Originally Posted by
BeeBee 
Pedagogue, I know it must seem that I'm being difficult here, but I promise you that I'm not. I am only trying really hard to understand. So then all benzo's are not created equal. A benzo is not a benzo is not a benzo then? If 1mg of one brand is stronger than 1 mg of another brand, then what makes one so? What makes ones half life longer than another. I guess this is a real source of confusion for me. There must be another chemical combined here to make a 1mg dose of one stronger than a 1mg dose of another, right? What is going on here that makes it so?
PS. and by the way, you are a fabulous source of information. Don't ever stop being so smart or so helpful. I for one appreciate your knowledge. Thank you.
No problemo! This helps me review the information also, so don't worry about asking questions (at least in regard to information, I can't give any medical advice nor speak to personal situations).
Here is another way to think of it. (I'm hungry, so my example involves food). There are a lot of different kinds of sandwiches out there. If you were to describe a sandwich to someone, they'd have similar characteristics and they do the same function (provide nutrition, etc), but they aren't made of the exact same thing. You can have a ham sandwich and a turkey sandwich. Both are sandwiches, contain meat, and are used to provide nutrition, but the actual contents are a bit different. Benzos are like that!
Here is the chemical structures of each:
Xanax
Valium
As you can see, they are structured similarly (the bottom part), but like the sandwiches, they may act in a similar way, and may serve the same function, they are slightly different. This difference can effect how long it stays in your system, how strong it reacts to things, etc.
-p
ps. I should have used the sandwich example earlier...the stuff I put up top is correct, but kind of obtuse. I remember when I learned the stuff I asked a thousand questions, so don't feel bad about asking questions.