Since I have BPD (among other MIs) and I've been on both Xanax and Valium, and I have a history of substance abuse, I thought I'd chime in.
Firstly if you look at the side effects listed on an info leaflet and compare that to what people report online, there's a huge difference, and the true stats are not reflected in the Pharm Co's info. To report a side effect the Pharm Co tells you that in order for it to be added to their internal data for research, you must sign a waiver to all of your medical records, which most people don't want to do....and they know that. When I did it and actually agreed to sign the waiver, they definitely weren't expecting it.
Valium was the first benzo I was put on (by a psychiatrist in the psych ward) which really helped with my anxiety issues. Im pretty sure the substance abuse issue they note is more about the addictive quality of Valium and Xanax.
A couple of months after being on the Valium, my Pdoc switched me to Xanax..I can't really remember why...it might have been because the Xanax is considered stronger and starting at its lower dose would be the equivalent of a higher valium dose. (40mg of Valium per day is the highest prescribing dose allowed)
Apparently 20mg Valium= 1mg Xanax
Xanax did a great job of calming my anxiety quickly, but because of its very short half-life it was only effective for about 2-3 hrs.
Valium also has a short half-life, and for me its effective for around 6-7 hrs.
Eventually I asked my doctor to switch me back to the valium (which Im still on today- prescribed by my psych now) because I hated what the Xanax was doing to me.
Neither of these benzos are designed for regular, long term use (which I need), but Xanax is only supposed to be used rarely for sudden onset anxiety like panic attacks. So it works fast, and wears off fast
really fast! Id go from feeling normal to really, really irritable, hypersensitive and plain pissed off with and about everything within minutes. It wasnt just a sudden return of anxious feelings, it was uncharacteristic anger that happened every single time the effects started to wear off. And it didnt take months for it to have that effect.
With Valium, I never really notice it wearing off or have any sudden angry withdrawal-like symptoms like I did with the Xanax.
I dont know how often ER used it, but I can definitely see how Xanax could potentially be dangerous when used by a person whos already crazy-angry at the world.
On a separate note, it stung a little bit to read the part of your post saying Borderlines have attention seeking behaviours...I know it's true in many cases, but 'just being an attention seeker' was an accusation thrown at me more than once, even by a mental health 'professional' that messed with my head even more, created trust issues and delayed my correct dx'es and treatments.
I do see some BPD features in ER, and the not-so-well-known facts of BPD could be very significant in this case...which I'll post about later.
