Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum.  ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.

Addiction: Substance Abuse Community

This community is a place to share information and support with others who are trying to stop using drugs, prescription drugs, alcohol, tobacco or other addictive substances. Discuss with others, the symptoms of addiction, addiction recovery, ways to quit like tapering and cold turkey, and withdrawal symptoms. If you are interested in general "chat", please visit our Addiction Social Community.
Post a Question Back to Forum
 | 
MedHelp Member's Question

Do Zyban and Zanax mix?

by PaulNieb, Apr 24, 2002 12:00AM
My wife is trying to quite smoking and was recently put on Zyban. The question is if it is safe for her to take Zanax while on the Zyban?



I know that there is an increased risk of siezures when taking Zyban, especially when "abruptly" stopping Zanax while taking Zyban.  But, she only occassionally takes Zanax (once a week maximum) and is in no way approaching abusive or addiction levels.



TIA
Member Comments (55)

by angst, Apr 24, 2002 12:00AM
I believe zyban is similiar to wellbutrin - an antidepressant which is useful for OCD (obsessive compulsive d/o).  It is useful in stopping a person from smoking because smoking is a compulsive behavior.  I read what I could on another pharmacological sight.  I do not think it conflicts with xanax.

To be sure, Call your phamacist.  Do not take my word for it.

by dive, Apr 24, 2002 12:00AM
I know for a fact that Zyban IS Wellbutrin.  It is just repackaged for smokers under the name Zyban.  Check it out, it is the truth.  So maybe to answer your question, you should go to www.rxlist.com and look under wellbutrin and see if it has any contraindications with Xanax.

by OxyDout, Apr 24, 2002 12:00AM
To: dive
no worries here, I'm all set, but thank you for the offer!!!!!!!!!!!

by groovygirl, Apr 25, 2002 12:00AM
i'm feeling very lonely right now.  i am getting down to the last of my bup.  i can't handle this.  it's just like when i would run low on the percs and vics...that dread of w/d.



i cannot imagine feeling that again....the bup makes me feel good...normal.  now i have to go back to the same old crappy feeling.



i'm a real bummer right now.  normally i post when i'm feeling good, because i don't want to bring everyone down.  i want to be positive and help people - can't do that today i guess...is there anybody out there?

by groovygirl, Apr 25, 2002 12:00AM
here i am again....so many of the people that were here when i first found this place seem to be gone now:(



i wish you'd all come back...i need your words of wisdom even more now...

by OxyDout, Apr 25, 2002 12:00AM
To: groovy
today is another day, keep your head up, something good will happen today,

by hippy, Apr 25, 2002 12:00AM
To: groovy
i can relate to running out., or  the prospect of of running out.

i have been readiing all the post for four weeks now.

what is your plan, toget more bup. maybe try to uae something like darvocet or ultracet to help you  ween down.

Ive heard everyone say that w/d from bup is not nearly as bad.

what ever you do ,post about it.

i have three weeks cold turkry today. the receipe saved my butt.

the with drawl symptoms i suffered the past few years,were almost non existent . and beleive me i am a wimp in that area.

                       whats the plan and keep posting/ michael

by tlk, Apr 25, 2002 12:00AM
To: groovy
Groovy: Have you ever run out of bup before? I have several times (was on for close to year for chronic pain after my first detox from vics). It's the fear that will get you, because it is really not bad. I think the fear was so much worse than the actual reality. When I ran out of bup it was only for a few days, but I had NO withdrawal in the "traditional" sense. A mild depression, but I think that was mental more than because of the physical. I slept fine, didn't eat much, but none of the muscle problems, restless leg, all the other lovely things we go through. Even the depression went away quick. I don't think I would even have had that too bad if it weren't for the fear. I wasn't "up" and the life of the party, like I usually was, but I certainly wasn't suicidal and I could go to work just fine. Well, one time got really bad but that was because it was aggravated by another situation. I guess I'm telling you this to encourage you. It's just not too bad, I swear. It's not even withdrawal physically, more emotional. I always had that when I knew I was running out of my drugs. Let me know your dose and method and I might be able to help more.

tlk

by skipper, Apr 25, 2002 12:00AM
To: groovy
groovy:

your not alone! i know a couple of others beat me to the point on

that one. what's up, are you afraid we won't like you straight,

without the dope or the bup? i don't want to climb on your case

but please don't compare how you feel on the inside, with the way

everyone else looks on the outside. you will come up a loser ev-

ery time you do. gwh brought up the main point here...something

good will happen to you today! what he left out is how will you

ever notice it if you remain in the **** eating mood you seem to

be stuck in today? anything is possiable, we all have only to

learn how to "see!"



i'm going to love and care about you, and there just isn't one

damm thing you can do about!



so get an angel on your shoulder

kip

by hippy, Apr 25, 2002 12:00AM
one of the strangest things in my life has been ,whenever i used

drugs i smoked cigerates, now that im clean 3 weeks no smoking.

when i was a kid i played a lot of sports and only smoked cigerets at night mostly because partying was at night.

I may never understand  it. It's aprial 25 been taking the vit,s

everyday, for 3 weeks ,beencold turkey the whole time.

my knee,s ache, my lower back achs in the wee hours of the morning. but this disapearence of the depression that used to just stop me dead in my tracks,that is great.

