adult adhd

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I have adult adhd, im 43 y/o male .Im not taking nothing right now for it. I do take 3 vicodin a day for neck arthritis and 1# 1mg xanax at night to sleep. I been having mild anxiety a few times a day. i was wondering if i got the adhd meds it would help with the anxiety attacks. or maybe ask the dr for xanax during the day also. what is a good adhd med for adults  to ask for?

[allmymarbles]

Be very wary of Xanax. It is highly addictive and tough getting off the stuff. For anxiety and panic attacks (caused by high cortisol) I was given a very low dose of Xanax to be taken only to ward off an immanent attack. My dose was only .25 mg. and I never took it on a maintenance basis. The low dosage worked just fine. As the daughter of a pharmacist I am very much aware of the problems of addictive medications.

[kittylady11]

Hi, have you tryed something more natural? Valerian (this is not perscribed but can be found at any bulk herb store, and made into a tea) helps with both the add and the anxiety look into how that might help and pass it buy your doctor as an alturnitave, you dont really need pills to maintain your sanity.

[Sandman2]

    The anxiety forum on Medhelp has some pretty good suggestions.  Might be worth checking it out here - http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Anxiety/tips-on-dealling-with-panic-attacks/show/1485566#post_6752037
    As far as taking ADHD meds to help. It depends if the anxiety is a side result of ADHD.  In,
"The ADD/ ADHD Answer book," by Susan Ashley, she states that 25 to 30% of children with ADHD have an anxiety disorder.  I think it could be higher in adults.  So its possible that dealing with the ADHD would help.  I think the answer does deal in coping or learning how to live with ADHD.  There are a lot of resources out there to help you - including medicine choices.  My own feeling is to go with a short acting one so that it can be taken on an as needed basis (if possible).  But the important thing is to find a doctor that will listen to you.  All meds are kind of done on a trial and error basis.  You need to experiment until you find what works.  To do that you need a doctor that will be an experienced, informative, communicative guide.  At any rate, your doctor should prescribe what he/she has experience with using with their patients.
   By the way, here are some good videos on anxiety from a pretty good adult ADD site.
    http://jeffsaddmind.com/about/videos/addadhd-candid-health-series?series=3
   Please post if I can be of any more help.  Best wishes