Xanax addiction question

[Spartacus1983]

About a month ago my doctor prescribed me 0.5mg of xanax. I usually break them in half and take 0.25mg a day but I do take the full 0.5 when needed. Some days I can go without but in the month I've had them I've never gone more that 50 hours without taking one.

My question is regarding addiction. Recently I read that this drug can be highly addictive. How can I avoid becoming addicted? If I continue the regiment I'm on for another few months will I be ok? The xanax has been really helpful so far and I was hoping to continue using it until I finish my college classes in June.

[gadguy]

About a month ago my doctor prescribed me 0.5mg of xanax. I usually break them in half and take 0.25mg a day but I do take the full 0.5 when needed. Some days I can go without but in the month I've had them I've never gone more that 50 hours without taking one.

My question is regarding addiction. Recently I read that this drug can be highly addictive. How can I avoid becoming addicted? If I continue the regiment I'm on for another few months will I be ok? The xanax has been really helpful so far and I was hoping to continue using it until I finish my college classes in June.

Perhaps you can ask Dr for something else. I was prescribed Xanax after I quit Lexapro cold turkey. Dr prescribed Xanax until I got Lex back in my system. I never filled the prescription much to my Dr's dismay. Best of luck with College.

[salvator here]

.25mg of Xanax is pretty small in dosage (equal to 5mg of Valium), so if you can manage with just that amount to get by only a few times a week, you should be alright (only my humble opinion). Its not so much becoming "addicted" on meds sometimes, rather "Dependent" on them. You can become dependent on meds that are not addictive as well. Then there's "Tolerance". With longer term usage of Benzodiazepines, you would have to increase the dosage to feel the same affect and going down that road only leads to disaster.

I would use it only when you really need it.

[Two One]

I wouldn't worry too much about physical addiction. There's a difference between physical addiction and psychological dependence. Physical addiction means your body requires the drug to function or feel "normal". Psychological dependence is more often than not the problem with benzodiazepines, especially the shorter acting ones like Xanax and Ativan. Many times people see benzodiazepines as their only means of coping with anxiety. You would really need to abuse your prescription to get addicted. However, if you are concerned about dependence, you might want to ask your doctor about a longer acting benzo like Klonopin or Valium. As the poster above me said, .25mg is a small dose, so it's pretty safe to say you'll be fine. You should only use it when you really need it.

I've been on Klonopin as needed since 2014. When my anxiety is at its most severe, I may have to take one every other day. Then I can go 3-4 weeks without needing to take one. You will be fine. Good luck with overcoming your anxiety and good luck with your classes.

[Dahila]

Two one finally wise post, thank you.
I get sick with the legends people build around benzos. I am on Klonopin as needed for more than 3 or 4 years and no addiction so far, I am on small dose though

[Boo Bass]

I have been addicted to xanax. 2.4 mgs a day still wasnt enough. A sensible doctor put me on a reduction program using vallium and it only took one week to be benzo free. Without the benzos, my ADs kicked in.

[Spartacus1983]

Thank you all for the feedback. I have only been using it for a month but hearing some feedback really helps with how I should use it in the future. Interestingly enough I am actually seeing a therapist who uses it as a sleep aid and his opinion was that as long as I never exceed the recommend dosage per day, which I never have, that I should be fine. Though going a few days without it here and there is probably a good idea so I do not build up a tolerance. One plus is that I've stopped having panic attacks so I actually have been using them as a muscle relaxer. Turns out months of stress and anxiety can really, really tighten up your muscles, who knew, right? :p Anyone else here using them for that reason? I started getting massages too, they said I was really tense and knotted up, so I am really hoping that as soon as I loosen up I can stop taking the xanax all together.

Thank you all!

[Boo Bass]

Two one finally wise post, thank you.
I get sick with the legends people build around benzos. I am on Klonopin as needed for more than 3 or 4 years and no addiction so far, I am on small dose though

Can I ask what dose you are on? I am now on 1 mg daily which I believe is safe but want to increase. What would a safe daily dose of klonopin be?

