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Valium vs Xanax For Anxiety: Understanding Uses, Effects, & Risks

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Valium vs Xanax

Individuals having mental disorders constantly battle with all the chaos that goes on their minds. Due to this, it’s important to find ways to calm the body to improve its condition. For all these requirements, what can be better than Benzodiazepines? These are famous for providing calmness to users, which is extremely necessary. Valium and Xanax are two drugs that belong to this family and have been used actively for many years. But since we can’t have both of them together so it’s better to know their difference to take appropriate measures. This blog, Valium vs Xanax, has the exact same purpose and will be extremely useful the next time you have to choose based on your condition.

Differentiate Valium vs Xanax: Doses, Potency, & Interactions

What Is Valium?

Valium is the brand name for Diazepam and belongs to the family of Benzodiazepines. This drug has several uses, such as an anxiolytic, muscle-relaxant, sedative, and anti-convulsant. Valium helps in providing relief by increasing the level of neurotransmitters that calm the body. This drug belongs to the category of Schedule IV substances because it has the possibility of developing dependency in individuals, which will lead to addiction. The formulations of Valium must be taken orally and as a whole without chewing or crushing.

Individuals who must avoid this drug include:

  • Breathing issues
  • Weaker muscles
  • Problems in the liver
  • Glaucoma
  • Pregnant
  • Depression
  • Allergies

What Is Xanax?

Xanax is a well-known drug that helps in dealing with a variety of mental health issues. It can cause dependency, which eventually leads to addiction. This is why you must be very careful while using Xanax and never overdose. All the available oral formulations must be swallowed directly without chewing or crushing them, which might lead to overdosing.

Xanax must be avoided if you have:

  • Allergies
  • Respiratory issues
  • Glaucoma
  • Pregnancy
  • Older age

What’s The Difference Between Valium and Xanax?

Certain cases might give rise to certain queries in your mind, such as are Valium and Xanax the same? This mostly happens when they have to choose a drug that will calm their mind and body. It is wrong to consider these drugs similar just because they have a similar mechanism of action, because there are several other properties which is different in the both. Let’s discuss all of those to know more in detail.

Valium vs Xanax Dosag

The doses for both drugs are significantly lower at first and are increased according to the requirements. Let’s look into each of the drugs and their recommended doses.

Valium Dose

  • For anxiety, the doctor might recommend doses starting from 2 mg to 10 mg, two to four times a day.
  • To control seizures, you must initially take 2 mg to 10 mg.
  • The dose for alcohol withdrawal is 5 mg.

Xanax Dose

  • The starting dose for anxiety is 0.25 mg to 0.5 mg.
  • For panic disorder, the dose is 0.5 mg.

Valium vs Xanax For Anxiety and Panic Attacks

Both of these drugs are efficient for anxiety and panic attacks, which makes it difficult to choose the best one among them. Xanax can be useful for providing faster relief because of its faster onset. But it won’t last long in the body and can also cause severe dependency in individuals. At the same time, Valium takes time to show its effects and might be a good source for individuals seeking a long-term treatment option. So, you can choose between the two according to your health conditions.

Valium vs Xanax For Sleep

If you want immediate relief and are also capable of handling the side effects, then you should opt for Xanax as a source of your treatment procedure. This provides a faster effect, but it won’t last long, and there is a possibility that you might end up being awake in the middle of the night. But on the other side, Valium has a longer half-life, which makes it last longer, but its effect takes time to show due to a slower onset. This drug can guarantee improvement in your sleep cycle since it lasts all night and stops you from awakening often.

Which Is Stronger, Valium or Xanax?

Xanax is considered to be more potent than Valium in very small amounts. This is because even a small amount of Xanax can be highly potent and will be effective compared to large Valium doses. So, you should be very careful while using Xanax because the high-potency nature can also result in harmful side effects.

Now, let’s see more of the differences in brief

FactorsValiumXanax
FormulationsOral tablet, oral solution, injectable solution, gel, sprayOral tablet, oral solution
Generic nameDiazepamAlprazolam
Onset15 to 60 minutes1 to 2 hours
Half-life20 to 70 hours6 to 20 hours
PotencyComparatively lowerHigh
Addiction rateLower compared to XanaxHigh

Drug Interactions

Every drug has several other drugs with which it is incompatible. If we mix these drugs, then it will harm our body severely and won’t be good for our health. The reaction that occurs is termed a drug interaction. Just like these, Valium and Xanax are also incompatible with certain drugs. So you should always look out for those to avoid accidental mixture.

Drug Interaction of Valium

Xanax Interaction

  • Ambien
  • Cymbalta
  • Flexeril
  • Gabapentin
  • Lyrica
  • Oxycodone
  • Prozac
  • Tramadol
  • Zoloft
  • Zyrtec
  • Trazodone

Can You Take Valium and Xanax Together?

It is for the best to avoid combining Valium and Xanax because they do not have many health benefits; instead may cause interaction. In certain cases, the doctor might recommend this after careful observation of your condition. The doses you get are very low and for a short period of time. Your healthcare provider must be aware of all positive and negative changes that your body shows after taking them.

Risks

Individuals taking either Valium or Xanax have to face certain side effects. These can range from mild to severe and can also vary from person to person. If a person is taking a higher dose, they face much severe risks in comparison with a person taking a low dose.

Risks seen in individuals are:

  • Drowsiness
  • Fatigue
  • DIzziness
  • Muscle weakness
  • Addiction
  • Dependency
  • Hallucinations
  • Memory loss
  • Cognitive impairment.

Alternatives

Let’s have a look at the alternative options available for Valium and Xanax for individuals who are unable to take the drug.

Alternatives to Valium

  • Lexapro
  • Entyvio
  • Buspirone
  • Xanax
  • Venlafaxine
  • Paroxetine
  • Cymbalta
  • Lorazepam

Alternatives to Xanax

  • Buspirone
  • Zoloft
  • Fluoxetine
  • Hydroxyzine
  • Klonopin
  • Lorazepam
  • Cannabidiol
  • Citalopram
  • Valerian
  • Theanine

Conclusion

Hence, we can conclude that both drugs have their own characteristics which make them unique. The doctor decides which drug to give according to your condition and tolerance level. You must only act according to the doctor’s instructions and never on your own. Follow a healthy diet and take all required medications at their right time for early and easy recovery.

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