Xanax (alprazolam) [Benzo]
Description:
Xanax is a commonly-used benzodiazepine medication. It is prescribed primarily for use on an “as needed” basis for periods of extreme anxiety or panic attacks. SAD patients have had success with Xanax, however, care should be taken not to become dependent on it as this is a well-documented problem with its use. For daily management of SAD, a SSRI or SNRI would normally be a more appropriate choice.
Reports of the benefits of Xanax stress the importance of using it strictly as needed and also tapering off its use slowly rather than stopping the medication abruptly. Building up a resistance to the drug can affect dosage calculations and, often over time, SAD patients will need to increase the amount taken in order to get the benefits they did initially, although this is not the case for all patients.
More Info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alprazolam
Askapatient.com Ratings:
http://www.askapatient.com/viewrating.asp?drug=18276
RevolutionHealth.com Ratings:
http://www.revolutionhealth.com/drugs-treatments/rating/xanax
Reports of the benefits of Xanax stress the importance of using it strictly as needed and also tapering off its use slowly rather than stopping the medication abruptly. Building up a resistance to the drug can affect dosage calculations and, often over time, SAD patients will need to increase the amount taken in order to get the benefits they did initially, although this is not the case for all patients.
More Info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alprazolam
Askapatient.com Ratings:
http://www.askapatient.com/viewrating.asp?drug=18276
RevolutionHealth.com Ratings:
http://www.revolutionhealth.com/drugs-treatments/rating/xanax
Treatment Experience
In sharing my experience with Xanax, I hope to warn people about the potential consequences of long-term dependency.
I began taking the purported miracle drug in March 2007, shortly after I experienced my first and only panic attack -- brought on by a caffeine overdose. I was traumatized by the experience, and developed what is known as “rolling anxiety” (anxiety caused by fear of anxiety). In short, I thought I had gone insane. I tried cognitive therapy but to no avail. My psychologist appeared uninformed about panic attacks and was convinced that my panic attack could be traced to a bad experience.
When therapy failed, I turned to my general physician. I got Xanax and Lexapro, and he instructed me to take the benzo as needed. The first pill flushed my “rolling anxiety” out of my body and I thought I had found the cure for my problems. For four months, I took 1.5-2MG of Xanax every other day. The problem was that I felt a higher level of anxiety on the off-days. Initially, I was convinced it was the Lexapro; but to my chagrin, discontinuing the SSRI didn't stop the rebound anxiety.
I knew about drug dependency but I was convinced I wouldn't get hooked (This wasn't heroin or crack. It was Xanax, a legally prescribed medication, and therefore OK, right?).
Eventually, I could not endure the withdrawals on the off-days and I began taking 2MG every day (one in the morning and in the late afternoon). Occasionally, I would experience mild anxiety between dosages or a few hours after the last dosage (Xanax has a short “half-life,” or the amount of time it stays in your bloodstream).
In October of 2007, I landed a newspaper gig and increased my dosage to 3MG/day. This worked for a couple months, but eventually I began feeling mild anxiety between dosages. I increased it to 3.5MG, which for a time seemed to be the right dose. For four or five months, the potency of the drug kept steady.
Unfortunately, I became deluded into thinking I would never build a tolerance to the drug. I even thought I could take this drug my entire life; however, I gradually developed that dreaded tolerance and suddenly felt less relief than I had when I began taking it at a 2MG/day.
When I began taking 4MG a day for two weeks, I knew I was developing a tolerance. My doctor wouldn't prescribe me more than 4MG a day, and I knew it was only a matter of time before my body demanded more.
The worst chapter of my experience was when I began reading stories of other people struggling to taper off Xanax. I heard about people who cold-turkeyed, only to end up in the ER after experiencing a seizure, an extreme panic attack, or another severe side-effect of “abrupt discontinuation.”
My doctor told me I could get off the drug in a month, no problem. I tried to explain the mechanics of slow tapering, but he shook his head and told me Xanax would be easier to taper off because of its short half-life. I wanted to believe the guy. I wanted to believe that the people who thronged to the benzo-recovery message boards were just extreme cases.
