Short Answer: I prefer Kpin & valium because I find Xanax to short acting. That being said if I was having a really bad panic attack (Hands tighten and cramp up & go numb, face goes numb, wanting to cry, feeling like im going to die) then I would definitely choose the strongest option being either Xan or Kpin. For acute symptoms Valium or a small dose of Kpin could possibly be a good option.
My .02$ Sorry its long winded
So Xanax is a very strong short acting medication that is perfect for extreme anxiety (a Dr. might give it to a person who is deathly afraid of flying on airplanes) My biggest problem with Xanax is that it has a very short half life (4-6 hours). This means it is more difficult to ween off from. Also overuse of Xanax can cause very serious withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms include headaches, sweating, seizures & DEATH and i'm certain many others. I can speak from experience! If you take a lot of xanax and run out you should seek medical attention & tell your DR. the truth. They will probably give you a benzo with an extremely long half life like Librium. This allows you to ween off safely.
Clonopin is very similar to Xanax but it has an pretty long half life (if I remember correctly somewhere between 30-40. This means roughly 1-2 days to eliminate 50% of the drug from your blood stream. This means the Kpin will stay in your blood for a good bit of time. I believe it is more suitable for everyday anxiety or symptoms. Many people I know on Kpins have had everyday anxiety or anxiety from PTSD.
Valium is really the Standard for all Benzos or at least it used to be. I believe that when medical professional discuss the strength of benzos they usually compare it to a set does of Valium. Something along the lines of 10mg valium = 1mg xanax = 1mg kpin (not medically accurate just an example of roughly how they are compared)
keep in mind overuse of any benzo is extremely risky. Especially when taken everyday at high doses. There is also some indication that long lasting use of benzo can lead to dementia later in life. Also statistically I think heroin users are more likely to quite shooting up than someone addicted to benzos. I believe 1 out of 4 heroin users will give up their habit, but less than 25% of people who regularly use benzos will ever quit. ** sorry this was so long winded guys... Be safe!
- BN