Which ANTIANXIETY MEDICATIONS wont cause any problem with schooling????

[fastasian79]

Hi everyone,  

My doctor just gave me some Ativan but i have not taken it yet b/c i read something about "benzo" can cause problems with studying and etc....  I do not want to take anything that would cause me not focus in school.  I was on buspirone for few weeks but I did not like it because....I had to wait about 2-4hours after taking the meds before I can even open my books to study.

Nowadays, i still have shortness of breath (but not suffrocating like i used to, which is good), light-headness and these symptoms happen sometimes only.  

Which meds do you think it would help me with my shortness of breath & light-headedness BUT wont effect my concentration in school?  

Thanks you all

[ManicPanic247]

I would like to know also!

[Mark TX]

I wouldn't worry so much about Ativan or other benzos causing problems with studying.  My study problems in college were all brought about by alcohol!  And I can assure you that normal college party life is much more troublesome to learning than a properly dosed benzo would ever be!  At least for all but the most sensitive of us.  Benzos are relaxing... and calming.   And they can cause drowsiness, especially when you first start taking them.  Most people seem to get used to the drowsiness.

If you read stories from long-term benzo users here or on other boards, or in a number of books that have been published, I think you'll find that many of us grow more concerned about the long-term addiction, emerging symptoms after years that some of us are believed are side-effects (that's controversial, I know), and the physical and psychological problems associated with withdrawing... which I believe is a reasonable concern for anyone who doesn't commit to a lifetime on benzos.

But for short term studying?  I don't think it's much of an issue.  In fact it may have done me some good while I was in college... all things considered!

Good luck.

mark

[CharlieHarmon]

No matter what anyone will tell you, any benzodiazepine WILL affect your concentration, memory, motivation, coordination, etc, etc, etc.... as long as it is in your system.  However, the effects are temporary, NOT permanent.  If you take your dosage of xanax at noon on Monday, by noon on Tuesday your brain will be as sharp as it was before you took the pills on Monday at noon.  This differs with different benzos because some stay in your system for longer, such as valium.  I know everyone's body chemistry is different, but it is absolutely false to claim that a benzo will not affect your brain's abilities while on the substance.  Maybe if you are taking .5mg of klonopin recreational to get high, then perhaps .5mg of klonopin will be no more distracting than drinking a beer or two or smoking half a joint before studying.  However, if you are planning on being prescribed ANY benzo as an actual treatment for anxiety in which you will have to take some pills every day, you will lose concentration, memory, motivation, coordination, etc........  Simply speak to a psych. or doctor, or even type in the word "effects of benzodiazepines" into any search engine (google) and you will get a laundry list of brain debilitating symptoms of benzos.  This is not a myth, it is scientific fact.  However, the upside is all the symptoms are temporary, go off the benzos and your brain is all better, no lasting damage at all.  So the question is, is your anxiety so bad that you are willing to deal with "brain fuzz" because the benzos allow you to say: keep a healthy relationship, leave the house, speak in front of crowds, etc...  It is really up to you.  My advice is to stay on as low a dose as you can possibly tolerate and ask for something like Deplin (look it up, it is just a vitamin supplement) to augment the meds.  
But your question was non-brain messing up meds for anxiety, which I don't know too much about, there probably aren't any out there, maybe Buspar or an SSRI or something, but all have side effects and usually mess with your brain anyway.

[trouble10]

I'm going to school to be a MA. I just quit taking paxil because it actually made the anxiety worse. I take Ativan as needed. For me, I don't feel any side effects at all, but I don't take it all the time and it's a very low dose. I definately am able to study better then when I was doubled over with anxiety and panic, and I have a 4.0 average. Before I got the ATivan, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to finish the courses. I do know that Ativan supposedly works less well the more you use it though, and everybody is different. I've also made my day very structured. I study in the afternoon before dinner, and I'm in bed by 10 so I can be up by 6 wether I'm sleepy of not. I'm trying to regulate my sleep patterns which I've been told can mess you up as much as anything. The ATivan, sleeping 8 hours a night, and being on a hypoglycemic diet has helped me more than anything. Personally I think trying to go it without any help made me worse then it ever had to be. Try the Ativan for one day. It's not one of those drugs you need to take for a month then wean off of. I tried it on one of my days off with my husband home to watch me and give me honest answers. Love...

