Xanax causing depression?

[Ms BW]

I think my low dose Xanax 0.25 mg is causing me to have depression.  Is this possible?  Has anyone else experienced this?

[chcnme]

Xanax can cause depression.  It's good for anxiety, but many taking it for anxiety will experience depression on it, too.  Best of luck.

[Mamma1972]

In my experience with Xanax, it's never caused depression.  I am, however, seriously anxious...nothing "down" about me.  It's a powerful drug used for panic & anxiety, so, perhaps, unless the anxiety is sever, depression could be a side effect.  You may want to speak with your doctor about a possible switch on prescriptions.

Be well...good luck.

[tmac25]

I am taking xanax and Klonipin for anxiety and panic attacks as well. Just broke up with fiancé and quit drinking two weeks ago and have had horrible anxiety. The only thing is that I have become horribly depressed, I was thinking it was caused by the Lithium they put me on three weeks ago. But stopped that and nothing tried another anti depressant didn’t do much. Im beginning to think that the depression has more to do with the xanax and Klonipin then the breaking up with girlfriend. The depression is so horrible that I just can sit still walk for about 4 hours a day, cant work or do anything. Trying to quit xanax and Klonipin but it is the only thing that calms me. Im a train wreck feeling like life is not worth living and don’t know what to do anymore, I just don’t want to get addicted to these drugs as they seam to be addictive and ‘the depression has become worse then the anxiety and panic. Any suggestions.

[JSGeare]

It is tempting -and it is human nature- to draw direct lines of connection between one thing -and the other. And sometimes it is really that simple: A) Fall from cliff, and B) break leg. Makes sense. Then on the other extreme are things which we doubt are connected -but at one time believed were true. A) Do rain dance and, B) it rains.

And in between, there is everything else. And the truth is that the connections are rarely so simple. So, the literal answer to the question, "Is it possible for a low dosage Xanax to cause depression," must be YES. And NO.

I don't say this because I want an argument, honestly I don't. I say it because the problem is not just how much Xanax (or how much anything) but rather the understandable wish to connect a particular outcome to a particular cause. We could just as well ask if it possible that a high cure rate for anxiety is "caused" by a big dose of aspirin. The point is that if we feel very strongly that we know what causes something, then we think that by creating the particular cause, we can therefore create the desired outcome. Friends, this tendency isn't because we're dummies -this is huge, deep within the human psyche. We are the species that discerns PATTERNS and we are so wired up to do this that we see patterns, connections, causes and effects, and we see stuff that isn't there!  What is more remarkable is that it often doesn't really matter if there is an actual connection. What matters is that we BELIEVE there is.

So I caution everyone to be careful about asking if A can cause B when it comes to medical situations, and I caution all to be careful about answering that A will (or will not) cause B. The answer here is the same as the answer always is: it DEPENDS. And the people most qualified to speak to this are the qualified mental health professionals whose life and work it is to tease the truth out as best they can from a very complicated and always changing body of information.

Indeed, someone will or will not agree that a particular dose of something will definitely result in something else -because that was their experience. But the fact we hear nothing to the contrary doesn't mean that there are not differing experiences. And the most we'll get from taking a poll is a vote in favor or against. The actions and interactions of drugs do not respond to a vote.

All that said, I can not say that a particular dosage or change in dosage will have any particular outcome. The informed opinions lie with the professionals and their consulation should carry much more weight than ours. There's a reason why a disclaimer appears over there on the left of thye screen: "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!"

That can be hard advice to follow, especially when we want to hear from people we trust.

I hope you'll let us know the result of your consult about your meds.

[lighthouselady]

I have been on Xanax for quite awhile for my anxiety. Up until now, it was working good. Now, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I just started taking Zoloft and I pray to god it works.
I have also started having the bad heartburn. I hate it!!!

