Opinions - Why is alprazolam so different from other benzos

[Orchid_Suspiria]

Swim has noticed tonight that while most benzodiazepines feel similar xanax(alprazolam)is a force of it's own.It makes swim highly sociable,it brings about this compulsive need to take more and more.One could say because it is so short acting but then again so are a few others and they don't nearly bring about the impulse to take more and more.What makes xanax(alprazolam)so unique?

[moda00]

I'm speaking from very limited experience of benzodiazepine chemistry, but plenty of swim's personal experiences and preferences, fyi. But my guess is simply that short-acting benzos are more "morish" than longer ones (as swiy states), but that, other than that, their differing qualities have more to do with individual preference and chemistry, rather than a generally identifiable and shared underlying chemical or neurological mechanism.

That said, one source of info could be those addiction potential or "likeability" studies they do with new drugs- to find benzo drugs with comparable half-lives/potencies to alprazolam and see if, when tested on large numbers of people, there was a significant difference in these ratings that couldn't be accounted for by other variables. This wouldn't answer the why of your question, but could speak to whether this extends beyond simple personal habits or preferences.. Just a thought..

[Laudaphun]

SWIM also thinks there may be something a bit unique about alprazolam... perhaps something to do with the fact that it is one of the benzos with potential anti-depressant properties in some individuals. SWIM was actually just reading that since the original benzodiazepine structure was created, over 3000 benzodiazepines have been synthesized. Of all those, only about 35 are currently in use throughout the world. Quoting a textbook,

"with this many structural variations synthesized and tested, the SAR of benzodiazepines is fairly well understood: For significant activity, there must be a small electron-withdrawing group at position 7, like the chlorine of diazepam; large groups or electron-donating groups weaken potency, as do substituents anywhere else on this fused benzene ring...."

SWIM finds that rather interesting as comparison of structures of different benzo molecules should allow us to predict fairly accurately the effects of each. SWIM also thinks that the more and more you consume benzos, that frame of similarity begins to blur a bit and they each become more discernable from one another, at therapeutic doses of course... SWIM would probably have difficulty telling the difference between larger and larger doses aside from the duration of action.

On the flipside, some benzos are metabolized into the same active agents... Prazepam (Centrax) and Clorazepate (Tranxene) both are converted to the active metabolites Nordazepam and Oxazepam so they should feel pretty much the same SWIM would think. However, diazepam for example is converted to the identical active metabolites but diazepam itself is active so it would feel a bit different.

SWIM does not yet have the education to come up with too many hypothesis in confidence, however it seems that most benzos are hydrophobic so they would not be easily excreted by the body and I'd guess them to be stored in fat cells. While alprazolam has a shorter half-life, so do many others, but many have said that with alprazolam you can be fairly sure that it is in and out within 7 days as opposed to most other benzos. I can't help but wonder if there isn't some extra mechanism involved in the metabolism of alprazolam that is absent with most other benzos.

Despite claims of alprazolam causing extremely fast tolerance, SWIM finds that she can take the same dosage of alprazolam day after day and still derive the same benefit from teh dosage, much unlike say temazepam. SWIM doesn't have much if any body fat, so that might account for this. SWIM, being very skinny would not have as many fat cells as the average person in which to store hydrophobic substances... perhaps that would account for the lack of development for tolerance to alprazolam in SWIM. Who knows?

Appologies for the long post and rambles, but SWIM just happened to be reading a book on the pharmacology of benzos as he came across this thread. I'm sure there are some of you out there who have more knowledge of this sort of thing than me. Is my logic totally out of whack or does it sound like at least somewhat grounded reasoning?

One last interesting note, and perhaps I could dig up the actual report, was that a large study (however funded by Upjohn, the makers of triazolam, and not double-blinded) seemed to show that therer were no diffferences betweeen zopiclone, zolpidem, midazolam, brotizolam, temazepam, lormetazepam, and loprazolam compared with traizolm

Reputation Comments on this post:

thanks for the post, great hypothesis and information

[Codehead]

Alprazolam is MOST WANTED and best benzo ever made, so far.

[Laudaphun]

Alprazolam is MOST WANTED and best benzo ever made, so far.

ehhh... we are all entitled to our own opinion and while alprazolam is most definitely very popular, this is a very debatable statement... especially on a world-wide forum. There are some real good benzos that some countries lack, depending on the country.

Something SWIM has noticed that is certainly different about the alprazolam in comparison with most other benzos that SWIM typically takes or has taken is that often while alprazolam does a terrific job at taking care of anxiety caused by social situations... SWIM remembers the term social lubricant being used by evil people who were trying to brainwash her while in captivity, and while it was not used to describe alprazolam it seems a very fitting description indeed. Anyways, aside from that SWIM finds that while anxiety is alleviated sometimes she still feels agitated due to social circumstances. Other benzos will make SWIM not care and thus not irritated. It's definitely a property unique to alprazolam among the benzos for SWIM anyways. SWIM pretty much takes the same dose every day...

SWIM used to feel that same compulsion to keep taking more and more alprazolam, but no longer does aside from when SWIM is socializing, which is not often. Most of the time now, SWIM just takes a single dose as a sleep aid. But has anyone else noticed aggitation/irritation when the anti-anxiety effects of alprazolam are in full effect? Not always, in fact while SWIM couldn't really say that it commonly occurs, she couldn't say that it rarely occurs either. So I guess it is an uncommon effect for her.

[Orchid_Suspiria]

That statement is very debatable.Alprazolam certainly seems to be the most popular benzo though on the other hand swim has seen it to have more addiction potential than most other benzo's.It just has that"One more pill"feel to it.It also has the tendency to make swim do and say stupid things that he doesn't remember the next day.

[Steva]

Swim takes all 3 in moderation (challenging task).
Xanax has that warm fuzzy kill the anxiety vibe, valium relaxes the body
and mind nicely, clonazepam makes you feel "normal" like a
12 year old with no anxiety ever experienced.

[Orchid_Suspiria]

Originally Posted by Steva

Swim takes all 3 in moderation (challenging task).
Xanax has that warm fuzzy kill the anxiety vibe, valium relaxes the body
and mind nicely, clonazepam makes you feel "normal" like a
12 year old with no anxiety ever experienced.

Thats the best explanation of clonazepams effects swim has ever heard.

[Laudaphun]

Originally Posted by Steva

Swim takes all 3 in moderation (challenging task).
Xanax has that warm fuzzy kill the anxiety vibe, valium relaxes the body
and mind nicely, clonazepam makes you feel "normal" like a
12 year old with no anxiety ever experienced.

In which situation would you use diazepam over alprazolam or clonazepam? SWIM is just curious because she hasn't had a lot of experience with diazepam.