I am used to the regular xanax IR, I don't like the extended release formulation, although I think it's great that there are finally generics for it. It's supposedly the same time-release / anti-abuse mechanism as OxyContin, so there is no un-XR-ing it, not that you'd necessarily even want to, but I've seen plenty of members asking about how to make their xanax XR into xanax IR.... makes me wonder why they pay all the extra money to be on slow-release alprazolam in the first place when the dozens of IR generics are dirt cheap and easily as effective as the brand name if not subjectively IMO more effective.
I'm currently taking diazepam and I much prefer it to alprazolam. In fact, I'm taking it to get off the alprazolam. Alprazolam is tons more effective as an anxiety/PTSD medication, it's ridiculously potent and works GREAT when you need it to, so long as you aren't a daily doser. If you get to the point of being a daily doser, you end up taking it more just to maintain and avoid WD and it can become counterproductive to treating your psychiatric condition for which it was prescribed to begin with. However this doesn't happen to everyone, or even most/many people, but it is a phenomenon to be aware of. I like diazepam because I don't wake up immediately thinking about medication, unlike how I was waking up while on short-acting-only benzodiazepines.
Now that I'm adamantly trying to distance myself from alprazolam, I would recommend that if you have ever suffered alprazolam withdrawal, and then you, like I, should know better, than to try to make alprazolam work. Even the extended-release version. It's not that I can't control my use, but with diazepam, there is no doubt I feel more stable, and feel like it's a helluva lot easier and more forgiving to taper with diazepam.... I can't see how anyone would ever taper with xanax XR. If one's taking Xanax XR, they probably aren't tapering.... And my long-term goal is NOT one that accommodates being benzodiazepine dependent. You might have different goals, but I know that for me, benzodiazepines are best taken as needed, and when I'm taking them daily in a dependent state, I have found they can be counterproductive and just add an unnecessary source of worry and anxiety.
With diazepam being in my system + my sleep medication, I'm sleeping much better than I have been in times past, when levels of benzodiazepines in the blood rapidly rise and fall, causing mood interruptions due to my being on multiple extremely short acting benzodiazepines. I'm looking forward to tapering off the diazepam completely.
Maybe because it's so subtle, but I don't feel tempted to keep taking benzos for anxiety long-term. After completely abstaining from benzodiazepines for over a year, it took a long time for me to feel comfortable taking benzos again, strictly as needed though..... Then occasionally... Then regularly enough to start having it bother me.... Then to the point of dependency.....
I'm stopping the cycle before I, or anyone else, gets hurt. I know so much better than to think I can take anxiety medication daily and have it not be counter-productive. When I was taking them strictly as needed and not as a daily/dependency thing, they help me a ton, I just really don't like the idea of being dependent on any chemicals. It's bad enough being opioid dependent. Hopefully, within the next couple months, I'll be benzo-free, if not sooner.
