facing it he can take it. He told me it was not zantax (unsure of spelling) but in the same family but like a step below it. I thought he said it started with a "L"? Does anyone know what it would be and what are the side effects? So far the family doc has not called to let him know if he will prescribe it.

[Moogieotter]

Lorazepam - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Probably Ativan. A benzo. Helpful for many w some risk of addiction and abuse.

[Alone_and_Afraid]

Lorazepam. My doctor won't prescribe me that type of medication because it's addictive. My doctor says it's equivalent to taking a few shots of vodka or whatever. Be very cautious taking the medication.

I take Doxepin for my anxiety and insomnia. I started Tuesday. There is other medications for anxiety. I don't know a lot. I know Buspar is good for anxiety. Anti-depressants can help with anxiety. Like I take Prozac and Wellbutrin. Some take time to get in your system, so be patient.

I'm not sure Ativan is a step below Xanax. Maybe Klonopin could be considered a step below both. When I saw the pdoc who helped me the most I was taking Ativan. She prescribed Klonopin instead. It was much more effective for me but I didn't have panic attacks per se.
As the members above stated addiction is always a possibility with benzodiazepines.
I think of "as needed" as a kind of security blanket rather than a "go to."

A danger of "as needed" medication is that you can eventually lose the ability to handle anxiety at all without the medication because you're so used to taking a magic pill and the anxiety disappears.

I'm not saying you shouldn't do it, just that you be careful.

[Danny Leary]

Originally Posted by Alone_and_Afraid

Lorazepam. My doctor won't prescribe me that type of medication because it's addictive. My doctor says it's equivalent to taking a few shots of vodka or whatever. Be very cautious taking the medication.

Equivalent to taking a few shots of vodka is an extremely heavy exaggeration.

Your son does need to be careful if he decides to start Lorazepam, but when used responsibly these medications help a lot of people. Just be sure he understands that it's not a cure for social anxiety, and that daily use can lead to a build up of tolerance and dependency. Many doctors say it's okay to take them daily, in my experience this is not a good idea... but as always, ask the doctor first.

[RisuNeko]

I would think starting on klonopin would be a better idea. It is effective for panic attacks, and isn't as strong as lorazepam or xanax. How old is your son? Will you be doling out the medication? Because it does have a high abuse potential and is addictive.

[ChipperMonkey]

To each their own....Klonopin is a LOT stronger for me than Ativan, so I take Ativan. A main difference between the two is half lives. Klonopin has a half life of up to 50 hours, so it can take 50 hours for half of it to leave your system. The half life of Ativan is a bit shorter, and works a lot better for me.

[RisuNeko]

If the half life of clonopin is so long why does it only last for 4 to 6 hours? That confused me.

[pinkflower17]

I think everyone's different, every situation is different. Ativan has a much quicker onset of action, which would be useful if one were having an anxiety attack, whereas klonopin takes at least 30 min to kick in. I personally think Xanax is not a great drug, I think it's commonly abused, rather than used appropriately, but I think Ativan and klonopin can be useful and helpful medications when used correctly under the proper supervision...Just my two cents.

[BlessedRhiannon]

Yup, to each their own - everyone has a different response to these drugs.

For ME, Xanax was the most effective of the benzos in managing my anxiety. Klonopin made my body feel sedated but did nothing for my racing thoughts. Ativan either did nothing at low doses or just put me to sleep at higher doses. Xanax had a positive effect at low doses without making me feel overly sedated or overly medicated. It's hard to classify what is "stronger" because they affect people so differently. For ME, I'd say Ativan was "stronger" because it knocked me out, but Xanax was more effective.

I was on Xanax for 2 years, on a daily low dose, and had no addiction or withdrawal issues. I've since switched meds due to a change in diagnosis, and the benzos are as needed only. I typically only take Xanax before "performance" events now.

I was on BuSpar for a long time and it work good with combined with an SSRI. It also has no withdrawal side effects if you go off it. Only problem with it was having to remember to take each dose. I had to take 15mg 3 times a day. However once all my meds were washed away because I couldn't take an SSRI anymore it became apparent it wasn't working anymore and was just making me dizzy without the SSRI on the back side of it.

Now I have lorazepam (Ativan) and it works great. I was prescribed it to help with agitation found during manic episodes as well as something to help sedate myself so I would sleep. Just a little bit of my experience.

Originally Posted by ChipperMonkey

To each their own....Klonopin is a LOT stronger for me than Ativan, so I take Ativan. A main difference between the two is half lives. Klonopin has a half life of up to 50 hours, so it can take 50 hours for half of it to leave your system. The half life of Ativan is a bit shorter, and works a lot better for me.

You are exactly right. I just facepalm at the amount of uneducated people giving advice on this site!!

Ativan works better for me shortterm but I need 2.5 - 5mg dose. Im on 2mg of clonazepam daily anyway which I hate and want off asap its severely impacting on my cognitively.

Ativan/lorazepam is a good medication with the least withdrawl symptoms if take correctly. Please stress that it is to be taken correctly and as a last resort after going through the coping strategies and breathing techniques.