Xanax Making My Anxiety Worse.

[Rickk90]

Ok so I never thought i'd say this but I think xanax has been making my anxiety worse. Im used to taking .5mg a day and now roughly 12-24 hours after my dosage i'm experiencing a pounding heart, feeling like i'm about to faint and can't breathe what so ever.
And its strange because 2-3 minutes after I take xanax I feel better. I don't want to live with this/: anyone know how to get over this medication or is there a medication thats not as bad as xanax. please help!!!

[ADD]

Rick there is no way the Xanax can kick in the fast unless you are snorting it, which I'm sure you are not!! I also think that it is psychological in nature what you are experiencing, it is not due to the medication and if you wanna get off it you have to reduce the dosage in other words you have to taper off slowly since by doing so you are allowing your brain to produce whatever chemicals it has been suppressing by outside assistance..maybe someone else here has a better understanding.
Good luck and God bless!!

[Rickk90]

Rick there is no way the Xanax can kick in the fast unless you are snorting it, which I'm sure you are not!! I also think that it is psychological in nature what you are experiencing, it is not due to the medication and if you wanna get off it you have to reduce the dosage in other words you have to taper off slowly since by doing so you are allowing your brain to produce whatever chemicals it has been suppressing by outside assistance..maybe someone else here has a better understanding.
Good luck and God bless!!

Thank you for responding (:
So you think it's more like a panic attack?
I'm still feeling a bit out of breath
And no I do not snort it lol..

[frankzito]

Thank you for responding (:
So you think it's more like a panic attack?
I'm still feeling a bit out of breath
And no I do not snort it lol..

Just knowing you take it sometimes makes you feel better. Does with me . Placebo affect I guess

[frankzito]

Ok so I never thought i'd say this but I think xanax has been making my anxiety worse. Im used to taking .5mg a day and now roughly 12-24 hours after my dosage i'm experiencing a pounding heart, feeling like i'm about to faint and can't breathe what so ever.
And its strange because 2-3 minutes after I take xanax I feel better. I don't want to live with this/: anyone know how to get over this medication or is there a medication thats not as bad as xanax. please help!!!

I wonder sometimes if I'm addicted to it, and I need to keep taking them. Once they wear off they gone .

[Rickk90]

Just knowing you take it sometimes makes you feel better. Does with me . Placebo affect I guess
Is it possible to feel symptoms after an hour or so?
My nose has been congested
And now my throat feels like it's closing up..
I don't want to take more xanax though
Hook me up with some advice brotha

[Rickk90]

I wonder sometimes if I'm addicted to it, and I need to keep taking them. Once they wear off they gone .

What do you mean by gone

[frankzito]

What do you mean by gone

Meaning its just wore off, you probably know that already anyway . Meaning your free to feel like garbage again. Sorry your feeling bad bro

[Rickk90]

Meaning its just wore off, you probably know that already anyway . Meaning your free to feel like garbage again. Sorry your feeling bad bro
Thank you for your concern
Only thing that trips me out is how se people say it's possible to get seizures off withrdrawl
And if you don't mind me asking
How much xanax are you on

[frankzito]

Thank you for your concern
Only thing that trips me out is how se people say it's possible to get seizures off withrdrawl
And if you don't mind me asking
How much xanax are you on

It take a low dose .25 . I wonder if I'm addicted cause if I don't take it I feel poop. But I'm not sure if its that, or just minor anxiety symptoms. Looking forward to seeking the doctor to ask him. I've gone a week without taking them, then had to. But I wonder about addition

[Rickk90]

It take a low dose .25 . I wonder if I'm addicted cause if I don't take it I feel poop. But I'm not sure if its that, or just minor anxiety symptoms. Looking forward to seeking the doctor to ask him. I've gone a week without taking them, then had to. But I wonder about addition
.25 is a low dosage
And I feel you
I've been on .5 for two months
Though after the first month I rested about a month to get more.
And tomorrow I'm going back to GP hopefully he has some answers cuz it sucks..
What are you current symptoms?
If you have any