[jtl712]

my third week of sertraline and feeling a little better but still have trouble sleeping and feel kind of cloudy sometimes.  Also get anxiety mostly in the morning. stopped taking xanax and switched to klonopin 2 days ago and also taking lunesta to sleep.  Zoloft worked very welll for me for 4 yrs until i stopped for 6 months and jsut started again after feeling horrible.  I'm not sure if it took this long to kick in the first time so i'm kinda worried but I also switched from another drug to zoloft. but good luck and keep me informed...Jay

[Blumac81]

Guys I identify with you so much.  Back in the day, my psychiatrist would cringe at the though of giving me a bottle of 3 to 5  0.5mg xanax because they are so 'addictive'.  Well, I switched doctors and am now on VA coverage (Air Force 6 years, did OEF/OIF).   The VA psychiatrist up and gave me 360 1mg tabs of xanax to take 4 times a day! I remember he asking me, since I had taken Xanax a bit before "Well are you addicted?", I said "nope", and he's like "there you go!".  But now I dunno it's a downward spiral.  I need more and more xanax just to give me that calming feeling when i'm out and about, currently at 3mg, sometimes i move up to 4mg. Anxiety isues = gone.   Depression issues.... its gotten 2-3 times worse.  I get in crying & SI paralyzing fits like nothing else. No anxiety, but this depression... this hopelessness about life, my life, and life in general, overwhelms me and then thoughts of suicide come into me head.

So that leads me to believe.... Xanax DOES make you depressed in the higher doses.

Or, did your anxiety 'mask' your depression before you had xanax?

Who knows?

[Plotinus08]

Please place great value on this man's comments.  He had discovered precisely the same as I have.  It is true, in low dosages, Xanax may not cause much depression.  But during extremely tense situations, I have taken 3 to 4 milligrams, and the depression following is almost unbearable.
If possible, try to take Xanax only on an "as needed" basis. If a crisis come along, and the 3 to 4 milligrams are needed, they will be more effective.  In the long run, a 36-48 hour period of depression is far better than going off the deep end.  But please, try to go back to 1.5 to 2 millgrams per day as soon, and for as long, as possible.
"Blumac81", my deepest thanks for verifying what I have suspected for so long.  
Best wishes to all,
Plotinus08

[Dreamsie]

Xanax is known to take the wind out of your sails a bit, to make you demotivated, which is also a sign of depression. 0.25 mg is a very low dose though, maybe it's just not right for you, if you take that low a dose, you might as well not take it, since it is very addictive and it's extremely difficult to get off the xanax.

Xanax is pretty much a ***** of a drug, it makes you dependant extremely quickly and you will need higher doses if you use it every day. What I personally do is to go without so every now and then for a week or so. I've also set as a rule for myself that I am not allowed to have more than 2 mg per day (I take it to sleep).

But the depression that comes with it is familiar, and the content of an entire bottle of xanax has ended up in my stomach more than once...

[wilsonjamie]

WOW!  Can I just say in reading this article I feel like I wrote it myself.  My doctor prescribed me the same dose of Xanax for mild anxiety about a year ago.  I never needed it unless my anxiety was really bad.  Then after a breakup I took it because my anxiety was back.  I thought my anxiety was getting worse, so I started taking it once or twice a day (which was prescribed).  It went from anxiety, to panic to full out depression.  I started seeing a therapist and he's been telling me to keep taking it.  I however hate the idea of being on any pills for anything unless I'm dying.  I've noticed that I've been off of any Xanax at all for two weeks now and my depression has gotten worse.  Its not like me.  I'm not even still broken up with my boyfriend.  We're great, my job is great, and honestly my life is great.  I have no real issues.  But for some reason I have this hopeless, its hard to find a reason to live feeling.  It has really scared me because it is SO out of character for me.  I've never in my life felt this way.  Thank God I have great people in my life.  Reading all of this makes me really think it could be from Xanax.  I thought I was really losing my mind for a little bit.  Like I started questioning the meaning of life, whats the point of living..etc.  Please if anyone is going through this just stay strong, get help and reach out to whoever you can.  Let people know this is going on with you..dont keep it secret because you are not alone.  This drug should be taken out of everyone's hands.