Then one morning I woke up and I almost fell over from a sudden rush of dizziness and anxiety. I grabbed my bottle of Xanax like a starving man grabbing a piece of bread. It was that moment of clarity; I felt like a junkie, hounding the pharmacy to see if the the 50 pills I had refilled less than two weeks prior were refilled again. The interdose withdrawal and the dependency have made life difficult. Even the 3.5MG I'm currently keeping steady at barely allows my brain to maintain homeostasis.
I've since quit my newspaper job, and I'm looking for a filler to hold me over while I taper slowly. The literature is split on the subject of benzo discontinuation syndrome. Wikipedia cites studies that show no support for the syndrome, even though “a survey of physicians showed that 84% of physicians reported alprazolam as being extremely problematic in terms of the severity and prolonged nature of the benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome...” From my own experience, the withdrawal I feel now is unique and much worse than the occasional anxiety I felt before I had the panic attack and began the taking the drug.I'm not a doctor, but I discourage anyone from taking this drug long-term. It's going to cut a chunk out of my life to get off it. This is not a drug that you can check into a detox center and come out a few weeks later fully recovered. For anyone who is currently trying to get off Xanax, I'd recommend reading all the literature you can find. http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/contents.htm would be a good start. I didn't vote on the efficacy of Xanax because I feel that I was the problem, not the drug. Used when needed, Xanax is fine. But if you begin to rely on it, you're taking a huge gamble.
In sharing my experience with Xanax, I hope to warn people about the potential consequences of long-term dependency.
I began taking the purported miracle drug in March 2007, shortly after I experienced my first and only panic attack -- brought on by a caffeine overdose. I was traumatized by the experience, and developed what is known as “rolling anxiety” (anxiety caused by fear of anxiety). In short, I thought I had gone insane. I tried cognitive therapy but to no avail. My psychologist appeared uninformed about panic attacks and was convinced that my panic attack could be traced to a bad experience.
When therapy failed, I turned to my general physician. I got Xanax and Lexapro, and he instructed me to take the benzo as needed. The first pill flushed my “rolling anxiety” out of my body and I thought I had found the cure for my problems. For four months, I took 1.5-2MG of Xanax every other day. The problem was that I felt a higher level of anxiety on the off-days. Initially, I was convinced it was the Lexapro; but to my chagrin, discontinuing the SSRI didn't stop the rebound anxiety.
I knew about drug dependency but I was convinced I wouldn't get hooked (This wasn't heroin or crack. It was Xanax, a legally prescribed medication, and therefore OK, right?).
Eventually, I could not endure the withdrawals on the off-days and I began taking 2MG every day (one in the morning and in the late afternoon). Occasionally, I would experience mild anxiety between dosages or a few hours after the last dosage (Xanax has a short “half-life,” or the amount of time it stays in your bloodstream).
In October of 2007, I landed a newspaper gig and increased my dosage to 3MG/day. This worked for a couple months, but eventually I began feeling mild anxiety between dosages. I increased it to 3.5MG, which for a time seemed to be the right dose. For four or five months, the potency of the drug kept steady.
Unfortunately, I became deluded into thinking I would never build a tolerance to the drug. I even thought I could take this drug my entire life; however, I gradually developed that dreaded tolerance and suddenly felt less relief than I had when I began taking it at a 2MG/day.
When I began taking 4MG a day for two weeks, I knew I was developing a tolerance. My doctor wouldn't prescribe me more than 4MG a day, and I knew it was only a matter of time before my body demanded more.
The worst chapter of my experience was when I began reading stories of other people struggling to taper off Xanax. I heard about people who cold-turkeyed, only to end up in the ER after experiencing a seizure, an extreme panic attack, or another severe side-effect of “abrupt discontinuation.”
My doctor told me I could get off the drug in a month, no problem. I tried to explain the mechanics of slow tapering, but he shook his head and told me Xanax would be easier to taper off because of its short half-life. I wanted to believe the guy. I wanted to believe that the people who thronged to the benzo-recovery message boards were just extreme cases.
Then one morning I woke up and I almost fell over from a sudden rush of dizziness and anxiety. I grabbed my bottle of Xanax like a starving man grabbing a piece of bread. It was that moment of clarity; I felt like a junkie, hounding the pharmacy to see if the the 50 pills I had refilled less than two weeks prior were refilled again. The interdose withdrawal and the dependency have made life difficult. Even the 3.5MG I'm currently keeping steady at barely allows my brain to maintain homeostasis.
