How long can this living hell last

I was taking xanax for panic.3-4 mg a day for almost 5 months.Started panicking when i took myself off my 20mg a day of lexapro.Went back on lexapro and xanax as a "emergency"medicine.I told my doc that the xanax was losing its effectiveness.So he weaned me off using librium.Changed my antidepressant to effexor.Now i feel shaky and terrible most of the time.After almost a month off the xanax.Havent been able to work.Alll i want is to feel normal again.Anyone been through this?

[my_mayberry]

there are a lot of people who go through this. it could be a variety of different things, and only time can tell for sure. first, it could be w/d from the xanax. second is that it could be side-effects of your new medication...third is that it could be a combo of the 2....and it could even be from discontinuation of your lexapro, though this wouldn't be likely. why exactly did your doctor change you from lexapro to effexor? was it no longer working? because obviously the xanax w/d's were going to cause some anxiety...that would have been expected...hopefully he wasn't treating this anxiety via changing your meds.

anyway...i'm not a doctor so i can't really suggest anything other than keeping in mind it could be a variety of different things so you should keep in contact with your doctor. benzo withdrawal can last a long time for some people...others don't have problems at all. xanax tends to be the worst of all benzo's when it comes to withdrawal.

[my_mayberry]

you may also try posting this in the anxiety community. there are a lot of people there who have experience with these drugs.

[worried878]

did u  abruptly stop 3-4 xanax a day?  Did this dr know u were taking this large dose of xanax?  if he did..then he did not know benzos will cause havoc when stopped abruptly....if he did know ur dose..then he should not have done this/an AD will not take the place of a benzo//they r not chemically similar at all...it is hard to find a dr to prescribe 3-4 mgs of xanax per day as even 1 mg a day is alot as this is the strongest benzo on the market//also found on the streets readily if u want it//and cheap//unfortunately this i know//fortunately i never wanted it

If u told ur dr ur dose//and he was prescribing this dose//and then cut u off///he is liable for a lawsuit//doing this is dangerous////but being honest with ur dr bout ur dose is the best way to get the help with tapering off that u need
there r great articles in the health pages on xanax wd...be safe...crashing after 3-4 xanax a day is a tough ride// tougher than narcotic wd//be sure u get the support u need

[SophieShine]

Here's a link to the best site concerning benzos:
http://www.benzo.org.uk/

[Aprilia1000]

I now believe it's been the effexor the whole time.As i have cut my dose in half per my doctor and am feeling better already.Apparently effexor and i do not get along