xanax? i need some advice

[jd86]

I was prescribed xanax for my anxiety. I haven't taken it yet I hate taking medication but if it will help I'd like to know
Would you recommend it for anxiety yes or no? If so explain plz. My anxiety is making me feel as if I'm going crazy.
So any advice would be great thank you
Also has anyone ever had any side affects?

[RammerJammer21]

Xanax is very effective for anxiety. It calms you down nicely and also slows down an anxious mind and allows you to relax. I don't know of any side effects.

Here's the catch: It's effects are temporary and short-lived. Xanax (and other drugs in it's class called benzodiazepines) are only recommended for short-term usage and at the minimum dose needed because they have been shown to be fairly addictive. If that happens, the withdrawals can be pretty tough, from what I understand.

I have personally been on a similar type of med for the last few months and have not had any problems with dependence or withdrawals. During this period, I have gone several days without taking any of it with no effects at all.

Xanax can definitely be helpful and used safely. You just need to be careful and make sure your doc supervises what dose you are taking and how often. You'd want to let him/her know if you ever feel like one dose isn't working anymore and you want to up the dose.

[jencrippen]

Xanax was a great help for me until my doc and I got to the root causes of what was causing the panic attacks and anxiety. They can be very addictive though, so I really only used them when absolutely necessary.

Jen

[jb]

Did you have a hard time going off of xanax how long were you on and on what dose?

[DavidO]

im using xanax right now at the lowest dosage and it works very well i have experienced little to no side effects at all. the best advice is said above , use it as needed and only when you can feel your anxiety rising to a peak.

i was taking it three times a day at first but as i learned more and essentially the causes of my anxiety, and partly because i didnt want to be dependent on the med i was able to drop down and only take it once a day no problem and that was only to sleep.

and now im at the point where i dont really need it even for sleep i have it there if i feel like i need it but i rarely use it even if i have a surge of adrenaline or fear just kinda ride it out.

[TinfoilxTouch]

JD,

May I ask if you have general anxiety (meaning it's not caused by a specific event) or if the anxiety is rooted by something that recently happened/is happening? I ask because Xanax is great for getting you through "rough spots" in life. A divorce, death of a loved one, loss of job, and so on are all things I think it's appropriate for.

If you need long-term treatment, the Xanax will still work, but expect to reach an initial tolerance if taken daily (usually twice the starting dose) and for it to level off there for a while. So, if you take .25mg to start daily, I'd say you'd need .5mg for the foreseeable future once your body adjusts to the drug. However, MOST people don't have progressive tolerance, despite the "worst case" stories you read about. I know first-hand that after the first bump in dosage, it becomes pretty stable.

As for side effects- the main ones to new users would be sedation, reduced short-term memory, and general apathy/numbness of the mind. Almost all of these go away quickly, usually before you need to adjust your dose.

Hope this helps. Don't be afraid of the drug. Just be aware that there are similar drugs like Valium and Klonopin that are MUCH better for daily use if you think there will be a long-term problem.

[JeffB]

Hi

I agree with most of the other posters that you should use Xanax only as a short term, temporary response. While some people think that long-term anti depressants might be helpful because they "rebalance brain chemistry", there's no such claim for benzodiazipines. Xanax, Valium and the rest are seditives but nothing done to help with the underlying problem or to prevent more episodes.

The risk of dependency, both physical and psychological is very real.

I think your instinct to avoid using Xanax except as a last resort is a good one.

[grandscape]

I've been taking Xanax for some time. My anxiety was causing insomnia, and my MD was willing to allow me one, 1mg tablet at bedtime.

I found that it worked very well. In fact, after going thru all of the sleeping pills, I found Xanax to be the only thing that worked for me. I would often have several days, as much as a week straight of no sleep. I was killing me. I'm an educator, and have been teaching my subject so long I was able to do it on auto-pilot, but my life was a mess. When I fisrt started taking Xanax, it would just flat knock me out.

My DSr. warned me of the addiction potential, etc. and called it a
"rescue drug", to be used as a last resort. I didn't take it every day, and it worked great for what my Dr. intended.

Then I went thru a period in my life of some great personal losses, and to make a long story short, began using every one of the 30, 1 mg Xany's my Dr would prescribe.

All I can say is, if you can avoid that situation, do your best to do so. This drug is very physically addicting, as I found out when a snafu in my prescription caused me to have a 4 day break in availability for me.

I've never touched hard drugs, but throughout my life have heard so many tales of heroin addiction and the severe physical response when trying to kick the habit. Until I experienced Xanax withdrawl, those concepts were unimmaginable.

I need to find something else. My Dr put me on Cymbalta a few yrs ago...we decided that my anxiety led to depression as well. Well, I found that Cymabalta was great foir awhile...the most transparent antidepressant I had tried, and it really seemed to help with the anxiety. But then, it just quit working. My dosage was increased to maximum, but that was only a bandaid. It wasn't long that I was back to no perceived benefit. I haven't searched this website for Cymbalta withdrawl, but can tell you that there is at least one site dedicated soley to that subject. I was shocked at the bizzarre and varied side-effects of getting off that stuff. Should you be considering Cymbalta because of their claims to aid anxiety along with depression, I can tell you that there is at least one website forum dedicated soley to Cymbalta, it's side effects, and the dangers of addiction and getting off the drug.

So, I was here today to search the forum in hopes of finding alternatives to both of these meds, saw this thread, and thought it deserved ressurection. Tread carefully, and do your research. Good luck.

[JeffB]

grandscape - I think your experience points out the potential problem with Xanax and other sedatives. Used cautiously as a "rescue" drug they can be helpful but it's very easy to cross over into problem territory. Most people would be better off not getting started.

BTW - for sleep issues I've found these supplements to be helpful without the problems associated with drugs: theanine, valerian, tryptophan and melatonin. You can combine 2 or 3 safely, but of course be sure to check with your doctor (btw - sounds like you have a good one). I think I have more vivid dreams if I take melatonin. I don't mind it, but some people find that troubling. I guess it depends on the dream.

Here's a page I found helpful for more about anxiety meds:

http://www.panicattackrelease.com/medic ... tacks.html (http://www.panicattackrelease.com/medications-for-anxiety-and-panic-attacks.html)