Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
1806368 tn?1316196641

Panic disorder, Xanax and alcohol management

Ok, I am not an alcoholic but wanted to share my weirdness.
I have had panic disorder for about 10 years, fully medicated with zoloft and xanax.  Recently everytime I took my Zoloft I felt headaches and eye pain and certain weirdness inside that made me feel like I needed a holiday from the pill.  So I weaned out and I do not take zoloft anymore.  However I do take xanax and I hover between 0.25 to 0.5mg so I can sleep, without it I just cant go to sleep.  So I wonder if the xanax alone is managing my panic disorder.
What really ***** is that I love to go out every once in a while and if I drink where I get a buzz (and I only drink max 4 very light beers) I wake up in the middle of the night with my heart just racing!  No, i do not take my xanax if I am buzzed and the dosage is so small by the time I go drink it should be out of my system...is that my panic disorder?  

Also, isnt it funny that when you suffer from this you are always in the dark.  I have never gotten any definitive answers to what happens to me.  No psychiatrist has ever explained what I have and how it works in my brain, why do I feel like this and why certain foods and drinks affect me the way they do.  They just shove pills up my **** and send me home and when the meds dont work they give me different meds.  I have been on so many meds is ridiculous!  There are some meds that give me such horrible nightmares or vivid dreams or make me wake up at night with a more terrible panic attack...no counseling of any kind... I would love to be treated by a psychiatrist that suffers from panic attacks....

sorry for the rambling, I guess i needed to vent...
Lola
6 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
check that,  are addictive!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Xanax shouldn't be taken for the fun of it.   In fact,   it shouldn't be taken at all since you clearly see you are disrupting your brain's chemistry.     (This post will self destruct shortly as it seems nobody especially the moderator likes to read that benzos are dangerous and not addictive)
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
just be careful with it cause you dont remember anything. you wake up and your wallet is gone or your phone is gone and you think what happened what did i do yesterday, and whos place was I at?

you see a person and they talk to you and you dont remember doing what they said happened.

stay away from xanax expecially if your thinking of using it for the fun of it.
don't. I hit my head and cut just above my eye, you lose control of yourself.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
had a run in with xanax. Was crazy. Id take just 2 3 pills and the rest of the day is in parts not making sense. friend took it with me. Got banned from bottleshop cause apparantly i fell over all the drinks. But stupid thing is dont remember it. It's funny now, but at the time its pretty shocking.

I remember watching my friend. who smokes. Putting A xanax pill in his mouth, and trying to light it like a cigaratte. half asleep.

That's how out of it we were.
Helpful - 0
1806368 tn?1316196641
Thanks for the link!  I have just accepted the fact that there is something permanently wrong with me and is incurable. I drank a few last weekend and I was hurting and begging God to get me out of that hangover next day. I know it had something to do with the meds still in my system. I believe my body is now addicted to Xanax. Comes 8pm and I start getting stomach cramps and dizziness. Makes me sad but I have tried to live without meds and is either putting up with sleepless and anxiety filled nights or pop a Xanax and sleep like a baby. What I worry is how the heck am I going to age with this disorder and the xanax dependency :(
Helpful - 0
1806750 tn?1323310042
I hear you about the meds.  Pill Popping America!  Seriously, it makes me sick.  I used to have panic attacks and coming down from a buzz would make me panic or bring mild anxiety.  And be careful with Xanax.  Benzos are f'd up and eventually your body will need more to get the same effect and if you take them regularly and run out for like a few days.  You'll get the shakes and feel horrible.  Since, you just use xanax for sleep, that's good, keep it that way.  Talk to your dr. about geting on a different drug other than Zoloft as well.  You really should go with the safest route for handling your panic disorder (and therapy would be very beneficial to you.  You can learn what brings on panic or what triggers uneasy feelings and then you can learn how to deal with those feelings in a healthy manner.  
If interested.  Watch the documentary on my blog regarding psychotropic drugging .  It'll **** you off but, open your eyes to the way our country works.  Here's the link to the page if you wanna watch - http://ahhhhhihavecrohnsdisease.blogspot.com/2011_06_01_archive.html
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Anxiety Community

Top Anxiety Answerers
Avatar universal
Arlington, VA
370181 tn?1595629445
Arlington, WA
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Find out what can trigger a panic attack – and what to do if you have one.
A guide to 10 common phobias.
Take control of tension today.
These simple pick-me-ups squash stress.
Don’t let the winter chill send your smile into deep hibernation. Try these 10 mood-boosting tips to get your happy back
Want to wake up rested and refreshed?