Also the last few months i was useing i had this fear ,real bad fear.like inpendind doom. or death. that has lifted also.

by groovygirl, Apr 25, 2002 12:00AM
To: Everyone § tlk
thanks a bunch for your support.  i emailed the clinic in fl that i went to for the bup, and i asked them to up my dose.  if they upped it to an amount that i feel ok on, then i don't think i would ever be in this situation.  i hope they don't throw me out of the program. that is a huge fear right now.



i am so nervous - i have two amps left, and i keep wondering should i just take them now and feel good for awhile or split them up and feel semi-shitty for a couple days.



tlk - i am prescribed 3 amps per day.  i have a VERY high tolerance to meds, and it just isn't enough.  i have gone thru bup withdrawal before, and i thought it was pretty bad.  you're right that the depression is the worst part of it.  i talked with dr. bodkin who is the head of pharmacology research at mcclean hosp - he told me he maintains some people on 6 amps per day...for depression!  too bad he isn't taking new patients and is trying to switch over to research only.



anyway, thanks guys...i always appreciate hearing from you all.

by Witchywoman, Apr 25, 2002 12:00AM
To: groovy
hiya groovy,

Others have already said a lot of what I'd want to say to you as well, but please know that we need and want you to post no matter how you are feeling. Don't worry about bringing people down. It isn't your job to bring us all up! We all take care of ourselves while supporting and caring for each other. There is always a balance. I've noticed in the year I've been posting that there are always times when some of us are feeling low and some are feeling really great, and we carry each other when we are down. It just always seems to work out that way. So please understand we *need* you to post when you are feeling down, just as much as you need to post. Don't censure yourself ...how else can you really get the support you need?



It was learning to let people know when I was at my weakest most vulnerable point, and letting folks support me, that brought me to where I am today. I'm certainly not perfect...I don't 'have it all together' but I'm pretty happy most of the time and free of opiate dependancy. It took a lot to get there, and part of getting there took learning to show my weak side.



love,

WW

by groovygirl, Apr 25, 2002 12:00AM
thanks ww and everyone....i keep checking my email every 5 seconds to see if the clinic responded yet...what a way to live. i feel like i'm back to chasing perc and vics - pathetic.



it's really hard for me to write when i feel so incredibly negative...it does make me feel better tho when i receive your kind responses.

by tlk, Apr 25, 2002 12:00AM
To: Groovy
GG: I was on four amps per day of the bup (I too have a very high tolerance; when I had surgery a few weeks ago they could never get me below a 9, even with repeated morphine shots). I a writer and am writing about the bup controversy now, so have done a lot of research, although I am by no means an expert. My doctor is working with me on it.

The thing about bup is that it's a agonist/antagonist (you probably already know this, so sorry) and so at higher doses it is actually counter-effective, according to the literature. I might be wrong about this, just what I've been told and read. I needed two amps a day to start, then three, then four maxed me out. But I found if I was running low and took even one per day, it was enough to fight the depression. Bup is actually many, many times stronger than morphine as a painkiller, which is why it's such a low dose when injected. I think that the many months I spent on it ruined me for the regular hydro, which when I switched back put me on 150-200 mgs/day and still didn't do much for the pain. After that, morphine shots didn't even help.

Everyone reacts different, of course, but I did find that if I took at least some bup a day, even just one dose, it kept the w/d away completely, and that was after almost a year. I tend to start w/ds really fast, too, within hours often. I hope this helps some. Let me know if you want to talk, and good luck. Waiting around for meds sucks more than almost anything, and begging your pharmacy is just as bad.

tlk

by groovygirl, Apr 25, 2002 12:00AM
To: tlk
funny...i'm a writer too, and i've written about the difficulties an addict faces trying the get treatment in the state of ma.  how did you get the bup (if you don't mind my asking), and how come you aren't on it still?  did it stop working?  i have also found that when taking in large quantities, it has a negative effect.  so, i'm thinking if i use 4 or 5 in a day, feel good, no migraines, etc., why wouldn't they be willing to increase my dose?  that isn't too large an amount for me.



oh well, guess i just have to sit here and wait for an answer...i'm kind of dreading hearing what he has to say, but then again i'm in a very negative mood.

by tlk, Apr 25, 2002 12:00AM
To: groovy
I got the bup from my addictionologist, but I was on it for pain. He wrote the script for the amps and the needles, nothing special, and I got it filled. Then someone, after probably 9 months of this, complained to the DEA that he was prescribing so much of it. It was crazy stupid! So the DEA comes in and talks to him, says he shouldn't really be prescribing it for chronic pain to people with drug dependancy until it was approved for that use, and he voluntarily agreed to stop doing so until it was approved in pill form, which apparently is also when it will be approved for that use. So what does he have to do? Prescribe norco! Of course, at the time I didn't complain because I was only too happy to get back on the Norco; I practically danced out of his office, and I remember one of the guys in the waiting room who I had spoken to asked what had happened. When I told him, you could just see that addict's inner smile -- I had a script for 120 pills with 3 refills. See, I had never abused my bup and I really did have chronic pain, and a very good relationship with my doctor. I was also in deep denial. I think even he felt sure I wouldn't have a problem; I was working in law enforcement (although as a civilian) as the PR person for a major agency, so was on TV a lot; it seemed to convey respectability. But as soon as I got back on the Norco, my drug