Xanax?

MultiUmm

Hi, this is my first time posting in this forum so sorry if this is out of place.

So today I went to my GP and told her I've been stressed out and unable to wind down over the past few weeks. I've vomited a couple of times, been eating very little and have found day to day life a challenge, because of the constant anxiety I feel.
We had a chat about it, and she put it down to stress about upcoming exams, which I told her were playing up on my mind. (Practicals next week, etc.)

She prescribed me a 250 microgram dose of Xanax which I'm to take before going to bed every night for a week. If it gets worse she'll put me on a very low dose of something stronger to help my nerves.

I suppose I want to ask how many people have had experience with Xanax, did you find it helpful and were there any side effects?

I know there's threads already on the matter but I'd like to start a new one to get some more perspective, sorry if this goes against the rules mods.

KillerKity

Sorry you're having a hard time at the minute. I occasionally take low does of xanax and like you was advised to take it at night. I personally found it wonderful, it really takes the edge of anxiety and means a good night sleep! Remember though, it won't solve your problems and it can potentially be addictive. Everyone has differences experiences with it but I'd say give it a go and see how you get on. I didn't find any huge side effects apart from slurred speech and relief at feeling better, which isn't a bad thing!

Nevyn

Moved form pi you may get a better range of informed answers here.

LegacyUser

I was on xanax last year when i was seriously down (was going through a breakup that was very painful for me) and at first i only took one a day just before bed and it was great for helping me sleep. Unfortunately during the day I still didn't feel great so I went back to my doc and he told me i should try 2 per day and things went downhill rapidly. I became extremely depressed and actually suicidal. Taking the second xanax each day didn't suit me at all and I've heard since then many people have this reaction on these.

so please be very aware that they may not agree with you and if you start to feel even worse, speak to a friend or family member asap and go to your doc to try something else.

Xanax seems a bit much for your situation (not to belittle it). would you not try kalms or something more natural?

MultiUmm

KillerKity wrote: »

Sorry you're having a hard time at the minute. I occasionally take low does of xanax and like you was advised to take it at night. I personally found it wonderful, it really takes the edge of anxiety and means a good night sleep! Remember though, it won't solve your problems and it can potentially be addictive. Everyone has differences experiences with it but I'd say give it a go and see how you get on. I didn't find any huge side effects apart from slurred speech and relief at feeling better, which isn't a bad thing!

Hm, I'm actually slightly worried about that. My GP didn't mention it, but I've been looking into the withdrawal symptoms and they sound horrific! :eek:

I'm only a low enough dose afaik, and I'm going to take it exactly as she told me to, one tab before bed for a week, but does anyone know if I'll feel any kind of "coming down" from them when I'm done?

einsam

1I've been prescribed Xanax by my GP. I never suffered any side effects, but everyone's different. they did help me sleep and feel less anxious (I was having severe panic attacks). I was given 20 tablets, and told to take 1 a night for the first week, and then as needed. There was no "come down" the next day, and I suffered no withdrawal symptoms.

I had the same concerns as you, but spoke to my GP about them, which i suggest you should do. I know a lot of people who've taken them, but haven't heard of anyone that I know having side effects or withdrawals.

Good luck

toothie

Hi!
Sorry to hear that you're having difficulty. I was in your situation a few years ago coming to the end of my final year in college. My GP prescribed me Xanax and they were great, so great in fact, that 5 mins after taking the first tablet, I was asleep and slept for 14 hours. After not having slept for weeks, this was lovely. The only thing I found with them was even the lightest dose was too strong for me and had me unconscious within minutes and left me feeling very drowsy the following day. I also found it very difficult to concentrate. My GP then advised me to take half a tablet, which was much better. I had no withdrawal symptoms on stopping this medication and definitely did not experience any signs of addiction. Hope it works out for you.

punkindrublic

I have a love/hate relationship with Xanax. It does help, it makes me feel more at ease and relaxed, it also helps me sleep. However when I take it for more than a week I start to notice I depend on it a lot. I have problems sleeping at night and Xanax really helps with that (it takes a few minutes for Xanax to kick in and put me to sleep, without it could take 3+ hours for me to fall asleep, so you see why I get a little dependant on it) it is great though and really helped me with panic attacks. I never had any side effects thankfully. At first I took the whole pill but then cut back to half a pill (I was sleeping too much) which works fine for me too.

Cute Tour

I find Xanax very good, i sometimes think its also a mental thing just knowing that there is something there helping you. It deffinitely will help you relax.

MultiUmm

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Today was my first after taking them last night, and despite feeling slightly tense when I woke up and when having my breakfast I've been flying.
I've been able to eat properly and have a normal day for the first time in ages, it's such a relief!

I can see how people can fall into the trap of relying on them though, they act almost immediately and basically keep the anxiety/ panic attacks at bay.

Just a quick question for anyone who was on them for a short time, how was ye're anxiety after going off them? Did it return or could you manage it?

Thanks again for the replies everybody, much appreciated.

toothie

MultiUmm wrote: »

Just a quick question for anyone who was on them for a short time, how was ye're anxiety after going off them? Did it return or could you manage it?

I was on Xanax for two months, only to see me through my exams. After I stopped taking them, I wasn't in the stressful situation that was causing my anxiety anymore, so I found it ok to cope without the medication. However, I found and still do find that I get very nervous and anxious in certain situations, but now I'm more able to control my anxiety.

Odysseus

MultiUmm wrote: »

Hm, I'm actually slightly worried about that. My GP didn't mention it, but I've been looking into the withdrawal symptoms and they sound horrific! :eek:

I'm only a low enough dose afaik, and I'm going to take it exactly as she told me to, one tab before bed for a week, but does anyone know if I'll feel any kind of "coming down" from them when I'm done?

They belong to a group of drugs called benzos, if you have worries about the drug, speal to your GP. Here I'll just give you a bit of educational info about benzos, I have worked in the addicition field for a long time. Benzos are a great drug for anxiety, they generally work really well. However, you have to remember that they are only tackling the anxiety not the cause of it, this you will have to address yourself, have you considered therapy?

Benzos cause me more trouble in work than heroin does due to the withdrawal symptoms. However, the general guideline for prescribers are to limit the the dose, and give the for the shortest time possible. However, a lot of people have been on these drugs for years and do not even know they are dependant on them. A short term supply of benzos generally can really help a person get through a difficult time in their life.

So what you have is a drug that can really help some, but have the draw back of being highly addictive. However, if you where in physical pain that required a opiate drug that is addictive; I bet you would take it for the pain. I'm just using that example to show you this situation applies to other drugs and other problems.

Hopefully, you have a good GP who looked at this problem before they wrote the script. So then they considered the benefits to be greater than the possible drawbacks. Hence the way I would see you situation is that you GP has prescribed you them as he feels they are needed. Now the thing is, what the drug can't do for you is address the cause of your anxiety as I stated above.

Maybe this is a one off situation in your life and will resolve itself; thereby requiring no further action. However, if its a ongoing situation, you going to have to find a way of addressing it. Eliminating whatever is causing the anxiety of learning to tolerate it it better. Some form of therapy may be useful there.

If you still have the same levels of anxiety when you finish the course of tablets; or you find things are not getting better go back to your GP. They are plently of other options, for the moment I would suggest you try focus on the issues in your life that need to be address and try not to worry about the addiction potential of the benzos.

Anyway Im hope that helps a little.

C_Dawg

I was prescribed it a couple of times over the last few years. As pointed out already it is incredibly easy to get hooked on the stuff, as I found out. Think if it as a crutch instead of a new pair of legs