Xanax Experiences

[joeylittle]

Got through the day with out taking a pill. Felt a lot of anxiety and near panic attacks but just tried to ignore it

Hey, this is great. Mindfulness would say you 'turned the mind', not ignored :) - it's a hard thing to do. well done!

 

[mamachick]

I starte at .25 several years ago and just went off 2 months ago when I was taking 3 mg at bed time. I had to take Adderoll to wake up (due to sleep disorder from head injury-with or w/o xanax). What I didnt realize is that the Adderoll is about the same as crack but in a different form, and the xanax was messing with memory, and everything was becoming blurred until I messed up pain meds and ended in hospital. I have withdrawn completely and abruptly in hospital and drs. were shocked I did not have bad symptoms, as withdraw from xanax can cause seizures. I had horrible leg cramps and lots of anxiety but glad to be off of it. I wish I could have one to sleep but I hope to never take again.

 

[Adrian2016]

I took xanax. It turned me into a monster. A worse drug I have never touched and I have regrettably touched almost all of them. Maybe it will help you. But my advice is to find something else and quick, because the damage is done before you even know it. One month on it and I was physically addicted. I had seizures and nightmares when I quit. Be careful. Maybe a lighter benzo like atvian would be wiser. Good luck..and this is just my experience not saying this WILL happen to you....

And never go over your dose, which you said you have not...but toleramce builds extremely rapidly as I'm sure you have discovered by now if you are still on it. If you take more than 2-3mg even with a moderate tolerance you will black out and you will do some bad things. I'm sorry if I seem over zealous I have just personally witnessed xanax destroy countless lives.

I starte at .25 several years ago and just went off 2 months ago when I was taking 3 mg at bed time. I ha...

That's the worse thing about xanax. I hope I never touch it again, but my anxiety is crazy out of control and I know a xanax would cure that. The thirst never leaves you...you just have to make that choice to never go back...those of us who have been down the road of benzo addiction know what I mean...

 

[mamachick]

I agree with Adrian2. I found it like the magic little pill that allowed me to sleep well….for awhile. I increased tolerance and the amount. I went off it several years ago with hope of meditation and relaxation working but it didnt and I went back to xanax after several months. Once again, increasing the dose and even sooner. It is not just when you are on it that one is different, it evidently stays in your system and even though I did not take it during the day, it did effect my perception. I also hope to never become desperate enough to take it again. I have some in case of emergency but have not touched in over 2 months. Often I think how much it would help, but unwilling to go there.

 

[Adrian2016]

I agree with Adrian2. I found it like the magic little pill that allowed me to sleep well….for awhile....

Kudos to you! Glad that you found your way out. So many people don't understand the way benzos work. They change your brain chemistry by flooding your brain with gaba. Eventually, your brain will not produce gaba properly once off of it. That inevitably increases your anxiety, the opposite of what it is meant to do. I know xanax has permanently damaged parts of my brain. My memory and vocabulary and anxiety coping skills have been devastated by these pills even after 2 years off of them.

 

[8888]

I take it. It really helps me. I usually take 0.5 mg twice a day (I rotate Xanax and Propranolol). I've heard it can be addicting but I'm not addicted to it. Propranolol seems to work just as well and that isn't addicting to my knowledge.

 

[Chaoticmind]

I take it. It really helps me. I usually take 0.5 mg twice a day (I rotate Xanax and Propranolol). I've...

Thank you. I'm now taking .5 4x a day plus atenolol (like propranolol) and Prozac. Even with all 3 my anxiety is still bad. Having panic attacks 3-4x a week

 

[Sideways]

@Chaoticmind - can I feed back to you that it seems to have only taken you 3 weeks to have gone from "no more than .5 a day" to 4 times that amount?

That's a very short space of time to jump fourfold in your daily dose. This is a benzo - it's not just another psychotropic...

Bit concerned for you...hope your anxiety starts to come down via other routes real soon...

 

[Adrian2016]

Xanax is dangerously addictive please be careful, keeping you in my thoughts.

 

[Adrian2016]

Thank you. I'm now taking .5 4x a day plus atenolol (like propranolol) and Prozac. Even with all 3...

@Chaoticmind - can I feed back to you that it seems to have only taken you 3...

Its a fast process, I really feel you should talk to your Dr. Regarding your increasing your dosage so fast and still feeling no relief...usually that means a drug is not right for you..you can take more xanax but if it isnt helping the anxiety you are just numbing yourself...don't want to seem rude I am just genuinely concerned you may be at risk for a big problem here....

 

[Chaoticmind]

Thanks you for being concerned guys. The reason my amounts have increased is because the Prozac has a side effect of making anxiety worse. Since that's the case, I need more Xanax. This is exactly what my dr told me to do.

 

[mamachick]

As Adrian I do not want to be rude but I would prefer that to seeing another take a destructive path.

I was on celexa for depression, adderoll to wake up due to legitimate head injury resulting in sleep disorder, xanax to fall asleep, and norco for serious pain. Maybe like a time bomb and eventually came a crash. I took less than prescribed as well, but each drug changes brain chemistry

Adderoll is the same ingredients as Crack but millions of kids are on doses much higher than I was on. I was treated for dry mouth and dry eyes with prescriptions. I had gastropareisis from opiates and was treated for that. Side effects of meds was accumulating until I could not keep track

Prozac is not for everyone. My friend has less anxiety on prozac, it gave me generalized anxiety. Other anti depressants treat anxiety better.

We depend on our doctors for the best treatment, but they do not end up with the problem if things go poorly. Some are influenced by pharma companies, some are more knowledgable. Also, a good pharmacist can also explain and advise.

Where I live, we have a huge problem with prescription meds and a very high overdose rate. First all the drs. put everyone on all this stuff, then pulled them off of it and the patients are dying of heroine overdoses now. The same psychiatrists that prescribed this stuff have now opened rehab clinics. Some are focusing practice on addiction, just years after contributing to addiction. Medicine has become a revolving door in that way.

I am not saying your dr is not wonderful, but at the end of the day, the patient is the one who will have to live with the consequences.
After about 75 days without a xanax, I took half of one a couple nights ago because I have not slept well since I dont know when. I slept like a baby, but I know how easy it is to become dependent and increase and how hard to get off of them. Quitting cold turkey can cause seizures and kill you and must be tapered.It is such a struggle. My anxiety keeps me awake and I hate it but I dont want to go back and I dont want to see others struggle as I have. We have to be our own measure and be honest with ourselves. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.