[frankzito]

.25 is a low dosage
And I feel you
I've been on .5 for two months
Though after the first month I rested about a month to get more.
And tomorrow I'm going back to GP hopefully he has some answers cuz it sucks..
What are you current symptoms?
If you have any

I will be waiting to hear what he says for you. Peace my friend

[Bam77]

Ive been prescribed clonazepam and Xanax. The clonazepam makes me depressed. I don't take the Xanax very often at all. I also haven't taken the clonazepam in months. The last time I took any was 5 weeks ago. Its only .5mg. My psychiatrist told me that one of the "withdrawal" symptoms of xanax is what feels like an anxiety attack. Im thinking of asking about Diazepam (valium). I know a guy who was on 6mg of Xanax a day. His doc switched him to valium and he's doing much better.

[frankzito]

.25 is a low dosage
And I feel you
I've been on .5 for two months
Though after the first month I rested about a month to get more.
And tomorrow I'm going back to GP hopefully he has some answers cuz it sucks..
What are you current symptoms?
If you have any

My current are, just slight dizziness,minor nausea, and an occasional hot flashes and palps too.

[frankzito]

Ive been prescribed clonazepam and Xanax. The clonazepam makes me depressed. I don't take the Xanax very often at all. I also haven't taken the clonazepam in months. The last time I took any was 5 weeks ago. Its only .5mg. My psychiatrist told me that one of the "withdrawal" symptoms of xanax is what feels like an anxiety attack. Im thinking of asking about Diazepam (valium). I know a guy who was on 6mg of Xanax a day. His doc switched him to valium and he's doing much better.

I agree, I think the Xanax are good but bad too. I keep telling myself not to take one. But I'm not sure

[Rickk90]

I will be waiting to hear what he says for you. Peace my friend

Thanks brotha
Ill keep you posted

[Rickk90]

Ive been prescribed clonazepam and Xanax. The clonazepam makes me depressed. I don't take the Xanax very often at all. I also haven't taken the clonazepam in months. The last time I took any was 5 weeks ago. Its only .5mg. My psychiatrist told me that one of the "withdrawal" symptoms of xanax is what feels like an anxiety attack. Im thinking of asking about Diazepam (valium). I know a guy who was on 6mg of Xanax a day. His doc switched him to valium and he's doing much better.

I imagine
I'm going to bring up Valium tomorrow
Hopefully it helps
I also heard knolpin or how it ever its spelled is also pretty good

[frankzito]

My current are, just slight dizziness,minor nausea, and an occasional hot flashes and palps too.

I left out one symptom that never goes away. Muscle twitching, mainly at rest. I've had it ever since it started

[Bam77]

I imagine
I'm going to bring up Valium tomorrow
Hopefully it helps
I also heard knolpin or how it ever its spelled is also pretty good

Klonopin (clonazepam) and Valium are both longer acting. Xanax is good for panic attacks, but the longer acting ones are much better for general anxiety..which always leads to panic attacks in my experience.

[JLBnole68]

Are you currently take any other anti-anxiety medication? Xanax and that class of drugs was really designed for short-term or emergency use and can be highly addictive if taken for any sustained length of time. They do work great, but I had to watch how often I took them because of that. Unfortunately, many doctors will prescribe them, then cut you off if they suspect you are forming a habit. From what I understand, withdrawal symptoms can be very unpleasant, which is the last thing a person with anxiety needs to deal with. I've been taking Lexapro and after about 3 weeks of letting it get into my system, it's worked quite well for me. Not to say I'm completely anxiety-free, but the attacks are much less frequent and way milder. For a while, I thought I was gonna die before the meds kicked in. Don't be timid about asking your doc to switch meds if you're on something that's not working for you. There are many different options and what works for some, not so much for others. Our body chemistries are just different. Hang in there and I hope you and everyone else on here is feeling better soon. I know it's a nightmare. You have my sympathies and understanding.

