Valium, Ativan and Xanax are essentially the same thing. I always thought Klonapin was an anti-depressant, but I’m not sure. As long as it’s for occasional use (which it sounds like it is), those sound like what you need.
And since there’s nothing worse than a recovering anything, let me add this: Even though it’s for occasional use, BE CAREFUL. Addiction can sneak up on you before you realize what hit you.
Now that I’m in recovery, everyone is an addict. 
Well, mebbe, but ask yourself, “who knows more about mind-altering stuff than hippies?”
I have learned a new word today and I plan to slip it into casual conversation as soon as possible!
“Why Aunt Mabel you look lovely today. I see you got over your case of anorgasmia.”
Possibly a good Rolfing might help. Here are some NYC Rolfers.
If you’re allergic to the dummy sauce, and you don’t want to be Rolfed you can look here
Common Medications for Anxiety Disorders
If those remedies don’t appeal, holding you down and blowing raspberries on your tummy is a guaranteed pick me up, but might be a little undignified for you.
“They say I’m difficult, they say I’m drunk, even when I’m not. Sure, I take dolls 'cause I’ve gotta get up at five o’clock in the morning and ‘Sparkle, Eve, sparkle!’ That psychiatrist says that I’m self-destructive. So what? What do I do about it? Well, the hell with all of 'em. Even the bad publicity helps when you get to be as big as I am!”
Well, they act in essentially the same way, but they have different half-lives, distribution times, solubility (this may be an especially important quality, depending on how you look at it). To grossly oversimplify, Xanax has the shortest half-life of this group, then, in order of increasing half-life, Ativan, Klonopin, and Valium (there’s wiggle-room and overlap with all of these, depending on an the individual taking the drug; treat this as an “on average” kind of thing). Valium has an active metabolite that lasts a long time too, while the others do not, so the effects of Valium tend to be with you for a while. Pound-for-pound, Xanax and Klonopin are the most potent, while Valium is less so, and Ativan the least. But you can just adjust the dose of one or the other to get a somewhat “equivalent” effect.
I think the biggest difference between these drugs might be expressed as how fast and hard they hit you. Xanax may be the champ in this category. But do you want fast and hard? Maybe to “unwind” quickly or get to sleep. But if you have persistent anxiety, maybe this rollercoaster effect isn’t desireable (there can be physical discomfort involved here too, since tolerization happens so quickly); you want a more gradual and longer-lasting effect. It really depends on the patient’s needs, and what the doctor thinks is appropriate. I’ve heard that Xanax can be more addictive, but I don’t know if there’s any empirical data to support this. All benzos are addictive, and I’m under the impression they should be treated alike as far as abuse potential goes.
When weaning a patient from benzos, especially if they have been on high doses for long-term and are essentially addicted, doctors will often switch them from whatever they were on to Valium, and then slowly taper the dose so that they don’t experience too many uncomfortable withdrawl effects.
The sypmtoms of benzo withdrawl can be mighty unpleasant, from what I hear, so, uh, don’t get yourself hooked, OK? It sucks royally to get unhooked, and that is not an exaggeration.
You need to reboot your body chemistry. There are various ways to do this. My number one suggestion is that you go to Astroland and ride the Cylone at least three times in a row. If you can, go with a crazy friend. Dress outlandishly. Get a hot dog at Nathan’s. Walk along the beach. Sing outloud. Make total fools of yourselves. Get a beer in a paper sack and drink it through a straw on the subway home. I guarantee you will feel much better.
Oh, and another thing:
Ever hear that term: It’s the beer talking? Well, it could be paraphrased “it’s the Valium talking” to aptly describe what can happen when you’re on these drugs, especially when you’re new to them: Disinhibition. That can be great if you’re pathologically shy or have debilitating performance anxiety, but not so great if you’re the type who says or does things you later regret when you’re schnockered. Benzos can be highly disinhibiting, so, you know, be careful out there. 
Puh-lease!
(But thanks for the tips)
Thank you. I now understand the meaning of the line from MST3K’s Manos: The Hands of Fate:
Carry on.
I had a similar problem: I knew why I was having problems, but I didn’t want to mess with my body chemistry, either. Then I almost died of pneumonia.
Assuming a fetal position and whimpering every twenty minutes for a couple of years may not really be a good match for situational depression, or at least the kind that couldn’t use a little assistance at this point. That’s up to you & your doctor to discuss.
Re: Exercise Allergies. I can’t help but think that your exercise advisors aren’t suggesting enough options. Go to the college offerings and start looking for things that sound mentally stimulating. You’re aware that I use bjj because I can’t stand traditional exercise. I would imagine that there are enough colleges & universities around you to find just about anything from juggling to tree climbing to Axe Throwing For Fun And Profit. At my undergrad school the theatre department offered a stage combat class—that would be perfect for an old-film buff (not an old film-buff), you could pretent you are the graceful heroine rescuing Errol Flynn from a dastardly and sexually ambiguous villian! To audit a class is pretty cheap, too.
Don’t think that I’m belittling your desire to merely take the edge off now and again. Believe me, if I could take the edge off 24/7, I’d do it. I’m not casting stones on this one. I just get the impression that you may be writing off some options prematurely.
If all else fails, get a blankie and a couple of Thievery Corporation grammaphones and just take a little Eve time.
The problem is, dear, I suffer from Lazy Bitch Syndrome. I have tried to join a gym, but my LBS kicked in and I nearly had to be institutionalized.