[Dahila]

I am on 0.5 which I usually take at 7 pm to get calm before bed, sometimes I take twice a day if needed. Very often I forget to take it, if not stressed and I am ok too:) My doc is sure the dose I am on even if I ncrease to 1 mg is ok but not to go over it;)

[The Intolerable Kid]

I never had any withdrawal symptoms when I stopped taking it, however results may vary according to dosage and the individual.

[Spartacus1983]

So almost a month after I initially posted I'm still taking the xanax. Still only taking 0.5mg a day but breaking them in half and taking one in the morning and one in the evening. It kind of sucks because I don't feel anxious I am just using it to quell the tightness in my abdomen and chest which is persistent. I went without it the other day and I didn't have anxiety, I just had extra tightness! I've been on celexa for two and a half weeks now and I think it may actually be helping a little bit... Hopefully I can get off this xanax soon, I've gone through about 22.5mg over the course of two months. Does that sound like a lot or am I just being paranoid?

[Dahila]

no it is not a lot lol, give it or take 2 more weeks and you will feel better when celexa starts to work and you get rid of side effects. The tightness is probably Celexa doing;) you are going to be just fine, trust me, I am old woman veteran of anxiety war;)

[Kirk]

As I have said previously in other posts, my wife has been a retail pharmacist for over 30 years. She said that drugs like Xanax,
Valium, etc. have the potential for abuse and addiction. She said of course not everyone falls into that category, but if you take them long term,
you may build up a tolerance to them and may need to take increasingly higher doses to have the same effect. They are all
controlled substances.

[Dahila]

Kirk stop quoting your wife, you have no idea what people are here, Not everyone will abuse the drugs, on the opposite, very few will. The ones who abuse, are on different forum. Do you need me to link you?
I am on klonopin for 3 or 4 years on the same dose. I know people on xanax (here, but he does not post anymore) 18 years on xanax , and never upped his dose. I am kind on benzos on and off my whole life and my grandchild is 10 , so you have no young chick here. The Pharmacists know how meds work and how to dose them, and it is about it. They have no idea how the body works, how we process the info and excetera.
Try to voice your opinions and not to quote wifey,
You are not doing a good job now. Spartakus is frightened due side effects of celexa and you instead of giving support are scaring him, bad, bad

[Kirk]

First of all, if you carefully read my post, you will notice that I said that not everyone falls into the category of addiction and abuse. You are also not correct in your statement that pharmacists do not know how the body works. They HAVE to know how the body could, should and does react to medication. I am ONLY talking about Xanax, Valium, etc. and not the other one you mentioned. I would be careful before you begin to attack me to read my entire post.

[Kirk]

Pharmacists are very highly trained in what medication does to us. Of course everyone can react differently. I have Valium on hand for when I fly in a plane because I get dizzy, not from fear. My internal medicine physician told me that if I take too much that over time, it may not work as well and I may need to increase the dose. I can also only voice my opinion but I am not trained in medicine like my physician is.

[Dahila]

Highly trained ? without the computer giving them warnings , they would make a thousand mistake a day

[Kirk]

I agree with you that without the computer checking drug interactions, etc., more mistakes would be made. She tells me that when a customer asks her a question sometimes and
she says the answer, another customer may chime in and say she is wrong. My wife just laughs to herself and moves on.

[Dahila]

Kirk I think we people take to much of medication in general, This is why they need such sophisticated system in pharma business. oh some people know everything and you should smile and go on with whatever you are doing. :))

[Kirk]

I agree with you 100%!

[Boo Bass]

I posted already saying I was once addicted to xanax taking 2.4 gms daily. When referred to a psychiatrist he wasnt listening to what I said and told me to stop taking. The withdrawal effects were nhorrific and appafently worse than heroin.

I have been on klonopin for a year. 0.5 or 1.0. Same would go for xanax. With benzos, they will continue to work safely for weeks or months at low dosages. Its only when you exceed the maximum recommended dosage that you get addicted. I think this is what Dahlia is trying to say.

[Dahila]

Boo Bass it is exactly what I am trying to say, thank you. it is also what my psychiatrist says; lowest dose will not do a lot of harm and will prevent panic attacks ;)) It does... I still get panic attacks but I got ativan for it.

[anxiousNatl]

I take 2 mis a day now which scares the "you know what" out of me. I just read that the manufacture suggest dropping back .5 mg every three days . that seems really fast to me but I want off the stuff!!!