BeeBee

Thanks Pedagogue and everyone else!!! I appreciate your time and efforts!!

pedagogue

Glad I could help!

-p

Barto

If I may add, there are many different benzo charts; some have Xanax as the more potent (though these appear older) and most have Klonopin and Xanax as being tied for the most potent. They were developed and patented by different companies which may account in part for why comparing potency is not an exact science.

Personally, I feel like Xanax is the stronger. Also, I believe Ativan has an average half life somewhere between Klonopin and Xanax.

What I am wondering is if you build tolerance to a particular benzo, would changing benzos be helpful? And if so, could a shorter acting one become longer acting in a particular individual?

pedagogue

Equivalency charts aren't an exact science, but they are good for what they are used for. Potency is pretty accurate, but not perfect.

That is where a benzo is a benzo is a benzo, since they all act on the same receptor. Typically tolerance is addressed by augmentation through using another med, changing the dosing (either up or down), etc.

Sort of. The half life was measured on a group of people, and the averages were taken, so half life can vary by person. Since half life by definition is the amount of time it takes for 50% of the active med to pass out of your system, it can really depend on a number of factors. A child will be different than an adult, who will be different than an elderly person. Liver function can play a big role, so if you have liver damage, it will definitely effect the med. These and many other factors ultimately contribute, which is why it is important to give your doc as much info as possible, and let him/her figure out what might work best.

-p

Barto

The only issue I have is that some charts have Klonopin twice as strong as Xanax, others have Xanax as twice as strong as Klonopin, and some have them equal. I just saw another one that had Xanax up to between 4 to 8 times stronger than Klonopin. Yikes! That’s a big difference.

pedagogue

I need to review some of that stuff anyway, I'll take a look and see what my charts say.

-p