[michaxx2]

I have used once klonopin wich is like xanax for a while and made me depressed ..so the dr added lexapro to take with it and I felt much much better on that combo....
Micha

[mantra999]

DOnt you get it, the Xanax creates a comfort, calming ambient blanket for us to live in. Once we get off xanax we struggle to adapt to the dull, harsh struggle of reality, we find ourseleves once again dwelling excessivley on negatives in which our reality thrusts upon us. Xanax makes us content within our own skin, comfortable and loose, like its easy to breath and get through a day, very simimar to marijuana. Its simple, it makes us feel good and once it wears off we feel bad because we no longer have this calming loose outlook on reality, once again, very similar to Marijuana. I have smoked Marijuana and it actually decreased my Anxiety, and after a few years of solid use of Marijuana, once I got off it, my anxiety came back 10 fold along with over analysis of situations and many physical delusions, like a hypochodriac, its like my mind could control my body, what ever I thought was going on with my body my mind had the power to make it feel that way. The beauty of Xanax is that it does all the same things for me but dosnt have such a psyco effect on my brain and mind, I think xanax is a big help. And really, define addiction? Are we addictied to something because we choose to take it because it enhances our lives and helps us remain positive in the ocean of chaos. Just remember there is no right and wrong in this world and all we can do is our best to get by as best we can. We could argue people are addicted to not being dependent on "addictive" substances, "Addictded" to living the idealistic lifestyle. They are addicted to proving they dont need to take things that can help them, they may be addicted to their own pride! We are just trying to find our journey a little more positive. So take Xanax, BUT dont think about being addicted, just take it and dont feel negative about being on it, that is half the problem, you arn;t weak becuase you need assitance through medication, you should be proud you have opened up, showing your weakneses is the greatest strength in this world, because once you show your weakneses, you can only get stronger for that point onwards!

[Mav1977]

this is my second week without xanax and honestly, i felt on so many occassasions that i might take my life. the withdrawal symptoms are horrible. i still have sleepless nights. like last night i woke up from sleep and a thought came to my mind, " its time for suicide"... thats not me, i woke my wife and told her what i went through, i always have a very positive outlook of life and never was negative. doc gave me xanax for insomnia and mild panic attacks, i never knew that i will end up so negative about my life... i understand what you are going through, i ma in the same boat as you. i have a job, wife and a beautiful daughter but somehow i am in such a mess where everything is so hopeless and negative.

But i can tell you that i am recovering a bit, the negative images of me taking my life are almost gone or r less frequent. however, i have immense fear of hurting myself. heck i cannot even watch cartoons anymore, the characters scare me a lot...
besides that, life is beautiful, full of everything, but there are wrong or bad turns in them where you will encoutner thorns and pebbles.

I know it will go away but it is a very painful to get away from all the symptoms. does anyone know how long does it take to be normal after quiting xanax..

[Ariom63]

has never made me feel depressed at all. Meds are different for many!  It has helped me when I needed it and still does.  I feel just fine.  

[StaticX]

Listen and listen closely. Listen like your life depends on it. Stop and think for a minute about what you are saying and reading.

First off, you are on Xanax because you had a problem to begin with. Hopefully a qualified MD has seen your problem and attempted a correction of it in the way he was professionally trained.

I know everything you speak of because I also soffer the same condition or fate if you so feel it.

We are afraid of what we dont know and look for answers of others to find comfort. Unfortunatly we are all different in many, many ways. Our outcomes are like the draw of the lotto.

Xanax works. When you feel better or worse it's due to the underlying problems. If you are depressed it's because your body stopped worrying about anxiety and now has time for depression. Or, any other condition that was already there.

This is why doctors try to perscribe multiple meds to combat an condition. Because hopefully, they already saw the other ones too. They won't tell you theis because they too need to see what's real or anxiety related.

Take what is perscribed and if other issues arise tell your doctor, and hope he is a smart doctor that cares as this gives you better chances.

Above all be honest with him or he won't know all your conditions. Most of us lie to due to the fear of the unknown.

I hope that all of us get better someday. I hope others need not suffer from the condition. But for now, enjoy the good days and stop to smell the flowers. Try to remember you are alive and there's much to do.

-X