Desperatley need help.

I've been taking xanax for my anxiety for a few months but decided i don't want to rely on it to get through this difficult time. I lost my grandmother in january, she was like my mother, and I slowly declined from there. When I was younger I had such bad anxiety/agoraphobia that i had to drop out of high school.  I ended up being anxiety free for about 4 years until my grandma passed. Now that I'm tapering my xanax I'm having severe anxiety. Im scared to leave the house, im scared to be alone. Everything makes me anxious and panicy. I feel anxious 24/7. I wake up early in the am with a panic attack and the anxiety continues all day. I've barely eaten in weeks because I'm so nauseous all the time and am underweight. The earliest dr appt i could get is October 8th. Anyone know what I'm going through? Is this a result of tapering the xanax or has my anxiety really gotten this bad. I feel helpless. My boyfriend is fed up and threatening to leave me and my family is just as frustrated. I dont know what to do anymore.

[MMahon]

Call the doctor who prescribes the xanax and tell him what's going on.
What you are going thru is probably a combination of both withdrawal and return of your symptoms .  Xanax doesn't stay in the system long.  How much did you take per day?
Xanax is not a good solution to long term anxiety.  An antidepressant is usually much better.
The best answer is to see a psychiatrist and discus your symptoms and past problems.
The doc can then guide you to the best treatment methods for your situation. Anxiety disorder can be a lifelong illness that 'flares up' after stressful life events occur, thus finding a good solution to help you thru those unavoidable periods is very important.  
Take care.

[erin626]

I took, at most, 1.5mg a day. And thats been since June. I went to the dr at the beginning of the month when i couldnt get my script filled bc of the labor day holiday and had no xanax for 3 days. I thought i was going through horrible withdrawals (severe and debilitating nausea and anxiety) but the docs checked all my vitals and saw no indication of withdrawal and told me the small amount i was taking wasnt causing me withdrawals. So now i have another dr appt on the 8th to see if all my nausea is from anxiety. Ive been to the er twice for it and nothing has shown up in my bloodwork or my xrays. I want to get on an antidepressant as opposed to this awful xanax. Ive been tapering myself since my dr is booked until the 8th. Instead of the 1mg to 1.5mg i was taking a day im just taking .5mg. Im so confused. The docs said no withdrawal but i feel so incredibly sick. All my friends said i was in withdrawal and i looked it up on the internet...could my mind be tricking my body into having withdrawal symptoms?

[MMahon]

I'm no expert but I'm not aware of any tests to determine if withdrawal symptoms exist or not.  
In any case you are having anxiety 'like' symptoms or a 'rebound effect' where symptoms return hot and heavy.  It frequently hard to tell which is which, but I believe you can be experiencing withdrawal symptoms.  Why not taper more slowly?  Drop down in .25mg increments at 1 week intervals at least.  This will give your body more time to adjust and let you be better able to determine what's withdrawal and what's anxiety.
The mind is part of your nervous system and when it's 'out of wack' like it becomes with anxiety disorder your  mind suffers as well.  Biochemical changes in the brain and nervous system can and do effect the body in countless ways.  I think it's safe to say You are not 'willing' yourself sick or into withdrawal symptoms.
Do you see a psychiatrist?   If you are seeing a GP be aware they are not the best ones to deal with anxiety disorder and not the most capable to handle the medications involved either, in my experience.  They just don't have the training.  They may eventually get it right but you're the one who'll suffer while they fiddle around.  It's hard enough getting good help from a competant psychiatrist.

[erin626]

im going to a drug rehab on wedensday to see about withdrawals. i dont have insurance so my options are limited and so is my xanax prescription. im seeing if they can set me up on some sort of taper schedule because the psychiatrist im going to see cant see me until october 8th. im really scared. i think being scared of withdrawal is causing me more anxiety. thinking about it makes me anxious and nauseous. im absolutely terrified.

[compnet]

Seriously, read these:

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Anxiety/Anxiety--Depression--Panic----Magnesium/show/1313099

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Agoraphobia/Agoraphobia-Gone-With-Magnesium/show/1328372

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Anxiety/anxiety-24-7-really-need-help/show/1340353