[fastasian79]

Thank you all.  

I am going to try it out to see how it goes.   Just need to calm me down when I have shortness of breath.

I have another question for you all....Once anxiety occurs, you will have it for the rest of your life or eventually it will go away if get it treated properly?????

[Mark TX]

I think the answer to your last question is... it depends.  Each of us experience anxiety in different ways.  And most of us have different types of triggers.  I suspected for years that my anxiety was in large part due to other medications (ADs and mood stabilizers.)  When I complained, the docs would adjust dosages, or mix and match different drugs, and sometimes make wholesale changes to the treatment... but after my anxiety continued to worsen, I finally did what I'd thought about doing all along, against the medical advice.  I went OFF the MEDS.  For me at least, this seems to have made life much more bearable.  I haven't had a full blown panic in over a year now.  My sleeping is much better (no more waking up in the middle of the night.)  My mood is stable... and my anxiety is lower than it's been in many years.

I also realized, after clearing my head for a while... how badly I was abusing the benzo and how seriously addicted I'd become.  I never took the pills according to directions.  I just popped them whenever I felt I needed them.  That was probably adding to my anxiety roller coaster.  In any event... I'm tapering off the klonopin now.  Meanwhile I'm dosing on a regular schedule.  I had some problems trying to go too fast... but now am back on a reasonable taper and have scheduled an appointment with a new doctor to talk about transitioning to Valium to finish the withdrawal.

Overall, I'm feeling very good right now.  I get headaches every few days or so.  But they come and go quickly... and are perfectly bearable.

So yes... anxiety can go away.  At least for a while anyway.  I don't know what next year holds or the year after that... but I'm quite optimistic.

mark

[RCA7591]

"I had some problems trying to go too fast... but now am back on a reasonable taper and have scheduled an appointment with a new doctor to talk about transitioning to Valium to finish the withdrawal."

^quote

A few notes on this subject:

(1) While it is certainly feasible (and in most cases, desirable) to transition from Klonopin to Valium to complete the taper, ideally, the Klonopin dosage should be reduced to 0.25 mg, b.i.d  or t.i.d. prior to the initiation of the transition.

(a) Valium will not immediately replace Klonopin (just as Klonopin will not immediately replace Xanax). Valium's active metabolite, Desmethyldiazepam, reaches steady-state in one month. In contrast, Clonazepam reaches steady-state in two weeks. Thus, when transitioning from Clonazepam to Diazepam, it should be borne in mind that Clonazepam withdrawal during the first two weeks of Valium therapy will occur to some degree. Desmethyldiazepam will fully replace Clonazepam within two weeks. Thus, one must be prepared for the possibility of heightened anxiety and physical manifestations of withdrawal for a period of up to two weeks. The exact duration is highly individualized.

(b) Valium is far more sedating than Klonopin. Ideally, you'd want to keep the Valium dosage under 20 mg daily to prevent excessive somnolence and ataxia. A Klonopin dosage of 0.25 mg, t.i.d. translates into a Valium equivalent dosage of 5 mg, t.i.d. (15 mg daily). This is ideal.

(2) It is far easier to taper from Valium. Provided that you can tolerate up to two weeks of potential withdrawal symptoms during the initial adjustment phase, Valium can be tapered in 1 mg increments. Both 2mg and 5mg tablets are available. Tapering 1 mg every 2-4 weeks practically prevents withdrawal phenomena. The Valium should not be tapered from until it reaches steady-state (one month), and ideally, not until it accumulates beyond steady-state (an additional month). To fully stabilize on Valium is roughly a two-month process (if one looks at every variable involved).

Ryan

[djajt]

Ryan, are you a doctor?

[Casey80]

I take klonopin .5 x 2 a day. I am a high school principal and graduate student. Outside of the initial tiredness for a week or two, I am great. A little tired, but nothing terrible. If you are looking for a long term fix, klonopin works for me. I take it everyday. I have gad and sad. I find that I can function at a high level, even higher than before probably because I was so anxious before I couldn't concentrate. It will be okay. I worried for months before finally trying the klonopin. You need to be strong and realize that benzos can work, some of the trade offs like tiredness and sometimes forgetfulness (very minor) is fine compared to living in the hell of anxiety.