I've since quit my newspaper job, and I'm looking for a filler to hold me over while I taper slowly. The literature is split on the subject of benzo discontinuation syndrome. Wikipedia cites studies that show no support for the syndrome, even though “a survey of physicians showed that 84% of physicians reported alprazolam as being extremely problematic in terms of the severity and prolonged nature of the benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome...” From my own experience, the withdrawal I feel now is unique and much worse than the occasional anxiety I felt before I had the panic attack and began the taking the drug.I'm not a doctor, but I discourage anyone from taking this drug long-term. It's going to cut a chunk out of my life to get off it. This is not a drug that you can check into a detox center and come out a few weeks later fully recovered. For anyone who is currently trying to get off Xanax, I'd recommend reading all the literature you can find. http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/contents.htm would be a good start. I didn't vote on the efficacy of Xanax because I feel that I was the problem, not the drug. Used when needed, Xanax is fine. But if you begin to rely on it, you're taking a huge gamble.
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Excellent when used PRN
Shared by xboxfreak on Nov 6th, 2008
11 out of 15 people found this treatment experience helpful:
Treatment Experience
I was prescribed Xanax (I use the generic = alprazolam) a month or two ago. I only use it PRN and 1mg at a time. I try to take it once to twice a week at most as I don't want to become dependant. Xanax works very well and I can experience what it is like to live life without anxiety. I am much more outgoing and talkative because I don't have such fear and anxiety. I also do not notice any sort of sweating which I am normally prone to seeing as how I have Hyperhidrosis.
I highly recommend getting some type of Benzo to be able to use, but I would recommend PRN so that you don't build up a tolerance and it continues to work well.
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Barely Works
Shared by UltraShy on Jan 2nd, 2009
6 out of 9 people found this treatment experience helpful:
Treatment Experience
Xanax is not a magic pill. I should know given that I've consumed nearly 7,000 2mg bars of the stuff over the last several years.
I take 10 mg a day and it most certainly doesn't get the job done. It only helps to a limited degree.
And it kills both sex drive and sexual function as well (though few will notice that effect since you need to take huge amounts like me to find that effect).
Xanax is not a magic pill. I should know given that I've consumed nearly 7,000 2mg bars of the stuff over the last several years.
I take 10 mg a day and it most certainly doesn't get the job done. It only helps to a limited degree.
And it kills both sex drive and sexual function as well (though few will notice that effect since you need to take huge amounts like me to find that effect).
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Treatment Experience
I really like xanax it was the most helpful medication for my anxiety. I was on .5mg twice a day. It helped my panic attacks alot as well as my daily anxiety. I was on it daily for a few months then took it as needed. It didn't obilterate my anxiety but it numbed it enough so i could function without me being drugged into oblivion.
I really like xanax it was the most helpful medication for my anxiety. I was on .5mg twice a day. It helped my panic attacks alot as well as my daily anxiety. I was on it daily for a few months then took it as needed. It didn't obilterate my anxiety but it numbed it enough so i could function without me being drugged into oblivion.
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Short lived
Shared by SeaShell on Nov 2nd, 2008
12 out of 23 people found this treatment experience helpful:
Treatment Experience
I've had the Xanax SR 0.5 mg, and when it did help to calm me and give me a sense of well being at first, it took all of 5 days to wear off. My body built up a resistance to it far too quickly and then it felt like I was just taking a placebo. It had no effect.
The cold turkey side-effects of going off them were hell though. Always taper!
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A joke of a treatment for SA.
Shared by redlegion on Oct 21st, 2008
20 out of 39 people found this treatment experience helpful:
Treatment Experience
Being that social anxiety is pretty much constantly triggered for me, this was hardly an option. The dose had been increased several times before I simply gave up on this as a treatment option entirely. It seems to have little to no use for the SA community except for those who enjoy recreational drug abuse.
Being that social anxiety is pretty much constantly triggered for me, this was hardly an option. The dose had been increased several times before I simply gave up on this as a treatment option entirely. It seems to have little to no use for the SA community except for those who enjoy recreational drug abuse.
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About Treatment Experiences
The individual experiences about treatment for social anxiety disorder (social phobia) are not a substitute for medical advice.
You should always consult a qualified health care professional before beginning, changing or stopping a treatment.