[JLBnole68]

Also, I've integrated a lot of non-medicine techniques into my healing routine. They've helped tremendously. The best one is to look on YouTube and find a muscle tension/relaxation video which guides you through each muscle group, tensing, relaxing and concentrating on just that part of your body. If you practice it while you're not in the middle of a panic attack, it works great at getting rid of the symptoms when you do have one.

[frankzito]

Is it possible to feel symptoms after an hour or so?
My nose has been congested
And now my throat feels like it's closing up..
I don't want to take more xanax though
Hook me up with some advice brotha

Sorry I missed this one, it sounds like your having anxiety to me. My throat does that too, I wonder if the air quality has an effect as well. Xanax don't always work either, I ended up in the hospital the night I had taken one , and it did no good at all. Low dose though lol I feel they work better for me when I sense I'm gonna have a bad night or day, and take one. Good luck

[trinidiva]

Sorry I missed this one, it sounds like your having anxiety to me. My throat does that too, I wonder if the air quality has an effect as well. Xanax don't always work either, I ended up in the hospital the night I had taken one , and it did no good at all. Low dose though lol I feel they work better for me when I sense I'm gonna have a bad night or day, and take one. Good luck

I have a rx for a low dosage also, which I only take when having extreme anxiety. I only take half of the .25mg...and it does the trick. Otherwise if I sm experiencing anxiety, but its still tolerable...I try not to take it and try other methods to relax. I doubt you are addicted as you have only been taking it two months...but maybe you should start to explore more options that are better for you to take safely for a longer time period. I have taken Buspar...which is quite gentle on your system and doesn't have that addictive quality. Don't wait for your doctor to tell you....its your body....you have to take control of your situation.

[Rickk90]

Are you currently take any other anti-anxiety medication? Xanax and that class of drugs was really designed for short-term or emergency use and can be highly addictive if taken for any sustained length of time. They do work great, but I had to watch how often I took them because of that. Unfortunately, many doctors will prescribe them, then cut you off if they suspect you are forming a habit. From what I understand, withdrawal symptoms can be very unpleasant, which is the last thing a person with anxiety needs to deal with. I've been taking Lexapro and after about 3 weeks of letting it get into my system, it's worked quite well for me. Not to say I'm completely anxiety-free, but the attacks are much less frequent and way milder. For a while, I thought I was gonna die before the meds kicked in. Don't be timid about asking your doc to switch meds if you're on something that's not working for you. There are many different options and what works for some, not so much for others. Our body chemistries are just different. Hang in there and I hope you and everyone else on here is feeling better soon. I know it's a nightmare. You have my sympathies and understanding.

sorry for the late response.
and thank you for the advice .
what exactly is lexapro?

[Rickk90]

Also, I've integrated a lot of non-medicine techniques into my healing routine. They've helped tremendously. The best one is to look on YouTube and find a muscle tension/relaxation video which guides you through each muscle group, tensing, relaxing and concentrating on just that part of your body. If you practice it while you're not in the middle of a panic attack, it works great at getting rid of the symptoms when you do have one.

Well i was on corey(beta blocker) and also cymbalta but i couldnt resist the side effects of symbalta it made me feel really bad which I heard is normal for the first two weeks

[trinidiva]

sorry for the late response.
and thank you for the advice .
what exactly is lexapro?

SSRI. Long term med used to treat anxiety and in some cases, depression.

[Rickk90]

I have a rx for a low dosage also, which I only take when having extreme anxiety. I only take half of the .25mg...and it does the trick. Otherwise if I sm experiencing anxiety, but its still tolerable...I try not to take it and try other methods to relax. I doubt you are addicted as you have only been taking it two months...but maybe you should start to explore more options that are better for you to take safely for a longer time period. I have taken Buspar...which is quite gentle on your system and doesn't have that addictive quality. Don't wait for your doctor to tell you....its your body....you have to take control of your situation.
thats exactly what im going to do. take control :)
its easy for doctors to just hand out xanax as they are not the ones suffering

[Rickk90]

SSRI. Long term med used to treat anxiety and in some cases, depression.

are ssri really worth the bad side effects you go threw

[trinidiva]

thats exactly what im going to do. take control :)
its easy for doctors to just hand out xanax as they are not the ones suffering

Exactly!!!

