# Oxazepam



## York (Feb 26, 2008)

Hi, I've been on both Diazepam and Oxazepam (Alepam 10mg twice a day now), and Oxazepam really helps taking away more of the DP-symptoms. If you're currently on Diazepam I'd try switch for Oxazepam and see if that worked for you. You have to be on a steady dosage for at least a month in my experience, don't just nibble when you feel like it, you need to make your brain accustomed to the dosage for it to work properly. The onset of oxazepam is also quite slow, so you don't want to wait until you're in the middle of a full blown panic-attack.

Anne
You might want to look at this: http://psy.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/con ... act/6/1/26


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## peachy (Feb 9, 2008)

Hmm that's really interesting. On wikipedia it says it is known to lower cortisol levels. That could be something, heard studies bring up this magic cortisol factor in Dp, although I'm not too familiar with what other drugs can lower cortisol like that, it's not something I've heard often. I wonder how this drug would be for people that aren't experiencing anxiety but have had that fight or flight response triggered.


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## York (Feb 26, 2008)

Cortisol is just a stress hormone I think.. I think what happens in your brain when you have DP is the same, no matter the onset. I've read DP-sufferers have much higher cortisol levels in their urine than people with anxiety/depression. Cortisol is bad news, it shortens your life.


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

Cortisol is a hormone that is released into your brain when you are under stress. It is actually neurotoxic i believe so high levels of it are certainly not god for you.

Oxazepam does not lower the levels of cortisol in your brain more so then any other benzodiazepine. Most benzodiazepines IE diazepam, chlordiazepoxide, clorazepate, temazepam, etc metabolize into oxazepam eventualy so no there is nothing special about oxazepam. So these drugs would also lower levels of cortisol the same way as oxazepam does. All benzodiazepines will lower the levels of cortisol in the brain to some extent because of the fact that they reduce anxiety and panic.

Clonazepam is one benzodiazepine that does not metabolize into oxazepam. It has helped alot of people including me. Oxazepam works the same as every other benzodiazepine with certain differences in effects like other benzos such as speed of onset, half life, muscle relaxant properties, anti-convulsant activity, etc. So it will work for anxiety if it's going to work for you when you first start taking it. It certainly doesent take a month to start to work though it often takes longer for benzos to get rid of dp/dr and brain fog then anxiety. Or atleast this was the case for me and a few other people ive talked to on this board. Clonazepam reduced my anxiety as soon as i started taking it but the dp/dr and brain fog didnt fully lift until almost a week after i had started taking it.



> I think what happens in your brain when you have DP is the same, no matter the onset.


I doubt this is the case. Depersonalization and derealization seem more complex then to have the same thing happen in everyones brain. If this was true one drug would work for everyone and this is certainly not the case.


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## York (Feb 26, 2008)

I just wanted to make clear I am not taking what I write here "out of the air", I've read and re-read everything I've gotten my hands on on this subject.

"Oxazepam is an intermediate acting benzodiazepine. Oxazepam acts on benzodiazepine receptors resulting in increased effect of GABA to the GABAA receptor which results in inhibitory effects on the central nervous system.The half-life of oxazepam is 4-15 hours. Oxazepam has been shown to suppress cortisol levels." 
"Oxazepam is an active metabolite formed during the breakdown of diazepam, nordazepam, and certain similar drugs. Oxazepam may be safer than many other benzodiazepines in patients with impaired liver function because it does not require hepatic oxidation, but rather it is simply metabolized via glucuronidation."

"Diazepam has anticonvulsant properties.Diazepam has no effect on GABA levels and no effect on glutamate decarboxylase activity but has a slight effect on gamma-aminobutyric acid transaminase activity. It differs insofar from some other anticonvulsive drugs it was compared with. Benzodiazepines act via micromolar benzodiazepine binding sites as Ca2+ channel blockers and significantly inhibit depolarization-sensitive Calcium uptake in rat nerve cell preparations."

My point is: Oxazepam and Diazepam have different medical uses, they have different properties.
I can't tell you what works for you, only that Oxazepam worked better for me in regards to the feelings of depersonalization/derealization.

As the previously posted article sais (see above link), this might also be true for other people.

When I said you should take Oxazepam for a month before expecting results, once again, I did not take that idea out of the blue. It's true that it has immidiate effect on stresslevels, and for some that might be enough. But for me it took longer for the DP to get better, this might be because of the psychological aspect (read cognitive). 
You might need several days/weeks to let your dysfunctional thoughts correct themselves and forget the habitual anxious responses to normal life. In other words, your mind needs a rest from fear, long enough to remember what "real" life and balance of thoughts feels like.

