– why do benzos(like Ativan) work almost immediately, but srris take weeks to work? Are they not doing essentially the same thing ?

Question

I got an Ativan script to help w anxiety for an upcoming surgery- and I have struggled w anxiety my whole life – I did try ssris and Wellbutrin, neither made me this relaxed this easily.

I know it’s addictive, but damn I wish it could be the OTC anxiety option like Tylenol or Advil

In: Chemistry

Answer 1

I’ve had midazolam for a surgery and it did make me feel calm right away, but when I had a prescription for Ativan for anxiety it just made me feel jittery and hyped up and tense. Different people react differently to the same medications, and one person might react differently to the same family of medications, so it might not be possible to generalize what the mechanism is.