[Rickk90]

Sorry I missed this one, it sounds like your having anxiety to me. My throat does that too, I wonder if the air quality has an effect as well. Xanax don't always work either, I ended up in the hospital the night I had taken one , and it did no good at all. Low dose though lol I feel they work better for me when I sense I'm gonna have a bad night or day, and take one. Good luck
yeah my throat has been doing that quite a lot
and one other thing my hands are extremely cold

[Rickk90]

all of this is just so unreal to me.. half a year ago i was a happy guy . working out as much as possible but then being a hypochondriac just completely ruined my quality of life/:

[trinidiva]

are ssri really worth the bad side effects you go threw

Well, I took Zoloft for a while...it did help the anxiety...but it kind of messed up my stomach..so I stopped.

The only one that worked for me is Buspar. It is in a different class....not exactly an SSRI....doesn't have the same addictive qualities. ..and you can take it long term. Its tough...but I had to try a few before I found out what worked for me. I've now cut back the buspar from 3 times a day to just once a day. Its been a process...but I'm really trying to enjoy my life and not make it all about anxiety and worry.

[trinidiva]

all of this is just so unreal to me.. half a year ago i was a happy guy . working out as much as possible but then being a hypochondriac just completely ruined my quality of life/:

Yep, completely understand. It totally changed my quality of life until I got fed up and decided I had to do something about it.

[Rickk90]

Well, I took Zoloft for a while...it did help the anxiety...but it kind of messed up my stomach..so I stopped.

The only one that worked for me is Buspar. It is in a different class....not exactly an SSRI....doesn't have the same addictive qualities. ..and you can take it long term. Its tough...but I had to try a few before I found out what worked for me. I've now cut back the buspar from 3 times a day to just once a day. Its been a process...but I'm really trying to enjoy my life and not make it all about anxiety and worry.

right now im in the stage where everything is anxiety /: im glad you're feeling better now though..
idk what to do , take more xanax right now or just fight it

[Rickk90]

Yep, completely understand. It totally changed my quality of life until I got fed up and decided I had to do something about it.
I feel like i too got to do something about it. this is getting beyond annoying

[Rickk90]

Yep, completely understand. It totally changed my quality of life until I got fed up and decided I had to do something about it.

what were your anxiety symptoms?

[trinidiva]

right now im in the stage where everything is anxiety /: im glad you're feeling better now though..
idk what to do , take more xanax right now or just fight it

Its hard to fight it without knowing what things to try or what things work for you. I personally had to make a few changes ib my life. I eat a lot better...exercise more...and started to look into meditation. Sounds weird, but it works. You could go to you tube and look up meditation music. Lay down in a darkened room....start the music. Clear your mind completely ( this I found difficult). Concentrate on only your breathing.....breathe in through your nose...exhale through your mouth. Try to slow your breathing down. You will find yourself relaxing completely. If that doesn't work, then maybe try the xanax....but continue with your breathing exercise every day. Well anyway, that's what worked for me.

[JLBnole68]

Rick, I've had absolutely no side effects at all with Lexapro. It's been awesome. I'd recommend asking your doc. It's helped me tremendously. I have taken other things with side effects, too. Even if you have a few, they would probably be extremely mild. Heck, they can't be any worse than what you're going through, right? Honestly, I don't worry over every little health issue anymore. And guess what? All the crazy symptoms have pretty much gone away. I don't think I could've gotten to this point without the right medication. Hope you find something to help you soon.