Anne


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## York (Feb 26, 2008)

One more thing: Our symptoms are all so similar, do you really think that would be the case if our brains weren't responding in the excact same way when it comes to the release of chemicals under stress? You are free to look up studies of this, there are plenty availible. *There is no difference in your brain weather your DP is drug induced or trauma related.*

The reason there isn't "one drug fits all" is because of the cognitive aspect, we are all individuals, we choose how to respond to things differently. Some people are also more sensitive to medication/drugs, this is biological, but has nothing to do with which parts of your brain is active during stress or what chemical responses it's producing.


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

All benzodiazepines bind to the benzodiazepine site on the gaba-a receptor. They are not gaba agonists but increase channel opening only when gaba normally opens the receptor. Basically they potentiate the hell out of gaba. Unlike barbiturates which are direct gaba agonists and are thus a hell of alot more dangerous. Some of them are very lethal unlike benzodiazepines which are damn near impossible to OD on. Basically you would choke on the pills first.

Not all benzodiazepines act the same way. Some are better for anxiety then others, some have stronger anti-convulsant activities then others, etc. But i don't think oxazepam varies greatly from other benzos and most people i know who have tried it don't find it nearly as good for anxiety as diazepam, clonazepam, lorazepam or alprazolam.

Some people i know find oxazepam to work wonders for anxiety though so everyone is different. Alot of people find alprazolam to be great for anxiety but i hate the feel of it and i find it no good for anxiety. I also find lorazepam to be pretty useless on it's own for anxiety and i can't feel anything off it even at doses of 10mg's. So ya everyone is different.

Jeez im either getting pretty rusty at this stuff or the fact that im back on anti-psychotics is making me abit dull because i actually had to look up how benzodiazepines worked in the brain.


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## York (Feb 26, 2008)

How is anti-psychotics working for you? I got some when I went to the ER (when panicking...A bit embarrassing), I didn't take them.. DP makes me wonder sometimes if I am psychotic (even though I know I am not), and thinking maybe antipsychotics would work. I know they are also used to treat anxiety. How, I'm clueless.


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

They work great for my bipolar disordder especially zyprexa (olanzapine). Im taking seroquel nightly and saving zyprexa for emergencies for if i get real manic. They have quite litterally been life savers for me.

Atypical anti-psychotics are used a fair bit to treat anxiety in some places. Seroquel is probably the one most used for this purpose. It does help some peoples anxiety as well as dp/dr but they are not as effective as benzodiazepines for most people. They arent as effective as anti-depressants for anxiety either i don't think.

I don't know how they work on anxiety but i guess that with atypical anti-psychotics like seroquel and zyprexa it's the H1 antagonism at lower doses so it's the anti-histamine side effects. This could help anxiety by sort of calming you down. At the doses where seroquel starts really acting like a anti-psychotic the 5-ht2 antagonism and D2 antagonism will help calm a person down along with the anti-histamine effects.

It may be worth a try but personally i think people should try benzodiazeines, anti-depressants and anti-convulsants (lamotrigine) to treat their dp/dr before trying atypical anti-psychotics. However that decision is up to you.

What anti-psychotic where you given by the way?


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## York (Feb 26, 2008)

In the ER I got Truxaletten 5mg, but as I said I didn't take any.
I tried Zyprexa once a long time ago, and I felt like a zombie, and that I had tunnel vision. I remember just holding on to the kitchen counter, feeling like I was made of lead and that my legs couldn't support me..


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

I had a damn hard time finding out what that drug was because none of the articles where in english but i think i found out what it is. Chlorprothixene is what im almost 100% sure what it is. Honestly that is not a good one to be taking unless you need it for bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or some kind of psychosis. Even then id only take it after failing on most atypical anti-psychotics.

Chlorprothixene is a very old typical anti-psychotic and thus has alot nastier side effects then the newer atypicals like zyprexa and seroquel. Tardive dyskinesia, extrapyramidal symptoms such as akathisia and dystonia are much more common with the old typical anti-psychotics.

So i wouldnt take that really. I have no idea why they gave you that one other then the fact it's super cheap.


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## York (Feb 26, 2008)

Thanks  That didn't sound too good. I'll stick to benzos for now.


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## voidvoid (Sep 5, 2008)

I dont know if its comforting or troubling that there are people like you guys that know the drugs better than the docs prescribing them. I love this forum.

As for my experience regarding Diazepam VS Oxazepam, Diazepam makes me feel the band kind of drunk, more dpd. Oxazepam always lowers my DP slightly and lowers my anxiety. DP and anxiety most probably being connected. It actually has a fitting brandname over here, Sobril, as it makes me feel more sobre unless im really depressed at the time.