My problem may be much as yours: my life wholly sucks right now, and I am doing All The Right Things to make the situation as . . . well, as not-sucky as it can be (“not-sucky.” Yeah, I’m a writer). But things are very, very bad and are only going to get worse. They will get better someday, but . . . Well, I just don’t want to start a thread about it, there are so many people here with worse problems than mine. I don’t need antidepressants or therapy. I just need some pharmaceutical assistance when days are unbearable.
Eve, honey, I know you’re kicking yourself for not taking me up on my offer.
I’m still thinking about that hottie of a waiter.
Go for the Klonopin. Stay far away from Xanax.
Funny, I was just going to recommend xanax. It’s neato. No experience with klonopin, but of the two people I know that have taken it, one was prone to violent seizures and the other one was a raving lunatic.
Give xanax a try, low dose, then have 'em up it to acceptable level. Better living through chemistry!
Good luck.
For short-term distress, I have found that Ativan and/or Valium work wonders. For help with long-term hell, Depakote (a mood stabilizer) can really help. And as others have said, reconsider an antidepressant. Talk to your doctor about your present state of mind and get his advice.
I would wager that pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps (or in your case, your Jimmy Choos) won’t successfully fix how you’re feeling. But since I am not a doctor and only a fellow wallower in Hell, let your doctor help you sort things out.
Hope you feel better.
You’ve already poo-pooed the hippie daisy-sucking stuff, but I’m going to put a special word in against valerian, St. John’s Wort, and anything else considered to be a “mood enhancer.” My experience with this stuff is that it just… well… enhances your mood. If you’re sad, it makes you more so. Both of the two messed me up when I took them.
And I know someone who takes Ambien so he can get six hours of sleep instead of the usual four. He then can’t remember anything for 3-4 hours after he wakes up. It does not make him particularly happier.
Eve, please allow me to add my considered and experienced recommendation of Klonopin (generic name: clonazepam). Oh, I’ve had the valium. I’ve had the Xanax. I have the black sucking hole of a life from which I am occasionally desperate to escape by any means … but never mind about that. Back to your lazy bitch of a screwed up life.
My experience is that clonazepam makes the totally stressed out/freaking out/can’t take it/can’t cope feelings just go away. Valium gives me the warm fuzzies, but that’s about it. I can be way more stressed than warm fuzzies can fix, plus there’s the can’t do anything else when you take it factor. Also the it feels so nice I could get used to this factor, which scares the hell out of me because addiction is not something I need to add to my plate. Another really good thing about clonazepam is that if I’m having a really bad day I can take a very low dose and go to work and function as if I’m perfectly ok.
So, that was about me and not you after all. But I hope it helps.
IANAD and I have/had prescription for all the drugs discussed below. Obviously you should seek advice of a doctor, but here is a patient’s perspective:
Sorry to hear that Eve. I’ve done virtually every psychoactive drug, illicit and legal. I know what it’s like to want immediate relief so I won’t give you the patronizing diet and exercise lecture. FWIW, antidepressants don’t take 3 months to have an effect though I know that’s commonly said. Most people feel better in under two weeks-- they just don’t notice they aren’t feeling as bad. Like others have said, no matter what you take you’ll be fiddling with your brain chemistry.
Now for immediate relief, I think you’ve got two options: Stimulants like Ritalin, Dexedrine, and Adderall or tranquilizers like Valium, Klonopin, or Xanax. If you’re feeling bad because you’ve got no “get up and go” and are therefore not engaging in reward seeking behaviors, I’d try the stimulants first. These will definitely cause added stress/agitation if you don’t end up getting yourself moving. My gut tells me that you’ll probably end up with option 2.
Of the tranquilizers, I think Klonopin (clonazepam) is easily the best. I found I have hardly developed a tolerance after years of taking it, but I have friends who were taking .25mg Xanax a couple years ago and are now taking 2mg for the same effect. Valium is just a dinosaur, though I keep some around to mix it up a bit.
I also like the effects of Klonopin much better. It seems to stop anxiety without bogging down the body, unlike Xanax. Whichever you get be sure to get the generic. A little extra bonus with Klonopin is that you can chew the pill/ take it without water because it doesn’t taste like anything!
Now here is the bad news about Klonopin: Your short term memory and train of thought may get seriously affected after continued use. The effect on me is quite pronounced. I get nasty lethologica (having a word/name on the tip of your tongue) and will completely forget what I was talking about midsentence. Intermittent use won’t affect you too much though.
With Klonopin I’d buy 1mg tablets and split them. If .5mg doesn’t do enough, go for a full one. BTW you can’t overdose on the stuff.
Oh, and don’t knock L-Theanine, it’s surprisingly effective. It’s the amino acid in green tea associated with mood elevation and increased focus. It works.
FWIW, I think the most constructive option is a good old SSRI antidepressant. If you have any more questions about any of this stuff, let me know.
I wasn’t being patronize in the least.
She said in the OP that she was aware what the problem was and that it would probably last a specific length of time - I reasoned that the problem was situational, rather than organic. She also said she wasn’t interested in taking drugs, nor was she interested in messing with her brain chemistry.
Some cognitive therapy, increased exercise or physical activity, and a change of mental scenery sound like perfectly reasonable alternatives and, I repeat, aren’t patronizing at all.
Oh, I take everyone’s advice as well-meant: drugs, hippie stuff and exercise. Just, not all of them are for me.
Thanks, all, for the suggestions—I will jot down some notes, and when I see my doctor on the 29th I’ll run some by him and see what he recommends.
Damn, sometimes I wish I could drink, or weren’t too much of a priss to take opium or morphine . . .