[Rickk90]

Its hard to fight it without knowing what things to try or what things work for you. I personally had to make a few changes ib my life. I eat a lot better...exercise more...and started to look into meditation. Sounds weird, but it works. You could go to you tube and look up meditation music. Lay down in a darkened room....start the music. Clear your mind completely ( this I found difficult). Concentrate on only your breathing.....breathe in through your nose...exhale through your mouth. Try to slow your breathing down. You will find yourself relaxing completely. If that doesn't work, then maybe try the xanax....but continue with your breathing exercise every day. Well anyway, that's what worked for me.
i will be trying that out soon :)
i have to find something that works

[Rickk90]

Rick, I've had absolutely no side effects at all with Lexapro. It's been awesome. I'd recommend asking your doc. It's helped me tremendously. I have taken other things with side effects, too. Even if you have a few, they would probably be extremely mild. Heck, they can't be any worse than what you're going through, right? Honestly, I don't worry over every little health issue anymore. And guess what? All the crazy symptoms have pretty much gone away. I don't think I could've gotten to this point without the right medication. Hope you find something to help you soon.

i agree.
but more about lexapro
do they have withdrawl side effects or is it a much more safer drug?

[trinidiva]

what were your anxiety symptoms?

I think I've had the entire list of symptoms

Dizziness
Shortness of breath
Racing heart
Palpitations
Numbness in face, arms legs
Panic attacks in rapid succession
Racing thoughts
Heat flashes
Cold limbs
Irritable bowels

I had it pretty bad. I had to be put on disability from my job because I could no longer drive to work due to the dizzy spells.

[trinidiva]

i will be trying that out soon :)
i have to find something that works

Yeah, I tried a bunch of things till I found what worked for me.

[trinidiva]

i agree.
but more about lexapro
do they have withdrawl side effects or is it a much more safer drug?

I heard its pretty clean....all of them generally have some withdrawal side effects but if you ease yourself off, its not so bad.

[Rickk90]

I think I've had the entire list of symptoms

Dizziness
Shortness of breath
Racing heart
Palpitations
Numbness in face, arms legs
Panic attacks in rapid succession
Racing thoughts
Heat flashes
Cold limbs
Irritable bowels

I had it pretty bad. I had to be put on disability from my job because I could no longer drive to work due to the dizzy spells.
Did you have the symptoms for a short period of time or all day like me /:

[JLBnole68]

I stopped taking Lexapro once before, and didn't have any side effects because I tapered them off gradually. A few times while I was on them, the only side effect I had was like mild electrical pulses or shocks running through my head. However, that was only if I'd forgotten to take them for a few days. Again, you can't just stop them abruptly. As with a lot of medications, if you taper off gradually, it's not a real issue.

[Rickk90]

I stopped taking Lexapro once before, and didn't have any side effects because I tapered them off gradually. A few times while I was on them, the only side effect I had was like mild electrical pulses or shocks running through my head. However, that was only if I'd forgotten to take them for a few days. Again, you can't just stop them abruptly. As with a lot of medications, if you taper off gradually, it's not a real issue.

Oh ok
But before you took any treatment how bad were your anxiety symptoms

[JLBnole68]

My symptoms were bad. Chest pains, shortness of breath, hot flashes, trembles, dizziness, digestive problems, walking the floor, a trip to the ER, extreme mood swings and dips into depression and loneliness... you name it. It wasn't mild at all. And at the time, you feel like your life is over, that you'll always feel this way. Don't tell yourself that lie. Because that's exactly what it is. I remember all of it vividly, but it feels more like a distant memory with each day that passes without panic attacks. Stress will never go away. We all have stuff to deal with...financial, family, relationships, loss, etc. But now, at least my mind and body's not constantly freaking out on me, making me imagine the worst-case scenarios all the time. Some people don't like to take anxiety or depression medication. I wish I didn't, but I'd damned well rather swallow a pill each day than go back to where I was. I'll take it as long as I need to take it. I'm not putting myself on a timeline.

[Rickk90]

My symptoms were bad. Chest pains, shortness of breath, hot flashes, trembles, dizziness, digestive problems, walking the floor, a trip to the ER, extreme mood swings and dips into depression and loneliness... you name it. It wasn't mild at all. And at the time, you feel like your life is over, that you'll always feel this way. Don't tell yourself that lie. Because that's exactly what it is. I remember all of it vividly, but it feels more like a distant memory with each day that passes without panic attacks. Stress will never go away. We all have stuff to deal with...financial, family, relationships, loss, etc. But now, at least my mind and body's not constantly freaking out on me, making me imagine the worst-case scenarios all the time. Some people don't like to take anxiety or depression medication. I wish I didn't, but I'd damned well rather swallow a pill each day than go back to where I was. I'll take it as long as I need to take it. I'm not putting myself on a timeline.