Diazepam and Oxazepam aside, Clonazepam was the drug that saved my life. I dont know where I would have been or if I would even be alive If I had not found this forum in such an early stage of my DP/DR and found out about Clonazepam (called Iktorivil here) since its only listed as an anti-epileptic here, I probably would never have gotten it if I had not specifically asked for it.

Be well /Chris


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## York (Feb 26, 2008)

I'd really like to try Clonazepam, but I can't seem to get an appointment with a psychiatrist any time soon. I'm still severely DP'd and I just don't know how much longer I can take it.


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## Matt210 (Aug 15, 2004)

york said:


> I'd really like to try Clonazepam, but I can't seem to get an appointment with a psychiatrist any time soon. I'm still severely DP'd and I just don't know how much longer I can take it.


Can you just go to your regular doctor in the meantime? Explain your situation and that you are looking to substitute one Benzo for another. I can't see them having a major problem with it since you have already been prescribed Benzos anyways.

Though it seems like some doctors are extra cautious about Klonopin for some reason - particularly outside of North America. It was the first Benzo my doctor suggested, but I hear stories where people will be handed valium and xanax like it is nothing but the Klonopin is kept locked away. Weird because it is no more dangerous than any other Benzo, and it is less addictive than some (particularly Xanax)


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## York (Feb 26, 2008)

In Scandinavia it's only prescribed as anti-seizure medication. And my doctor isn't the one prescribing my meds, it's the psychiatrist where I go to my CBT. Prob is I can't get an appointment with her and have to go through my CBT-therapist.. It's a mess.


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

york said:


> In Scandinavia it's only prescribed as anti-seizure medication. And my doctor isn't the one prescribing my meds, it's the psychiatrist where I go to my CBT. Prob is I can't get an appointment with her and have to go through my CBT-therapist.. It's a mess.


That sucks it's prescribed here alot in canada for anxiety. It's a good anti-convulsant and is used here alot for that too but it's a really good anti-anxiety drug as well and is approved for that here. When i was asked what drugs worked best for my anxiety i chose clonazepam because i had the best results with it and ive been on it ever since.

Have you tried valium (diazepam)? I found this to work second best to clonazepam and it has a rather nice muscle relaxant quality to it. I sometimes take it for the nasty neck spasms i get. It doesent last as long as clonazepam despite it's ultra long half life of 200 hours but it kicks in faster. If you havent tried it id say it would be worth a shot. It's one of the least addicting benzodiazepines because of it's long half life. It's also the easiest to taper off.

I would stay the hell away from xanax because that is a pretty addictive benzo. It works for some people but it never helped my anxiety at all and put me in a bad mood :twisted: . It has a really short half life and ive known people to go into withdrawal about 6 hours after their last dose. Almost every benzo horror story ive heard has involved xanax. So ya im sort of biased against it.


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## voidvoid (Sep 5, 2008)

Just took 5mg Diazepam cus I cant pick up my Oxazepam until later today. Getting a lower dose of Oxazepam now, 15mg instead of 25mg. Im ok with that. I have my usual clonazepam. For a while there I was on 6mg Clonazepam a day because of a mislabeled box or docs mistake, was supposed to be 4mg as usual. Do you think this will be a problem?


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## York (Feb 26, 2008)

I'm definitely living in the wrong country.. My doctor will only give me 10 mg Alopam, even though I can't really function on that dose at all. I'm begging her to recognize the fact I have kids to take care of, and that I do so much better even on 15 mg, but no one gives a shit. Clonazepam, how is that working for you? I'm going to ask for this the next time I see her ( :roll: )...


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## voidvoid (Sep 5, 2008)

Clonazepam is the greatest. It really really helped when I was first diagnosed with DP. For me, its the best longterm benzo. And for many others on the forum apparently. It does not take the DP away and it is not a miracle drug, but it somewhat glues the brain together. Im pretty sure "Antidepressant + Clonazepam" Is the most common medcombo for people on here. I was lucky to get it since it is not usually prescribed for anxiety/dp here in Sweden, since like in Norway it is only listed as an anticonvulsant. It was when I tried the best I could to describe DP to my doctor and explaining that Clonazepam is a very common treatment for it that I got it.

I wish I could give you eventual studies and statements (I bet they are on the site somewhere) to print out to your doc, but the best I can do right now is a youtube link describing how Clonazepam works.






What I find personally troubling about this video is that it says that you should never use any similar meds while on clonazepam, heck ive been on Xanax Valium Oxazepam you name it. And not any small dosages either... Im starting to think my docs have been to liberal with prescribing benzos.

On a sidenote, this forum is too white/bright. Its not healthy to stare at this for too long. There should be an option to change color-schemes. Maybe a soothing Green theme or something... There should be plugins for phpBB.

Add me on MSN, there should be a link to my add below my avatar or somewhere. That goes for everyone. Peace.


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