Xanax overload?

My husband was diagnosed with depression w/anxiety about 16 months ago.  After trying different meds, the combo that seemed to work best is 2 mg Abilify w/200 mg. Zoloft, in the morning, with 1 mg. xanax up to 4 times a day as needed.  After about 10 months, he is groggy, has short term memory loss, sleeps a lot, and seems to be "out of it" a lot.  Is it the Xanax?  I am worried sick.

[cj29]

Talking to your prescribing doctor is definitely the way to go in my opinion.  Different meds affect us all in different ways.  Did you ever discuss maybe taking a more long term acting benzo like Klonopin?  Xanax is usually prescribed short term and on an as needed basis because of its short half life.  Also, could he be depressed because of his condition?  I know when I was going through this I would sleep all day and not want to do much of anything else.

I also am extremely impressed that you are involved in helping your husband overcome this.  It takes a lot of patience and understanding for a spouse to go through this in my opinion.  

[MMahon]

You should discuss these symptoms with his prescribing doctor.
It does seem to be a lot of xanax per day (4mg) if he takes it all.
I take .50 to .75 mg per day and that's sufficient for me.
Don't change doses without your doctors ok.

[Liz1010]

We have an appointment on Monday with his doctor.  I think it might be the Xanax plus the Zoloft; a lot of people have told me that 200 mg is a lot of Zoloft and it seems he is fine in the morning until he takes the Abilify/Zoloft combo.  Then after about 2 hours, the grogginess seems to set in.
Thanks for your input.

[ramil]

It's not the xanax unless he's abusing them. The groggy feeling you get from xanax will go away after a week of normal dosage. I take zoloft 100mg and appx 1 mg of xanax daily and Im never tired or groggy. I was groggy and tired when I was taking ativan which is why i switched to the more functional xanax

[ramil]

Benzos get a bad rap from people that mix them with other drugs and alcohol but if used and consumed properly they are the best meds for short term panic relief and do the trick. Exposure theraπ¥ works as well

[cj29]

Talking to your prescribing doctor is definitely the way to go in my opinion.  Different meds affect us all in different ways.  Did you ever discuss maybe taking a more long term acting benzo like Klonopin?  Xanax is usually prescribed short term and on an as needed basis because of its short half life.  Also, could he be depressed because of his condition?  I know when I was going through this I would sleep all day and not want to do much of anything else.

I also am extremely impressed that you are involved in helping your husband overcome this.  It takes a lot of patience and understanding for a spouse to go through this in my opinion.  

[Route666]

It's not the Xanax - not after 10 months. If it was the Xanax, this symptom would have appeared more rapidly. Xanax does not accumulate.

You ever see those commercials on TV, specifically the one that says "if your antidepressant isn't enough, ask your doctor about adding Abilify?

Well, those commercials omit one important factoid - SSRI antidepressants such as Zoloft jack up the Abilify plasma level by 50%. What's that mean? That 2 milligrams becomes THREE (or more). Over a span of several months, you end up with an accumulation of the drug and turn into a zombie.

Abilify is an atypical antipsychotic - a dopamine antagonist. A chemical lobotomy. Inquire about halving the Abilify dosage. Additionally, Xanax is not indicated for long-term use. The drug tends to lose its efficacy over the long-term, particularly at higher dosages.

[Liz1010]

Thanks everyone.  I will take all of these thoughts with us when we see the doc on Monday.  I don't think he's sleeping to escape, the anxiety and depression are pretty well controlled.  I think he's sleeping because he just can't stay awake.  He doesn't drink at all so that's not a factor.
Thank you, cj29, so much for your kind words.  I'm doing my best to be supportive but as you say, it's not always easy.  I pray a lot.  When I hit a low point I think, at least he's going thru this with the benefit of drugs, but all I have is myself, lol.  I guess this is where the "in sickness and health" kicks in - I just want my husband back.