I really appreciate your story
Really motivates me and makes me want to succeed with this terrible nightmare I'm currently living..
And you're absolutely right , I feel like I'm always going to have this and have no way out.
Going to look more into this and finally live the life I was enjoyed .
So now you can pretty much do it all?
Like go out and etc..

[JLBnole68]

There's still a few situations that make me a bit anxious, but overall, yes. I can pretty much go out and do what I want again and lead a normal life. That's why I tell people not to give up. You've just gotta find the right combination of things that work for you.

[shellsjack]

My symptoms were bad. Chest pains, shortness of breath, hot flashes, trembles, dizziness, digestive problems, walking the floor, a trip to the ER, extreme mood swings and dips into depression and loneliness... you name it. It wasn't mild at all. And at the time, you feel like your life is over, that you'll always feel this way. Don't tell yourself that lie. Because that's exactly what it is. I remember all of it vividly, but it feels more like a distant memory with each day that passes without panic attacks. Stress will never go away. We all have stuff to deal with...financial, family, relationships, loss, etc. But now, at least my mind and body's not constantly freaking out on me, making me imagine the worst-case scenarios all the time. Some people don't like to take anxiety or depression medication. I wish I didn't, but I'd damned well rather swallow a pill each day than go back to where I was. I'll take it as long as I need to take it. I'm not putting myself on a timeline.

I was reading a lot about hot flashes because I feel like I had two of them in the last week. One on Monday and one brief one this morning. I felt like an intense wave of internal heat began in my chest and then came up to my neck and my head. And my heart started to race a little bit and I got the shakes and felt tingly in my face and jaw. . I take Zoloft daily and Xanax as needed. I just turned 40 a couple of weeks ago and don't think they are hot flashes in the normal hot flash Manor associated with age but I wonder if it's panic and anxiety? Also both times that had happened I seem to be completely calm and in normal conversation however my subconscious is always on Teenage son who drinks and does drugs and financial worries and the other children I have. So those two times this week I wasn't actively stressing about something but could I still get hot flash type symptoms like I explained above with out being in a stressful state of mind consciously? They both scared me terrible. I've only been on Zoloft for about six weeks. 50 mg one today and Xanax as needed.

[frankzito]

I think a lot of us just call them hot flashes, but they are anxiety related. Those are types I get, like you explained.

[JLBnole68]

shellsjack, you just described the process of what I call a "hot flash" to a tee. Very unpleasant experience.

[shellsjack]

shellsjack, you just described the process of what I call a "hot flash" to a tee. Very unpleasant experience.

Good!!! Well not good,good. But good someone else knows what I'm feeling and makes me feel better. Totally unpleasant.

[trinidiva]

Did you have the symptoms for a short period of time or all day like me /:

Some were all day...like the dizzy spells...and acheness.....I forgot to add that to my list. The others would pop up at random times.....it was super annoying.

[trinidiva]

There's still a few situations that make me a bit anxious, but overall, yes. I can pretty much go out and do what I want again and lead a normal life. That's why I tell people not to give up. You've just gotta find the right combination of things that work for you.

Excellent advice.

[JLBnole68]

Good!!! Well not good,good. But good someone else knows what I'm feeling and makes me feel better. Totally unpleasant.

Ha! I knew what you meant. There's an odd comfort in knowing other people understand what it's like from experience. It's also comforting to know that it's not life-threatening. Just another crappy symptom of anxiety. I hope you start feeling better soon.

[shellsjack]

Ha! I knew what you meant. There's an odd comfort in knowing other people understand what it's like from experience. It's also comforting to know that it's not life-threatening. Just another crappy symptom of anxiety. I hope you start feeling better soon.

You too!!!